Parking fine error

Micheal H

I parked my car in Sligo town on Saturday night, and after a few jars I got a taxi home. I was in no rush to pick up the car the next day as I thought that it was free parking on a Sunday. Turned out I was wrong.

Picked the car up at 2pm and saw a ticket under the wiper blade and retrieved it while muttering a few choice expletives. Now, when I inspected the ticket it was issued because of "Failing to display a current tax disk", but my tax is up to date and in full view, so I assume the traffic warden entered the incorrect offence.

I'll be going into get the ticket nullified in the next couple of days, but I'm just wondering that when I do, will it just be a case of the ticket is void and nothing more can be done about it, or can they issue a new ticket retrospectively?

andyseadog

play your cards right, keep your head down and you might just get away with this one :pac:

Micheal H

So you're suggesting I do nothing, make no attempt to nullify the ticket and wait until I'm summonsed for non-payment? Surely going to court should be the last option. Do you think a judge would look favourably on the case for letting this go as far as court without making any previous attempt to have the ticket voided, when it clearly was an incorrect fine?

Victor

You should have taken a photo immediately, otherwise what proof do you have that you were displaying?

Bigcheeze

Victor wrote: »

You should have taken a photo immediately, otherwise what proof do you have that you were displaying?

What proof does the traffic warden have ? Answer = photos. The traffic warden won't have a photo of the OP's car without a valid tax disc.
Case closed

Micheal H

I didn't think I had reason to at first as I thought it was for a parking offence. It wasn't until that evening at home that I fully read the ticket.

corktina

you will get away with the parking offence as you havent got a ticket for it.Case closed.

As regards the alleged offence of not displaying the tax disc, you should pursue this now ,saying nothing about the parking of course, saying you did have a disc on display. If they dont withdraw the ticket, you'll have to go to court and prove you did have tax paid for and hope the Judge gives you the benefit of the doubt about the non-display bit. your word against the Wardens though, could go either way. Perhaps it would be simpler and cheaper just to pay , I'm not sure if theres Points involved though, which would be an issue


IMHO

Our man in Havana

I wouldn't pay. Paying is taking the easy way out and allowing these bad practices to continue. There are no points involved for tax offences in any event.

I would write politely and if they won't back down I would take my chances in court. You have proof of tax and unless he has proof of non display you will win.

andyseadog

Micheal H wrote: »

So you're suggesting I do nothing, make no attempt to nullify the ticket and wait until I'm summonsed for non-payment? Surely going to court should be the last option. Do you think a judge would look favourably on the case for letting this go as far as court without making any previous attempt to have the ticket voided, when it clearly was an incorrect fine?

yes, thats what i meant, sit there and do **** all and it will just go away.

Micheal H

Our man in Havana wrote: »

I wouldn't pay. Paying is taking the easy way out and allowing these bad practices to continue. There are no points involved for tax offences in any event.

I would write politely and if they won't back down I would take my chances in court. You have proof of tax and unless he has proof of non display you will win.

Yeah, this is the course of action I was thinking of persuing. I'll call into the borough offices before the end of the week and state my case. If I get no satisfaction from them, I'll submit a letter of complaint as evidence of formal contact.

If they wish to persue it in court after that then so be it. All my tax affairs are in order and if the warden can't provide evidence that I wasn't actually displaying a tax certificate, I don't see any reason why a judge would take his/her word over mine.

Thanks.

andyseadog wrote: »

yes, thats what i meant, sit there and do **** all and it will just go away.

So I just ignore a summons and not turn up to court and all my problems will magically go away. Sweet, I wish someone had told me this earlier in life. Now where did I leave my machete....

andyseadog

Micheal H wrote: »

So I just ignore a summons and not turn up to court and all my problems will magically go away. Sweet, I wish someone had told me this earlier in life. Now where did I leave my machete....

look, my second answer was sarcastic, because you gave such an irate answer to my first post.

andyseadogs first post wrote:

if you play your cards right

means you have to play your cards. not just sit there ignoring the situation.

i was merely suggesting that if you dispute the ticket for not displaying a tax disc and the ticket gets overturned that maybe/ likely everybody will forget you parked without buying a ticket, so you will get away 'fineless'

maybe analyse posts a little further and don't just skim read before you give a response and if you already have your plan so clearly sussed then you really don't need to post on here.

cheers, andy.

Micheal H

andyseadog wrote: »

look, my second answer was sarcastic, because you gave such an irate answer to my first post.

Sorry if you felt my post was irate, but I was merely asking you to clarify what you appeared to be suggesting by your post

means you have to play your cards. not just sit there ignoring the situation.

Funny how you only quote the first few words. Here's the rest:

keep your head down and you might just get away with this one

Which means to avoid being noticed, attract no attention in order to get away with it. Sounds a lot like ignoring a situation to me! And how exactly could I construe from that sentence you were trying to say:

if you dispute the ticket for not displaying a tax disc and the ticket gets overturned that maybe/ likely everybody will forget you parked without buying a ticket, so you will get away 'fineless'

?

maybe analyse posts a little further and don't just skim read before you give a response

Sorry, I didn't realise this was actually the CSI forum and that I had to analyse posts to unlock their hidden meaning. I'll be sure to send all future posts to The Lab to avoid any further misunderstanding :rolleyes:

and if you already have your plan so clearly sussed then you really don't need to post on here.

cheers, andy.

I posted to ask what might be the likely results of my course of action. Who knows, someone might actually have had a simillar experience and being able to offer some genuine helpful advice.

Now can't we all just get along

Cheers, Micheal.

andyseadog

:rolleyes:

ok. play your cards right, and keep your head down.

tell them you were taxed, hope to get the ticket for no tax displayed overturned, neither you nor them mentions you not having bought a parking ticket, so you get away with it.

if that plan doesn't suit you, tell them they issued you with the wrong ticket and you want to fess up to parking without buying a ticket.


this is so simple.

sophie1234

I know form past experence and going to court for non display of tax if by the time your in court you have in date tax with all arrears paid they will 99% of the time throw it out!

but in saying that the traffic warden must take a photo of your tax and it will be in date so look on the website where you pay there is an option to look at photos it should be up there so have a look and see then send an appeal letter with reference to the photos!

twowheelsonly

Before you do anything check that the ticket is yours!!! By that I mean check the number plate that it's issued to. Far from unheard of for somebody to stick 'their' ticket on somebody elses car in the hope that they'll pay it without reading it properly..

Micheal H

sophie1234 wrote: »

I know form past experence and going to court for non display of tax if by the time your in court you have in date tax with all arrears paid they will 99% of the time throw it out!

but in saying that the traffic warden must take a photo of your tax and it will be in date so look on the website where you pay there is an option to look at photos it should be up there so have a look and see then send an appeal letter with reference to the photos!

Had a look on the website, but there's no option to see any photos. Went as far as the section to input my card details. I don't think it would have been worth going any further than that to see photos

twowheelsonly wrote: »

Before you do anything check that the ticket is yours!!! By that I mean check the number plate that it's issued to. Far from unheard of for somebody to stick 'their' ticket on somebody elses car in the hope that they'll pay it without reading it properly..

Yep, it's definitely my reg number on it.

sophie1234

Thats odd there usually is what web site do you go to to pay.?

Micheal H

Main site:
http://www.sligoborough.ie/

Payment section:
https://epayments.lgcsb.ie/fillForm2.taf?_function=1&completedFormID=1613324&nc=6309998642008084321