A new free service claims it can help wronged motorists fight back against unfair parking fines in less than a minute.
DoNotPay.co.uk promises to ‘generate winning appeals to parking tickets in under 30 seconds’ by helping drivers build a case that can be used to contest both council and even penalties issued by private firms.
It’s been designed by 18-year-old student Joshua Browder who came up with the idea after picking up numerous tickets in the space of just a few months.
Following a run of successfully challenging the fines and being asked for help by friends and family, he had the bright idea of coming up with a way to make it easier for people who don’t have the time or the legal knowledge to fight back.
The site is only a few weeks old but has already been a big hit with disgruntled drivers and at last count Browder told loveMONEY more than 45,000 have signed up.
How it works
To get started you just need to register with an email address and password on the website or via the Android app.
Then it’s just a case of picking your defence by selecting why you feel the ticket you’ve received shouldn’t have been issued from a list of 12 possible scenarios.
These include reasons such an unclear parking signage, genuine mistakes like entering an incorrect date on a permit, missing details from the ticket issued and parking for an emergency.
Browder says he compiled the list by scouring thousands of pages of Freedom of Information Act documents to find the defences that have had the most success in overturning fines.
Once you’ve set out why you think the fine is unfair you’ll be prompted for a few extra details to help back up your case like permit number or the nature of missing information from the ticket.
[SPOTLIGHT]Then you just need to enter your name, parking ticket reference and the street name where the ticket was issued.
The service will automatically generate a letter explaining your case and to complete your appeal package the service will also automatically attach photographic evidence of the street the offence occurred on using Google Street View.
Browder says successes so far include overturning fines because of a medical emergency, making a mistake when scratching a permit and lack of correct signage.
How to appeal parking tickets
Councils are regularly accused of being a bit over zealous when issuing parking fines to drivers and using these as an easy money generator.
Latest figures from the RAC Foundation show councils in England made a profit of £667 million from their on- and off-street parking operations in 2013-2014.
Meanwhile private firms are making undisclosed millions through often exorbitant fees for drivers breaking the parking rules in places like supermarkets, hospitals and shopping centres.
You’re entitled to appeal against council parking fines and tickets issued by private companies, but you must do so in writing and provide evidence to prove it was unfair.
This might be photos of confusing signs or unclear road markings, as well as other evidence like proof of mitigating circumstances or a witness statement.
The quicker you get on the case the better, as leaving it past a couple of weeks will result in the fine getting much bigger. Normally you enjoy a 50% discount on your fine if you pay within 14 days (or 21 days if issued by a CCTV camera).
For more help on tackling unfair parking fines check out the Citizens Advice website.
Have you challenged a parking fine before? Were you successful? Tell us about your experiences in the Comments section below.
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