Parking Ticket Has Wrong Registration Number

[serendipity2]

Hi, yesterday I parked in a disabled bay by the charity shop in my supermarket car park, so as to be close enough to carry the heavy goods into the shop. In the ten seconds I was gone, I was issued a parking ticket from the private firm who are now operating there. I didn't even know they were employing these people. I knew I would only be there less than a minute.
The ticket he issued me with says the make model and colour of my car, but he has typed the wrong reg into his computer. I have gone not the company's website, to appeal, and that also has the wrong reg on. Surely that means they cannot chase me for the £70. Or am I wrong?

[factor-fiction]

The general consensus is that you can just ignore any demands for payment, regardless of whether they have the correct or incorrect reg number. Even better, if they copied your reg number down incorrectly onto their records they won't be able to find your address anyway so you won't receive any demands

[factor-fiction]

Sorry- I read this as being a parking area belonging to a shop. If it's a normal road with parking restrictions then you are liable- if they can trace you

[Baldric]

Don't appeal, Ignore!

[factor-fiction]

If it is definitely a supermarket car park then my first answer stands

[Baldric]

They have the wrong reg.
They don't know who you are
If you appeal you identify yourself,

[Canary42]

Ignore it - private firms will issue a few threatening letters (if they can find you, with a wrong registration) but won't go to Court so you are safe.

I pity the poor sod whose number it is.

[FredPuli43]

How are they going to trace you, when they have not got the correct number? All they can say is that you were the person who was handed the ticket, but they have little chance now of finding you again to identify you in person !. Wait until they post you some document claiming the penalty. Don't write to them and appeal it. That would be a dead give-away, admitting that you were the driver or person responsible.

[meglet]

As you say its a private firm I personally will ignore it. I dropped my hubby off at Luton Airport (where I didn't realise you have to pay just to drop someone off - scandalous) so I stopped at an empty bus stop for 1 minute. I got a "parking fine" from a company called Apco. I ignored it, and the subsequent demands. And I ignored the subsequent letters from a debt collector, and I ignored 5 calls a day I got from them. And I ignored the subsequent letters from a law firm (who I looked into and were dubious at least- I can't remember the name but they were based in the same office as the debt collectors and the so-called lawyer who wrote the standard letter was a legal advisor at the council and they were using his name).

They gave up and I have heard nothing now for about 18 months. I know some people will point out that one or two have been successfully sued by private parking firms but its such a small number.

[sir.prize]

serendipity2 - do not worry. Ignore it completely. Do not contact them. Admit nothing. The wrong reg does not matter.

It is an unenforceable invoice - it's a parking charge notice NOT a penalty charge notice. Read this article from Martin Lewis and then view the Watchdog clip.

http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/private-parking-tickets



Remember - do not appeal - do not contact them.

[sunny-dave]

But stop parking in disabled bays - whatever the reason you think you have it's just wrong.

[sir.prize]

BBC Watchdog clip

[ichkeria]

Donate your fine to the charity shop

[serendipity2]

Thank you everyone. I would never normally park in a disabled bay. I made sure there were at least 5 bays left in case somebody needed one while I was carrying my goods in.
It says on the back of the ticket that if you haven't paid n full in 28 days The company may contact DVLA to obtain registered keepers details for the purposes of recovery of the notice. In which case they will see a Nissan not a Renault Clio.
My Mother seems to think they could unjumble the back to front reg and still find me, as they have all the other details right. I hope she's wrong.

[pixie373]

Might still be hard for them to prove if they've recorded a different registration number, though. They have pretty much stated in writing that it's not your car

[bazwillrun]

"The company may contact DVLA to obtain registered keepers details for the purposes of recovery of the notice."

I'd be extremely suprised if DVLA are obliged to give them the information, without some legal reasons for doing so

[sir.prize]

serendipity - again I say do not worry. Please ignore them. Follow all the advice given by users on here. A PRIVATE parking company cannot FINE you. Only a court can do that. Yes, they may go to DVLA - they often do. But still ignore any correspondence you get. If you get concerned come back here. We will talk you through it. Read everything above, and watch the clips.

I cannot stress enough - the chances of them taking you to court for recovery are extremely remote - they don't like court.

Twice on supermarket car parks I have been given tickets and both times have ignored them and eventually the car parking companies go away.

[tonywiltshire]

If the registration is incorrect the private parking company have no way of discovering you and do not pay or appeal as Fred says and do not park in disabled bays whatever the reason or however short your stay may have been as sunny-dave says.
You may be aware that the law changed in 2012 with the Protection of Freedom act (schedule 4) and a private parking company may try to scare some people by mentioning the Norwich Pharmacal (the spelling is correct) order, the reply to which would be to quote (amongst others) S40 of the Administration of Justice Act 1970 . The chances of them starting action are very slight.

[Peter Pedant]

Tony and Freddie
I love reading your answers

[Valmave]

I thought they also photographed the cars that they book ? Also, some time ago I would add, they would copy down the serial number of the tax disc. I know this because I was the "poor sod" referred to above that had the noted number plate.

[FredPuli43]

Maybe, val, in this case, but still wait and see. The burden of proof is on them. There is no need to do anything, such as offering to pay or appealing which discharges that burden for them!