I was fined £500 for parking app mix-up… I went through ‘year of hell’ & ended up in court – it was so unfair but I won

ONE driver who was fined £500 for a £3.20 parking fee has won in court.

Karen Bennett made an error while paying for parking in Halifax over a year ago and was eventually taken to court by the parking company.

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Instead of entering her number plate into the parking register, Karen entered her car's make: Ford.

The driver then refused to pay a fine and the situation spiralled until Excel Parking Company took her to court - and lost.

Karen described her experience as "hell" but said that it had been totally worth it.

She said: "If you have paid for your parking, don't pay them off. Let them take you to court because if you have evidence of payment the judge will hopefully side with you.

"All those letters and threats make you feel like a criminal and it gave me many sleepless nights but I am glad I stuck to my guns and didn't give into their bullying."

Karen said the Excel car park only gives motorists five minutes to pay, or they will received a £100 fine.

But, Karen found the parking machine out of order and didn't have the app.

So she downloaded it and paid - taking her 11 minutes.

The Star reported Excel said that Karen had broken the rules for making the error and had incurred a £100 penalty.

That penalty jumped to £170 while Karen unsuccessfully appealed only for it to rise further to £280 and threats of debt collectors and legal action.

Excel then offered Karen a £200 settlement, but she refused and the parking company took Karen to court seeking £500.

But a judge in the Bradford County Court dismissed the case and denied Excel's request for costs.

The judge said the costs Excel wanted was disproportionate and had the firm had failed to justify them.

An Excel Parking Services Ltd spokesperson said: "The terms and conditions at the New Road car park in Halifax are enforced using ANPR technology. 

"Date and time stamped ANPR photographs are taken of vehicles upon entry to and exit from the car park. The ANPR data is compared to the pay data to highlight any non-compliant motorists. For this reason, it is paramount that motorists enter their full and accurate vehicle registration mark (VRM). 

"The signs adjacent to the pay meter make this clear. Furthermore, both the pay meter and pay online options were in use throughout the day with no faults or errors recorded. 

"Miss Bennett entered “FORD” as her VRM when making payment. The transaction therefore could not be matched to her vehicle and parking session and a Parking Charge Notice was issued.

"We are currently considering our position following the judge's decision and, as such, it is inappropriate for us to comment further at this stage."

Excel Parking has been approached for comment.

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