A MAN from Gwynedd who was fined for accidentally registering his parking fee at a Bangor shopping centre with another vehicle he owned has said he is “determined to fight” his charge.

David Scott, from Dinorwig, he parked at Menai Shopping Centre’s multi-storey car park, for which Excel Parking Services are responsible, just before 1pm on November 1, 2022.

He said he paid the £2.20 parking fee digitally, but mistakenly used the number plate for his other car, rather than the one he had driven to the car park. The car was left there until roughly 3.15pm.

David was then issued with a parking charge notice on November 29, issuing him with a £100 fine, or £60 if paid within two weeks.

Since then, the fine has been further increased to £170.

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Gwynedd man registered parking fee in Bangor with his other vehicle

David said he has been suffering from “Long COVID”, and couldn’t manage to pay the parking fee with a card at the machine, which would also not accept cash.

Consequently, he had to download an app to pay for parking.

He said: “My three girls that were with me were due at a meeting at 1pm, so I felt under pressure, and in the moment, managed to register the payment against my other vehicle.

“I didn't leave the site until I had paid for parking, despite it being quite stressful with my girls – twins aged 12 and one aged 14 – running off in the rain.

“To date, no refund has been issued, even though they acknowledged that they know it was taken in error.

“The appeal stated that: ‘the appellant has my sympathy, but the guidance to the appeal is clear that I may only consider legal issues; not extenuating circumstances’.”

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David said that he never intended to defraud Excel, or to disregard his obligation to pay for parking.

But he added that he is resolute that he has done nothing wrong, and deems it unreasonable for the company to pursue court action against him.

He said: “There has been no loss to the parking company; I paid for a vehicle to park. I made a mistake and registered it against the wrong vehicle.

“Despite being ill and having been advised to eliminate all stress from my life and concentrate on my recovery, I am determined to fight this; not just on my behalf, but on behalf of all those less articulate or feeling helpless or disempowered who, on receiving a fine like this, would just pay up.

“Surely, any reasonable person would see that to use lawyers and courts to issue punitive fines in these circumstances is just plain wrong.

“Should the court system be used like this when no actual loss has taken place? Is it right for a company to knowingly withhold money taken in error?”

In response, a representative for Excel Parking Services Ltd outlined the reasons behind dismissing David’s appeals.

This involved him first appealing the fine with the company itself, and later with the Independent Appeals Services.

A letter shown to the Chronicle, also read that Excel refused David’s appeal on the basis that it is the motorist’s responsibility to check that all details are correct before leaving their vehicle parked.

An Excel representative said: “The car park is monitored by Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras which record entry and exit details of vehicles; these details are then matched against the parking tariff purchase transactions using the vehicle registration number.

“A parking charge was issued to Mr Scott as our records did not indicate that a valid purchase of the parking tariff had been made.

“The signage on site and on the machine makes it clear that the full and accurate registration mark must be entered when making payment of the parking tariff.

“Mr Scott appealed the charge but failed to provide evidence of his payment or that he had any connection to the vehicle registration he entered.

“The website in which Mr Scott appealed the charge advises: ‘Please provide as much information as possible that will help our team to investigate the matter and attach any evidence you may have that supports your case’.

“Had Mr Scott provided evidence to support his appeal, it is likely a reduction of the charge would have been offered.

“In the absence of any such evidence, both our internal appeals team and the Independent Appeals Service dismissed Mr Scott's appeals.

“We hope this article serves to inform motorists to fully engage with the appeals process should they believe they have been incorrectly issued with a parking charge.”