Parking ticket. Sigh. Ringo site fun and games

So I went to renew my resident’s permit as soon as I got the reminder email back in late June. Somehow I went through the whole process and only got as far as the new permit being ‘Authorised’. I even didn’t read the email they sent to confirm it. Somehow because they have all my payment details on file I’d assumed I’d paid for it.

So this morning I go to the car and find I have a parking ticket - logged on to the Ringo website and it says my application is in ‘Authorised’ state, but not paid. Funnily enough it took them 2 months to give me a ticket!

This is really frustrating, I suppose it’s my fault because I failed to internet properly. Is there any point in calling anyone? I doubt they’d be sympathetic.

Anyway just a word of warning in case anyone else misses this.

That site is very misleading as there is a Parking Permit AND a Permit To Park. Both have to be up to date and I have fallen into the trap you experienced. I fought it and won but it was a PITA.

Seems nothing with Lewisham is as straightforward as it seems these days.
Hope you get it sorted @clausy

Sadly that has become the case. I used to hold Lewisham in very high regard, over the last few years though dealing with them has become very difficult. Still, I dont have that pleasure any more.

Maybe the computers are not as intuitive as people to spot an oversight of its customer? The reason for more streamlined services is the necessary efficiency the Council must achieve to live within its budgets. Despite increases in the Council tax budgets have been decimated since 2010.

Completely understand the reasoning behind it all. Not for one second waving fingers at the workers bees who are probably double loaded with work these days.
The downside of computers churning out things, or being faulty is all too common these days, across the board.

My issue has been the interactions with the humans manning the system (when you can actually get hold of someone). It used to be a pleasure to deal with people as they were always helpful. Not so much now.

A perfect example is paying for a visitors ticket in our (then) CPZ. I input the car, a black Audi, I then input the reg but got a 3 instead of an 8. The visitor got a fine, I paid them for the fine and then contested it. Most people would think “he got the colour right, he got the make right, it was a simple mistake on one number on the registration and cancel the ticket”. But no. I didnt even get a refund for the parking.

A few years ago I would have had someone say “you know, you made a mistake but it’s an honest one and you paid for parking so we will cancel the ticket”. Not now.

I understand cuts but cuts doesnt mean a cut in common sense and courtesy.

I got two tickets last year which I hotly contested. Lewisham Parking noticed I’d accidently reversed two numbers in my car’s reg on the Ringo App and both tickets were immediately cancelled as a gesture of goodwill.

I guess it depends on who you speak to. My person had no interest in discussing it with me. “You got the numbers wrong, it’s your fault, ticket stands”. That was it.

Maybe you didn’t contest it hotly enough.

I’ve had house guests ticketed in CPZs before with a guest pass incorrectly completed. Though the errors were minor on what was complicated scratch cards. Both times the guests chose to pay the fines rather than risk the higher fine associated to contesting.

I never contest anything hotly, it immediately gets people backs up. Calm and steady is the way forward. Plus it unsettles people who are used to being shouted at.

No this lady was like the sketch “Computer say no”!

I put my protest in writing. I was most indignant. And entirely at fault. Perhaps the epistolary approach is the way to go.

You may have discovered a new revenue stream in writing letters for SE23.lifers. I also had to look up epistolary.

Kindly brontosaurus works pretty well for me. You do need someone with a modicum of humanity at the other end though, some “customer support agents” are entirely devoid of logic, common sense, emotion or decency.