Paid for Parking on RingGo / PayByPhone but Got a PCN? The Wrong-Location Defence

You Paid. You Got a Ticket Anyway. Here's How.

If you paid the parking fee via RingGo, PayByPhone or another council-approved app but a Penalty Charge Notice arrived a few days later, the most likely cause is one of:

1. Wrong location code — you entered code 1234 (next bay) instead of 1233 (your bay)
2. Wrong VRM — typo on the registration entered into the app
3. Wrong council scheme — the app session selected Westminster instead of Camden by mistake
4. Tariff timer expired — the session started, but you topped up incorrectly or the top-up failed
5. App glitch — payment confirmed but not transmitted to the enforcement system

All five are challengeable, and the defence has a high success rate because the evidence is clear: you paid for parking, somewhere, around the same time. The challenge is to show that the payment was made in good faith and that the issuance of the PCN was procedurally unreasonable in the circumstances.

Step 1: Collect the Evidence Chain

The persuasive evidence chain is:

• Payment receipt from the app (email confirmation, in-app history screenshot, bank statement)
• GPS location data showing your actual location during the parking session (Google Maps Timeline, Find My iPhone, Find My Device)
• Photo of the parking sign at your bay showing the location code
• The PCN itself showing the contravention code and timing
• App screenshot showing the session you set up (location code, VRM, time)

The two most powerful pieces are the receipt + the GPS data. If both align with your asserted location and the alleged contravention is at a nearby but different bay, the wrong-code defence is strong.

Step 2: Draft the Formal Representations

Most council PCNs accept representations within 28 days. Submit via the council's PCN portal or by post.

```

[Your name and address]

[Date]

[Council name]

Parking Service / PCN Team

[Address from PCN]

PCN reference: [from notice]

Vehicle registration: [VRM]

Formal representations against PCN [reference]

1. I am the registered keeper of [VRM]. I was the driver on [date].

1. I parked at [bay location] at [time] and paid the parking fee

via [RingGo / PayByPhone] for that location. I attach the

payment receipt at exhibit A.

1. The PCN alleges a contravention at [different location / wrong

timing]. The discrepancy is explained by [wrong location code

entered / app glitch / similar].

1. My actual location is evidenced by GPS data and photos at

exhibits B and C.

1. The parking session was paid for in good faith at substantially

the correct location. Issuing a PCN in these circumstances is

procedurally unreasonable.

1. I respectfully request that the PCN be cancelled.

Yours faithfully,

[Signature]

```

Step 3: If Council Rejects — Tribunal Escalation

Escalate to London Tribunals (M25 boroughs) or Traffic Penalty Tribunal (everywhere else) within 28 days. The wrong-location defence has a strong success record at both tribunals when the receipt + GPS evidence is clear.

Numbers That Matter

• Typical paid-app PCN amount: £80-£130 (£40-£65 within 14 days)
• Representations window: 28 days
• Tribunal escalation window: 28 days from rejection
• Estimated wrong-location defence success rate: 70-80% with full evidence chain

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