As you may have read previously, Chester City Council are trying to extort money from me for a parking ticket, when I tried to pay for my parking, and the machines didn’t work. I complained about it, but they responded, refusing my complaint.

Naturally I phoned up this week, was told someone would call me back, which they didn’t. Then I phoned again and spoke to a chap named Chris Follis. Chris asked why I didn’t phone them at the time. Like I was going to phone up Parking Services, on a Sunday, from the car park, in the pissing snow!

Anyhow, he confirmed that the car park does have CCTV, so it should be a simple matter to prove I am telling the truth. Just check the damn footage!

He said I needed to complain to a more senior parking official, Mike Leicester. Here is my letter to Mike.

Dear Sir

Further to my complaint dated 4th January, and your subsequent reply from the 29th January, I wish to challenge your decision regarding my parking fine. As per my original email, I tried to pay at TWO separate machines, only for them to refuse to accept my money. Furthermore, as per my email, they gave me an additional £2 to that which I tried to pay – a bizarre thing to make up if you believe I am lying.

As I tried to pay, twice, I will not be paying your fine and suggest you check the CCTV footage from the car park which will show that I tried to pay, at two separate machines. If the CCTV footage does not show me attempting to pay I will not only pay your fine, but you can have my car.

I refuse to be extorted by you when I made every effort to pay and will gladly go to court to prove my innocence. I have already decided to never spend any further money in Chester, and will stick to Manchester from now on.

I await your response.

Darren Jamieson

Darren Jamieson, aka MrDaz, is the Technical Director and co-founder of Engage Web and has been working online in a career spanning two decades. His first website was built in 1998 and is still live today.

    

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