Pay & Display Machine Out of Order — No Working Alternative
Where the pay-and-display machine(s) serving the bay were broken, jammed, offline or denying payment AND no working alternative means of payment was reasonably available (no working second machine, no functioning pay-by-phone), a driver cannot reasonably be expected to pay and the penalty should not stand. This is a reasonableness/mitigation defence supported by consumer-rights principles where payment was attempted in good faith.
Legal basis
Principle of reasonableness in civil enforcement; Consumer Rights Act 2015 ss 49-50; Statutory Guidance on civil parking enforcement (England).
How to identify this in your case
Did you try to pay and the machine was broken/offline/denying cards or cash? Was there a second working machine or a working pay-by-phone option? Photograph the fault/error screen and note the time. Strongest where ALL payment routes were unavailable.
Sample appeal wording
Sample wording to adapt and send yourself — it may not fit your notice or the stage you are at. Replace the bracketed prompts with your own details; leave any case citation as it is.
I attempted to pay for parking but the pay-and-display machine(s) serving this bay were out of order / would not accept payment at the material time, and no working alternative payment method was reasonably available to me. [Describe what you did — tried machine(s), checked for pay-by-phone, photographed the fault.] A motorist cannot reasonably be required to pay where the authority's own payment equipment has failed, and I request that the PCN be cancelled.
Beat It writes this argument automatically
Scan your PCN — our AI checks if this ground applies to your specific ticket, drafts a properly-cited appeal letter, and sends it for you where the council takes email — guiding you through their own online form where they use one, so you press submit. The win fee is only charged if you win.
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