Who pays?

[Dave Plowman (News)]

Been having an intermittent problem with my boiler. Although self installed, Viessmann have been very helpful and looked at it under warranty. The engineer reckoned it was a software funny - as he'd seen it before on other boilers but not all of this type. It shows a sensor as being at fault, but a reset gets it going again. Usually happens first thing when it changes over from heating the water to the house. This was last Monday - and he apologised for not having the correct parts with him but would call again when he had. Which was this morning - he phoned at about 11.00. Explained to him I usually had to go out between 11.30 and 12.30 due to resident's only parking then - I have two cars but only one pass. But thought I had a vistor's pass so it would be ok. If I hadn't I would sit in my car with the bonnet up 'till he was finished. But did find that single visitors pass I had left. Never even thought about him...

And of course he got a ticket. It never even occurred to me. Would he have to pay for that himself? I'm feeling so guilty about it as he was such a nice bloke.

[Yellow]

What kind of money are you talking?

[T i m]

I went round to a mates (to help him) on a weekday (normally only go round there weekends) and got a ticket, restricted parking from

12:00-13:00 weekdays.

*He* asked me to go round to help, he 'forgot' to mention the restriction (and I didn't think to look of course) but he kindly offered to pay the (£25) fine. ;-) [1]

I was ready to pay it myself, I was the driver after all.

Cheers, T i m

[1] I would have been happy to have gone halves with him but he insisted based on the fact that I'd saved him a 'good few quid' by helping him in the first place (which was nice).

[John Rumm]

I guess its his legal responsibility, and your moral one... Might be worth forking out to have someone helpful on your side so to speak.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

I'd imagine 20-25 quid or so. About 70 if you don't pay it quite promptly. It really is a pain as there isn't and never has been a problem with parking here during the day. It's too far from a station for commuters to want to use - about 10 mins to the tube. There really should be some form of waiver for genuine tradesmen just doing their job.

[Fredxx]

One thing to bear in mind, he should be able to put the parking fine as an expense, so will get the tax back on it. He may therefore appreciate a cash contribution.

[Bill]

In message , Fredxx writes

I would be interested in a cite for that as our company has stated that parking fines are the responsibility of the driver and that the company will not pay as they do not wish to be seen condoning breaking the law.

[Fredxx]

I don't have a cite, but it can be included as an expense. Your company is entitle to make such rules, and find any excuse to enforce them. If they can't produce the driver they're on a sticky wicket if they refuse to pay. The registered keeper must either produce the driver, and in the case of a company they should keep records of who had the car, or pay up themselves.

[Dave Liquorice]

I wouldn't expect a company to pay the fine for an employee but if the person is self employed... I wonder what HMR&C think about a parking fine as a business expense?

As for Dave's dilema with the circumstances and service he has had I'd offer the engineer the money for the fine. Dave did have a visitors pass after all and he doesn't want to alienate a good contact for the sake of a few quid.

Another reason for avoiding suburbia. We had (have) a parking problem in town in that people park almost anywhere double/single yellows or not. I did a FOI request to the council for when and how often we get a Traffic Warden (or whatever they are called these days). We only get visits when the single yellows are in force (Spring to Autumn) and then only 6 times a month if we are (un)lucky.

Mind you anyone who gets a ticket on the shiny new double yellows can contest it and win, They have changed a single yellow to double but not the signage. Where the signage actually exists that is, some is just a grey post or a yellow plate with nothing on...

[A.Lee]

Not for the last 2 Companies I worked for. Both stated you must comply with the Law, and any fines you get must be paid by the driver at the time. This included parking fines in central London when working on call-outs.

Alan.

[mogga]

I think they argued about it at Comet. And they eventually got told " no safe parking no job"

[fred]

In article , Dave Liquorice writes

I think that has changed, double-yellow lines now mean "no waiting at any time" by default and don't need upright signs to go with them unless to qualify them in some way, eg as seasonal.

[The Medway Handyman]

IME of company cars the driver ends up paying.

I wish :-(

[The Medway Handyman]

If he is self employed he might - but I'm not too sure. If emplyed it comes out of his wages.

[The Medway Handyman]

From HMRC site;

" Parking fees for business purposes may be claimed, parking fines and penalties for motoring expenses are not claimable as business expenses for tax purposes".

[Clint Sharp]

In message , Fredxx writes

I wouldn't bet on it, the bunch I work for won't allow us to.

[Andrew Gabriel]

I recall back around 2004 several of the delivery companies in London saying they could only deliver to our offices in the City if we provided them with a parking place or agreed to pay their parking fines. Otherwise we had to collect from their depots. This resulted in quite an outcry from many companies in the City, and I think there's now a scheme in place which allows delivery drivers a tiny bit of leeway, sometimes.

[Dave Plowman (News)]

As I said the restriction here is only between 11.30-12.30 to prevent commuter parking. But then we're not *that* close to a station. Within the same zone, close to a station it's all the working day - and a visitor or trade daily pass costs a lot more. But it is rigidly enforced here. A spotter on a scooter drives round at before 11.30 and radios in vehicles without permits. A foot patrol arrives shortly after 11.30 and does the paperwork and takes pics. Same thing happens just before 12.30. I have an alarm on both this computer and the one in the workshop set for 11.20 just in case I've got absorbed in what I'm doing. I well remember having to go to the loo before going out one day (dodgy curry the night before) and getting to the car a few minutes late to find a ticket on it. I took a time stamped pic on my phone and sent off an appeal stating what had happened. They did waive the fine.

[The Medway Handyman]

The law has always allowed for 'loading' time but when parking was handed over to local authorities (who see it as a revenue source) they didn't interpret it properly.

They claimed that loading had to be 'continuously observed' - in other words if they see someone walking to & fro across the pavement carrying boxes its loading. AFAIK 'loading' counts as taking the parcel to the point of delivery - which could be on the tenth floor.

A few years ago we moved a washing machine to my daughters house & parked on a yellow whilst we manhandled it around a corner, through the house & into the utility room. I got a ticket & appealed & won on the basis of loading to point of delivery.

[Fredxx]

Many years ago, I talked to a warden and they said they would allow 9 minutes for loading. I have no idea why the arbitrary time.