faq17
17. What if I had a valid reason to park where I did? Is it safe to appeal, surely they will accept my appeal if it is valid?
Answer: Some drivers feel that they have a valid reasons for parking where they did and believe the fine to be a mistake. For example, they may have paid for and dispalyed a ticket, only to find they got fined, for example, for parking in a disabled bay. When they got back to their car they were surprised to find they had been fined, and perhaps there is a tiny sign 20 metres away from where they parked saying this group of spaces is reserved for disabled parking. Or there may be no disabled sign, and just worn out paintwork on the ground with a picture of a wheelchair that can only be seen when approaching from certain directions in the right light. So such a person believes that their appeal would be accepted and so they appeal. But are upset when their appeal is rejected. But of course their appeal was always going to be rejected, and the company knows only too well about this spot not being clear, as they would received hundreds of such appeals, and they reject them all. Don't think for a second that you are the first person who noticed this, and that they will accept your appeal, withdraw your fine, and fix the signs. They won't!
Despite these warnings, many people continue to try and appeal such fines where they believe that they are right and the parking company is wrong. I think it is human nature. If you are one of these people, just be aware they the company will almost certainly not withdraw your fine. And then you will start getting letters to your home address asking for $88.00 and then $173 (for ANCP fines), and similar amounts for Care Park and the other companies, and you would have admitted to being the driver. If you are deadset definate that you want to appeal, then please do so in the knowledge that your appeal almost certainly won't be accepted. If you don't mind that and are appealing on principle and don't mind them dismissing your appeal and using your name and address to harass you for the next two years, then that is OK. However, if you dead set you want to appeal, but don't want the harassement that will almost certainly go with the appeal, then consider using another person to send the appeal for you. There are commercial mediation companies that will do this for an appeal for a fee such as http://www.parkingfinefighter.com.au which will only charge a fee if your appeal is successful. In such a case you would ask the mediation company to not give your name to the parking company.