Fury as thousands stung by fake parking ticket fines in Australia

November 26, 2019

An Australian parking company is in the firing line for its fake parking ticket fines, with experts dismissing it as a "bullying tactic".

According to one lawyer, even trying to appeal it with the company could land you in deeper trouble, Nine News reports.

Parking Enforcement Services (PES), part of Wilson Parking Australia, is the agency handing out the apparent $AU65 ($NZ68) fines in hundreds of carparks across the country.

But while the tickets look like genuine parking fines, including an officer's signature and the vehicle's details, barrister Sean Hardy told Nine News they're not legally enforceable.

On the back of the tickets, the tickets admit they're not technically fines in fine print.

Breaches have reportedly included failing to display a ticket, despite the carpark providing several hours of free parking.

We found the top three streets where you definitely should abide by the parking rules.

In states Victoria and New South Wales, laws prevent the companies from chasing down the owners of the car as they don't have access to the car's registration details.

"It's a business model that is aimed at the ignorance of people to pay up a relatively small amount of money to avoid the hassle of engaging in a fight with an entity that's much stronger than they are, and so it's just a bullying tactic," Mr Hardy says.

He says appealing the ticket is "the worst thing in the world you could do" because it gives the company the drivers' details - making it easy for PES to pursue payment.

PES defended the practice when contacted by Nine News, with a spokesperson saying the breach notices are only issued to people who "do not adhere to the conditions of entry".

"Such notices are legally enforceable in Australian Courts under laws relating to contract and informed consent."

Wilson Parking has previously come under fire in New Zealand for its own practices.

In July, a Christchurch woman was smacked with a $94.44 fine by Wilson Parking after accidentally underpaying by 50 cents.

SHARE ME

More Stories