AN EDINBURGH woman has begged the council for the release of her car after it was impounded – because she accidentally paid for parking on the Isle of Wight.
The motorist had parked in the city centre on Tuesday and believed she had paid for 15 hours of parking up until Wednesday morning via the commonly used parking app RingGo.
However, upon returning, she found her motor gone, with the council having seemingly impounded the vehicle – which contained her house keys – overnight.
On further inspection, it appeared the woman had mistakenly entered the wrong parking area code on RingGo and had instead paid for an extensive parking session on the Isle of Wight.
The motorist tagged the council in a social media post yesterday evening reading: “Can you explain why my Motability car is in Edinburgh City Council pound when parking was paid till 4am this morning.
“I am a disabled traveler who had two autistic boys with me? The keys to my house are in my car. I don’t know what to do?”
She also shared a picture of a text from RingGo, confirming that she had paid for parking for “Zone 2063” which the site itself labels as Brading Station Car Park on the Isle of Wight- over 460 miles away.
It appears the woman may have mistaken this for Zone 12063, which is the Cowgate area.
Since the woman’s post, the City of Edinburgh Council has confirmed that the vehicle was impounded as it was parked without the proper payment, and notably had no Blue Badge displayed.
However, in a twist to the story, the council also revealed that it wasn’t the first time the woman had dubiously avoided a parking fee, stating that she was on the National Persistent Evader Database (NPED) for multiple unpaid fines.
RingGo gives advice to users who make mistakes in bookings and subsequently receive penalty charge notices.
They state: “If you’ve received a penalty charge notice (PCN) due to a booking mistake (such as selecting the wrong vehicle or location), here’s what you can do to resolve it.
“Explain the mistake: In your appeal, provide a clear explanation of what happened, including the details of the error.
“Include proof of payment: Attach a copy of your RingGo receipt as evidence that a payment was made, even if some details were incorrect.
“Important note: While submitting an appeal is always worth trying, please keep in mind that RingGo has no influence over the appeal outcome.
“The parking operator is solely responsible for reviewing and deciding on appeals.”
