"Ignore it": The one parking ticket Aussies can chuck in the bin
<p>Western Australian driver, <span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;">Connor Wright,</span><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, 'Segoe UI', Roboto, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, 'Open Sans', 'Helvetica Neue', sans-serif;"> has gone viral after sharing his advice on how to handle penalty notices issued by private parking companies.</span></p>
<p>The TikTok, which now has over 1.5 million views, started off with Wright recalling the moment he walked back to his car to find a ticket issued by Parking Enforcement Services (PES), a division of Wilson Parking. </p>
<p>Wright then proceeds to rip up the ticket and told others to "make sure to read the fine print on these bad boys".</p>
<p>"If you read at the back, it says important information: 'This is not a parking fine'," he said. </p>
<p>"Useless, throw it in the bin, don't pay that sh*t."</p>
<p>Many have commented how they "wish they knew this earlier". </p>
<p>The ticket itself is a 'breach notice' which starts at a $65 penalty from Wilson and is only issued when a person drives into private car park, for example in a shopping centre, and break the terms and conditions issued by the private entity. </p>
<p>"What they try and do is recover the debt for the loss incurred, effectively like a breach of contract, but they're not fines — only a statutory body has the power to issue a fine." Sydney Criminal Lawyers James Clements told <em>Yahoo News Australia</em>. </p>
<p>Clements also called the penalty a "bullying tactic" to "effectively try scaring people into paying them," but it is difficult to enforce it due to government "crackdowns." </p>
<p>However parking fines from bodies like councils, some universities and hospitals should be paid.</p>
<p>Clements advises that when you receive the breach notice you should "ignore it" or "write back and say, 'I dispute this and do not intend to pay'."</p>
<p>"What you don't want to do is write to them and say that you disclose you were the driver."</p>
<p>Drivers are also encouraged to read signs and the terms and conditions when entering a private car park. </p>
<p><em>Images: TikTok</em></p>
