The Fixer: unfair parking fine

Have you been left out of pocket due to poor service or sharp practice? Do you have a money problem that won't go away?

It can seem impossible to get a fair result when you are battling a financial issue alone. But never fear! The AOL Money Fixer is here to help.

Dear Fixer,
I always pay for parking outside the hospital where I work by text. If the payments fail, I get a text message telling me to try again.

But when my £4.10 payment failed to go through on October 10 last year, no error message arrived, meaning I received a fine.

I appealed against the fine, but Gloucestershire county council refused my appeal and then told me the matter had been sent to the courts.

I was then contacted by the council's debt collection agency Newlyn PLC, to which I finally agreed to pay £157 at a rate of £10 a week. I never received a payment plan, but I started paying anyway.

Then I received a hand-delivered letter from bailiffs who visited my home to demand £362 because I had somehow broken my non-existent payment plan.

It's a total nightmare - especially as I should not have been fined in the first place. Can you help?

N Bynorth, Cheltenham

Dear Ms Bynorth,
Following my intervention, Gloucestershire County Council has now cancelled the fine and has also promised to give you a full refund of the £75 you have paid so far.

You should hear no more from the debt collection agency Newlyn PLC.

The Fixer

Whatever your financial problem, write to themoneyfixer@aim.com and The AOL Money Fixer will get on the case.

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