Took My Family to Wendy’s and Got an $86 Parking Ticket – I Was at the Restaurant So ‘Ethically’ I Won’t Pay

A DRIVER complained after receiving an $86.50 parking fine while enjoying a meal with his family.

While eating something at a Wendy’s restaurant, the driver said an officer placed a parking ticket under his windshield wiper.

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“Morally and ethically, I don’t believe I should pay this,” said Eric Findlay, a British Columbia resident. Global News in January 2024.

“We were all surprised because I had only been to Wendy’s.”

Findlay said he received the parking ticket in late December.

A parking surveillance operator wrote that he saw Findlay walk to a nearby Home Depot after using the Wendy’s parking lot.

Findlay denies the attendant’s report.

The Wendy’s restaurant hired a local Canadian company that oversaw parking management.

Findlay told the station that he refuted the complaint with the administrator and provided a receipt.

Initially, he said the company rejected his complaint.

“It looks like they’ve got you in trouble,” he said.

“I would like to see more improvements in listening to the consumer and hearing their side of the story.”

Eventually, the parking ticket was rescinded by the company.

The parking company said it was able to get rid of the ticket after re-analyzing Findlay’s Wendy’s receipt.

“As soon as we can establish that the client has provided an economic benefit to our client, then it makes sense to cancel the notice,” a company representative told the broadcaster.

“Please inform Eric that the matter has been resolved on our end.”

However, the parking saga has angered one area lawyer.

How to Fight a Parking Ticket

You can avoid being fined by following all published laws and regulations, but sometimes mistakes are made

Like any form of citation, parking tickets can be avoided by reading and obeying posted signage. However, when visiting a new city, or state, or in a hurry, things can be missed and mistakes can be made.

Suddenly there’s a ticket you weren’t prepared to pay for. If the ticket comes as a surprise to you, there are some things you can do to help your case when appealing a parking ticket.

• Read the ticket carefully. Look for errors such as incorrect street names, license plate numbers, vehicle make and model, time and date, etc. Errors would render the ticket invalid.
• Take pictures. The vehicle in the space, lack of signage, or other vehicles that were not cited for performing the same parking service. If the ticket involves parking too close to something like a fire hydrant, a photo showing a reasonable distance would help your case. Make sure metadata with time and date is accessible. Signs that are obstructed by trees, or on crooked posts, or that are not “obvious” are also great things to photograph.
• Make sure the statute that was violated is listed on the ticket. If it is not listed, the ticket is not valid.
• Immediately follow the appeal instructions on the ticket. All legitimate tickets will have appeal instructions. Waiting until the last moment weakens your argument and can result in late fees.
• When in court, avoid these phrases as they reduce your credibility and weaken your argument:
  • “I didn’t know the law.”
  • “I was going to move my car.”
  • “I can’t pay this ticket.”
  • “I’ve been doing this for years.”
  • “I checked with the parking officer, who said everything was fine.”
• Contact a lawyer. If you are facing obstacles and feel stuck, you may want to contact a traffic lawyer in your area. Many have free case consultations.

Source: Reader Summary

“Unfortunately, with these private parking companies, it’s the Wild West,” Kyla Lee, a local consumer rights attorney, told the station.

“They can do whatever they want with their private property and the people who park there naively are the ones who end up paying the consequences.”

Lee said local governments should step in to hold companies accountable.

“I think it’s something that the government could easily legislate on and create legislation that would give people a proper review process in situations where they feel they’ve been wronged,” she added.

The US Sun has reached out to the parking company and Wendy’s for comment on this story.