Free Traffic Legal Advice

That's great. thank you for the advice. I will keep you posted.

Frankly, I don't think you are on solid grounds at all, to take this all the way to London Tribunals, which is what is implied if you wait for the Notice to Owner.  This is because whilst you say " Unfortunately, I did not notice the small writing underneath that required 'all free sessions need to be registered with the app'", it is difficult to see how you might have missed it, as it is very clear what you have to do, and is directly below the 2 hour free limit statement.

I say London Tribunals because the council will refuse your reps to a Notice to Owner and may not re-offer the discount. Certainly if they don't, it is a no-brainer to go to London Tribunals, but with what argument ? So you'd be risking the full PCN penalty on a weak case. Not good.

Of course, somebody may come up with a "technical" appeal argument that could win for you, so wait a bit, but don't miss the deadline for payment of the discount if that is to be your decision.

many thanks for the reply. I missed it because it was quite a long sign, I did not read it properly, 3 kids tagging along... and never saw something similar before. Live in Essex, most of the times parking with P&D, not often using parking apps really ... and I relied on the local's advice that it was 2 free hours parking, what can go wrong! Had I seen it, why wouldn't I register? I only stayed 1 hour anyway. And I was hoping for some common sense when I appealed, that it is absurd to pay £40 for not paying £0, but what can you do, live and learn.

I parked to Barking Park parking on Saturday and a local advised that the first 2 hours were free, which was confirmed on the Notice Board in the parking area. Unfortunately, I did not notice the small writing underneath that required 'all free sessions need to be registered with the app'.

https://imgur.com/a/STMD22M  (DISPLAYED NOTICE)

I thought to check out the park first and see if we want to stay and then come back and book for the 4 hours option, which was about £2.50, including the 2 free hours. After less than an hour, we decided to leave, but there was already a PCN on the windscreen from the Council (not private) for not registering with the app. The PCN was issued about 15mins before I found it. I did buy a ticket after that for £2.50 for 4 hours and left.

This is the link to the PCN: https://imgur.com/a/9Ropmkv

The next day I challenged it based on the fact that I purchased a ticket for a session that was free anyway (!). How can they say I parked without payment if the charge is 0! And I did buy a ticket in the end paying £2.50 even though I lefty after about an hour, within the 'free period'.

Barking Council replied rejecting my challenge, with the explanation: ' we do allow motorists a small window of time in which they can purchase a session after the vehicle was observed, your session was purchased outside of that window'. Which means, had I gone to the car and found the PCN 5 min earlier, then I would have purchased the ticket within this window of time. However it is absurd to pay £40 for simply not registering for a free session!

This is the rejection letter: https://imgur.com/a/E0Rb0wt

My options now are to either pay the reduced fine or wait for the 'Notice to Owner' to make a formal representation to the Council.

Are there grounds and a good chance to make a formal representation?