I was fined £100 after I failed to master a parking app... even though I didn’t park!

Dear Sally

I WAS due to drive a few ladies from my Women’s Institute group to visit wildflower meadows in early May. The small car park for it requires drivers to use the RingGo payment app. I had never paid for parking using an app before, so I thought I should check out the system before the outing.

I had a plan to try it in the car park under our local Marks & Spencer, so downloaded the app to my phone. I drove in and parked in front of the sign with all the RingGo details and number to scan.

Standing beside my car I tried three times to make the payment this way, but to no avail. Frustrated and embarrassed at my lack of technical expertise, I exited and went to another car park where I used pound coins. I was shocked to later receive a £100 fine from Smart Parking, which runs the car park.

I am a 77-year-old widow and struggle with technology. I appealed to the company and to Popla, the private parking appeals scheme but, after waiting six weeks for a decision, was rejected. Why are they so hard-hearted?

S.B., Sevenoaks, Kent. YOUR valiant attempts to get into gear with parking payment technology stalled at the first junction, but you expected a bit more understanding from Smart Parking – and so would I.

You never left the side of your car during the 17 minutes you tried to pay via the app. The car park operator knew it was 17 minutes, because a camera had filmed you going in and coming out.

You told me you suffer from anxiety following a stroke and thought you perhaps should just pay the fine and move on. But you felt so aggrieved at how you have been treated that you swerved in my direction for help.

I asked Smart Parking to reconsider your case and waive the penalty. After investigating, a spokesman for Smart Parking commented that the company adheres to the guidelines of the British Parking Association and has in position numerous signs in the car park outlining conditions of use. He said the RingGo app was working on the day you visited and that the site has payment machines that accept cash.

I reiterated the point that you were having issues with accessing the app for the first time – not that there was anything wrong with the app itself that day.

I also mentioned it was clear you had not actually parked and argued that if you had gone off shopping and not paid the fee, I would have taken a different view.

I am pleased to say that, following my second intervention, the company wiped the charge.

You are not alone in struggling to use parking apps – in some areas of the country there is no payment alternative offered, a move that has been criticised by charities such as Age UK for digitally excluding older drivers. Age UK has produced guides to using apps, visit

After the M&S car park incident, you asked your grandson to help you work out what had gone wrong. He found that although you had downloaded RingGo, you had overlooked ticking a box that enabled you to activate it. You were then able to pay for parking on your wildflower outing.

ON JULY 31 this year, I applied online for a one-year fixed-rate cash Isa with Shawbrook Bank, paying 4.85pc. I wanted to transfer £61,530 held in my Nationwide Isa.

Due to unforeseen circumstances, I needed to cancel the transfer and thought this would be straightforward as no money had left Nationwide.

I phoned Shawbrook on August 12 to let it know and it closed the new account. I also asked Nationwide to stop the transfer. I was advised that no money had been sent and that a note would be put on to my Nationwide account confirming my request.

As an extra measure, I also visited Nationwide’s branch in Basildon, Essex, three days later. There I was told that an email would be sent to the Nationwide transfer team.

The day after, I was horrified to discover all the funds had been transferred to Shawbrook after all, and my Nationwide balance showed £0. This account was then closed.

My money was in limbo. I have been chasing but no one in the transfer team gets back to me. Please can you help.

H.B., Chelmsford, Essex. YOU were desperate by the time you contacted me and had phoned and emailed Nationwide on numerous occasions.

One call handler helped you set up a new Nationwide account, so your money would at least have somewhere to go once located.

You said the telephone banking team could only email the transfer team, which you felt lacked urgency, so tried to speak to this team directly. You never got a response.

You became concerned when on one call on August 21, Nationwide stated there was no evidence the funds had been returned by Shawbrook Bank. You called Shawbrook and were told the money had been sent back to the building society on August 16. It was at this point you came to me.

I asked Nationwide to check over what had gone wrong and put things right. The building society found that the note alerting the transfer team not to progress the switch was not added to your account. Nationwide said your efforts to speak to the Isa transfer section failed because the team is not ‘customer facing’.

However, the day I contacted Nationwide, your funds were located and transferred into your replacement Nationwide Isa.

Nationwide has paid you £75 for the lost interest as well as £250 in compensation. A spokesperson says: ‘Due to an error, our Isa team was not initially notified of the request to cancel the Isa transfer. We apologise for the inconvenience caused.’

WRITE to Sally Hamilton at Sally Sorts It, Money Mail, 9 Derry Street, London, W8 5HY or email sally@ dailymail.co.uk — include phone number, address and a note addressed to the offending organisation giving them permission to talk to Sally Hamilton. Please do not send original documents as we cannot take responsibility for them. No legal responsibility can be accepted by the Daily Mail for answers given.