There's an app for that: Fed-up motorist helps others fight parking tickets, for a fee
A San Francisco motorist who got so many parking tickets that he became something of an expert at fighting them has created an application to help others do so, for a 25 percent fee if there is a dismissal.
David Hegarty’s Fixed app, launched in a trial beta version last week, has member San Francisco motorists submit a photograph of the ticket, plus the violation code. Then it suggests common defenses and prompts fellow drivers to take relevant photos that could be used in evidence. A letter is prepared, digitally signed by the driver, and submitted by Fixed, according to the San Francisco Chronicle and TechCrunch.
Hegarty told NPR that he got the idea for Fixed after paying multiple tickets, only to discover two more tickets on his car the same day. He says he plans to expand the application to other cities, too. Currently, there is a waiting list to participate in the San Francisco trial version.
“Fixed is not a law firm. Your parking advocate is not an attorney. Communications do not constitute legal advice,” notes the fine print at the bottom of the Fixed page.
Similar services are offered in multiple U.S. cities by parkingticket.com and in Toronto by the Parking Ticket Guys, TechCrunch notes.
On a lengthy Terms and Conditions page, parkingticket.com states, in part: “Customer authorizes parkingticket.com to share its parking ticket and related information to outside counsel including attorneys, retired Parking Ticket Municipal Judges, retired Police and Traffic Agents and other consultants as parkingticket.com may see fit at its sole discretion. parkingticket.com is a website and not an Attorney. parkingticket.com does not give legal advice. Do not consider anything on this website as legal advice. If you need legal advice please contact an attorney.”
Related coverage:
ABAJournal.com: “Chicago Parking Ticket a Tough Case”
ABAJournal.com: “Court Order Makes It Easier to Appeal Parking Tickets, But Philadelphia Calls Compliance Impractical”
CBS SF Bay Area: “ConsumerWatch: Persistence May Pay Off When Appealing Parking Tickets”
