Mr Mustard needs PCN management software, could you write it?

Although Mr Mustard tried to cut down on his PCN workload, due to the advent of proper work, new problems keep arising which he feels he has to help with and he is currently considering taking on a project fighting PCNs commercially (1,000 PCN p.a.) for which he would need some computer software in order to efficiently manage the volume.

Whilst apps on a mobile are the favoured tool of many Mr Mustard thinks that cloud based software for use on a personal computer is the place for him to start so that professional lay representatives, commercial clients and the public at large could have the tools at their disposal to manage one or multiple PCNs, to stick to deadlines, to write to or email councils and to have the process laid out for them so that PCNs don't become payable by default.

Computer programming isn't one of Mr Mustard's skills but it might be one of yours? Mr Mustard thinks that there is a commercial market for this software, on a pay per PCN basis, and is prepared to invest in it. If you could help, or know someone who could help, whether an individual who codes for fun or a commercial outfit, please email mrmustard@zoho.com

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard

Pay-by-Phone - an obvious flaw - easily fixed

An evidently persistent lady, probably one of his readers, has kindly emailed Mr Mustard to tell of her success in recently obtaining a refund of £30 that she paid in April 2013 in respect of a PCN which was issued because she had paid £1.10 for the wrong car. She had spoken to an operator and added her new vehicle and logic dictates that 99% of the time most people will have sold the old one. Why then, when you are transferred back to the automated payment system to finish your transaction and it defaults to the last car you paid for which will of course be the one you just sold.

Wouldn't it be better if adding a new vehicle wiped the default option and if the operator also asked you if you had sold a car.

That way the available cars for you to pay for is kept to the minimum as is the possibility for error.

If the council are committed to truly helping residents they will ask Verrus PayByPhone to implement such a simple software change.

If however, they want to revenue raise from your unforced error, they won't.

Let's see whay they do? (the council do read this blog & my tweets @_MrMustard)

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard

(Mr Mustard recommends going on-line if you have access and doing the change yourself. He has actually registered 3 vehicles himself but he hasn't paid any money ever; it's just in case one day he has no other choice; for now, he will continue to park on the edge of a CPZ and walk).

p.s. If you ahve paid for the wrong car in the past and  ended up paying the PCn you might as well ask for a refund of the parking charge. You haven't, after all, had any consideration for it. Send your request to barnet@nslservices.co.uk

Interesting facts - #1 parking software

Mr Mustard sees quite a lot of facts in the typical week (and an awful lot of theory) and now and then he has decided to share them with you.

In order to enforce parking contraventions the council needs software to keep all of the paperwork in order and to process parking tickets through the system. You might be surprised to find out how expensive it is to issue & process parking tickets. The annual software fee for 2012/13 is £268,603 (+ vat) and each year the council issue about 160,000 parking tickets so that is £1.68 a ticket just to keep a record of it. It doesn't sound much per ticket but the quarter of a million pounds has to be paid regardless of the number of tickets issued.

Prior to computers it just wouldn't have been possible to issue this many parking tickets without hundreds of clerks following the cases. 

Progress!

In addition 50p out of every parking ticket issued (whether paid or not) gets paid to London Councils to fund PATAS. So that is £2.18 of your parking ticket money spent as soon as the ticket is printed out.

Yours frugally

Mr Mustard