Issue Date: January 16, 2005
Beat that ticket
Site fights city hall for you.
Next time you get a parking ticket, don't just pay the fine. Take it to parkingticket.com. The site -- which now works only for tickets written by New York City, Washington, D.C., and San Francisco but plans to expand this year to L.A., Chicago, Seattle, Boston, Houston and Philadelphia -- employs former parking violations bureau judges and police who played on offense long enough to know the perfect defense.
These fine fighters are so confident they can get your ticket reduced or dismissed that if you wind up paying the fine in full you won't be charged a dime for their services. If you do win, you simply pay parkingticket.com half of the cash you saved. (If a $100 ticket is dismissed, you pay the site $50.)
Register via the "Start Now!" link in the upper-right-hand corner, then click the "Fight My Ticket" tab on the top of your screen. The site walks you through providing information from your ticket and vehicle, then prepares and e-mails you a customized Dismissal Request Letter. The e-mail instructs you on how to mail this letter to the city, and the city will write back -- no more hassling with court appearances!
Of course, the best way to avoid fines is to park legally in the first place, and another site can help you with that. ParkingSearch.com allows parking spot owners nationwide to post spots for sale or monthly or hourly lease. Using a simple search field at the right of the screen, spot seekers can look for available spaces in their area. Tough luck, meter maid.
-- David Andrukonis
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