Imagine leaving your gym after an intense morning workout and driving to your favorite café for a large latte with almond soy milk. After convincing yourself its worth the almost $5.00 to satisfy your craving for a caffeinated post-workout treat, you leave the café and return to your car to find a $60.00 parking ticket under your windshield wiper. Shocked at what you see, the savory taste of your latte suddenly seems sour, and emotions of anger start to rage inside of you. After calming down, you read that your ticket is for a street cleaning violation and that the fine must be paid by a certain date to avoid additional late fees.

Although you see other cars with a ticket, you notice that the street cleaning sign is bent and it’s nearly impossible to see the days and times the street sweeper person is supposed to arrive. Whether the damaged sign is the result of bad weather or vandalism, you decide to challenge a parking ticket you feel is not your fault by taking out your phone and searching “How to get out of paying a parking ticket” on Google. Surprisingly, you discover parking ticket apps that can be download to your phone, with support staff experienced in getting tickets like yours dismissed. Armed with your new app, you no longer feel like you paid $65 for a latte.

The Parking Ticket App Option

The above scenario is indicative of people who dispute parking tickets they feel are unjustified and are intent on doing something about it. The convenience of using parking ticket apps is that they are a more favorable option compared to physically going to court to dispute a case. By simply using your phone to take a picture of your parking ticket and sending it to the staff of your chosen app, there’s a good chance of getting your ticket dismissed.  Below, are popular parking ticket apps that people can download to their phone, along with key features and services offered by each.

  • Fixed – Featured on the popular Shark Tank show. Customers send in a photo of their parking ticket and are matched with an attorney who will review the ticket for potential “mistakes and errors” to see if the case can be argued for dismissal. Customers reported an average rating of 1.5 in the Google App Store (https://play.google.com), citing lack of ease in using app features and unreliable customer service.
  • Off the Record: The key features of this app include customers being matched with an attorney who meets their specific budget and needs, and the ability to communicate via online chat to discuss the parking ticket. Customers reported an average rating of 4.5 stars on iTunes (www.iTunes.apple.com), citing getting favorable results from their case, easy use of app features, and good customer support.
  • WinIt: Primarily a New York based service, WinIt allows customers to send in a picture of their parking ticket to a legal team who will review it. Instead of paying a fee upfront, the customer only pays until after a legal adviser wins the dispute. An added feature is the ability to dispute both traffic and parking tickets. Customers report an average of 4 stars for app features and quality of service on TrackingMore (www.trackingmore.com).
  • GetDismissed: Primarily California based, customers can send in a picture of their ticket and driver’s license, along with explaining circumstances of their case. This information is used to produce the customer’s “defense documents” that is completed on the app, which is then submitted to the court without the customer having to appear. Customers report an average rating of 4 stars on Trustpilot (www.trustpilot.com) related to app features and quality of service.

Still the Best Option, Hire a Traffic Ticket Attorney

While parking apps provide some level of convenience in having access to a ready-made service that you download to your phone, they may be inefficient in other important ways. For example, customers may not be able to talk to a person when they have a question that needs to me answered and instead are forced to send an email and wait 24 hours for a response. Another issue is that customers can’t really know if the attorney assigned to them has enough experience or is going to show enough interest in truly representing their case.

These are reasons why meeting with an attorney in person to see if she/he has experience in fighting parking ticket cases and has a winning track record is the better option. Below are 5 reasons why going the traditional route and hiring an attorney could be the best way to fight a bothersome parking ticket:

  • Attorneys know the ins-and-outs of the law on how to fight parking tickets
  • An attorney can decide the best way to represent you in court
  • If not completely dismissed, and attorney can at least get your parking ticket reduced
  • An experienced attorney may be able to get points dismissed from your driving record
  • An attorney could be a considerably cheaper option than using the services of a parking app

Getting a parking ticket is not a pleasant experience and taking a proactive stance to challenge it is an important first step. Instead of using an app to work on your ticket, hiring an attorney who has the experience, charges an affordable fee, and demonstrates a commitment to being on your side, could be the most efficient and cost-effective way to rid yourself of that pesky parking ticket.

Contact us today if you need help in fighting a traffic or parking ticket. We have over 25 years of experience fighting traffic tickets and helping people reinstate their license.

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Scott Desind

Scott Desind | Traffic Ticket Attorneys The Traffic Ticket Attorneys, Desind and Klijian, have over 25 years of experience fighting traffic tickets. Our attorneys are well respected and known for their experience in fighting traffic tickets, specialized knowledge of the law and procedures and results by the court personnel, officers, deputies, competitors and clients.