Fight a private parking charge with ChatGPT finding holes in the operator's evidence, then recover £462.15 in costs
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- by Loren Cole (The Mirror)
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Evidence: Article or interviewA newsletter, journalist or interview account of what happened.
Outcome
Loren Cole, a freelance chef, got a £60 parking charge for overstaying by five minutes at a retail park, despite paying for a three-hour ticket after the payment machines played up. When the operator threatened court, Cole used ChatGPT to scrutinise its letters and evidence: it pointed out claims of non-payment despite a successful card payment, a floor plan sent instead of photos of the signs, and missing detail on entry and exit times against the 10-minute grace period, and it drafted replies. Cole added photos showing the signage didn't match the floor plan, and the operator discontinued the claim. Cole then used ChatGPT to claim litigant-in-person costs at £19 per hour; after a default costs certificate and a ChatGPT-drafted final warning, the operator paid £462.15.
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Prompt Recreated prompt
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Run this task now, exactly as written below. Everything you need is here, so start straight away and only stop if something required is missing or a rule below tells you to. Goal: Check the parking company's letters and evidence for weaknesses and help me respond to each one. Fill in before running: - Every letter and piece of evidence they've sent: [ATTACH] - What actually happened, with my proof (payment record, photos): [DETAILS] - Where the case is now (appeal, letter before claim, court claim): [DETAILS] You're not my lawyer. Stick to facts I give you, label any rule you mention as something to check against the official source, and keep the tone firm but polite. Rules: - List each claim they make and whether their own evidence supports it. - Point out gaps, like missing photos, timings or grace periods, and what I could gather to answer them. - Draft replies that are factual and polite, and mark any legal rule as something to check against the official source. - Tell me the deadline for each step. - Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify. Output: A list of weaknesses with the evidence for each, and draft replies. You'll know it worked when: the claim is dropped and I'm not out of pocket.
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Every letter and piece of evidence they've sent
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Run this task now, exactly as written below. Everything you need is here, so start straight away and only stop if something required is missing or a rule below tells you to. Goal: Check the parking company's letters and evidence for weaknesses and help me respond to each one. Fill in before running: - Every letter and piece of evidence they've sent: [ATTACH] - What actually happened, with my proof (payment record, photos): [DETAILS] - Where the case is now (appeal, letter before claim, court claim): [DETAILS] You're not my lawyer. Stick to facts I give you, label any rule you mention as something to check against the official source, and keep the tone firm but polite. Rules: - List each claim they make and whether their own evidence supports it. - Point out gaps, like missing photos, timings or grace periods, and what I could gather to answer them. - Draft replies that are factual and polite, and mark any legal rule as something to check against the official source. - Tell me the deadline for each step. - Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify. Output: A list of weaknesses with the evidence for each, and draft replies. You'll know it worked when: the claim is dropped and I'm not out of pocket.
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Optional stronger version
Our rewrite with extra checks. The poster didn't test it.
Run this task now, exactly as written below. Everything you need is here, so start straight away and only stop if something required is missing or a rule below tells you to. Goal: Check the parking company's letters and evidence for weaknesses and help me respond to each one. Fill in before running: - Every letter and piece of evidence they've sent: [ATTACH] - What actually happened, with my proof (payment record, photos): [DETAILS] - Where the case is now (appeal, letter before claim, court claim): [DETAILS] You're not my lawyer. Stick to facts I give you, label any rule you mention as something to check against the official source, and keep the tone firm but polite. Rules: - List each claim they make and whether their own evidence supports it. - Point out gaps, like missing photos, timings or grace periods, and what I could gather to answer them. - Draft replies that are factual and polite, and mark any legal rule as something to check against the official source. - Tell me the deadline for each step. - Check facts that can change (prices, opening hours, dates, availability, rules) against the official source, and tell me anything you couldn't verify. - If they drop the claim, explain how a litigant in person can claim costs and draft the request. Output: A list of weaknesses with the evidence for each, and draft replies. You'll know it worked when: the claim is dropped and I'm not out of pocket. Before you finish: re-read my goal and constraints, check your answer against each one, and list anything you assumed or couldn't confirm.
Source
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/i-used-chatgpt-fight-parking-36429227
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