I received a £100 parking charge even though we’d used the JustPark app

Using the JustPark app resulted in a penalty charge because the owner of the space said use ‘any available spot’. Photograph: mundissima/Alamy

I used the JustPark parking app, after recommendations from friends, to park our car in Edinburgh during a visit to our daughter who lives in an area of strict parking restrictions.

On the morning of the visit, we contacted the parking space owner at work to check the requirements, and were told by text to “park in any spot available”.

On returning to collect our vehicle in the early evening, we found a penalty charge of £100 on it, stating that we did not have the requisite parking permit. There was an option for early payment at a reduced £60.

We informed JustPark immediately on that day, and were eventually advised to pay the £60 reduced penalty charge, and to send proof of payment for reimbursement.

Since then I have not received any further response despite repeated requests for the money.