A Perth university student's elaborate attempt to get out of a parking fine has won him legions of fans online after he sent a "generous offer of 25 cents" enclosed with his argument.
Earlier this month Liam Jones, received a $65 parking fine for overstaying his visit in a Northbridge Wilson Parking bay by what he thought was only four minutes.
Feeling a bit ripped off, the 28-year-old biomedical science student told WAtoday he decided to read the fine print on the ticket, and came to the conclusion a 25 cent repayment would be more appropriate.
His reasoning for his "counter-offer" was explained in an eloquently written letter he posted to Wilson Parking on October 17, along with the 25 cents.
"Dear Wilson, I have recently received a parking breach notice at one of your fine establishments," it read.
"I must say that I am delighted to be issued with this notice for liquidated damages.
"The amount does give me pause, however."
Mr Jones went on to explain he had researched what liquidated damages meant, and concluded Wilson Parking was trying to milk him dry.
His argument?
Liquidated damages referred to the company being able to recoup lost profit from another paying vehicle not being able to park in the bay, and did not give rise for a punitive fine.
"Since liquidation damages cannot be punitive, and serve to recoup the revenue that you may have lost, had the mostly empty car park at 9.17pm filled up again for no apparent reason, a rough calculation of these liquidated damages might lead one to believe that the cost to administer this parking space is $975 per hour," Mr Jones wrote.
"This would mean that a car park in this area, with 100 spaces would incur a cost to Wilson Parking a value comparable to the annual GDP of the Independent State of Samoa.
"If $975 per hour were the true cost to administer a single parking spot in Northbridge, then charging a fee of $7 for two hours parking would truly be an act of charity."
Wilson Parking, much to the shock of Mr Jones, however, did not appear on the Australian website for registered charities.
"I am willing to pay for those four minutes at the calculated rate... $7 over two hours works out to 5.8 cents per minute, so four minutes totals 23.3 cents," he said
"Please find enclosed my generous offer of 25 cents in genuine 20c and 5c denominations from the Royal Australian Mint.
"From this point, I consider our debts to be settled. Please do not send me a cheque for the amount of 1.7 cents."
Mr Jones said he is yet to hear back from the parking company, but WAtoday did spot one flaw in his argument.
After requesting a copy of the 'fine', it showed he overstayed his parking ticket by one hour and four minutes, rather than just four.
So really, according to his theory, he still owes Wilson Parking a whopping $3.46 after the 25 cents he's already sent.
No word yet on whether Wilson Parking will accept Mr Jones' generous offer.
On the back of his ticket, however, it does read, "This is not a fine. The operator is claiming the amount due as liquidated damages as a result of you breaching the parking terms."
Steve Evans, chief executive of Wilson Parking Australia said they too spotted he had overstayed for longer than Mr Jones had thought and that the fine was standard practice.
"The customer states he paid for a two-hour ticket and was issued a breach notice when four minutes over that time. He is incorrect. The ticket expired an hour and four minutes past the time it was paid for," Mr Evans said.
"Our customers enter into an agreement with us when they use our parking facilities. They are to pay the price of parking for the duration of their stay, and if they do not then they are issued a breach notice as is the practice in carparks globally. "
Read the full letter here:
