Mother and daughter at odds over airport drop-off fine

A mother, Margaret, and her 32-year-old daughter, Georgia, are in dispute after a parking fine was issued when Margaret and her partner, Bill, dropped Georgia at the airport in Georgia’s car and did not pay the drop-off charge.

Margaret says they used Georgia’s car as a favour, that Bill drove and they cleaned the car while Georgia was away, and she has offered to pay half the fine. She says Georgia accused her of being to blame and has been “stroppy”, and adds that Bill is not Georgia’s biological parent and she does not want to upset him by telling him about the fine.

Georgia says she did not know a drop-off fee was required, that the fine is in her name because it is her car, and that she has appealed on the basis that the car park cannot prove who was driving. She says she will accept half the fine from her mother if the appeal fails and does not want to cause problems between Margaret and Bill.

Readers who commented offered mixed views, with some saying Georgia should not be held responsible and others urging her to accept Margaret’s offer to split the bill; the family remain at a stalemate until the outcome of Georgia’s appeal is known. The Guardian’s online poll on whether Georgia should pay closes on Wednesday 21 January at 9am GMT.

Key Topics

Culture, Georgia, Margaret, Bill, Airport, Drop-off Fee