Smart Parking Limited has officially dropped its pursuit of a parking charge against Rafal Goral after a three-year standoff that saw the driver utilize ChatGPT to handle his legal correspondence. The dispute originated from a visit to a car park in Newquay, Cornwall, back in August 2023.
As reported by LADbible, Goral, a 45-year-old refinery worker from Chelmsford, arrived at the site at approximately 10:12 AM on August 4, 2023. He encountered issues with the payment machines, which forced him to download an app to process his payment. By the time he successfully paid, 16 minutes had elapsed from the moment his vehicle was registered entering the lot.
Goral reportedly received a notice for a $132 charge two weeks later on August 25. He attempted to appeal the charge in September, but he stated that he heard nothing back until January. By that point, the alleged debt had climbed to $225.
He relied on AI to manage the situation
The situation continued to escalate over the following years, with Goral claiming the company sent letters threatening court action. He eventually faced a threat of being taken to court in October 2026, even after the company had previously offered to lower the amount to around $80.
Throughout this long ordeal, Goral turned to generative AI to manage the situation. He uploaded the letters he received into ChatGPT to generate appropriate responses for each step of the process. He noted that the AI provided guidance on what to say and where to go to challenge the company. Goral stated, “From start to finish I was asking ChatGPT every time I got a letter what to do. It was telling me what to say, where to go, and everything.”
He emphasized that his persistence was driven by principle rather than the cost of the fine. He said, “From start to finish it was not about the money, I could pay it, but it is about the principle.” He also mentioned, “This is kind of a David and Goliath battle. They have lawyers and they are a big company and they just gave up in the end.”
Smart Parking provided a different perspective on the events. A spokesperson for the company stated, “Smart Parking were brought into manage the car park at Tower Road to stop parking abuse and to ensure people are treated equally.” The company claimed that Goral used the RingGo app to pay for four hours of parking but remained on site for four hours and 11 minutes.
According to the spokesperson, the payment machines were functioning correctly on that day and were used by other motorists. The company maintained that they follow International Parking Community guidelines and operate an audited appeals process. They rejected Goral’s initial appeal regarding the machine malfunction and subsequently passed the matter to debt recovery.
Despite the firm stance taken by the company, the charges were eventually dropped. Goral expressed his relief regarding the conclusion of the conflict, stating, “I am so happy.” He added, “This is something that properly raised me up after three years of this fight.”
Goral hopes his experience encourages others to challenge charges they believe are incorrect. He said, “I want the public to know that they can do it and they shouldn’t give up.” He noted that many people simply pay to avoid the hassle, even when they believe the charge is wrong.
Published: Oct 11, 2026 07:30 am