Scott Reid, a sales representative for a sporting goods company, was in Dunedin on business last month when he was issued a $40 fine for not displaying a valid parking ticket.
Mr Reid said he had "paid and displayed" for a ticket, which he later discovered had blown from the dash on one of his trips back to the car.
In an email to the council following the incident, Mr Reid wrote "I believe it is unfair to fine me $40 when clearly I had purchased a ticket and displayed it".
"I do however appreciate I was over the time limit when ticketed, so the parking fine should be $10."
Mr Reid told the Otago Daily Times it was unfair of the council to issue a ticket over an "act of God".
To date, his two written explanations have been rejected by customer services representatives, and he is waiting to hear back about his third letter.
However, parking services team leader Daphne Griffin rejected Mr Reid's claims, as his ticket showed he had paid for a 20c parking ticket at 9.20am on May 25, which bought just four minutes of time.
Mr Reid was ticketed almost 40 minutes later at 9.59am, and this was clearly not an "honest attempt to pay", she said.
The council was unlikely to change the fine from $40 for not displaying a valid parking ticket to $10 ticket for elapsed time.
Mr Reid said it was "irrelevant if he paid 20c or $20, because I had a ticket".
Despite his protests, it was unlikely he would take the matter to court, he said.
