Anyone successfully appealed a Council Parking fine?

That is exactly how I read it...Skryptic has read it differently and that illustrates the confusion....however if that sign is not amateurish

When I arrived the whole area had every parking spot taken up...apart from the one I got into...the pay and display machine was right at the side of that last spot. I have parked nearby (50metres away)before and parking on that machine is ok all day. I turned up around (without checking) 4 O'clock and paid for two hours parking...the ticket printed with 4 O'clock on it....I mistakenly thought I had paid for 2 hours from 4 O'clock....when I examined the ticket after finding the penalty notice stuck on the windscreen it then became obvious I'd actually paid at five to 4 but the ticket expires at 4....my mistake I know, but in these days of technology it seems ridiculous that a machine will take the money for 2 hours parking, even though you're not allowed to park .
Sheffield Council though are contradicting themselves in their rejection of my appeal...in one sentence they say...
"You were parked where there are yellow stripes on the kerb and white 'No loading' signs. The kerb stripes mean you are not allowed to park – even to load or unload – at certain times. A double kerb stripe means the rule applies 24 hours a day. A single kerb stripe, as in your case, means the rule applies some of the time (the sign shows the times). If no days are shown on the sign, the rule applies seven days a week. You were issued a PCN for parking at a time when the rule applies.
You were parked on a yellow line. Pay & display tickets are not valid here; they are only valid in bays signposted 'pay at machine'.

Urban clearway restrictions are in force at this location, the single yellow line/single kerb marks indicate that ‘no waiting/no loading’ restrictions are in force between 7:30am to 9:30am and 4:00pm to 6:30pm, Monday to Friday as noted on the sign plates.

Pay and display parking is permitted between 9:30am to 4:00pm, Monday to Friday and 8:00am to 6.30pm Saturday. These times are shown on the sign plate adjacent to the parking bay/single yellow line and the controlled hours for pay and display are also shown on the fascia of the pay and display machine."
So on the one hand they have told me Pay and display tickets are not valid on the yellow line...and yet below they state they are valid between certain times...the info on the machine was quite difficult to read as the perspex cover was not very clear, but the clincher for me was the bodged up sign that clearly states no parking from 7 pm...leaving me wrongly thinking it was OK to park up until 7....why didn't the sign just say no parking from 4 O'clock, which is the reality of it?
The Penalty notice was issued half an hour after I'd parked and I came back at 5-45 thinking I was 15 minutes early. It also seems a little strange that they should place the pay and display machine adjacent to an area where they are saying you can't park, surely it would be sensible to put it in the area they say you can?
I'm sure they've covered the pure legalities but the confusing ( to me at least) signage contributed to me making a 'reasonable' mistake.

 

You have wrongly assumed that because the yellow sign said no parking after 7 that it was o.k.to park there up to 7 pm.
You were wrong not to check your parking ticket.
However I would challenge it on the grounds that you have made a mistake - you had no intention of parking and not paying -- keep it simple.

I wouldn't point out to them that they're a load of incompetent w****** nor would I tell them their letter is contradictory!
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As it says I was there all day but the ticket expired. At2