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Fixed App: Revolutionizing Parking Ticket Disputes with David Hegarty’s Innovative App
David Hegarty developed the Fixed app to aid individuals in challenging parking penalties, which he describes as a government-run scheme. David presented Fixed App in episode 7 of season 07 of Shark Tank.
Fixed App serves as a parking ticket app, enabling users to challenge unjust parking fines. The ticket dispute process begins with uploading a photo of the ticket.
Fixed’s main objective is to simplify the process for drivers to contest inaccurate parking citations.
Fixed streamlines the process of disputing parking fines – a task that is time-consuming, costly, and demands legal expertise.
Fixed receives a portion of the ticket value upon successfully contesting it. In case of victory, customers only pay for the service rendered.
Hegarty emphasizes that in a democracy, people believe they have rights, but these rights extend beyond seeking assistance to uphold them.
You can open a Fixed account in a few simple steps – uploading photography, proving missing or misleading signage, damaged meters, etc., and assigning the information to a Fixed advocate.
Attorneys calculate the likelihood of winning a case using their best estimates. They then draft an official contest letter and send it out.
Fixed manages all communication related to challenging the ticket. The fee for ticket dismissal is fixed at 25% of the original amount; otherwise, no fee is charged.
Hegarty came up with the idea for Fixed App while fighting previous tickets in court. He was inspired to develop an app to combat parking tickets after someone suggested it.
After creating a fake webpage to gauge interest, he went on to develop the application, which has garnered over 60,000 submissions and boasts a 90% success rate.
The startup has secured substantial funding from Slow Ventures, Y Combinator, Structure, and Merus Capital.
Fixed provides affordable legal services to all Californians rather than just those who can afford traditional legal services in Alameda, Marin, San Francisco, San Mateo, and Santa Clara counties.
The app identifies errors that may result in ticket revocation if insufficient evidence is initially provided. Users can then send a customized contest letter in writing to challenge the ticket’s validity.
Lastly, the app employs Google Street View to verify the presence of accurate signage at the location of the ticket.
The app saves 25% off the original ticket cost when users dismiss or significantly reduce their tickets.
David Hegarty, a California native, is the mind behind the Fixed app. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Engineering from University College Dublin and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from Northwestern University.
Post-college, he worked at Bain and Microsoft for four and two years, respectively, before founding his own company, Signature Labs.
He served as CEO of Fixed Ticket App between 2014 and 2015. Throughout his career, he specialized in consulting, strategy, and new market development.
Even before filming the show, Fixed and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) had a strained relationship. As a result, Fixed App needed funding to expand into other cities and provide additional services.
Hence, David reached out to Shark Tank to secure funding and expand the reach of his Fixed App.
Revolutionizing Parking Ticket Challenges: Fixed Shark Tank Pitch
David appeared on the Shark Tank show, pitching his company and seeking a $700,000 investment for a 5% stake, valuing his business at $14 million.
Fixed, a service he created out of frustration with parking tickets, was the emotional core of his pitch.
Fixed aimed to simplify the process of challenging tickets, offering peace of mind without the need for legal expertise.
Users could upload their tickets to Fixed and Relax, with the app boasting a success rate of around 25%.
Despite the relatively modest success rate, Fixed’s pay-if-you-win model proved to be enticing, with fees for successful appeals amounting to about a third of the ticket price.
In addition, Fixed charged a two-dollar convenience fee to cover uncontested tickets, a lower cost compared to many official payment methods.
David’s pitch highlighted the inefficiencies in the current system, where most appeals failed due to errors by parking officials. Fixed tapped into a previously untapped market of individuals who had never contested their tickets.
Fixed may have a lower success rate than individual appeals, but David pointed out it has the benefit of covering a wider range of disqualification grounds, making it more effective in less obvious cases.
However, to expand to more cities, Fixed needed support as each city had its unique regulations and payment processes.
David envisioned a presence in the hundred largest cities in the United States, acknowledging the challenges of navigating diverse local laws.
Despite skepticism from some sharks, David remained optimistic about Fixed’s growth potential and its ability to save consumers money on parking fines.
The sharks raised concerns about Fixed’s business model, with some questioning the reliance on users continuing to receive tickets.
Fixed’s growth projections caused some sharks to withdraw, but Mark saw potential. Mark’s offer of $700,000 for a 7% stake, based on a valuation of $10 million, marked a turning point for Fixed.
With Mark’s commitment and strategic partnership, Fixed had a new ally on board to navigate the challenges of scaling and expanding its services.
In the end, Mark’s investment provided a lifeline for Fixed, ensuring its continued growth and success in the competitive landscape of legal services.
David’s persistence and vision, combined with Mark’s support, set the stage for Fixed to revolutionize the way individuals handle parking tickets, offering a beacon of hope for those seeking a simpler, more efficient solution to a common frustration.
Final Deal: Mark Cuban agreed to invest $700,000 for a 7% stake in Fixed App.
The Rise and Fall of Fixed App: A Journey from Shark Tank to Closure
After its appearance on Shark Tank, Fixed App encountered various challenges that altered its trajectory. Despite striking a deal on the show, the anticipated agreement with Mark Cuban never came to fruition.
The company faced opposition from municipalities, which posed obstacles to its expansion plans. Legal complications arose when attorneys lodged complaints with the Bar Association, accusing Fixed of engaging in unauthorized legal practices.
Although David Hegarty, the founder of Fixed, defended the company’s compliance with regulations, these legal issues complicated their operations further.
In 2016, Lawgix, a collection litigation firm specializing in services for law firms and collection agencies, acquired Fixed six months after the Shark Tank episode. The specifics of the acquisition remain undisclosed.
Lawgix Lawyers acquired the Fixed App to integrate its technology into their legal services platform.
Consequently, the Fixed App discontinued its standalone operations, no longer offering services to the public.
By 2023, the Fixed App ceased to exist, with its social media accounts abandoned. David Hegarty moved on to establish Playbook in 2021, a financial tool focused on tax optimization for higher-earning millennials. Despite the closure of Fixed, David’s commitment to innovative solutions remains evident.
Fixed App is out of business, and its net worth is effectively $0. The valuation of Fixed App was $7 million after securing an investment from Mark Cuban on season 07 of Shark Tank.
