Parkforce ticket

geordiepaul2001

Hi all,

I recently got a parking charge notice whilst parked in a local hospital carpark.
I have appealed the notice and enclosed a letter from the ward sister explaining my daughter was seriously ill in hospital for a long period of time and I needed to be by her bedside at the time the ticket was issued.
I had previously been buying the tickets as and when I could get out to the machine through the day.

It is now one calender month since I sent off the appeal (recorded delivery) and I have heard nothing from them. Are they meant to reply within a set timeframe?

Paul

sarahg1969

With private parking companies, there is NO appeals procedure. They will tell you that on this occasion your appeal has been unsuccessful and you have to pay. However, if you read the sticky at the top, you'll see that you haven't been fined and you have nothing to worry about. What you have received is an invoice.

Don't chase up and whatever you do, do not pay!!!

MX5huggy

Forget about it, if they write again post here before you do anything. The advice will be not to do anything.

Spartacus_Mills

sarahg1969 wrote: »

With private parking companies, there is NO appeals procedure. They will tell you that on this occasion your appeal has been unsuccessful and you have to pay. However, if you read the sticky at the top, you'll see that you haven't been fined and you have nothing to worry about. What you have received is an invoice.

Don't chase up and whatever you do, do not pay!!!

Absolutely right Sarah, excellent advice. I would also say that the OP should enter into no further correspondance with them as they will think they have got bait wriggling on a hook and will go for it.

It is absolutely shameful that the NHS enters into contracts with organisations that are there to extort money out of the public. Absolutely shameful.

geordiepaul2001

Thanks for the replies,

Unfortunately I didn't have net access whilst living at the hospital and as such didnt have access to this forum - hece I paid the fine and then sent in my appeal.

MX5huggy

Oh dear! your original post did not say you had paid the charge (it's not a fine, courts give out fines not companies). You won't be hearing from them as they have your money. Can't imagin that you would get it back even if you went to court and won.

pogofish

If you have paid, try taking it up with the hospital authorities directly & copy everything to your MP. I don't hold-up much chance of success but the behaviour of contract parking firms to the NHS is certainly a political issue now & public pressure in Scotland has recently led to the government ordering a number of health boards to sack their contractors & reinstate free parking for visitors.

sarahg1969

geordiepaul2001 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies,

Unfortunately I didn't have net access whilst living at the hospital and as such didnt have access to this forum - hece I paid the fine and then sent in my appeal.

You will hear no more from them. They now have your money, which is, after all, all that they wanted.

Hopefully you have learned a lesson, albeit an expensive one.

geordiepaul2001

Got a letter this morning saying 'the fixed penalty notice has been cancelled'.
It states that if the terms aren't met on future visits a fixed penalty notice will be issued.
I am a little vague on the terminology but aren't fpn's purely a local authority and police enforcement tool?

facebook_user

Hello,

I got a ticket from Parkforce. I have grounds to appeal, but what you said in here, that I won`t get my money back.

I felt sick and dizzy after a blood-test, so I went to uni, and parked my car. There were plenty of spaces, and I would have fainted otherwise, if I had to walk.

What do you suggest? Should I pay the fine? Can they get me to court???

facebook_user

trisontana

facebook_user wrote: »

Hello,

I got a ticket from Parkforce. I have grounds to appeal, but what you said in here, that I won`t get my money back.

I felt sick and dizzy after a blood-test, so I went to uni, and parked my car. There were plenty of spaces, and I would have fainted otherwise, if I had to walk.

What do you suggest? Should I pay the fine? Can they get me to court???

facebook_user

For a start it's not a "fine", it's an unenforceable invoice and you don't owe them a penny. Don't bother to "appeal" as the whole process is a complete sham. This is because it's done in-house and so they predictable refuse the vast majority of these "appeals. So, from now on don't contact the company and ignore any correspondence from them. They will eventually give up on you.