Trethowans / Aintree NHS lose £1622 case

Alexis27

esmerobbo wrote: »

Trethowens are acting as agents for Aintree, the parking is in-house. The security people employed by a facilities company then hired to Aintree issue any tickets. They don't have specific car park monkeys!
In fact there is no need for anyone as all the ground car parks and the multi storey are barrier controlled,if you don't pay you don't get out.
Before they brought the "Fixed Penalty" scheme in they used to clamp any vehicle that was causing an obstruction, and too be honest most of them deserved clamping, I have seen cars in the bays where the ambulances reverse in to A&E.:mad:
The problem is since the "Fixed Penalty" scheme and by their own admission it has become an earner for the hospital, so these security people stick a ticket on any thing out of the norm.
There is an ongoing case now were a security person told someone to park on DYL as no disabled bays were available, and put their blue badge up. When they returned they had an invoice.
At the Royal Liverpool they have a much better scheme they have a security person always on the front who simply tells people they cant park there. Or they use their noggin and allow a short occupied stop to pick someone up. Works a lot better and the emergency and bus ambulances can all move about easily.

The ambulance bays at Aintree are poorly marked. They are just numbered spaces with no obvious signage.

esmerobbo

Alexis27 wrote: »

The ambulance bays at Aintree are poorly marked. They are just numbered spaces with no obvious signage.

The the big doors to the entrance to the A&E department sort of gives you a clue though does it not? I am no friend of Aintree's parking regime but I think anyone can workout were ambulances need to get to!

arcon5

bargepole wrote: »

According to whatdotheyknow.com, someone has submitted an FOI request to Aintree Hospitals NHS Trust, to find out how much they've paid Trethowans to pursue unpaid parking charges in the past two years.

The answer - almost £120,000! I don't believe this fits the Government's stated objective of best value for money in the public sector.

Well that depends... of the cases they persued (whether it went to court or not) how much revenue came in? Aside the ethical side of it for a second, you can't say it doesn't offer good value without knowing this figure.

esmerobbo

arcon5 wrote: »

Well that depends... of the cases they persued (whether it went to court or not) how much revenue came in? Aside the ethical side of it for a second, you can't say it doesn't offer good value without knowing this figure.

Well the last one they lost before this they claimed £50 charge, £30 claim issue fee, £50 solicitors costs. They lost so they lost the £30 and the £50.
They have pursued 367 cases they claim. So 367 X £50 which is the amount claimed, as all the rest are costs.
So if they won all the claims or people paid (which they haven't) since 2006 367 X £50 = £18,350!
The £120,000 paid to Trewthons is only for 2010/2011!

newbe007

trefowans get paid just that small amount, £50, so it must be their client telling them to take action as point of principle. i wouldnt get client and lawyer mixed up, or we sound silly blaming the erand boy.

Trebor16

newbe007 wrote: »

trefowans get paid just that small amount, £50, so it must be their client telling them to take action as point of principle. i wouldnt get client and lawyer mixed up, or we sound silly blaming the erand boy.

Really? How come they have been paid nearly £120000 in the last year by Aintree NHS? They haven't received that through getting the odd £50 here and there.

Coupon-mad

newbe007 wrote: »

confused by people? Tretowans are just lawyers right? any law firm could be acting? or am i missing something. law firm are paid to do what their client tells them, even if against the advice they just gave to their client?

newbe007 wrote: »

ok, rule 1 sounds logical. your post stops though.
do we know what advice trefhowans gave? guess client can say they want day in court/ have to sue to make point? lawyers website is bit posh they arent high street cowboys?

i was thinking of them or paris smyth for some legal work, am i to avoid them for some reason

newbe007 wrote: »

trefowans get paid just that small amount, £50, so it must be their client telling them to take action as point of principle. i wouldnt get client and lawyer mixed up, or we sound silly blaming the erand boy.

I wonder which way you will choose to mis-spell TRETHOWANS next time you post on this thread?! :rotfl:

You trying to keep this thread about TRETHOWANS off the top of a Google search or summat? METHINKS YOU DOTH PROTEST TOO MUCH!

Nice try but we know how to spell TRETHOWANS and TRETHOWANS make a pretty penny out of AINTREE HOSPITAL, who waste tens of thousands in NHS money together in half-baked witch-hunts against PATIENTS and visitors who - in their stress and panic at a hospital trip - may have parked over a white line:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/3591871

Shame on TRETHOWANS and shame on AINTREE HOSPITAL for persecuting injured, ill and disabled people and their families. What an indefensible waste of public money over fake 'tickets' that are not even real fines and that people should never be targeted with at a hospital.

By all means have a barrier system with a timed ticket at arrival - and maybe charge a fiver flat rate for anyone staying over 2 hours or has lost that ticket when they leave - all the money going to the hospital. Car park being free at night perhaps as a person at a barrier, collecting money, may not be the best idea in darkness. That sort of system provides a daytime job or two (at the barriers) and some steady income to the hospital, no bad publicity and very few people would begrudge a SMALL amount of money that is transparently going straight to the hospital itself. And people trying to park can see there is a presence and barrier in the car park so will think twice if they are 'trying it on' such as just using the car park when they go shopping - and genuine visitors will also feel reassured that they are not going to be ripped off if they cannot park straight or their ticket blows off the dash. Most people just visiting a patient will know - if the signs were very clear, as they should be - that they can stay for up to 2 hours for free and if you stay longer (say when a baby is being born, or a relative is an emergency admission) then a fiver is a pretty cheap but necessary parking cost.

But for AINTREE HOSPITAL and TRETHOWANS to be involved in this continual victimisation of hospital visitors and patients, with stupid amounts of money being claimed for daring to park a car when attending hospital is absolutely scandalous and deserves more bad publicity.

The actions of AINTREE HOSPITAL and TRETHOWANS should be exposed in the national press - see the link to the other thread for the FOI details about the amount of money involved in chasing people for amounts which they know full well are unlawful penalties that neither TRETHOWANS nor AINTREE HOSPITAL have the lawful right to charge.

What next, newbe007? Treffowens? No, it's TRETHOWANS!!!!!!

esmerobbo

newbe007 wrote: »

trefowans get paid just that small amount, £50, so it must be their client telling them to take action as point of principle. i wouldnt get client and lawyer mixed up, or we sound silly blaming the erand boy.

£50 is the standard solicitors fee at county court although its now £90. That's not all they get they will be charging Aintree by the hour!

esmerobbo

Coupon-mad wrote: »

But for AINTREE HOSPITAL and TRETHOWANS to be involved in this continual victimisation of hospital visitors and patients, with stupid amounts of money being claimed for daring to park a car when attending hospital is absolutely scandalous and deserves more bad publicity.

The actions of AINTREE HOSPITAL and TRETHOWANS should be exposed in the national press - see the link to the other thread for the FOI details about the amount of money involved in chasing people for amounts which they know full well are unlawful penalties that neither TRETHOWANS nor AINTREE HOSPITAL have the lawful right to charge.

What next, newbe007? Treffowens? No, it's TRETHOWANS!!!!!!

I have contacted the local papers and the local radio station news rooms a few times, they don't want to know for some reason.

Maybe if we got a celebrity or a WAG to purposely get an invoice they would take an interest.

AlexisV

esmerobbo wrote: »

The the big doors to the entrance to the A&E department sort of gives you a clue though does it not? I am no friend of Aintree's parking regime but I think anyone can workout were ambulances need to get to!

Not all the ambulance bays are based near A&E and are reserved for patient transportation.