Parking charge notice

lincscanary

Hi all!

Sorry for having to post but have read stickies and am still a little confused.

My wife was admitted to hospital on Friday and due to shortage of beds was transferred to a private wing.

The private wing has its own private car park that on its website states is free to use for visitors at all times.

From this information I deduced that to visit my wife I could park in said carpark free of charge.

I have visited the hospital everyday since Friday and have parked in the carpark without incident or penalty.

However on returning to my car last night there was a PARKING CHARGE NOTICE affixed to my windscreen issued by Total Parking Solutions.

This states that I was parking in the carpark without the required permit.

At no point was I told I needed a permit and at no point was it pointed out to me that the car park was only free to private fee paying patients visitors!

I remonstrated with the receptionist who of course said it was nothing to do with them and TPS were a private firm with responsibility for the car park.

She said that there were signs stating that it was a staff carpark. The signs actually state Staff Car Park with additional carparking for the private hospital.

From this on entering you would surely deduce that from the info on the website and the info on the sign you could use the car park without penalty.

It was also pointed out to me that there were signs in reception telling visitors that non fee paying patients visitors had to pay a charge to park.

At no point was this pointed out to me and at no point was I made aware of the signs in the actual hospital building. My question to the receptionist was why once I had parked and was happy to do so having read the info I had gleaned from the website and car park sign would I then seek out the signs in a reception area where I had spent no time what so ever other than walking through the door. Her response was that the signs are displayed for all to see!!

Surely these signs should be in the actual carpark?

Of course I have read the posts etc but I am still mindful of the fact that I made no payment at all. How does this stand with the cowboy ticketing firm??

Should I just ignore or offer to make an ex gratia payment of the fee that I allegedly should have paid?

Thanks in advance

LC

peter_the_piper

Just ignore, to paying an amount is an admission they have the right to charge you.

pogofish

Yup - Just ignore these jokers. You owe them nothing.

lincscanary

Marvelous!! The thing that really annoyed me was the fact that I arrived early, sat in the car for half an hour and the time on the ticket is the exact time I left the car and entered the hospital!!

Some joker obviously sat and waited for me to leave the car (or the receptionist I walked past slapped the sticker on the window!!).

All very annoying. They also have the wrong car colour on the 'invoice' which seems very odd. The colour listed is nothing like the colour of my car, not even in the dark could you make the mistake and it was broad daylight!!

atilla

But you were a few paying patient visitor so their own signs cover you.
The NHS will have been charges by the private hospital. sorted.