Hospital car park nonsense - CP Plus Limited

Lyev

I thought some of you might like to hear about an experience I had last week.

I needed to take my son to St Albans hospital. They have pay and display, but also have some free, 30 minute spaces so I parked in one of those. My son needed stitches checked, and they also did an x-ray, so I was inside for about 30 minutes. When I returned to my car, I had a ticket. When I looked at it, they had booked me for parking for 21 minutes in the 30 minute bay!

When I challenged the parking attendant, she refused to do anything, just saying I would have to appeal. I tried to point out her mistake but she was having none of it, even refusing to accept that it was an error!

I therefore went back into the hospital and asked to speak to a manager responsible for the relationship with the parking company. The receptionist was very friendly and helpful, and after 10 minutes of phone calls, she tracked down the right person, who then arrived in less than a minute. This manager was also friendly and helpful - she apologised for the situation, took a note of the ticket number, said she would get it cancelled, promised to have a word with the parking attendant, and gave me her name in case I did hear anything else in the post.

So the moral of the story is that there are parking attendants out there who are even more ignorant than you would believe possible. And that if you persevere and speak to the right person, you can get some common sense applied.

No wonder private parking companies and their attendants get a bad name!

Coupon-mad

That's perfect, speaking on the same day to the Hospital Facilities Manager is a shining example of a complaint about a PPC. Well done! I have added it here on the 'Successful Complaints about PPCs' sticky thread for posterity, under the other Hospital/CP Plus complaints that also worked:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4766249

Ivor_Pecheque

I hope your son has made a full recovery, I should imagine this is the the last thing you needed at this stressful time.

May be worth contacting NHS England, http://www.england.nhs.uk/ or even go to the man at the top... https://www.gov.uk/government/people/jeremy-hunt and share you're experience.

bazster

I parked in that very free-for-30-minutes area myself very recently. Sadly I did not get a ticket, but I wish I had, especially if it had shown I parked for less than 30 minutes!

While I was parked there, waiting to pick someone up after an appointment, I had a stroll around and did a little survey. What I can tell you is this:

There is one CP Plus sign at the hospital entrance. It is on the left side of the entrance (as you are going in) and does not face incoming traffic, it faces up Waverley Road. It is backed by trees and shrubs. So, if you are approaching up the hill in Waverley Road you cannot see that there is any entrance sign at all.

So, you enter the hospital without seeing any signs, and the first parking you come to is this very 30-minutes-free area. And within this area there are indeed signs telling you that it's for 30 minutes' free parking. And that's all they say. They are not CP Plus signs, they don't mention any terms and conditions, and they don't mention charges of any kind.

So, it's perfectly possible to enter the hospital site and park without seeing any CP Plus sign at all. No signs = no contract = no charge.

n.b. the entrance sign you can see if, and only if, you approach the entrance coming down the hill in Waverley Road is not remotely BPA CoP compliant.

Lyev

Ivor - thanks for your concern. At least it didn't happen 2 days earlier when I had arrived with him with a big hole in his knee, and him visibly shaking (first signs of shock, I thought). Stitches come out later this week and, while he is still slow on his feet and protective of his knee, he seems to be on the mend.

Bazster - interesting analysis! I am going back there tomorrow for his latest "wound check" and will have a look myself. However, I don't think I am as militant as you - while I won't allow myself to be pushed around, I don't intend deliberately to provoke them by staying longer than 30 mins and then appealing on the grounds you have given.

Lyev

Bazster,

Well, was back there this morning. I had a look - as well as the sign at the entrance (facing one way), there is also a sign not far into the entrance (just as you get to the turn into the free 30 minute bays) - maybe this is new? However, it only seems to be relevant to the main car parks, as it talks about getting a P&D ticket (and does not refer to the free spaces).

I watched them take a note of my number after 10 minutes, so I reckoned I had at least 30 minutes after that (or perhaps 21 minutes - same parking attendant as last time!). Hospital was a bit busy this morning - we had to wait, so I had to stay more than 30 minutes. I therefore left for about 5 minutes, took a picture of my car somewhere else, then came back. Signs don't say anything about not returning! Wouldn't have put it past them to give me a ticket anyway but at least I would have good backup for an appeal.

I kept as close an eye on my car as I could while my son was seen to. No ticket, so no hassle (or fun, as you might call it!).

And in case anyone is interested, stitches came out today (painful, but he was very brave) so wound should heal normally now.

ampersand

Gold star to a brave boy.

' in case I did hear anything else in the post' - keep your antennae alert, Lyev and a record of time/date/ relevant hospital staff names.

This does happen. These scumpanies will try anything.

bazster

There are indeed signs as you approach the P&D parking but, as you say, they are concerned solely with the P&D parking. There is nothing anywhere to tell you that you might get a ticket for overstaying (or indeed understaying!) in the free-for-30-minutes bit.

Coupon-mad

Lyev wrote: »

Bazster,

Well, was back there this morning. I had a look - as well as the sign at the entrance (facing one way), there is also a sign not far into the entrance (just as you get to the turn into the free 30 minute bays) - maybe this is new? However, it only seems to be relevant to the main car parks, as it talks about getting a P&D ticket (and does not refer to the free spaces).

I watched them take a note of my number after 10 minutes, so I reckoned I had at least 30 minutes after that (or perhaps 21 minutes - same parking attendant as last time!). Hospital was a bit busy this morning - we had to wait, so I had to stay more than 30 minutes. I therefore left for about 5 minutes, took a picture of my car somewhere else, then came back. Signs don't say anything about not returning! Wouldn't have put it past them to give me a ticket anyway but at least I would have good backup for an appeal.

I kept as close an eye on my car as I could while my son was seen to. No ticket, so no hassle (or fun, as you might call it!).

And in case anyone is interested, stitches came out today (painful, but he was very brave) so wound should heal normally now.

Well done! - you really do have your eye on this scam now!

bazster

If you go round the corner and park in Goldsmiths Way you can get a ticket from UKPC! Then top of Normandy Road, turn right, and right again into Oster Street to get a ticket from Flashpark! So many PPC's, so little time!