Advice Please!

Fenbogler

I work for the NHS and Total Parking Solutions patrol our staff car parks. I have parked in the same parking space for 16 years with no trouble. Today I was issued with a parking charge for £60. My parking pass had slipped of my dashboard onto the drivers seat. To access the car park we have to use a swipe card anyway so if I was not employed by the NHS I would not have been able to access the car park!.
The car park is not free- we have money deducted monthly from our wages. The hospital I work for is not interested and say it is a matter between me and Total Parking Solutions. Do you think I should pay or appeal or ignore?.
Advice greatly received
Thank you

Guys_Dad

Lots of similar threads in the last 2 - 3 weeks, so search the forum. But you MUST read the NEWBIES sticky thread as well.

Grimble

Read the newbies thread, complain to your union, you have paid to park, loss is nothing, you owe nothing. Tell the hospital they are their agents so cancel it. You could take a grievance out, that would cause them a problem.

Redx

check Jeremy Hunt`s autumn 2014 statement, where he says hospital trusts are responsible for the actions of their contractors, especially parking issues

ask them why they are not following the guidelines he issued to all trusts as no matter what the issue they are responsible for the actions of said contractors, be it cleaning, refuse collection, or parking, plus as you pay for parking its a contractual obligation they have entered into too

plus contact the union about it as well

The_Deep

You seem to hold all the cards here, SofS statement which Hospital is ignoring, paid for parking, no loss, no contract with PPC, locus standi, was the permit visible, if so failure to mitigate, etc., etc.

Milk it, I would.

JonnyRotten

Fenbogler

I sympathise with you. Similar happened to a relation who works for the NHS Trust in Newcastle, at one of their car-parks. It seems that this is a very, very common occurrence.

Firstly, I would suggest that you speak to your NHS parking manager and be insistent that it is indeed an NHS management issue and that they have a duty of care to their employees. Don't get angry with him/her but insist upon your rights. The parking manager should have an arrangement to supply the parking management company with employee car-parking details. If he/she has not then they fail in their duty of care, never mind their job. The parking company should check vehicles against this listing.

Of course, they do not because their business model only rewards them with income by fleecing unwary parking novices. The supposed contract on a sign somewhere may say something along these lines 'Failure to display etc etc etc'.

I made a call to the Newcastle NHS Trust car-parking manager, on behalf of my relation, after the relation had spoken to them without success. Even though the manager said that he could and/or would not do anything to help, the flood of letters from the numerous collection agencies acting for the parking company seems to have stopped, so the call might have worked.

Should this not work and if you have the courage, you could immediately write to the Chief Executive of your Foundation Trust. The letter just might get to the CEO who may be totally unaware of the ridiculous position of employee car-parking and the car-parking enforcement regime. Craft a good letter discussing the Trust's Aims and Values (usually on the website or in a management plan if available to staff as it should be) especially those towards employees, the fact that you already pay for parking, you have parked in the same space for 16 YEARS!!!!, the PCN is more than x days pay, etc etc ad infinitum. That just may solve the problem.

However, this last approach is not without risk as the usual hassle from more senior management may well ensue, as they will have been found wanting by the CEO, and the resulting pressure may ultimately lead you to the door. Not the outcome you would wish, perhaps?

Contacting the Union for advice is very sound, if you belong to it and if they are any good.

There is lots of good advice and help with letter writing etc; both here in the very first ADVICE and NEWBIES threads, and on the ParkingPrankster websites.

Good luck
A very JonnyRotten