PCS car parking charge - company car

opethpoppy

Hello

I am hoping someone can help.

I had a £150 deduction from my salary today for car parking. I have a company car. Work lease it off a lease company.

I called Work this morning who advised I was issued a penalty notice by PCS in January due to contravening hospital parking rules. They forwarded me a copy of a follow up letter from PCS advising that as I hadn't paid within 14 days I now had to pay £120 (plus work charge me an admin fee of £30). This was the first I had heard about it.

The letter from PCS states I had a penalty notice placed on my windscreen - my husband was driving the vehicle (visiting me in hospital) and says he did not have a ticket on the windscreen. (We'd never ignore a ticket as work pay it and deduct from my salary).

I am unsure what rule I broke - We had bought a weekly parking pass as I had been admitted in premature labour.

I have an appeal email address for PCS, it was given to me by a man on their helpline. If we had done something wrong I would have paid the £60 if it was relating to the weekly pass we had bought I would have appealed immediately. However there was never a ticket.

What is the best way of wording an email (without incriminating myself) to find out what we did wrong and appealing as we did not receive a penalty notice on the windscreen I know it's going to be hard as work automatically pay.

Thanks

opethpoppy

When I said 'my husband says he didn't have a ticket on the windscreen' I mean he did not return to the car to find a penalty notice attached to the screen.

Castle

First thing you should do is dig out your contract of employment, because although your employer is normally able to make a deduction for a "penalty ticket" or "fine"; this is neither.

Herzlos

Ask your work for a copy of the paperwork, then contact the parking company (PCS is a back office). Write/email the parking company to appeal as keeper, stating that you are aware it's been paid but believe it to have been issued incorrectly. They'll probably ignore you.

Then send them a "Letter Before Action" for a claim for your £100 back. Again, they'll probably ignore you.

Then file a Money Claim OnLine for the money and see what happens. Hopefully they'll just pay up.

Ralph-y

hi opethpoppy ...... and welcome to the forum ......

your first port of call is to have a read through the newbie thread

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4816822

can you confirm that it is these cowboys

http://www.parkingcontrolsolutions.net

if so when looking through the newbies thread ignore the IPC stuff ......

check out your car lease for details on fines ..... you have NOT received a fine

you also need to speak to PALS at the hospital to have this cancelled ...

do you still have the pass ?

"They forwarded me a copy of a follow up letter from PCS advising that as I hadn't paid within 14 days I now had to pay £120"

I don't think this is allowed .... others will advise ...

Good luck

Ralph:cool:

pappa_golf

PCS , as in parking collection services , £100 original charge by "an other" scum, paperwork sent out by PCS with a £50 fee added


how could parking control solutions "actually" charge more than the LEGAL figure of £100?


if the lease Co wish to pay it , well enough , however there are laws in the UK , and the ability to challenge the charge with either the BPA or IPC has been removed from you , also the chance to challenge this in the CC.


lease agreement needs to be obtained and read , it will cover council type fines and moving traffic offences , however a private invoice for supposedly parking , is not a fine

opethpoppy

Thanks,

Ralph, my work have already paid the money. Is it still worth calling PALS?

Herzlos - Ok so to summarise

I have asked work for a copy of the letter.
I need to establish which parking company the hospital use, write to them initially stating I am the keeper (do I still not say who was driving?) and expect no response. I cannot see a template for this - no doubt because you are meant to appeal prior to paying. Is there anything I should or shouldn't say now it's got this far?

If the letter work have doesn't state what 'rule' I contravened how do I find this out? I am assuming it's due to a week parking pass but am not sure.

Castle - thanks for your suggestion but I am reluctant to have a big dispute with work.

Thanks

opethpoppy

Thanks pappa

Work are calling it a penalty notice, I think they pay it (not the lease company). I guess work would say they assumed I received a ticket on my windscreen and ignored it, as per the letter, hence they paid it.

I will dig out my employment contract and see what it says. I don't deal with the lease company - work lease it from them.

DCodd

opethpoppy wrote: »

Thanks,

Ralph, my work have already paid the money. Is it still worth calling PALS?

Herzlos - Ok so to summarise

I have asked work for a copy of the letter.
I need to establish which parking company the hospital use, write to them initially stating I am the keeper (do I still not say who was driving?) and expect no response. I cannot see a template for this - no doubt because you are meant to appeal prior to paying. Is there anything I should or shouldn't say now it's got this far?

If the letter work have doesn't state what 'rule' I contravened how do I find this out? I am assuming it's due to a week parking pass but am not sure.

Castle - thanks for your suggestion but I am reluctant to have a big dispute with work.

Thanks

It won't be a big dispute at work. If the wording of the deduction from wages clause is either a "fine" or "penalty" then the deduction is unlawful and your company need to be made aware of this potential breach of contract. It could be a long standing issue waiting to bite them in the backside.


Even if it says unpaid charges in your contract, depending on the paperwork PCS have sent it still may be regarded as unlawful. The company had the right to name you as the driver but chose not to but did choose to charge you £30 for the privilege.

pappa_golf

writing to the PPC will do nothing , they are smiling as they have found a mug (company) that has untrained managers , bet they send him wine at xmas,


pals cannot do anything now either , go after management , get union involved VERY heavily

opethpoppy

Thank you!