Civil Enforcement Ltd - County Court Business Centre

harpywings

Hello

My first post here, so hopefully I've done it correctly.

So back in April last year my wife took my daughter to the Doctors, at the time she was having quite regular visits for a long term illness. All appeared to be as normal until a couple of weeks later she received a PCN from CEL. The Doctors didn't advertise the fact that they had employed CEL to run their car park, and my wife didn't spot any difference in the signs in the car park.
When she got the PCN I got her to go and take pictures of the signs and there was only 1 in the same place as the old sign which was not obviously different (there have subsequently been more signs added)
So at the Doctors they now run a system where you have to register your car registration at reception on a tablet.
At the time of my wife's visit she says there was no tablet at reception so she didn't get to register her car.
We went to the Doctors to explain what had happened, they gave us proof of our appointment to send to CEL and said it should be fine to get the PCN quashed.... It wasn't! They sent us some preformed letter saying they rejected our appeal, so I wrote back asking for proof the tablet was available at the time of my wife's visit and a copy of the contract with the land owner to show they had any rights to even issue a PCN. They haven't responded to that request at all.
They Doctors are extremely unhelpful they even have a recorded message when you phone them saying they refuse to deal with any queries regarding parking I think they were getting swamped with complaints about PCNs. They have had absolutely LOADS of their patients caught out when they changed to CEL.
It's got as far as receiving County Court Business Centre Claim form which I have got my wife to go online and do the SoA bit (with to info from this forum, Thank you!) so I think I have 28 days from now to submit a defence?
My plan is to go through information here and try to come up with a draft defence, post it back here and hopefully get some help? With your amazing record with beating CEL it would be silly not to.
I do have a couple of questions though hopefully someone can help with. I have an email from the practice manager saying that she has requested more signs to be put up in the car park, would this be proof the the signs are deemed inadequate?
If it got as far as a hearing, would I be able to call the Doctor to appear to prove we had an appointment?(I want them to feel some pain for dropping us in it with CEL)
On the schedule of information the summary of terms is different to the wording on the sign in the car park, is that significant?

Thanks in advance for any help you all can provide!!

The_Slithy_Tove

Keep on at the doctors. Demand a meeting with the Practice Manager. It's their problem to solve. Have they considered the patient confidentiality issue with Parking Charges going out to keepers where the keeper was not aware (nor should be) that the driver had been to the doctor? Worthy of a complaint up the chain of command.

You need to handle the court process as well - that's a first priority.

If you can think of some way to counter-claim, and bring the practice into that counterclaim, that make them sit up and listen.

The_Deep

Does the surgery have a public feedback facility on its website, or a Facebook page? If so write bad stull on it.

Umkomaas

Have a read of this thread which shows how another poster dealt with an unfair charge at a Drs Surgery. It might give you some other ideas about tackling your case, by putting pressure on the Surgery including contacting your MP, the local and national Press.

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5583307

Coupon-mad

It's got as far as receiving County Court Business Centre Claim form which I have got my wife to go online and do the SoA bit (with to info from this forum, Thank you!) so I think I have 28 days from now to submit a defence?
My plan is to go through information here and try to come up with a draft defence, post it back here and hopefully get some help? With your amazing record with beating CEL it would be silly not to.

How DARE the clinic allow patients to be sued, then wash their hands of this unsuitable contract (presumably) THEY signed?

I would be contacting the local paper and publicising the fact that NHS locations are required to adhere to Government policy which disallows this type of 'incentivised income from parking charges only' free regime from nasty ex-clampers like CEL:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/hospitals-still-allowing-private-parking-firms-to-prey-on-visitors-with-penalty-fines-10047797.html

Also ask the local paper to publicise how to beat CEL on appeal (easy when you know how!!) and after court papers - pretty easy v CEL! Glad to see you've realised a template defence v CEL can and does - so far - kill this stone dead:

It's got as far as receiving County Court Business Centre Claim form which I have got my wife to go online and do the SoA bit (with to info from this forum, Thank you!) so I think I have 28 days from now to submit a defence?
My plan is to go through information here and try to come up with a draft defence, post it back here and hopefully get some help? With your amazing record with beating CEL it would be silly not to.

You have 28 days from service of the claim form (up to 33 days MAX from the date on it).

Coupon-mad

when I received the LBCC - Civil Enforcement Limited [STRIKE]( Parking Eye)[/STRIKE]

Not surprised you are getting lost - Civil Enforcement (CEL, we call them) are a different company than ParkingEye.

See my signature for where to click in the small line of>lettering>along>the>top of the page, to get to the NEWBIES FAQs.

I have tried calling the number in Liverpool for Civil Enforcement Ltd but just get a recorded message.

NEVER NEVER NEVER phone a parking firm, especially not after they've served a court claim. They will lie to get you to pay. Put that phone down! Of course no-one will answer, it's Good Friday...but DO NOT try again.

So I have so far gone online to register the acknowledgement of service form but I don't know what to do next ?

You will when you've read post #2 of the NEWBIES thread, one click away (see my signature).

harpywings

Hi

Thanks for all the replies, I've been away and not had access to a computer so sorry for lack of response.

I would be contacting the local paper

I did, and they actually have 2 stories in the local paper about this issue, one patient being 71 with multiple strokes and heart attack, they didn't do anything for him either.

putting pressure on the Surgery including contacting your MP

Did that too and he said to contact the practice manager, but since reading

NHS locations are required to adhere to Government policy which disallows this type of 'incentivised income from parking charges only' free regime from nasty ex-clampers like CEL:

from coupon-mad (thanks!!) I've asked my MP why they are allowed to disregard Government policy.

Does the surgery have a public feedback facility on its website, or a Facebook page? If so write bad stull on it.

Been on the NHS choices site where there are lots of complaints about them, they went from about 4.6 to about 2.5 rating in a matter of weeks after stitching up their patients.

I'm just finishing off my defence, mostly just cut and paste from what others have done recently, just trying to fit in the fact that the equipment to register was unavailable at the time of the visit and that the car park was used for it's intended purpose (a doctor's visit)

I have changed Doctor's surgery BTW, these are definitely not the type of people I want looking after my families health!!

The support is very much appreciated, it's nice to see that people care even when your Doctor's don't.