Parking Eye - 100 quid for 19 mins after 6?!!

Fruitcake

Lousaver wrote: »

OK thank you!!! I already did send an appeal letter online this morning, too late, before finding you and your words of wisdom here. I hope I did not ruin my chances.

I will await their response patiently. It will be negative.

I will bite the bullet and take the gamble and not pay up the 60 before Thursday. If you promise this is the right thing to do. I do believe you.

I will find and draft a popla? appeal letter and share it here for approval.

Nineteen minutes is within the scope of the BPA CoP so that will be at least one of your PoPLA appeal points, along with all the other template points you will find in post 3 of the NEWBIES.

Lousaver

email arrived this morning

"Thank you for contacting ParkingEye, we acknowledge receipt of your appeal.

We endeavour to respond to all appeals as soon as possible. Whilst we consider an appeal the parking charge amount will not increase. Please note that a full written response may take up to 28 days.

Kind Regards,

ParkingEye Appeals Team"

Currently I think it was less the fault of the Practice, as this is obviously a private company that deals with their parking, and more the unclear nature of the signage and methods of paying.

Redx

depends who engaged PE

it may have been the practice, or NHS England , plus the practice may not have authorisation from NHS England to contract the parking with a PPC

the practice manager should be able to help, which is why you are advised to contact them

also complain to your MP and get them to contact the MP of the constituency where this practice is who can then contact the practice

the more pressure the better

dont go assuming its this or that and ruin any chance of a cancellation, because the government guidelines appear to have been broken here

or do you think that the practice can do as they like despite taking NHS money (which comes from us) ?

remember , we know more about this than any newbie and we have helped others deal with issues like this many , many times so far in the last 5 years since POFA2012

Lousaver

Do I wait to see what ParkingEye's response is before moving on to popla?

Redx

yes, unless you get the practice manager to cancel it first

Coupon-mad

Lousaver wrote: »

Do I wait to see what ParkingEye's response is before moving on to popla?

No, I would be asking the Practice Manager to cancel it. Right now and certainly before POPLA time/PE's money is expended.

Even if you don't feel it was there fault (and we say it IS, if they took on Parking Eye contrary to the Government Guidance for NHS car parks) you can still politely ask them to cancel it for a genuine patient.

Lousaver

Aagh receptionist flatly refused to put me through to practice manager or give me an email address because she told me I had parked in the doctors' car park (not something I was aware of - I'd have seen the signs, surely?) and I would have to appeal to the address on the back of the ticket.

So I shall write them a letter and post it the old-fashioned way.

Fruitcake

Lousaver wrote: »

Aagh receptionist flatly refused to put me through to practice manager or give me an email address because she told me I had parked in the doctors' car park (not something I was aware of - I'd have seen the signs, surely?) and I would have to appeal to the address on the back of the ticket.

So I shall write them a letter and post it the old-fashioned way.

You have been denied access to the practice manager. I would ring back and ask what their complaints procedure is, then use it.
You should write to the manager anyway but add in your additional complaint. Make sure you tell the manager that the private parking industry is unregulated, and its use contravenes the UK Government policy, as is penalising an emergency patient.
Lay it on thick.

Contact your local MP after Thursday, and the PM whoever that may be. Local and national press might be interested about an emergency patient being financially penalised and bullied for being ill.

yotmon

You mentioned that you have already wrote to Parking eye, have you named yourself as the driver or not. May not be a problem as your experience is a personal one, but it's better to know beforehand, rather than putting forward an appeal against keeper liability.

Lousaver

Dear Sir/Madam,

I have just telephoned your Walk-in Centre, asking for your details - phone or email - as to where I could contact you concerning an unfair parking charge that I would wish to appeal against. I was met with a refusal to divulge that information because the car park is managed by a private company that I should appeal to first.

I have indeed already sent an appeal to ParkingEye and now have up to 28 days to await their response, although this means I will miss the chance to reduce the fine, as this deadline is tomorrow and I received the notice only this weekend with little time (and definitely less than half the 14 days specified) to respond properly.

I would question the decision to deny access to you, because you, as engager of the private parking company (contrary to the Government Guidance for NHS car parks) surely have the right and power to cancel or over-rule a decision in the case of a genuine patient in distress.

I would hope that, when you understand the circumstances, you would agree that a 100 pound fine for 19 minutes emergency parking is unfair and disproportionate.

I have been assured that the private parking industry is unregulated, and its use contravenes UK Government policy, as is penalising a patient in distress.

I can forward to you a copy of the appeal that I already sent to the private parking company, to explain all the details of my circumstances that evening, but in brief I was driving myself on a 60 mile (120 mile round-trip) car journey, had already been redirected from Boots the Chemist in Guildford where I had detoured to seek urgent advice, and who had advised I get to see a doctor as soon as possible. Arriving in Woking, 8 miles away through unfamiliar minor roads, I had difficulty understanding the terms and methods and timings of parking (it was about 6pm), and intended to ask at reception about alternative payment methods, but was sent straight through to triage, was seen very quickly (bypassing a 2-hour queue of other patients), told I could not be treated there that evening due to excess numbers so was advised to continue my journey and go straight to the walk-in centre at my destination, Southampton, which I did, later that evening. All this interaction at Woking, according to the car park cameras on my parking charge notice, took 19 minutes. Which included trying and failing to work out the parking signage. Which is all credit to your medical staff but not a good reflection on the parking system you have in operation.

Please could you, as practice manager:
1. Advise me of the complaints procedure,
2. Consider advising the private parking company to cancel this parking charge,
3. Ensure that signs are clear, payment methods are flexible and advice is available.

*************************
How is that?

Probably too much info ...

Today the delightful ParkingEye sent me a Reminder because I need to have paid the 60 by tomorrow. Sent to my husband as keeper of the vehicle. My popla appeal will be from him, including the phrases about not needing to divulge the name of the driver.