Parking Eye at Grantham hospital

funinabox

Hi all, 
Looking for some wise advice please. My elderly parents have received a parking fine by post which has really upset them. They paid for their parking at the hospital but missed one of the numbers off their registration number when they typed it into the parking machine. They said they intend to write a letter to the parking company appealing to their better nature! My feeling is from what I have read that this is not a technique to use with this company.
So...my question to you lovely experts is: should they do that or should I advise them go in with the official template and maybe include their extenuating circumstances in that?
Thanks so much for your help in advance - it is really appreciated.

Redx

No explanations , no hoping that a better nature will work , because it won't, it doesn't improve their profits 

Contact pals , complain strongly and get it cancelled by pals , which the newbies thread tells you is stage one

Stage two is the blue text appeal , but also download and read the BPA CoP 2020 edition which covers minor miskeying errors so read what it says first , any appeal is by the keeper , as keeper

funinabox

Thanks Redx. I presume they can give details of what happened when contacting PALS and that won’t be able to be passed on to the parking company further down the line?

beamerguy

funinabox said:

Hi all, 
Looking for some wise advice please. My elderly parents have received a parking fine by post which has really upset them. They paid for their parking at the hospital but missed one of the numbers off their registration number when they typed it into the parking machine. They said they intend to write a letter to the parking company appealing to their better nature! My feeling is from what I have read that this is not a technique to use with this company.
So...my question to you lovely experts is: should they do that or should I advise them go in with the official template and maybe include their extenuating circumstances in that?
Thanks so much for your help in advance - it is really appreciated.

Parking Eye are members of the BPA and the BPA have said that such trivial matters should be handled and cancelled by the parking operator.
So, write to PE stating the BPA advice and request they cancel.  If they fail then a complaint to the BPA is in order

Do let us know

Redx

funinabox said:

Thanks Redx. I presume they can give details of what happened when contacting PALS and that won’t be able to be passed on to the parking company further down the line?

The royal WE works wonders , if anything or anybody says "My , Me , Myself & I" then they have failed this simple test

We parked , we paid , we missed one character off our VRM entry , etc

Minor keying errors should receive a cancellation from both pals and from parking eye

D_P_Dance

It is very unlikely that a judge wiould agree that this is a genuine breach of contract, more like a trifle, read this

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/De_minimis

beside, there are strict rules concerning ticketing in hospitals, read this

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

have they fuly complied?

Finally their signs are pants and likly to be thrown out by a judge, more reading,

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5972164/parking-eye-signs-oxford-road-reading

Nine times out of ten these tickets are scams, so consider complaining to your MP, it can cause the scammer extra costs and work, and has been known to get the charge cancelled.

Parliament is well aware of the MO of these private parking companies, many of whom are former clampers, and on 15th March 2019 a Bill was enacted to curb the excesses of these shysters. Codes of Practice are being drawn up, an independent appeals service will be set up, and access to the DVLA's date base more rigorously policed, persistent offenders denied access to the DVLA database and unable to operate.

Hopefully, when life gets back to normal, it will become impossible for those scammers who are left to continue their vile trade, but until this is done you should still complain to your MP, citing the new legislation.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2019/8/contents/enacted

Just as the clampers were finally closed down, so hopefully will many of these Private Parking Companies.

KeithP

They paid for their parking at the hospital but missed one of the numbers off their registration number when they typed it into the parking machine.

When complaining to PALS, or indeed anyone else, turn that around a bit.

Perhaps something like... 
They paid for their parking at the hospital but for some inexplicable reason the parking ticket machine failed to record one of the numbers of their registration number when they typed it in.

It's the machine that failed, not your parents.

D_P_Dance

I would remove the words "for some inexplicable reason".    I am sure there is a reason, lack of maintenance perhaps.  

KeithP

I too am sure there is a reason. At the moment, that reason appears to be unknown. I.e. inexplicable.

D_P_Dance

"unknown" and "inexplicable" are not synonymous, better to delete.

KeithP

D_P_Dance said:

"unknown" and "inexplicable" are not synonymous.

Maybe not, but the following words are synonyms of inexplicable...
unaccountable, unexplainable, incomprehensible, unfathomable, impenetrable, insoluble, unsolvable, baffling, puzzling, perplexing, mystifying, bewildering, mysterious, strange, weird, abstruse, enigmatic.

Your choice.