Parking stories in the News/media

Nellymoser

More people have come forward to the Stray Ferret with complaints over ParkingEye's car park management and issue of pcns at Harrogate hospital.
https://thestrayferret.co.uk/parkingeye-more-complaints-over-parking-fines-at-harrogate-hospital/

@Coupon-mad recently posted on this thread about Harrogate hospital recent shocking 5yr contract with ParkingEye.

PE must be so pleased the hospital did sign as it seems they were the only one to financially benefit (£35) from out patient Jonathan Heap's visit.

Harrogate hospital may have gained his £4 parking tariff but an appt with a consultant was wasted as Mr Heap didn't make it on time due to driving round the car park 5 times unable to find a space even though the entrance sign said there were spaces.

It cost poor Mr Heap £4 parking tariff, £35 pcn (appeal rejected but PE reduced pcn cost), 30 miles in fuel and he didn't even get to see his hospital consultant.

Another hospital visitor Mr Fabretti had a struggle to stop PE gaining £70 from him. His £4 parking tariff was paid yet he still received a pcn. His 1st appeal was refused by PE who then went on to cancel his pcn when he appealed to POPLA.

Mr Fabretti said “this has caused a great deal of stress to myself leading up to the festive period which was totally unnecessary I only wish that I could make a counter claim against ParkingEye for the stress and total waste of my time trying to sort out their mess." I'm sure many of us share Mr Fabretti's wish.

patient_dream

Roguebater said:

Hello, I'm new here. I write stories about private parking firms in Sheffield. It's good to see one of mine picked up the Sun and the DM earliert this month. More to follow...

Feast your eyes on the DCBL SCANDAL and get the media interested ...

DCB LEGAL RECORD OF PRIVATE PARKING COURT CLAIM DISCONTINUATIONS

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6377263/dcb-legal-record-of-private-parking-court-claim-discontinuations/p1

Half_way

Re the Hospital parking story and almost all others there needs to be much more to publicsise that the principal is jointly liable for the actions of their agents.

 This is re enforced in the NHS parkig principles, but applies elsewhere as well, when someone receives a parking charge notice at a supermarket for example the focus is on the PPC and not the supermarket/car park owner.

 Large corporations such as supermarkets should be  well aware of the PPCs and their antics.

 without the full support of the big landowners the PPCs wouldnt be able to operte and its about time the focus switched to the landowners/supermarketd/hosptial trusts etc that know full well what the PPCs are and are hapy to let them loose on the public.

Nellymoser

Agree with @Half_Way post above. Instead of landowners, businesses and NHS Trusts trying to be the hidden silent partner they need to become aware of and held accountable for the practices of the PPCs they employ to manage their car parks. 

Coupon-mad

Roguebater said:

Hi Coupon-mad. I am ...

I wondered! We've emailed off-forum and I guessed it was you. We've linked to all your recent articles.

Great to have you posting here.

Tell us - and mainly for new posters who are unaware - what your experience is about the conduct of Excel and VCS, using your usual careful words.

Or, please do add any news stories you cons across in 2024 about any PPC. None are good news stories, as you know.

Le_Kirk

Coupon-mad said:

Or, please do add any news stories you cons across in 2024 about any PPC. None are good news stories, as you know.

Freudian slip?

Nellymoser

Are we ever likely to see PPCs take ownership of their errors and respond like Croydon council did here?
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-68106828.amp

Between mid-October and mid-December 2023 over 3,000 people were
overcharged for alleged parking and traffic offences due to issues with the council's penalty charge notice printing process.

These issues meant motorists did not receive the first notice of contravention leaving them no opportunity to pay the discounted rate or appeal. They only became aware of the penalty once a further notice was received stating the full cost was due as the initial notice was not paid or appealed.

The council are "really sorry about this", and are "working as a priority to identify everyone who has been impacted".

Pcns will all be cancelled and refunds issued to those who have already paid.
Not as "a gesture of goodwill" but because the council accepts it was their error and recognises their error caused unnecessary stress and financial difficulties for these pcn recipients.

panda_magic

Coupon-mad said:

This is concerning about a scam altering QR codes at car parks:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-12764891/QR-fraud-gang-dupe-unsuspecting-pensioner-71-13-000-used-fake-code-railway-station-car-park-sign.html

Of course she'll also have got an APCOA PCN. Three guesses which of the worst ex-clamper firms in this situation wouldn't cancel the PCN?

We have just been a victim of this today. Just accidentally signed up to a £1 introduction subscription to "content-box". No way of cancelling without providing more credit card information. Clearly a scam and we have had to cancel cards and inform the bank. Yes we should have realised, but when you are in a hurry and the sign says "scan here to park" you don't initially think.  Very worrying that this is so easy to do.

Coupon-mad

Latest article of yet another victim being pounced on and unfairly penalised for the heinous crime of parking to (reportedly) unload blankets as a donation to a charity.

This time it's JD Parking Solutions Ltd

https://www.echo-news.co.uk/news/24089973.colchester-woman-receives-parking-fine-donating-charity/

I tried to check if they are BPA or IPC - errr how does this work, look at the common website:

https://portal.theipc.info/aos-members/j



Same company website?

https://www.britishparking.co.uk/BPA-Approved-Operators

Oh spotted it now.

The difference is a hyphen in the website URL.

So the perpetrators here are the IPC lot.

Coupon-mad

Coupon-mad said:

An 'exempt' car which is used to transport mental health or disabled patients has been slapped with a hefty fine as the row over parking at Royal Oldham Hospital continues:

https://www.theoldhamtimes.co.uk/news/24050240.oldham-hospital-exempt-mental-health-car-hit-fine/

The vehicle itself is used by the mental health care provider across all of the trust's sites to transport people who could be potentially disruptive and/or unsuitable for transportation in a conventional car or ambulance.

A photograph of the ticketed car shows the vehicle had a sign, which read: "Pennine Care Trust Vehicle, exempt from parking and permit charges", while a yellow enforcement notice had been stuck on the passenger side.

The notice comes as the company, Open Parking, is allegedly no longer accepting new NHS parking permits which can be applied for via The Northern Care Alliance.

NHS nurses and staff at the hospital are continuing to campaign for free parking within hospital grounds for workers after several claim to have been hit with parking fines.

Staff say they have been unable to obtain an NHS permit, which is provided by the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, after the trust met its "quota" - which has been denied by the trust.

 

Hot on the heels of the above article 2 weeks ago, here's another article about how Open Parking are reportedly making hospital workers so upset that they

  "don't want to go to work anymore as it's just not worth the hassle and the anxiety that they're facing,"

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-manchester-68139850.amp

...shame on you:

Open Parking

Royal Oldham Hospital

The IPC, who unashamedly prop up this trash.