PCN Parking Eye Didn't even park

Lizzie2995

Wonder if anybody could give some advice.  Have searched the forum but can't find anything similar to this.

My friend attempted to park in the Royal Free Hospital Hampstead - Pears Building 00.  They queued to get in for 30 minutes and then gave up and drove out of the car park so did not park the vehicle.

The owner has received a PCN from Parkingeye - which shows them entering the car park and exiting 38 minutes later.  They could not pay because there were no spaces, but this is probably impossible to prove.  Any ideas please ?

GrannyKate

Complain to PALS at the hospital now.  If they say it is nothing to do with them refer them to the government guidance https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles/nhs-patient-visitor-and-staff-car-parking-principles and ask for the matter to be referred to CEO as a formal complaint. To quote from the guidance 'NHS organisations are responsible for the actions of private contractors who run car parks on their behalf.'

Complain to your MP. 

Coupon-mad

Lizzie2995 said:

Wonder if anybody could give some advice.  Have searched the forum but can't find anything similar to this.

My friend attempted to park in the Royal Free Hospital Hampstead - Pears Building 00.  They queued to get in for 30 minutes and then gave up and drove out of the car park so did not park the vehicle.

The owner has received a PCN from Parkingeye - which shows them entering the car park and exiting 38 minutes later.  They could not pay because there were no spaces, but this is probably impossible to prove.  Any ideas please ?

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4923811/driving-around-waiting-for-a-space-is-not-parking/p1

You don't need to prove it.

Tell PEye to take it straight to court if they think they have a case and not to add £20 or £70 & not to pass it to DCBLegal.  Include that link and tell them "bring it on".

fisherjim

Yet another reason why ANPR should be stopped in private car parks, it's just ridiculous that this scam is allowed to go on!

Lizzie2995

Hi - thanks all for taking the time to reply. Just to update.   I wrote a letter of complaint to PALS at Royal Free Hospital and today a letter was received from Parking Eye to say the charge was cancelled.  

fisherjim

Lizzie2995 said:

Hi - thanks all for taking the time to reply. Just to update.   I wrote a letter of complaint to PALS at Royal Free Hospital and today a letter was received from Parking Eye to say the charge was cancelled.  

Fantastic news and thanks for coming back with the outcome.

PurposefulPenguin

Wanted to say thanks @lizzie2995 and @GrannyKate .  Reading this post helped me get our fine cancelled! £60 or £100 saved! (A lot of money for us at the moment)

I found myself in the same siuation (waited 20mins in a queue of cars trying to park, before giving up, and parking elsewhere). My appeal though ParkingEye’s internal process was unsuccessful - they cited no “sufficient evidence”. I’d given lots of information and a receipt showing my payment for parking elsewhere. 

Their correspondence definitely makes you feel pressured to pay -I was told if I wanted to appeal again the next step was POPLA, but I’d have to lose the option to pay the reduced free. 

Instead, I emailed the complaints team at Royal Free, with the same info I’d given in my appeal to ParkingEye, and citing that government guidance, and I got a reply from a parking manager the next day to say they’d got my fine cancelled! 

I suspect this happens a lot, and a lot of people will end up being pressured into paying. 

Thanks again 

Car1980

It's a many faceted scam, as you've discovered.