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AIBU?

To not pay hospital parking fine

478 replies

StupidFine · 09/01/2018 08:19

Last week Dd (8 months) suffered an allergic reaction and was taken to the hospital. DH followed in the car and parked without paying (we live on the border and our usual hospital is in Scotland where parking is free, but this is our first emergency and we were taken to the nearest hospital which is in England). Either way the last thing on DH mind was the bleeding parking.

Thankfully Dd was ok, but a week later DH and I are reflecting on what to do about the parking fine. Our options as we see them are:

A) pay the fine and draw a line under this incident (£40).
B) contest the fine as it was an emergency and we have a hospital note with time and reason for admission (if contest is denied fine will go up to £80 as takes 35 days to review).
C) don't pay and just ignore the fine. A colleague of mine said as we live in Scotland we don't need to tell the parking company who was driving (apparently this loophole was closed in England) and since they don't know who was driving it's very costly/time consuming and not worth the company's effort to raise a case to claim the fine.

My head says to go for option A) as I don't want things like this hanging over our head. But my heart says option C) as it's ridiculous anyone should need to pay for parking at a hospital and the fine is just an arbitrary number pulled out of the company's backside (not quite but you get the point).

WWYD?

OP posts:

Report

PoniesandProsecco · 09/01/2018 08:20

Just pay up like everyone else does

Sirzy · 09/01/2018 08:21

I would just pay it and chalk it up to experience

JediStoleMyBike · 09/01/2018 08:22

Glad your DD is ok 🙂 That must have been terrifying.

Were it me, I'd pay the fine. My concern would be that they'd argue that there were two adults there and one could have popped coins in the machine while the other was in the hospital with the child, and I'd feel really bloody annoyed with an £80 fine as a consequence. It's not fair and I don't agree but I think I'd just drawn a line under it and move on.

WitchesHatRim · 09/01/2018 08:23

Dont assume they will drop it.

They do take cases to court and they do win.

MsHopey · 09/01/2018 08:23

It is ridiculous that people need to pay for parking at the hospital when there's an emergency.
But that's the rules. And everyone else pays.
My 4mo was in hospital for 3 days on a drip. Severe hydration and wouldn't stop vomiting. We paid for the parking all 3 days.

Lucisky · 09/01/2018 08:24

Yes, it is terrible that we have to pay for hospital parking in England, but there it is. I would pay it and chalk it up to experience.

MsHopey · 09/01/2018 08:24

*dehydration.
Obviously.

Spartaca · 09/01/2018 08:24

I would contest it.

NewPapaGuinea · 09/01/2018 08:25

Just pay up like everyone else does

That's cos "everyone" are mugs.

Go to this site and ask on there. You'll get the best advice. forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?s=b66c15d3449904ff655c3294bcc02603&showforum=60

leighdinglady · 09/01/2018 08:25

I'd write to them explaining. If they refuse they usually still give you the discounted rate

ImListening · 09/01/2018 08:27

Pay it. Ridiculous that we have to pay but the rules are there!

MsMarvel · 09/01/2018 08:27

I agree that paying for hospital parking is ridiculous, but thats just how it is.

You wouldnt go into a clothes store, tell them a coat is ridiculously overpriced, so they are going to accept £20 for it, you either buy it it or you dont. Same basic ruke applies here, you knew the cost of the parking, you either pay it or don't use it.

Rebeccaslicker · 09/01/2018 08:30

Parking raises about £130m a year for the NHS trusts in England. We have several threads open about how to save the NHS. And now one about someone who thinks the rules shouldn't apply to them and who is happily considering not paying like everyone else and even possibly letting the NHS incur the fees of chasing it.

I'm v glad your DD is ok, but really???

Rebeccaslicker · 09/01/2018 08:32

Here is a link to C&W confirming that the money goes directly to the hospital. (And believe me, when you're in there for a few days after a v difficult labour, those charges rack up to a lot more than what you were being asked to pay, or your fine for not doing!)

www.chelwest.nhs.uk/your-visit/getting-here/chelsea-and-westminster-hospital

Saz1995 · 09/01/2018 08:32

I would appeal it tbh

StepAwayFromGoogle · 09/01/2018 08:33

I'd be considerably less narked about paying for hospital parking if it actually went to the NHS!

But I'd pay up, unless you are happy with the aggro of pursuing not paying.

Cheby · 09/01/2018 08:33

Just pay up. Everyone else has to. I know parking wasn’t on your DH’s mind as he raced to be with your DD, but what about when you knew she was alright and he left the Car park to go home? Nearly all of them are pay on exit, if not all.

Dungeondragon15 · 09/01/2018 08:37

OPTION B- If you have proof that it was an emergency I would immediately contest it as it probably won't take 35 days to review and even if it does I don't think they can reasonably put the fine up if the delay is due to their tardiness. I have contest council and university parking fines before and they have let me off quite quickly. I think I checked that they wouldn't put the fine up if under review and they said they wouldn't although that obviously doesn't guarantee what the hospital would do- perhaps check?

Whatever you do don't ignore the fine as they won't drop it.

stickytoffeevodka · 09/01/2018 08:37

Of course you pay the fine.

BashStreetKid · 09/01/2018 08:39

Pay up - it's not worth the stress and hassle of contesting it. I doubt that the Scottish law will apply given this is a hospital in England.

And, after all, you did get treatment that would have cost the NHS a great deal more than £40.

SaucyJack · 09/01/2018 08:40

Yes, you need to pay.

If you were with the baby (presumably in an ambulance?) and he arrived in a separate vehicle I think you'd have a hard time convincing them that it was an emergency that warranted skipping the parking meter.

Remember, roughly 100% of hospital visitors are there because they or a family member are ill :-)

FairfaxAikman · 09/01/2018 08:41

Where you live is irrelevant, you say the car park was in England so English rules apply.

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Dungeondragon15 · 09/01/2018 08:41

Pay up - it's not worth the stress and hassle of contesting it. I doubt that the Scottish law will apply given this is a hospital in England.

contesting just involves a quick later or perhaps e mail. Not a lot of hassle for £40 in my opinion. It would only take 10 minutes.

Dungeondragon15 · 09/01/2018 08:42

later letter

moggle · 09/01/2018 08:43

I’d say B if you had taken DD to hospital by car and that car had been the one not paying parking, but it sounds like you got there by ambulance so I say A. (I am the type of person who likes things out of their mind asap and £40 isn’t a huge amount of money- yes I know it is for some people but as the OP hasn’t mentioned any financial hardship it doesn’t sound like it is for her)
Sorry it is crappy but as others say it is the way it is now. Plenty of people having chemo, dialysis, long labours, emergency treatment etc etc, we all pay.

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