Has anyone received a parking ticket when they know for sure they entered their registration details? (Hospital car park)

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As above, I had an appointment with dc at a local hospital and entered my registration details on the machine at reception to allow me free parking for two hours. I was with my dc who remembers me doing it.

I am always extra careful about this as I was caught out once years ago when the new scheme was introduced.

I couldn’t believe it when a week later I received a fine for £70! I am gutted.

I am adamant I entered my details correctly. There was no option for a receipt as the machine said the printer was out of paper.

I have appealed in writing but I’ve got a horrible feeling that won’t be good enough as I don’t have proof and I’ll have to pay up. Has this happened to anyone else and what was the outcome? Thanks

I've never been to a hospital that offered free parking 😱

But definitely appeal. Maybe there's some other way to prove you entered your reg like cctv?

Can you provide proof of the appointment to back up your case?

Definitely appeal and if that fails, appeal again.
Call the hospital to get proof you entered your registration with them.

If they don’t have it, then you say it was their mistake not yours and you should have your appointment letter or card showing you had a hospital appointment that qualifies you for the free parking. Not your fault reception didn’t put your registration in correctly on their system.

I recently won on 2nd round of appeals an invalid parking charge under similar circumstances where reception had failed to enter my car registration.

Bugger. I know I don’t have a letter as the appointment was arranged over the phone after the first one (with a letter) was cancelled as my dc had covid.

A similar thing happened recently near me at a leisure centre. Swim school customers get free parking and everyone else has to pay to use the car park.

They had a glitch in the system and the swim school families all received tickets. One of the families caught out posted on a local Facebook page and the scale of the problem came to light, so all tickets issued in a certain time period were cancelled.

It would be worth asking the question on local social media pages. It's easier to fight this kind of thing when you can gather evidence that you're not the only person affected.

Right, well the hospital clinic or department can email you proof you attended an appointment there if it isn’t listed on the NHS App as a recent appointment. Would there have been a post appointment letter? Some appointments you get a courtesy copy of a letter from them to your GP that says “saw this lovely lady in my neurology clinic today 13 July 2022 and upon examination….diagnosis is….referred to….”

Any chance of that?

Yes, definitely worth raising it in a local Facebook group.

Is it possible you put in the wrong registration details? I know you say you didn't but it's really easy to do.

If the appeal fails, I'd write again and say you can't understand why you've received the ticket as you put in your registration details and you have a witness (you don't have to say it was a child); so you await their evidence that you didn't and you won't be paying up as the machine wasn't giving receipts which is their problem, not yours. They have to prove you broke their rules.

These parking companies are such shysters.

Yes good idea I think I’ll contact the clinic today and ask them.

I'm sure the admin team could provide some evidence if required...

Does your registration contain a 0/O? I messed up by entering O instead of 0 a while ago (it was DH's car, I can't remember the registration and I mistook one for the other when I was reading it in a hurry!). I received a parking ticket but it was waived when they realised that I'd paid/had just messed up the registration details.

It did occur to me that I possibly entered the wrong details but I always get my dc to check with me as I am paranoid about it as I know they will always try to catch you out.

I've had this a few times. Once, I'd paid online using an app then came back to my car to a ticket. Fortunately I had emails to prove but I was cross that the car park attendant hadn't checked/was unable to check that I'd paid online.

Another time it was a screen in a pub where I had put my registration in and it lasts 24 hours (camera on entry and exit). I had left to get a bottle for the baby and returned so hadn't re-entered my registration in the pub machine screen thing as the parking clearly stated 24hours duration and nothing saying I needed to re-enter details if I left so I appealed it. It was cancelled and they clearly didn't match entered details with the camera footage properly so I expect it happens to a lot of people. I had food and drink receipts to prove I had been in the pub. Weirdly, there was nothing around the pub to make it warrant a parking system like this anyway, e.g. no tourist attraction or town centre and the car park was pretty much empty 🤷‍♀️

I always keep receipts and confirmation emails for parking for this reason though!

Can you put a complaint in to the park company citing that their printer had no paper which has now left you unable to prove you did enter your details. Surely that is some sort of breach of "contract" for the consumer? I'd also contact the hospital as they have a partnership with this parking company so are probably responsible for topping up the printer paper and ask for CCTV to help win your appeal as they've now left you vulnerable to pay a fine when you did enter your details.

Thanks for that. Yes I will contact the hospital re the machine.

Btw dc is 15 with good literacy and IT skills so always helps me with apps and payment details etc!

This hiospital isn't in Cheshire by any chance? A family member had to attend his local hospital every day for two weeks recently, and has since received four parking tickets for four separate days. Same amount £70.

A few months ago I was waiting to enter my details in one of the machines and was amused to see a driver ahead of me in the queue using their smartphone to video them entering the number. As they left they commented they'd been fleeced once before by a machine that didn't issue tickets (which would solve all this bother) and didn't register the correct number. So this seems to be "a thing" emerging.

Also makes me wonder if the machine was covered by CCTV ?