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Original poster

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:
CherryMaDeara · 09/01/2018 19:04

It's not about how many times we may or may not have been to A&E with our DC. It's about operating as a functioning adult in society, fgs!

Of course having been in a similar situation before helps. How can you not realise that? It must have been terrifying for OP and her husband to see what was happening, maybe not understand it because it was the first time? I've experienced that paralysing fear, and I can empathise with them. We can't always function as we normally do when we are afraid and panicking. That's been proven.

I bet the OP's dh didn't forget to pick up his phone on his way out of the door. How many of us leave the house without a bag or purse? Not many, because it's ingrained in us, as adults, that we are likely to need money/cards/season tickets to get anything accomplished in life. And if you're not organised or experienced enough to know that, then frankly you take the consequences.

No one has said they didn't have money on them. He did pay for parking, when the emergency was over.

And we don't often have to think about things like grabbing our handbag/keys/mobile. They're ingrained in us so we do it automatically.

CherryMaDeara · 09/01/2018 19:07

FitBitFanClub what do you think about Imaweeble's post above? Do you think she should have paid the fine?

honeyroar · 09/01/2018 19:12

We've had a few ambulance trips to resuss in A&E with my mum lately and my husband has followed in the car. One time when we were there with her hooked up in A&E all night I asked whether they were strict with parking fines and the nurse replied that they were unbelievable and frequently charged people who'd had relatives that had died.

Rebeccaslicker · 09/01/2018 19:33

"I guarantee they won't be acting within the law". Really? Got any case law for that bold statement?

Rebeccaslicker · 09/01/2018 19:37

Because an £85 fine was upheld by 6 judges in the Supreme Court, ie more than double this fine:

www.parkingcowboys.co.uk/parkingeye-vs-beavis/

FitBitFanClub · 09/01/2018 19:42

Cherry Well actually, yes, I suppose I do, because I don't see her emergency dash as any worse than the OP's, or someone in labour, or a relative with a heart attack. Anyone who isn't there on a routine ward visit or clinic appointment is likely to be there in some sort of worried rush. Do they let everyone off? Or just some? And if so, who qualifies? And if they let everyone off, what's the point in charging at all? Well, we'd all like that, but parking charges are a sad fact of life nowadays.

I'm not saying I wouldn't be extremely pissed off to get a charge. I would, of course, and I'd probably be swearing to anyone who'd listen about the unfairness of it. But the bottom line is, I'd suck it up as being my own error, ultimately, however annoying, and I'd pay.

WitchesHatRim · 09/01/2018 19:49

I guarantee they won’t be acting within the law

Proof of that absolute guarantee @He11y

I'm guessing you also think that the judges that have been finding them correct aren't acting within the law then either?

Royalcoronation · 09/01/2018 19:53

Private parking companies will never get their act together and start acting within the law

They do.

i guarantee they won’t be acting within the law.

Source?

Dungeondragon15 · 09/01/2018 19:54

And to keep harping on about "first thoughts," makes you the pedant, as it's a well-known turn of phrase.

So what if it is well-known turn of phrase? When people say that something was the first thing they thought of or their first thought it means just that. Does it have some other meaning in your opinion?

FitBitFanClub · 09/01/2018 19:57

Oh, give it a rest Dungeon. It really doesn't matter. You're splitting hairs and I can't be bothered with this anymore.

Rebeccaslicker · 09/01/2018 20:06

Fitbit - I agree with you. My DM had a few weeks in a coma before she finally died; we always made sure we took a big bag of coins for the meter (that was before you could pay by phone!) every day as part of what we did in going to the hospital. This was as true on the first mad dash when she collapsed as it was for every day afterwards - you never knew how long you'd be there.

The system where you can pay by phone up to 12 hours after leaving seems the most logical of the ones I've seen.

FitBitFanClub · 09/01/2018 20:25

True, that's a good idea, but I've not seen it. The closest has been a barrier car-park where you pay on exit.
My mum was also in a coma a few months back, and I had a mad dash to get to her before she died. Frankly, a parking fine would have been the last of my worries. If I'd have been in too much of a hurry to pay in advance (and luckily it wasn't a carpark like that), I think I'd have taken my chances and run on in anyway. I might have tried a letter pleading my case perhaps, but if turned down I'd have said, "Bastards" and coughed up.

OliviaMansfield · 09/01/2018 20:31

Worth appealing it

My car was in the hospital car park for over 24 hrs once, with the minimum payment of an hour though. No one ticketed it. I guess they know it's very easy to over run or get stuck with kids, but if you've time to find a space and park it in nicely it only takes 30 seconds to get a ticket.

OliviaMansfield · 09/01/2018 20:45

I'm not sure why you would ignore it? I suspect appealing, especially with proof or showing the second car parking ticket will mean they'll let you off. Ignoring it is somewhat bloody minded. They can't tell who is or isn't in for an emergency situation when ticketing.

CherryMaDeara · 09/01/2018 20:57

Cherry Well actually, yes, I suppose I do, because I don't see her emergency dash as any worse than the OP's, or someone in labour, or a relative with a heart attack. Anyone who isn't there on a routine ward visit or clinic appointment is likely to be there in some sort of worried rush.

It astounds me that you think a couple who took their baby with suspected meningitis to hospital and forgot to pay for parking should be penalised. I'm genuinely shocked by that. They must have been in a nightmare, and yet you think they should have had the presence of mind to think about parking. I think they rightly prioritised their baby.

Do they let everyone off? Or just some? And if so, who qualifies? And if they let everyone off, what's the point in charging at all? Well, we'd all like that, but parking charges are a sad fact of life nowadays.

The point of charging parking fees is revenue generation and to ensure people leave as quickly as possible, so parking fees are a sad fact of life.

The point of issuing parking fines is to penalise people who have either deliberately not bought a ticket or who have forgotten to buy a ticket.

People who haven't bought a ticket because their child is sick and they had a genuine emergency fall under a different category, and yes, you do let these people off. It's not hard for parking companies to work out who qualifies, and they do let them off, they do it all the time.

Dungeondragon15 · 09/01/2018 21:25

It astounds me that you think a couple who took their baby with suspected meningitis to hospital and forgot to pay for parking should be penalised. I'm genuinely shocked by that. They must have been in a nightmare, and yet you think they should have had the presence of mind to think about parking. I think they rightly prioritised their baby.

I agree that it is astounding. Luckily, the opinion of the hospital counts rather than that of certain posters.

LemonysSnicket · 09/01/2018 21:38

My brother did the whole ‘it’s a private company you don’t have to pay’ thing. £50 became £150. He had to pay.

SnowyChristmasWish · 09/01/2018 21:43

Appeal it. I was once rushed to hospital in an ambulance once and DH got a parking ticket in hospital car park. He appealed with evidence (my notes showing admission to A&E) and they waved the fine.

m0therofdragons · 09/01/2018 21:48

Hospitals in England offer free healthcare not free parking. I'm amazed how many people think they should get free parking - should those who don't drive get free buses and taxis to the hospital?

Glad your dd is okay but you're not the only person to go to A&E.

CherryMaDeara · 09/01/2018 22:04

I'm amazed how many people think they should get free parking - should those who don't drive get free buses and taxis to the hospital?

Motherofdragons - where did OP say she thinks they should get free parking? Confused

CherryMaDeara · 09/01/2018 22:05

Dungeon luckily, indeed!

ForalltheSaints · 09/01/2018 22:09

I would appeal, if it as it sounds you are used to no fees and it was a genuine emergency.

londonrach · 09/01/2018 22:09

Yabu you parked you pay for parking. Ever single car in that car park could use your vvv flimsy excuse.

SingaSong12 · 09/01/2018 22:21

I haven't RTFT (only to p7) Don't know whether you should appeal. I looked up the hospital and parking. When introduced and there were charges the hospital said it was because there was dangerous parking and that ambulances had been blocked. (I don't know if that's correct, just what they said).

healthwatchcumbria.co.uk/new-parking-options-at-the-cumberland-infirmary/

FitBitFanClub · 09/01/2018 22:21

luckily, indeed!
Well, actually that remains to be seen. The charge hasn't been waived yet.

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