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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Prescription penalty charge notice

108 replies

Penaltycharge · 13/02/2019 17:38

Sorry if this is long.

Recently I was in a car accident and following that unable to drive / walk with ease for a short period due to injuries sustained. I take regular medication and this ran out during the period I was immobilised for. I phoned my doctors and explained the situation who were happy for a third party to collect my prescription for me.

A neighbour kindly agreed to collect it for me. I gave her £20, told her that I pay for my prescriptions (2 items) and she went to collect it. She returned with my medication and thought it was all sorted.

Today (3 months later) I receive a prescription penalty charge notice for the prescription that my neighbour collected. It seems she didn’t pay for it and now I am being fined. I contacted the neighbour first of all who is absolutely adamant that she paid for the prescription as I said, although she no longer has a receipt as it has been 3 months.

I then contacted the phone number on the letter to state that I did not collect the prescription and explained why, explained that I asked my neighbour to collect and pay for the prescription and gave her the money to do so and that as far I was aware until today this had been paid for. I was told this does not matter and it is my responsibility to make sure it is paid for.

AIBU I’m thinking this

a) punishes people for deception that was not their own. If my neighbour has indeed pocketed my money then I am basically being fined for being the victim of theft and deception.

b) directly discriminates against those who cannot collect their own prescriptions, the physically disabled etc.

c) cannot be legal! If someone stole my car I wouldn’t be liable for the parking or speeding tickets so why am I liable for this fine when I had no knowledge of my neighbours assumed theft from me.

Has anyone had any chance in appealing this. They are telling me there is no right to appeal unless I believe I should not have paid it (which is not the case as I do pay for prescriptions and thought I had paid for this one) and if I don’t pay it in 14 days it doubles.

OP posts:
Original poster
Penaltycharge · 13/02/2019 18:39

And it works out more expensive getting a pre-payment certificate @walkingdeadfangirl as I only collect it every 2 months hence I’ve always paid it

OP posts:
PrincessFiorimonde · 13/02/2019 18:42

I heard recently on the radio about a woman who received a penalty notice for wrongly claiming a free prescription - but she had in fact paid for it on her card and so was able to prove that. It seems that the pharmacy must have wrongly ticked the exemption box. So your neighbour may be telling the truth - though how either of you can prove that now, I don't know.

ButtonMoonLoon · 13/02/2019 18:42

I would stress to them that your representative insists that she has paid, and would ask for a copy of the prescription so you can see what was ticked and stated. I'd also speak to the chemist - if you can give them the date and time they should be able to check their payment records. Did the neighbour pay by cash or card?

SleepingStandingUp · 13/02/2019 18:42

If you think you neighbour has stolen from you, then it would be your responsibility to press charges.
You can't prove you didn't tell her to just tixk exempt and blag it. You can't prove you gave her money.

However see if you can get a copy of it and confront your neighbour - the exemption but is a very specific list of exemptions. You wouldn't tick anything in that half of the page just to say it wasn't your prescription, that's at the bottom.

ScreamingValenta · 13/02/2019 18:43

Is it possible she ticked the box and paid?

I say this because a trainee at my pharmacy once tried to tell me I needed to tick the box when I was paying for a prescription - she didn't seem to understand the concept of paying for a prescription until an experienced staff member explained.

paintinmyhairAgain · 13/02/2019 18:44

if possible you should always fill out the prescription yourself before handing it over for someone else to collect.

BlimeyCalmDown · 13/02/2019 18:45

you can pay around £20 and then pay around the same each month until it's paid off- call them and ask for a payment plan while you are disputing it

Smilemore800 · 13/02/2019 18:51

Can you ring and ask the chemists if they have a record of it? As much as I'm for giving people the benefit of the doubt I feel it's possible that your neighbor has taken the money.

AngelaStorm73 · 13/02/2019 18:51

@Penaltycharge
I'm not housebound I have a fluctuating condition and have had delivery in the past set up for "just in case"

Bombardier25966 · 13/02/2019 18:51

Anyone can appeal a PPC, whether you have a valid appeal is another thing. The only valid grounds are that you are not liable for the charge (exempt or did not have the prescription) or that you have paid.

The reason that you're held liable is that the representative was acting on your behalf. I can understand how it feels unfair but, if she did tick the wrong box, your frustration should be aimed at your neighbour.

Janecon · 13/02/2019 18:54

Did she give you the change when she gave you the items?

JessieMcJessie · 13/02/2019 18:55

I wonder if your neighbour got confused and thought she had to sign the prescription to say that she was collecting it on your behalf. So she did this but didn’t tell the pharmacy that you didn’t pay, so they took the money anyway, but later on the prescription was filed as “exempt” because it was signed on the back. Sounds from what the poster upthread who works in a pharmacy says that this is theoretically possible?
Have they told you which box was ticked as the grounds for the exemption?

Walkingdeadfangirl · 13/02/2019 18:56

You can get your prescription sent automatically from your GP to your pharmacy. If you set an account up with your pharmacy, & give them your card details, they will deliver. There is also a pharmacy that will post prescriptions.

You really dont need to go in person.

Di11y · 13/02/2019 19:17

unfortunately as you can't prove your neighbour paid you're liable for the fine. and your analogy isn't right either - it's like you gave someone the keys to your car and they got a speeding ticket but somehow you can't prove it was them so you as owner have to take the blame.

Weetabixandshreddies · 13/02/2019 19:24

This is why I think pharmacies should check that you have an exemption certificate when you collect the medication - so that any "mistakes" (honest or otherwise) can be corrected immediately.

havingtochangeusernameagain · 13/02/2019 19:30

later on the prescription was filed as “exempt” because it was signed on the back

I thought you always had to sign whether paying or not?

Original poster
Penaltycharge · 13/02/2019 20:15

Ahh but with a speeding ticket you can reply saying wasn’t me driving and it’s up to THEM to prove who was so analogy does apply. There is not any other aspect of English law that makes you responsible for another adults actions.

OP posts:
Original poster
Penaltycharge · 13/02/2019 20:17

Or you could say wasn’t me driving it was my wife / son / friends dog etc. and they would send the speeding ticket to them to pay. They wouldn’t say your car so your responsibility. And I can prove I didn’t collect the prescription therefore prove it wasn’t my mistake.

OP posts:
CrohnicallyEarly · 13/02/2019 20:18

I once got a fine when I had actually paid for the prescription. Luckily I had paid on card, as I no longer had the till receipt (it was also about 3 months later that the fine came through)

I definitely didn't tick any boxes on the back, as I knew my maternity exemption card had run out and I was planning on buying a prepayment card.

I think as I picked up multiple items and wasn't sure of the total the pharmacy said they would fill out the amount after running it through the till. But forgot and then later ticked the maternity exemption as that's what they were used to me claiming.

Lesson learned and I will now always ensure that the amount I have paid is filled out before I sign. And pay on card!

I did think that a better system would be to have two signature spaces, one where you sign if you haven't paid, and one to sign if you have, as that eliminates the possibility of someone ticking a box after signing.

Anyway, long story short, it could be a mistake by the pharmacy, or the neighbour could have pocketed the money. Can you chase the pharmacy to see if they have any records or evidence (cctv?) either way?

ScreamingValenta · 13/02/2019 20:22

I thought you always had to sign whether paying or not?

I don't think I have ever had to sign mine. I just hand them over.

IHaveAnOutie · 13/02/2019 20:31

Request a copy of the prescription, they will send you a photocopy, just so you can check what she ticked and signed for with your own eyes. Maybe with that you could go and see her and show her. If she is lying, at that point she may say, oh maybe I didn't pay then and semi own up to it. If she still doesn't (maybe she did pay at the time), it looks like you'll have to suck up the fine, annoyingly!

RubyTrees · 13/02/2019 20:32

I have a prepayment card (which is sometimes checked) but I have to sign every time.

Janecon · 13/02/2019 20:32

A couple of us have asked this - did your neighbour give you the change?

TortoiseLettuce · 13/02/2019 20:36

Sorry but she’s ripped you off and pocketed your cash. Get a copy of the prescription with her signature and ask the pharmacy to check their till receipts. Then take her to small claims court.

MiGi777 · 13/02/2019 20:41

I'd pay the fine now because these things can escalate. Even though you are completely in the right it might be hard to prove and the last thing you want is to end up having to pay double or more. I honestly wouldn't assume your neighbour has stolen the money either. She may have BUT it's more likely to be an administrative error because it happens so often with all sorts of things. I'd just take this on the chin and learn from it even though it's totally unfair and absolutely not your fault but that's just what I think.