Parking Charge Notice --- NHS Hospital Car Park -- Scotland

[Klingon1999]

This morning I received in the post letter from a company, whose initials are the same as a common antiseptic, saying I had been issued with a "Parking Charge Notice" on 12/12/12 at a car park in the new Forth Valley Hospital Larbert. The letter says I had failed to pay on time so I had lost the opportunity to pay a reduced fee and that they now required £60 or they will pass my details to a debt recovery company.

Now I have read on other forums on here to ignore these notices, however all the other ones I have read have been in England and in supermarket car parks so I wonder if this one is differant as it is an NHS car park and is in Scotland.

I do visit the hospital regularly and know there are parking attendants constantly on patrol. I do have a Blue Badge and always display it and park in a disabled bay. There has never to my knowledge been a ticket attached when I have returned to my car though I must say on the night in question it was after dark. There is no description in the letter of what the alleged contravention was.

As I see it I have two alternatives :-

Log on to their website and contest the charge, that has the downside of confirming I received the letter or alternatively just file the letter in the bin.

Does anyone have any advice particularly with T-- and Forth Valley hospital car parks, but general advice on the right of private companies in Scotland to levy parking charges would also be appreciated.

Thanks

Klingon1999

Edited by Klingon1999 on Monday 14th January 20:15

[xtreme1]

Just file it in the bin! Been there done that - nothing they can do!

[Craigie]

Klingon, do not enter into any discussions or correspondence and grow a proverbial pair and a thick skin.

You will get a burst of letters which are aimed at terrifying you into submission but be brave, and don't give in. They will be from a succession of lawyers, sherriff officers, debt companies but at the end of the day they will eventually dry up.

This has happened to me on 3 different occasions.

To summarise, contract is between driver and car compnay and registered keeper is under no obligation to pass on driver details (this has now changed in England I believe).

Car compnaies then sell a list of all the people ticketed (like you) to third party companies to try and recover any money and these companies keep what they get.

All in my personal opinion of course.

[Dinoboy]

Yeh do nothing but bin it, nothing they can do!

[Klingon1999]

Thanks guys, you have all confirmed my suspicions, tempting as it is to try and find out what offence I am supposed to have committed I will resist the temptation to contact them to have an argument.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr

Klingon1999

Edited by Klingon1999 on Friday 11th January 19:23

[Mojocvh]

Do NOT contact them, this will only give them confirmation.

[Bohally]

I had a nice collection of private parking "invoices" when I used to regularly park outside a mates flat in his "designated space".

Ignored them completely - Believe I was up to "£600" at one point.

Handy for lighting the fire mind.

[mightymorton]

Check out this web site http://www.pepipoo.com/ full of useful information about motoring law etc

[Klingon1999]

Thanks for the advice, letter is currently in the filing pile but I have also posted on Pepipoo.

Oh I am back at the same hospital twice tomorrow so I better be extremely careful :-)


Cheers

Klingon 1999

[Steff1965]

Where you have put T--. Is that the name of the parking company you are meaning?

[Sunnysidebb]

TriChloroPhenyl by any chance ??

[Klingon1999]

Yes & Yes to both the above

As I understand the rules here you are not supposed to name because it may shame companies, but you are allowed subtle hints.

Edited by Klingon1999 on Tuesday 15th January 20:57

[stevoknevo]

As mentioned, bin it, nothing they can do. You'll receive one maybe two more letters from them and that'll be it. I worked on a ward in Glasgow and we had a box full of them in the staff room; one the nurses had a glove box full of them as they used to deliberately park on a section that had double yellows (not in the way of anything, just to deter people parking there) her B-I-L was traffic plod and he said they were completely unenforceable.

[Steff1965]

Klingon1999 said:

Yes & Yes to both the above

As I understand the rules here you are not supposed to name because it may shame companies, but you are allowed subtle hints.

Edited by Klingon1999 on Tuesday 15th January 20:57

That doesn't matter about naming the company.
What does is if its the one I'm thinking of then they have been sending out letters and the registered in Scotland number does not match the company. Same address but different company and that is illegal according to companies house.
They have already been reported to companies house and the DLVA by several people.

[lilly348]

I just received the same kind of a letter from what seems to be the same company, I just wondered how did it end for you Klingon1999? Any more letters?

[Klingon1999]

Hi lilly348,

Well it has not ended just yet, I have had about four letters the most recent one this week is a "Notice of Intended Litigation" from a debt recovery company who they have sold the alleged unpaid parking charge debt to. That letter has been filed along with the others in the "No action Required File" and hopefully they will eventually go away.

If they don't go away I will defend myself in court but I think that is very unlikely to happen as it will cost them lots of money for lawyers etc, oh and I know in my case they are clearly wrong :-)

Be Brave and ignore them

Klingon1999

[Steff1965]

Five letters is the normal for them before you have a full set although others have boasted about getting a couple more.

Have you noticed all the signs in the car parks they look after have had the LTD scored out with a felt tip pen?

They changed their name and now give out invoices in the new name but the car park signs make no mention of the new name so how can anyone getting a ticket have entered a contract with them?

[lilly348]

Hi everyone,

I received another 3 letters, the recent one from a Debt Recovery Plus Ltd saying : "if we do not receive full payment or contact from you with your proposal for payment, our agents may be instructed to raise an action in your local court".

Does anyone know if it will be me who will be responsible for the court fees should they raise the action against me?

I read on the forum that most of the time the letters stop as long as you ignore them and this is my plan but I do not want to receive a letter from court saying I have to pay up plus cover the court fees.

[Chainguy]

Relax Lily, I've been there and had that one. Wasn't sent from their 'pre court division' was it by any chance? I've had that one as well.

Chuck them in the bin. Unenforcable rubbish from companies no better than scam artists.

Back in the day we had chain letters. Now we have this nonsense. Both of them have the same amount of power as well.

[Aidayboy]

I received one whilst wife was in labour in Southern General Hospital and i had ditched the car on our speedy arrival, problem is I have a company car and their policy is to pay first ask questions later, fortunately I got there first and called the debt recovery company first to explain and they said as long ad I provide proof they'll cancel but to be honest all the nurses at the time told me to bin it.

We also have one of these companies as a customer, based in Perth, who have told us "off the record" that you don't legally need to pay them. They just send legal looking letters to scare people, a55holes!