'I was fined at hospital car park even though I'd bought a ticket' - cancer victim's daughter (From The Northern Echo)
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Woman fined by private car park operator near University Hospital of North Durham despite buying a ticket
7:00am Monday 11th February 2013 in News
By Chris Webber, Reporter (Stockton/Hartlepool)
Mandy Egglestone, from Coxhoe, who was hit with a parking fine, despite buying a ticket.
A WOMAN has told how she was left with a £60 parking fine despite having proof she had bought a ticket before visiting her sick mother in hospital.
Mandy Eggleston, of Coxhoe, County Durham, is one of several motorists to express their anger at LDK-Security which operates a private car park close to the University Hospital of North Durham in Durham City.
Now city MP, Roberta Blackman-Woods, has called on the landowner to improve its ticket machines and for the NHS Trust to lower its parking costs at the hospital's official car park.
Mrs Eggleston, 54, who has paid the fine, bought a parking ticket - which cannot be stuck to the windscreen - before visiting her mother, who suffers from lung cancer and stomach problems.
She believes it may have been blown off the dashboard when she shut the car door in the unlit car park.
“It’s just not right, to go to a hospital and actually pay for a ticket and to be hit with a fine like that," she added.
The Northern Echo has highlighted the cases of two other motorists with similar stories and is aware of several others.
In 2011 a cancer patient from Pity Me, near Durham, was fined £90 when his hospital appointment over ran while last year a Shildon grandmother was fined £60 after her ticket also blew off the dashboard.
Kelvin Mupungu, director at LDK-Security, said the private car park, situated just off the main roundabout leading to the hospital, was cheaper than the NHS Trust car park.
He explained LDK ran the existing the car park but did not own it.
“There have been very exceptional cases where we cancelled tickets on the basis of good will but we shouldn’t really. We can’t have a situation where everyone just says their ticket blew away. The signs are clear and they say the ticket has to be properly displayed.”
Roberta Blackman-Woods, a Labour MP, said she had contacted LDK-Security and had been assured her they would approach the landowner to suggest the parking meters be changed to ones dispensing sticky-backed tickets.
However, she believes the main issue is the affordability of the NHS Trust car park. The LDK-Security run car park costs £3 for 24 hours and the NHS one costs £4.
A spokesman for the Durham and Darlington NHS Trust said car parking at the hospital’s own car park was in fact comparable to other hospital car parks across the region.
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Comments(18)
thehogman
says...
10:18am Mon 11 Feb 13
mcjordiuk
says...
10:24am Mon 11 Feb 13
thehogman wrote:in the LDK car park? should of ignored it... they wont do a thing
My wife was working at this hospital for a few days on a course; she registered her car with the appropriate persons and still was issued with a parking ticket, no amount of discussion got through to these half wits...and sadly she had no alternative to pay up...shabby organisation or what!!
Ann
says...
10:26am Mon 11 Feb 13
Privately operated car parks (not operated by the local authority or police) are not legally allowed to issue fines and can only send out invoices for the use of their service. These invoices should reflect the true cost/losses of the car park otherwise are classed as an unfair penalty charge and are generally unenforceable.
Please refer to this link to the Money Saving Expert which has more information on the subject and what to do if you get one of these invoices.
http://www.moneysavi
ngexpert.com/reclaim
/private-parking-tic
kets?utm_source=MSE_
Newsletter&utm_mediu
m=Email&utm_term=05-
Feb-13&utm_campaign=
reclaim&utm_content=
51
chrisby33
says...
11:05am Mon 11 Feb 13
If you park in a privately owned carpark, and find yourself with a ticket.....
DO NOT PAY IT, DO NOT CONTACT THE COMPANY, IGNORE ALL CORRESPONDANCE.
The "FINE" you receive is not a fine but an invoice between you and the company involved. if you ignore them, even if they threaten court action, they cannot do anything about it.
Birdyy
says...
12:13pm Mon 11 Feb 13
jayster
says...
2:59pm Mon 11 Feb 13
the-big-yin
says...
4:53pm Mon 11 Feb 13
ANY PERSON GIVEN A TICKET ( I.E. SO CALLED FINE ) FROM A PRIVATE RUN CAR PARK DOES NOT HAVE TO PAY ANYTHING.
THIS IS THE LAW.
DO NOT EVEN ACKNOWLEDGE ANYTHING FROM THEM AND THROW THE LETTER IN THE BIN.
THEY CANNOT DO A SINGLE THING ABOUT IT.
SO DO NOT LET IT WORRY YOU.
KEEP YOUR FINE AND GO ON THE DRINK FOR A GOOD SESSION.
victorjames
says...
8:28pm Mon 11 Feb 13
Ann wrote:These people are a disgrace and the above correspondent says it all.
I posted this last week on the letters page: Privately operated car parks (not operated by the local authority or police) are not legally allowed to issue fines and can only send out invoices for the use of their service. These invoices should reflect the true cost/losses of the car park otherwise are classed as an unfair penalty charge and are generally unenforceable. Please refer to this link to the Money Saving Expert which has more information on the subject and what to do if you get one of these invoices. http://www.moneysavi ngexpert.com/reclaim /private-parking-tic kets?utm_source=MSE_ Newsletter&utm_m
ediu m=Email&utm_term
=05- Feb-13&utm_campa
ign= reclaim&utm_cont
ent= 51
victim#2
says...
9:30pm Mon 11 Feb 13
soulsearcher
says...
9:53pm Mon 11 Feb 13
there are many sites to help people out getoutofdebtfree.org
/Parking-Notice
is very good Site
People Need To Look after there rights if people are giving cash away I would take it from you and give you a worthless bit of paper money doesn't exist
outragedofmiltonkeynes
says...
10:44pm Mon 11 Feb 13
Ann
says...
11:37pm Mon 11 Feb 13
victorjames wrote:Victor, I'm not sure how to take your post. Are you saying I am a disgrace? I hope I have read your post the wrong way.
Ann wrote:These people are a disgrace and the above correspondent says it all.
I posted this last week on the letters page: Privately operated car parks (not operated by the local authority or police) are not legally allowed to issue fines and can only send out invoices for the use of their service. These invoices should reflect the true cost/losses of the car park otherwise are classed as an unfair penalty charge and are generally unenforceable. Please refer to this link to the Money Saving Expert which has more information on the subject and what to do if you get one of these invoices. http://www.moneysavi ngexpert.com/reclaim /private-parking-tic kets?utm_source=MSE_ Newsletter&utm_m
ediu m=Email&utm_term
=05- Feb-13&utm_campa
ign= reclaim&utm_cont
ent= 51
As my post is merely pointing out the law about unfair penalty fines. I do not encourage people to park in privately owned car parks and then not pay the agreed charge.
But these car parks operators are nothing be cowboys and thugs, who are using scare tactics and bullying to ensure payment. They threaten you with debt collectors and court action knowing that if ever got that far they would lose as their "fines" are not a true reflection of their losses.
People really need to start being more aware for their rights in law and stop caving into these bullies.
Ann
says...
12:02am Tue 12 Feb 13
outragedofmiltonkeynNot really. They are allowed to charge for their services like any other business and by parking in the car park you are technically agreeing to their terms and conditions. If you break the terms and conditions, they are allowed to invoice you for any further services used. But they should be a fair reflection of their losses and not a penalty charge or fine. They can take people to small claims court to reclaim any losses, but since they are not a true reflection of their losses they are classed as an unfair penalty charge.
es wrote:
So if the above is correct and a privately owned car park cannot legally issue a penalty then we can all park there without buying a ticket and laugh at the owners when they try to recover the charges?
The more people become aware of the law will force these car park operators to review their methods. In my opinion a fairer system would to have an entry barrier and pay as you leave the car park.
Northcroft
says...
7:22am Tue 12 Feb 13
om/company/06712303/
ldk-security-group-l
td
you can tell just by his name he is dodgy, I say that with total confidence, the link shows what is "revealed" as a trading company, totally untrustworthy I reckon,
mark.wilkinson
says...
7:01pm Tue 12 Feb 13
the-big-yin
says...
5:36pm Wed 13 Feb 13
mcjordiuk wrote:ETHICAL PARKING SOLUTIONS LTD
as with all private tickets just IGNORE IT.....
HADRIAN TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT
HADRIAN TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT
BAR SERENGETI LTD
ALL THESE COMPANIES HAVE BEEN DISSOLVED AT COMPANIES HOUSE
HE NOW HAS THIS LDK SECURITY GROUP
I WONDER HOW MUCH HE OWES IN DEBTS
SOUNDS LIKE A SCAMMER FROM ANOTHER COUNTRY TO ME
MR MUPUNGU.......
Lancelot
says...
4:06pm Fri 15 Feb 13
Totally ignore any mail sent to you, and the note that is stuck on your window.
Google the subject to prove what is written above.
mcjordiuk says...
9:58am Mon 11 Feb 13