parking

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dobra

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
hi new to the forums please be gentle lol
i just wonder has anyone had the same happen to them in the early hours one day in november i felt a hypo coming on whilst driving in enfield i pulled into a mcdonalds and krispy kreme car park to check
bingo hypo my level was 3 i did all the usuals sugary drink glucose tablets.
it was a stubborn one and took almost two hours to get controlled at one point i did consider 999 (wish i did now).
two week later i get parking fine so i appealed no joy took it further no joy there reasons their are signs you should of read them .
both mcdonalds and krispy refer to the parking company as they do not own the car park lol.
i pointed out that it was a medical emergency all be it that i did not need 999 still should of seen signage was the response i pointed out that in that case they are inciting me to break the law driving whilst having a hypo on the road is illegal which as soon as i left their car park would be the a10
so i am now waiting for a court letter free advert mcds and krispy kreme lol
 
Can you reach out to McDonalds and Krispy on Twitter and shame them for fining you whilst you were having a hypo? I don't do Twitter personally, but it's not good PR to say to someone who can't drive for medical reasons because they're having a hypo that you're going to fine them. Particularly as D is a disability. "Food companies kick disabled person whilst they're down" isn't a good thing for their companies.
Basically, embarrass them to do the right thing. It's a cop out for them to say that they don't own the car park, they'll be paying for the company that runs the car park.
 
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i have phoned both companies so i am just waiting for the court case and hopefully a decent judge who will throw it out and award my costs lmao
 
dobra said:
i have phoned both companies so i am just waiting for the court case and hopefully a decent judge who will throw it out and award my costs lmao
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You could phone the Diabetes UK helpline to see if they can suggest anything.
These parking companies are completely independent form the outlet who may not even own the land and seem to be a law unto themselves.
I remember a case a few years ago where they had parked one of their own vehicles obscuring the sign but somebody had the quick thinking to photograph it and presented that to the court.
 
Does your meter store your readings so you are able to prove that you had a hypo at the time of the parking ticket?
 
helli said:
Does your meter store your readings so you are able to prove that you had a hypo at the time of the parking ticket?
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And is the time on your meter correct? (as of course it should be for driving)
 
Just realized how cold my comment above comes across, especially when you are new to the forum, so I would like to apologize for that that lack of sensitivity.... No idea what I was thinking....

Anyway, my post should have read.....
Welcome to the forum.
I am very sorry that firstly you experienced a bad hypo late at night like that and secondly that you incurred this parking fine. I think you are justified in challenging it but having good evidence like your BG meter and it being appropriately timed and dated with the hypo documented will be important. I think it might be helpful to contact the Diabetes UK helpline (the number is top right of the screen) and see if there is anyone who can give you legal guidance on it
 
dobra said:
hi new to the forums please be gentle lol
i just wonder has anyone had the same happen to them in the early hours one day in november i felt a hypo coming on whilst driving in enfield i pulled into a mcdonalds and krispy kreme car park to check
bingo hypo my level was 3 i did all the usuals sugary drink glucose tablets.
it was a stubborn one and took almost two hours to get controlled at one point i did consider 999 (wish i did now).
two week later i get parking fine so i appealed no joy took it further no joy there reasons their are signs you should of read them .
both mcdonalds and krispy refer to the parking company as they do not own the car park lol.
i pointed out that it was a medical emergency all be it that i did not need 999 still should of seen signage was the response i pointed out that in that case they are inciting me to break the law driving whilst having a hypo on the road is illegal which as soon as i left their car park would be the a10
so i am now waiting for a court letter free advert mcds and krispy kreme lol
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If its private parking company not council land owned then just ignore letters.

2 years ago got ticket for parking outside Argos on private land, said vehicle had overstayed max 3 hours when in fact I'd been in car park twice that day, told parking company but still sent letters out then finally some mickey mouse solicitor firm threatening court action, ignored them to & not heard owt since.

Loads of good info on line about what these cowboy parking companies can & can't do, legal beagles is one good website to look for.
 
I would have thought a parking fine would be dealt with by magistrate's not a judge.
 
helli said:
Does your meter store your readings so you are able to prove that you had a hypo at the time of the parking ticket?
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it does but typically i had just deleted the last readings when the letter arrived i do have plenty of historical evidence plus damn good nurse
 
dobra said:
it does but typically i had just deleted the last readings when the letter arrived i do have plenty of historical evidence plus damn good nurse
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Bear in mind that if it was on private land, then it’s not a 'fine' but a charge for parking, whatever the company issuing it may choose to call it. They can issue civil proceedings in a small claims court, which you can defend, if they really take it that far. Don’t ignore it, though, because if you get a County court judgement against you, it could affect your credit rating. Before it gets to a Claim being issued against you, make sure you’ve exhausted all possibilities. If you’ve appealed to no avail, check whether the parking company is a member of any Trade body, and whether there is an independent arbitrator you can write to.
 
Robin said:
Bear in mind that if it was on private land, then it’s not a 'fine' but a charge for parking, whatever the company issuing it may choose to call it. They can issue civil proceedings in a small claims court, which you can defend, if they really take it that far. Don’t ignore it, though, because if you get a County court judgement against you, it could affect your credit rating. Before it gets to a Claim being issued against you, make sure you’ve exhausted all possibilities. If you’ve appealed to no avail, check whether the parking company is a member of any Trade body, and whether there is an independent arbitrator you can write to.
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Be careful: there are circumstances where you absolutely should ignore it, because the more you respond the more you get sucked in and committed. Independent arbitration is too late and would be at your expense. There are good laws that make clear who is entitled to legally charge for parking and recover that charge legally; generally that is only Government and Local Authorities.

Private Agencies may threaten all sorts of things, including civil claims courts and harm to your credit rating - none of which is legally applicable. They are natural and immoral scavengers.

The best place for advice on defending against so-called parking violations, that I've seen, is in Martin Lewis's "Money Saving Expert" (MSE) website. I got a parking violation notification in the post some 10 years ago, which had no legal basis, and I initially replied and appealed. I then got a barrage of rejections and increasingly threatening letters. I then looked at the MSE advice and realised I should have looked there first and followed the MSE guidance. I still get nasty threatening letters periodically, with a 'last chance to pay at a reduced rate' as does the new owner of that car (even though I had originally admitted ownership and that I was the driver!) because the organisation involved are hoping, 10 years on, to frighten somebody into making a payment for which they have no entitlement in law.
 
Proud to be erratic said:
Be careful: there are circumstances where you absolutely should ignore it, because the more you respond the more you get sucked in and committed
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Sorry, I should have made it clearer. The thing not to ignore is an official court summons. But I think it’s unlikely to come to that, as you say, these companies try it on.
 
You need to write to the parking ticket company and explain it was a medical emergency.
If no joy in that dept then let the court decide. I bet the parking company would not want any undue publicity so offer to go to the press.
 
Pumper_Sue said:
You need to write to the parking ticket company and explain it was a medical emergency.
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I think the opening post makes reasonably clear that this option has been tried, without success.
Pumper_Sue said:
If no joy in that dept then let the court decide. I bet the parking company would not want any undue publicity so offer to go to the press.
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Sadly, parking company names are a front for devious organisations, whose owners or chief execs can't be physically traced, contacted or shamed! The publicity would actually help them (no such thing as bad publicity ... ?) since they would be seen as enforcing what they've threatened - although in practice it doesn't get that far. They in turn use solicitor's letters to hide behind as they threaten and bully. All in the expectation that a percentage of people will give in and pay, or pass the payment remit to an accounts department just to get rid of the harassment. Sending harassing letters is relatively cheap and has potentially great financial returns.

It all gets stressful, if you let it, and that is not good for anyone's DM.
 
Proud to be erratic said:
I think the opening post makes reasonably clear that this option has been tried, without success.

Sadly, parking company names are a front for devious organisations, whose owners or chief execs can't be physically traced, contacted or shamed! The publicity would actually help them (no such thing as bad publicity ... ?) since they would be seen as enforcing what they've threatened - although in practice it doesn't get that far. They in turn use solicitor's letters to hide behind as they threaten and bully. All in the expectation that a percentage of people will give in and pay, or pass the payment remit to an accounts department just to get rid of the harassment. Sending harassing letters is relatively cheap and has potentially great financial returns.

It all gets stressful, if you let it, and that is not good for anyone's DM.
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Simple solution is to look on the Martin Lewis web site 🙂
A private firm tried to hammer me for a parking fine years ago and all info was gleamed from Martin Lewis's web site to put things mildly I ran rings around them.

Many years ago I ended up with a ticket in a council car park due to a bad hypo so I was late back to the car. I just sent the ticket in plus the new ticket which I had bought on the way back to the car. Council were fantastic rescinded the fine and hoped I was now well.

The private firm regarding the other ticket were a pig to deal with but I won in the end thanks to Martin Lewis. (This was an issue with signage)
 
There was a court case in 2013, Barry Beavis, which firmly laid out the law in private parking charges.
They are usually enforceable.
Don't ignore them.


We overstayed in a McDonald's on a blue badge, and they cancelled it.
The appeal was made to the parking management company.

Did you appeal it under the Equality Act 2010?
 
Robin said:
Sorry, I should have made it clearer. The thing not to ignore is an official court summons. But I think it’s unlikely to come to that, as you say, these companies try it on.
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Parking Eye simply hammer them out through Northampton, all online, and done fully automatically normally by their computer.
 
dobra said:
it does but typically i had just deleted the last readings when the letter arrived i do have plenty of historical evidence plus damn good nurse
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How did you delete the readings? I’ve never heard of a bg meter allowing you to delete readings.
 
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