A pensioner says he would rather 'go to jail' than pay a penalty he received after leaving his car in a Hull park.
Jamie Jamieson, 75, came to Hull on Thursday, April 6 for a scan at Hull Royal Infirmary to find out if he has Parkinson’s disease. He couldn’t find a parking spot at the main entrance of the hospital so he drove around to the Fountain Street Car Park nearby.
He says he parked his car there and paid £4 by cash for two hours by using one of the payment machines in the car park. However, on Tuesday, April 25 he received a parking fine for £100 which is not willing to pay, Hull Live reports.
Jamie, of Scarborough, said: “I would honestly go to jail on a matter of principle because I won’t be paying this full stop and I’m very adamant. I’ve done 25 years in the Royal Navy, 25 years in GCHQ, I’m not going to pay a £100 fine for the sake of it. It’s absolutely crazy.
“At first I thought it was a scam and I think it’s appalling. Other people should be warned and I think it should be challenged in general.”
Jamie’s appointment was at 10am and he says he paid for his parking at around 9.30am as he arrived early. Unfortunately, he no longer has the ticket to prove that he paid.
The notice, from Bank Park which manages Fountain Street Car Park, stated the fine would be reduced to £60 if it is paid within 14 days. But he is refusing to pay.
He also said that he had “enough” on his mind and he already had to sort out the cost of driving to Hull from Scarborough as he was referred to the nuclear department at Hull Royal Infirmary.
He thinks it is “enough expense getting there anyway” without getting “clobbered” with a parking fine.
He added: “And who is going to keep a ticket for three weeks?
“It made me feel like I’ve been scammed. It made me feel like people were sending me a bill without properly looking at all the evidence that supported my case.”
Jamie received the parking fine three weeks after he had visited the hospital and the letter is dated April 17 but says he only received it on April 25. He found this strange and he contacted the car park via email on April 26 but has not yet received a reply.
He said he was aware of the ANPR coverage at the car park and he believes CCTV cameras will show that he did pay for parking at the machine.
Also, Jamie said that other drivers who paid by cash at Fountain Street Car Park appear to have had a similar experience.
One woman wrote a review on the Just Visits website saying: “Do not park here! Even when you pay for your parking they send fines for failure to pay for parking because their machines failed to print your reg number in full.
“When you appeal proving your payment they then still charge a £15 administration fee for their mistake! Which turns to £100 when not paid within two weeks but they only email this.
“They don’t follow up with a letter so miss the email like me and get stung anyway!”
On Google reviews, a student nurse, who had forgotten to pay one day said: "Received my fine stating I had 14 days to pay before it turned into £100, however, the 14 days starts from the date the letter was issued, not the date it was received. I received this letter over a week AFTER the fine was issued, meaning I had to pay £100 even though I did not leave it 14 days. Would avoid at all costs."
Bank Park has been approached for comment.
