A couple were slapped with a £100 parking fine at an NHS clinic, despite being there for only five minutes after being turned away without treatment.
Rebecca Elmes rushed her boyfriend, Aaron Rayment-Davis, to the Harold Wood Polyclinic in Romford, east London, after he began experiencing pain in his left ear, which had left him feeling disorientated.
But when they arrived at the reception on June 16, they were informed the clinic was only open for triage services and were advised to seek help at the A&E department of a nearby hospital instead.
Parking firm Parkingeye noted their car had arrived at the hospital just after 6.50pm and was there for just five minutes before the couple left.
Despite this, the couple, both 26, wound up receiving a £100 fine in the post a month later.
Patients visiting the clinic must register their vehicle's number plate to qualify for free parking, but since the couple were not officially checked in for an appointment, they claim they were unable to enter their details.
“We'd only been there for a few minutes so assumed there would be no issue,” Mr Rayment-Davis told the Daily Mail.
The couple appealed the parking fine, but the company turned it down on the basis that “no parking was purchased”.
Ms Elmes said the parking fine was "absolutely ridiculous” and accused the system of exploiting people, especially in medical emergencies.
After their appeal was rejected, she and her partner chose to pay the reduced fee of £60 fine to avoid being left out of pocket.
At the A&E department of nearby Queen's Hospital, Mr Rayment-Davis was assessed but informed of a four-hour wait.
Staff advised him that it would be quicker to seek treatment at King George Hospital in Ilford instead.
When he was finally seen, he was diagnosed with an ear infection and a ruptured eardrum.
Parkingeye is one of the biggest private parking companies in Britain and operates more than 3,500 sites nationwide, including hospitals, supermarkets, hotels and service stations.
It operates by using automatic number plate technology to scan registration plates.
A Parkingeye spokesperson told the Daily Mail: “The car park at Harold Wood Polyclinic features 12 prominent and highly visible signs throughout providing information on how to use the car park responsibly.
“This includes guidance that parking is for patients and visitors only and that they must register their vehicle at terminals at reception to receive free parking for the duration of their appointment.
“The terminals on the ground and first floors are both available and accessible to visitors before being booked in by reception staff. The motorist correctly received a parking charge on June 16 for parking and not registering their vehicle.”
The NELFT NHS Foundation Trust - which runs Harold Wood Polyclinic - did not respond to a request for comment.
