An elderly Tayside couple have expressed their disgust after receiving a “threatening” string of demands for money from a private car parking firm.
Henriette Merrie, 85, from Blairgowrie, visited Ninewells Hospital in Dundee one of only two Scottish hospitals where patients are forced to pay and display in August for a cardiology appointment.
After spending half an hour searching for a parking space, Henriette, who suffers from a number of physical ailments, parked in desperation at the side of the road close to the entrance of the car park.
Despite insisting that her vehicle was causing no obstruction, the pensioner subsequently received a £40 parking fine from Indigo.
After writing two letters objecting to the fine which Henriette and her husband David, 80, insist have been ignored the couple claim the company have now increased the fine to £130.
Claiming that Indigo view Ninewells as “a cash cow to be milked as hard and ruthlessly as possible”, Mr Merrie explained: “Henriette’s car did not in any way impede traffic into the car park. She is 85 and cannot walk well.
“In due course she received a parking charge notice and immediately wrote a letter by hand to the parking manager explaining the mitigating circumstances.
“Over a month later she received a further notice from PCN Admin centre, Indigo, dated September 23 increasing the penalty, which made no reference to her letter of appeal.
“No reference to her explanation has been made.
“The car park management stick by their mantra that they did not receive her first letter and therefore her appeal is invalid.
“This is surely an inhumane disregard of the plight of an old infirm woman, desperate not to miss an important consultation. The whole situation has caused her much distress
“We should surely have the expectation that they should show sympathy for her case.
“It is a clear demonstration that Vinci, or Indigo as they are now called, regard the car park at Ninewells as a cash cow to be milked as hard and ruthlessly as possible.
“They fail to see the point that this is an old lady who was desperate to get to an appointment and did the best she could.”
A spokesman for Indigo said: “We are now investigating Mrs Merrie’s case and will be in touch with her soon to let her know the outcome. In the meantime, we’ve suspended any requests for payment.”