Simple parking mistake could ruin your credit score and cost you £238

A costly error in parking decimated one driver's finances and credit rating, with Vivien sharing her story as a cautionary tale so others won't fall into the same trap. In March, her once stellar credit score took a nosedive from 800 to just 576, without any apparent reason.

It was upon inspecting her credit report that she was stunned to find a £238 County Court Judgement (CCJ) against her name. The mystery unravelled when a bailiff company contacted her regarding an unpaid parking ticket at her doctor's surgery from September 2023.

"I made the stupid assumption that this was all connected to the CCJ," Vivien, a Wiltshire resident, said.

She highlighted the dilemma faced when visiting healthcare providers: "You want to see your GP, you're not thinking about how long you've been in the car park".

Further expressing her grievances in an interview, Vivien pointed out the potential risks of rigid parking enforcement at medical facilities. "It seems inappropriate to me that any GP surgery should have that sort of system. But I suppose what are their other options. They must stop non-patients using the car park.", reports Birmingham Live.

Addressing the matter with The Sun, she also pondered the consequences for those in emergencies: "But what if someone collapses and has to be taken away by ambulance? ".

Criticising the approach taken by Civil Enforcement Ltd. , the company responsible for the fine, she expressed her dissatisfaction.

"Civil Enforcement's public persona is non-existent," said Vivien. Although acknowledging that their fines might be technically justifiable, Vivien stresses the need for more understanding: "I know they are imposing fines on people which are technically justified, and the recipients won't be pleased about it, but I feel they should be more empathic."

Steve Gooding, director of the RAC Foundation, commented: "The irony is that Vivien went to the doctor to feel better and ended up feeling a whole lot worse – anxious and out of pocket. Not telling the DVLA she'd moved was an oversight, but where is the fairness and decency in how this case has been handled?"

He also pointed out: "It seems one honest mistake has resulted in someone being trapped in a system devoid of any scope for human contact and few signs of compassion."