TfL has stopped refunding Ulez costs if I go for cancer treatment: SALLY SORTS

By SALLY HAMILTON

Updated: 22:42 GMT, November 19, 2024

I am a cancer patient being treated by King’s College Hospital Trust. I regularly go to hospital in the Transport for London (TfL) Ultra Low Emission Zone (Ulez) area.

The only way I can reclaim the charges I paid for my non-compliant car is through the hospital.

Every month I send the relevant paperwork to King’s. It worked fine until TfL repayments stopped in April. I owe about £530, and I wonder if others do too. Can you help?

RC, Westerham, Kent

Sally Hamilton replies: You told me that you go to outposts of King’s College Hospital, about 11 miles from your home, once or twice a week because you have long-term Crohn’s disease and have also been treated for blood cancer since 2016.

It makes it easier to get to your appointment by car and because you are disabled and have a blue badge for your car, you can park for free.

But it’s not so simple for Ulez, the scheme designed to improve air quality in London and which was extended to your part of London last August.

Because your car does not meet the low emission standards required to enter the zone for free, you will need to pay the fee of £12.50 for each day you stay in hospital, which will then be put through a special reimbursement system through the hospital reclaim.

Because you don’t want to worry about forgetting to pay and risking fines, you have opened an Ulez automatic checking account. This may have reduced the hassle of making payments, but processing refunds is more of a hassle if you have to fill out forms regularly.

It all went smoothly for months, but starting in April there were some bumps in the road when no further refunds arrived.

Despite the best efforts of your contact there to resolve the issue with TfL, the refunds still did not arrive. TfL refused to discuss the matter with you directly, so you came to me.

Following my intervention, I am pleased to say that checks from TfL arrived at your home within a few days to cover the delayed refunds.

A spokesperson for TfL said: ‘We are very sorry for the difficulties RC has experienced in using the NHS Ulez reimbursement scheme and any inconvenience this has caused.

‘We have returned the money to him and are in contact with King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust to assist them with the refund claim process to ensure claims are submitted correctly.’

I asked King’s what had gone wrong and whether others had been affected, as you suspected.

A spokesperson said: ‘We have continued to submit monthly claims to TfL for patients eligible for reimbursement from Ulez.

However, since spring 2024, we have experienced difficulties processing some claims.

We have discussed this with TfL’s complaints team.’ She added that the data shows that all outstanding claims have now been processed by TfL, including yours.

Patients entitled to a refund of Ulez charges – and/or the £15 congestion charge, where relevant – can get their money back by submitting a claim through the relevant hospital or NHS Trust.

To qualify, they must be too weak or disabled to travel on public transport and experience other difficulties, such as the need for regular therapy. Suitability is assessed by the hospital. More details at tfl.gov.uk/tfl-nhs-patient-reimbursement-charge-leaflet.pdf

Fortnum & Mason hinder headaches

I am extremely disappointed with Fortnum & Mason’s customer service after recently ordering a custom basket from them as a gift for my husband.

I ordered a DIY basket, which not only arrived too late, but also turned out to be from someone else.

F&M wants me to repack it so they can come pick it up and examine it before refunding me. The sheer daring! Could you please take a look?

EM, Cupar, Fife

Sally Hamilton replies: A basket from Fortnum & Mason is considered one of the most exclusive treats. The distinctive wicker work with initials is almost as important to the recipient as the contents of the basket. It is the epitome of class and first-class service.

It is a pity that this image did not live up to in the handling of your case.

You spent €157.60 on a basket and chose to fill it with chocolates, chutneys, mustard, biscuits, jam and hot chocolate, among other things.

But the one you got contained a Winnie the Pooh teddy bear, a mug, tea, jam and biscuits. It might have delighted a little Pooh fan, but it made you feel extremely Eeyore-ish.

Your pessimism only grew after several attempts to resolve matters. Fortnum’s online chat service gets you moving. Simple questions were not addressed.

For example, you asked: ‘Please indicate when you will deliver my basket and pick it up.

If you cannot do this immediately, please refund my payment.’ The chat service responded: ‘Some fresh items (mainly meat products) are not eligible for the custom basket service. Most other fresh articles are eligible…Was that helpful in answering your question?’ Um, ‘no’.

Finally the ‘discussion’ ended when you were told to pack the basket and wait for a courier to pick it up. You thought this treatment was poor. I did that too…

I’m pleased to say that customer service has contacted you promptly and insisted that you keep the misdirected basket – while a replacement for the original is on its way.

You were excited and plan to donate the Winnie the Pooh basket to your church’s Christmas bazaar.

An F&M spokesperson said: ‘We strive to provide an exceptional service but it is clear we have not been good enough on this occasion. We have contacted EM to offer our sincere apologies and the problem has now been resolved.’

• Write to Sally Hamilton at Sally Sorts It, Money Mail, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT or email sally@dailymail.co.uk – include telephone number, address and a note addressed to the offending organization stating they are given permission to talk to Sally Hamilton. Please do not send any original documents as we cannot take responsibility for this. The Ny Breaking cannot accept any legal liability for any answers given.