Warning - Supermarket Parking Fines (1 Viewer)

[pyro]

Feeling cranky and curmudgeonly this morning.

I decided to visit Argos and pick up one of those low wattage Dimplex radiators to keep the van free of condensation. Wandering around between Argos, Currys and Homebase, which were adjacent, I lost track of the time, with the upshot being that the £3 that I saved in buying the heater from Argos ended up in my picking up a £60 (if paid within 14 days) parking ticket for over staying by 7 minutes.

It's not just the fact that I lost £57 on that deal, but have to confess that I actually deserved getting that ticket, I was inexcusably over the revised time limit. But a warning to all, UKPC (the dominant shopper car park operators) have sneakily reduced their waiting time for shoppers at some car parks from 2 hours to 1 hour, so check out the notice at the entrance before you get caught out.

There were many cars with yellow envelopes on their windows. Little wonder everyone buys everything over the internet nowadays - lesson learned.

 

[johnp10]

Boycott the stores served by those parks, let the stores' COE know why.
Also let them know you are pitting your reasons up on social media.
They don't own the car parks, but they can bring pressure to bear.

 

[CWH]

As you say @pyro , you 'earned' the penalty, but it's still and I do sympathise - so easy to overstay your welcome these days.
Thank you for the warning - I hadn't noticed, but will make sure I check now!

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[JJ]

Don't pay.

Leave the country.

I did.

JJ

 

[movan]

Happened with me at The Range. I ended up paying but my friend ignored the ticket and all further correspondence. They stopped contacting her.

I hzd been a genuine customer .. had crappy lunch there and got carried away looking at the craft stuff.

One hour is a riculous limitation.

 

[Riverbankannie]

Thanks for warning. One hour is not enough for general browsing for stores such as these. @johnp10 is right, find the individual stores Facebook pages and write up your comment. I did this recently when I had exceptionally good service from a Sainsbury's employee and had immediate response. They do take notice.

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[GJH]

I don't think "sneakily" is the right adjective is it? The time may have been reduced in the car park in question but it is still 3 hours in the car park (managed by UKPC) which we use for most of our weekly shopping.
The fact is that limits in shop car parks vary depending on the store and the time they think genuine customers need.

 

[Minxy]

Our city centre Tesco have introduced a new parking regime which was instigated whilst we were on holiday recently ... it was originally 3 hours free parking when it first opened quite a few years ago, then was reduced to 2 hours and now they've put in a requirement that you have to spend at least £5 in the shop to get 2 hours' free parking. So in order to get the free 2 hours when you make your purchases you get a 'free parking voucher' from the checkout which you have to scan in one of the 'machines' near the car park and put in your registration number then pick your car from the images on screen (taken when you first drove in) and it's then free. When we first saw them we thought they were new cash machines and if it hadn't been for the chaps helping people use them we won't have known!!

There is one small banner on the road leading into the car park but it's along the side fence so you actually don't see it as you go in, only when you are leaving the fuel station as it's opposite the station exit. Within the car park itself there are NO banners, extra signs etc to say things have changed, just the usual £70 parking charge signs which are very similar to those which have always been there so easy not to realise the new parking rules are in place at all. What I don't like is that if you do NOT realise about this '£5 spend' requirement you end up with a £70 'fine' even if you've been in there for less than 2 hours!

I can totally understand the reason behind it all - to make space available for customers and not just those using it as free parking for the nearby gym etc - but it should be much clearer.

 

[pyro]

I don't think "sneakily" is the right adjective is it? The time may have been reduced in the car park in question but it is still 3 hours in the car park (managed by UKPC) which we use for most of our weekly shopping.
The fact is that limits in shop car parks vary depending on the store and the time they think genuine customers need.

It is sort of sneaky when they make such a significant change in parking allowance without warning anyone that there have been changes.

I don't have any credible grounds to appeal, by parking there I accepted their terms, but I just want others to be aware that these terms can be changed overnight and urge them to check things out before they end up out of pocket. I should have known better, and I appreciate the need for parking limitations, so I am kicking myself for not checking out the terms on the single (and relatively obscure) notice at the entrance.

Those shops have now lost our business, greed can sometimes be counter productive

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[big map]

Mike got done at the doctors a few weeks ago for parking for 17 minutes. They have a system where you put in the registration number he says he did this and I believe him because there is a variation to the old system which he wouldn't know about unless he had done the first stage. I am arguing with the provider of the service and appealing the notice which they have rejected with a standard letter not answering my questions nor probably reading the letter. I will be sending another email on Monday questioning how they could dismiss the appeal without reading the letter. I will be contacting POPLA on Monday. I have copied in the local paper. I am going to request from the doctors under the freedom of information a copy of the contract with the provider of the system, since they are saying they have contracted out the service.

 

[pyro]

Don't pay.

Leave the country.

I did.

JJ

So did I. Trouble is I made the mistake of coming back every so often

 

[andy63]

Sorry to hear about your parking fine..
Have to agree with some comments. ..
If shops want to attract the custom then they need to provide free parking by one means or another...
Andy.

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[Chris51]

Our city centre Tesco have introduced a new parking regime which was instigated whilst we were on holiday recently ... it was originally 3 hours free parking when it first opened quite a few years ago, then was reduced to 2 hours and now they've put in a requirement that you have to spend at least £5 in the shop to get 2 hours' free parking. So in order to get the free 2 hours when you make your purchases you get a 'free parking voucher' from the checkout which you have to scan in one of the 'machines' near the car park and put in your registration number then pick your car from the images on screen (taken when you first drove in) and it's then free. When we first saw them we thought they were new cash machines and if it hadn't been for the chaps helping people use them we won't have known!!

There is one small banner on the road leading into the car park but it's along the side fence so you actually don't see it as you go in, only when you are leaving the fuel station as it's opposite the station exit. Within the car park itself there are NO banners, extra signs etc to say things have changed, just the usual £70 parking charge signs which are very similar to those which have always been there so easy not to realise the new parking rules are in place at all. What I don't like is that if you do NOT realise about this '£5 spend' requirement you end up with a £70 'fine' even if you've been in there for less than 2 hours!

I can totally understand the reason behind it all - to make space available for customers and not just those using it as free parking for the nearby gym etc - but it should be much clearer.

I couldnt be bothered with all that agro so would go somewhere else to shop !!

 

[Minxy]

I couldnt be bothered with all that agro so would go somewhere else to shop !!

We usually use the shop AND pop to the banks etc whilst in town so it does serve 2 purposes but we don't go over the 2 hours in any case, it's just the extra hassle trying to remember the car reg!!!

 

[CWH]

Our city centre Tesco have introduced a new parking regime which was instigated whilst we were on holiday recently ... it was originally 3 hours free parking when it first opened quite a few years ago, then was reduced to 2 hours and now they've put in a requirement that you have to spend at least £5 in the shop to get 2 hours' free parking. So in order to get the free 2 hours when you make your purchases you get a 'free parking voucher' from the checkout which you have to scan in one of the 'machines' near the car park and put in your registration number then pick your car from the images on screen (taken when you first drove in) and it's then free. When we first saw them we thought they were new cash machines and if it hadn't been for the chaps helping people use them we won't have known!!

There is one small banner on the road leading into the car park but it's along the side fence so you actually don't see it as you go in, only when you are leaving the fuel station as it's opposite the station exit. Within the car park itself there are NO banners, extra signs etc to say things have changed, just the usual £70 parking charge signs which are very similar to those which have always been there so easy not to realise the new parking rules are in place at all. What I don't like is that if you do NOT realise about this '£5 spend' requirement you end up with a £70 'fine' even if you've been in there for less than 2 hours!

I can totally understand the reason behind it all - to make space available for customers and not just those using it as free parking for the nearby gym etc - but it should be much clearer.

Our local Tesco installed that system a couple of years ago; but I don't often use that store.
I only ever go into town (Truro) by bus nowadays, parking is just too much effort.
And too expensive.
Fortunately we have a good rural bus service from home, and an exceptionally good park-&-ride.

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[Jaws]

A couple of places a few miles from me tried the £5 thing..
It was soon dropped after the trade in stuff like sandwiches and the like fell to virtually zero. No one went there unless it was for a shop.
So all the pop in trade went phut, and slowly that ( apparently ) led to less and less footfall in general.

 

[Minxy]

A couple of places a few miles from me tried the £5 thing..
It was soon dropped after the trade in stuff like sandwiches and the like fell to virtually zero. No one went there unless it was for a shop.
So all the pop in trade went phut, and slowly that ( apparently ) led to less and less footfall in general.

They DO allow you 30 minutes free parking regardless I understand so maybe they've learned their lesson?

 

[rangi]

Our local shop, a NISA, wont take contactless card payments unless you spend a fiver.

I now go either to the local Garage or the extra mile or so to the Co-op.

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[BwB]

In the old days (!) sending a copy of your receipt(s) to "prove" you did shop at the store was normally enough to get the parking charge dropped - even if you did over stay your allotted time allowance?

 

[pyro]

Those were the days. Unfortunately I have no real grounds to appeal, I accepted their terms by parking there, and I outstayed the (reduced) free allowance.

They have done what Cadbury's (and many others do), they have in effect kept the price the same, but reduced the contents. In this case they (and I use the word intentionally) sneakily reduced the parking period without giving prominent notice of that change, and then gone round issuing penalty notices to those like myself who over stayed.

I could appeal, but they will reject it. I spend a fair bit of my time defending clients in court, so it is no hassle for me to force the issue in that direction, but even if I won (unlikely) the reputational damage of my having to defend myself (instead of a client) will far outweigh the cost of the £60 it would cost me in stumping up for my own stupidity. If I lost (likely) then my judgment in defending the action would be brought into question, and I would lose all the more.

A lesson learned, and the cost could have been worse, I just have to take it on the chin. But there are many people worse off than myself, and £60 could be the difference between eating and going hungry for them. If others can be warned through this, then my loss is easier to suffer than theirs, so I felt that I should share the knowledge

 

[two]

Space is getting progressively more limited. Except to have to pay (more) for the privilege. Shame that sneaky practices pervade though.

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[BwB]

Fair enough, you have revealed a background story for which I can fully understand your reluctance to challenge the parking fee. I think, personally, I'd still have a go at waving my receipts around and bursting into tears though

 

[maxi77]

Worth noting that in Scotland only the driver can be held liable for these charges, and the registered keeper is under no obligation to inform the parkingcompany who the driver was if it was not the registered keeper.

 

[El-Nido]

This is always worth a read, depending on the circumstances of the private parking 'invoice': http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/reclaim/private-parking-tickets

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[GJH]

It is sort of sneaky when they make such a significant change in parking allowance without warning anyone that there have been changes.

I don't have any credible grounds to appeal, by parking there I accepted their terms, but I just want others to be aware that these terms can be changed overnight and urge them to check things out before they end up out of pocket. I should have known better, and I appreciate the need for parking limitations, so I am kicking myself for not checking out the terms on the single (and relatively obscure) notice at the entrance.

Those shops have now lost our business, greed can sometimes be counter productive

Is it UKPC which has reduced the time, though, or the shop(s) and, if the latter, were notices posted in/on the shop(s) perhaps? Personally, if visiting somewhere I don't often go, I always check the notices in case of change (I appreciate you say you should have).

The other aspect, noting that the shops (Argos, Currys and Homebase) are adjacent but not knowing the location, is whether they are served by a single car park or by adjacent separate car parks. I agree that an hour might be a bit short to browse Currys and/or Homebase but I can't imagine many people browsing the Argos catalogue for so long I can think of a couple of places in this area where the the car parks are adjacent but actually separate and a particular store has restricted the time because people park in theirs and use the other stores.

 

[pyro]

Is it UKPC which has reduced the time, though, or the shop(s) and, if the latter, were notices posted in/on the shop(s) perhaps? Personally, if visiting somewhere I don't often go, I always check the notices in case of change (I appreciate you say you should have).

The other aspect, noting that the shops (Argos, Currys and Homebase) are adjacent but not knowing the location, is whether they are served by a single car park or by adjacent separate car parks. I agree that an hour might be a bit short to browse Currys and/or Homebase but I can't imagine many people browsing the Argos catalogue for so long I can think of a couple of places in this area where the the car parks are adjacent but actually separate and a particular store has restricted the time because people park in theirs and use the other stores.

The trouble is that they all share the same location and car park Currys, Argos, Homebase and a shoe outfit (Brabanto?). Argos turned out to be the best bet for the heater I wanted, but it took 2 minutes in the catalogue and 20 minutes for them to then get it out of their storeroom and into my hands

I gather some of these car parks are leased to the operators, some are owned by the local councils and others by shops. No idea on percentages and there were no signs visible at the stores. The font used by UKPC was small, the sign fairly difficult to read and no indication that they had changed the previous 2 hours that were permitted

I suppose potential defences could include unreasonable charges (how does £60 equate to the cost of being 7 minutes overdue?), proof as to who left the vehicle there and is responsible, unreasonable signage, etc, etc. But the morality of lying through (what's left of) my teeth aside, there are non monetary penalties (referred to previously) that would prove a serious disincentive to fighting this.

I am twice married, once divorced, I have had more costly lessons in life. and if warning others saves them money, then it is worth sharing

 

[GJH]

The font used by UKPC was small, the sign fairly difficult to read and no indication that they had changed the previous 2 hours that were permitted

That's interesting, as a general point anyway appreciating that you don't want to contest it.
Signs should be easily legible and, whilst there is no need to give details of a previous time limit, should clearly state how much time you have on the day in question. Since the ruling in the Beavis case last year I think one would be hard pushed to win on unreasonable charges but it appears that inadequate signage might provide grounds.

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[pyro]

If it weren't for the other more personal factors, I would agree and pursue that in a public interest basis.

 

[PhilG]

Just stop going. Charging people to park, where they are spending money , is something i wont do . City centre multi storey, fair enough, but retail park .. you can kiss my arse. Stopped going to Silverstone because they want to charge you for parking as well as reaming you for tickets.

And dont start me on hospitals.

 

[GJH]

Just stop going. Charging people to park, where they are spending money , is something i wont do . City centre multi storey, fair enough, but retail park .. you can kiss my arse. Stopped going to Silverstone because they want to charge you for parking as well as reaming you for tickets.

And dont start me on hospitals.

The OP wasn't charged for parking, he was charged for staying longer than the (free) time allowed

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