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AIBU?

To complain about supermarket parking fine of £70 for overstaying 2 hour period

117 replies

OhNoNotMyBaby · 20/10/2016 15:45

I overstayed by 25 minutes. I get that. Hands up, I just forgot the time.

BUT, of that 2 hours 25 minutes I was parked, 1 hour and 10 minutes (approx) was spent in the store, spending in excess of £84.

I feel there should be an exemption for customers, or say, an extra hour - though I'm not sure how the store would manage that. They always used to have a tannoy system "Would the owner of car reg...."

I'm really fucked off at being presented with a £70 charge for the privilege of parking in their car park whilst I spend money in their shop (and have done for decades).

But I did overstay (because I did pop into town for an hour). AIBU?

OP posts:
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harderandharder2breathe · 20/10/2016 15:48

Yabu, if you'd gone over the time entirely in their shop you would have a case, but the whole point of the two hour time limit is to stop people using their car park for general use like popping into town

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ShatnersBassoon · 20/10/2016 15:49

Yes, YABU. They give you two hours to do your shopping in their store. It's not in their interests to give you free parking to go elsewhere.

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coffeetasteslikeshit · 20/10/2016 15:50

Yabu for the reasons given above by harderandharder2breathe. Sorry.

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Roygrace · 20/10/2016 15:50

They are not enforceable unless council. Ignore despite what people say and new changes.

I don't think yabu

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SillyMoomin · 20/10/2016 15:51

But you didn't spend all the alloted time in the shop. They give you 2 hours. You actually only spent 1hr 10 mins of that in their shop. So why should they alllw you to spend extra time in their car park whilst you go spend money somewhere else?
YABU

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PipersPiping · 20/10/2016 15:51

Sorry i think yabu, they give you 2 hours to shop in their store not to go into town or whatever.

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skilledintheartofnothing · 20/10/2016 15:53

yabu. Although it is a pain, Our local Sainsburys has started this, they have even put up an electronic thing that reads your number plate on the way in and tells you when your time expires. Im guessing this has been done as it is just across from Town and lots of people park there to avoid paying in other car parks.

It is however annoying as it takes me forever to do the shopping (it doesn't i just like sitting in the cafe having a cup of tea and eating cake when i don't have my little boy with me..small pleasures eh?)

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Tissunnyupnorth · 20/10/2016 15:54

I've had one of these, I took it into the store & spoke to manager, very nicely!

These firms are hired by the supermarket, the manager can and usually will rescind it, take your receipt.

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ItGoesWithoutSaying · 20/10/2016 16:06

What Roygrace said. I do not believe these are legally enforceable if you were not on the public highway. The letter will have lots of official looking bits and words on them but they are private companies.

I've had a couple of these in the last 5 years. Ignored both, never heard from them again.

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MistressDeeCee · 20/10/2016 16:10

I got one of those, overstayed by 15 minutes. I didn't bother to pay it. Few years ago now. The fees are extortionate, its ridiculous

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OhNoNotMyBaby · 20/10/2016 16:11

Thanks... I have written to the store, complaining, so we'll see what happens.
the time period has recently changed from 3 hours to 2, and this is what has caught me out.

How to piss off loyal customers without trying.... Hmm

OP posts:
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lastqueenofscotland · 20/10/2016 16:13

YABU

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KERALA1 · 20/10/2016 16:17

Rules is rules but I agree its bloody annoying esp as you did a hefty shop in their sodding shop.

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ShatnersBassoon · 20/10/2016 16:18

How to piss off loyal customers without trying....

The other side to that is loyal customers struggle to get a parking space because someone's parked at Sainsbury's and gone into town for 2 hours, so they get pissed off and go to Asda.

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steff13 · 20/10/2016 16:20

Well, I don't think it behooves the store to have time-limited parking. Here, if there's a chance someone is parking in the store's lot to and then going elsewhere, there would be signs indicating that the lot is for Kroger (my local grocery store) customers only, and all others would be towed. And, if they caught you parking there then going elsewhere, they'd call the tow company.

However, if it's posted that the parking is time-limited, then you risked getting a ticket if you exceeded the time limit. So, YABU.

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PigletWasPoohsFriend · 20/10/2016 16:21

What Roygrace said. I do not believe these are legally enforceable if you were not on the public highway. The letter will have lots of official looking bits and words on them but they are private companies.

Don't assume that just because it is a supermarket that it isn't council property.

Some actually are.

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hanban89 · 20/10/2016 16:24

If it had recently changed from a3 hour time allowance to 2 hours I would plead ignorance to get out the fine and produce your receipt to prove you were in doing your shopping. Might as well try!

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cjt110 · 20/10/2016 16:29

How to piss off loyal customers without trying....

Yes I'm sure those who come back laden with bags from the market next to our Tescos when we're hunting for spaces understand this....

Maybe they changed it from 3 hours to 2 because of people like you taking the piss.

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ErrolTheDragon · 20/10/2016 16:35

YABU. People using supermarket car parks while they do stuff other than shopping in there is why they have to have these limits.

Ours has is usually 3 hours except on match days because it's opposite a stadium - then it's 2 hours.

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jayisforjessica · 20/10/2016 16:40

YABU. The rules don't not apply to you just because they don't suit you. They may well have changed the limit and put up the signs just because people kept doing exactly what you did. Why should they give you free parking while you swan off, preventing someone who wants to shop there from doing so? They're losing money because you're being selfish and entitled. It seems absolutely right to me that they should recoup that loss in parking fines.

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reallybadidea · 20/10/2016 16:42

I got one in similar circumstances. The store just asked to see proof that I was either a regular customer (eg a few transactions on my bank statement) or a receipt for the day in question. Then they wrote the fine off. Hopefully you'll get the same response.

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DorothyGherkins · 20/10/2016 16:44

A Lidl I used to go to, charged me for overstaying - I bumped into someone and had a bit of a longer than intended natter - I had no idea the allowed time was only 90 mins - previous supermarkets where I bothered to actually read the t & c s were always 2 or 3 hours. I paid up, as I couldn't be bothered with the stress of appealing. I used their car park for supermarket shopping only, for the ease of loading up shopping. Then would drive to another car park quite a distance away in the same town, to do the rest of my stuff. But. As a result of this penalty, I no longer went to this Lidl. And as a result of that, never use the high street bank, or the post office. No longer used the nice little independent coffee shop and gift shops, or any of the chain stores there. I go elsewhere. So Lidls, I think this is very short sighted of you. I go to a different town now, where I can park up for three hours, and use all their shops instead.

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Floggingmolly · 20/10/2016 16:45

You popped into town for an hour... Hmm. Don't be ridiculous.

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ShatnersBassoon · 20/10/2016 16:58

DorothyGherkins - you've boycotted a whole town and every business in it because you made a mistake one day? Confused

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ZuleikaDobson · 20/10/2016 17:03

Ignore people who tell you to ignore this, they are relying on out of date perception of the law. It is perfectly enforceable through the courts.

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