Parking charge notice for overstaying - in a Homebase car park when we had an appointment for kitchen!

[Sheepareawesome]

I am so pissed off! Our local Homebase is in an industrial estate so really only reachable by car. We had a booked 2 hour appointment for a kitchen sale, which actually ended up being just over 2 hours in the store total. It is clearly the only car park you can use if you are going to Homebase and is clearly marked as theirs, with their trollies in and with their displays etc in it near the entrance to the store. When we booked the appointment the advisor made it for 2 hours so they know how long we were going to be there for.

I have now received a Contractual Parking charge notice from a company called G24 saying that I was there for over the 90 minutes that you are allowed to park there for and need to pay them a fine of £100. WTF!!??

Firstly I have been using that store for many years and there was no reason to think it isn't Homebase's own car park or that there is a time limit to parking there - I will be going back in daylight to check for any signs as if they are there, they keep them well hidden.

Secondly, if the staff knew our appointment is over the free parking then why the hell didn't they tell us before or during the appointment?

Thirdly how the hell can they say I need to pay £100 for parking in a practically empty car park on a quiet Sunday afternoon?

I am sure I have heard somewhere that they can't enforce these charges unless they can prove they suffered a loss as a result, and about how the signs need to be clear etc etc. I am so stressed today - bad day at work, and now for an appointment where we have spent over £6,000 (saving for years) we now have another £100 as well?!?! This can't be right, can it? I can only contact them by letter apparently so I need to write to them (when I calm down!!)

Any tips on where to look for templates or advice etc to challenge this would be most appreciated!

Call Homebase and speak to them, they’ll contact the agency for you and get it cancelled I imagine. Or contact the management of the retail park and let them know why you stayed over etc. And you can provide proof of appointment/purchase.

I've just looked on googlemaps and there are no signs to be seen on the car park on there! That was 2018 but nothing at all then. Grr!!

We have bought two Homebase kitchens in that last two years, both times the appts have taken forever, we have always given given our reg, never received a fine. Contact the store, I am sure they will get the fine cancelled for you. On a plus note Home base kitchen are good quality, we have never had a damaged item.

Yes we can prove we had the appointment, either with the kitchen advisor's diary or with the order invoice which is dated that day.

Good to know the quality is good - this will be the only time in my life we get a new one! There is only so many times you can paint over 30 year old kitchen doors! We didn't get asked for our car reg though and since we had no idea it was private parking we didn't think to ask.

Homebase won't own the car park. They should have asked for your car reg to prevent this from happening. Just like they do for staff members who obviously park for long periods. Contact the store and they will need to sort it

I'm a former employee fwiw.

Just appeal it OP, private fines are not enforceable anyway unless they take you to court and even if they did they'd lose.

Autoglass have a place in a Homebase car park in Belfast, I brought my car in to get front window replaced which cost me £1830 and now I have received a fine from that parking company saying that I overstayed in there grounds and that I have to pay a fine of £170, they are a bloody joke, I am not paying the fine, they can check the cameras and see that my car was getting window replaced

I am in exactly the same boat OP. This isn’t Staines Homebase by any chance, is it?