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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

not to pay their bastard parking fine.

112 replies

LEMmingaround · 06/10/2014 12:11

Bloody aldi (who i normslly love soo much) have just sent us a £70 parking fine for being too long in their car park

We were half an hour over the 1.5 hour limit.

What happened was i did the shopping while dp took dd to a swing park ten minutes walk away. I was only 40 minutes in the shop but don't drive so couldn't drive to park and obviously had a weeks shopping so dp left car in the car park. I walked to park- lovely sunny day so we stayed a while. Totally forgot the 1.5 hour parking limit.

The problem is could have in that time walked into town.

Do we just pay up or is it worth an appeal??

I have the receipt from the shop. The irony being we were really skint on that day so did frugal aldi shop. Would have been chesper to shop in fucking waitrose

OP posts:

pinkdelight · 06/10/2014 12:52

It's not a crime. It's a crappy money-making bastardfest that has taken off like wildfire in recent years. Only this w/e I visited a mate in Balham, needed to pop to a shop for five minutes and there was nowhere to park for free at all. Sainsbury's tiny car park was full. All the streets were pay / permit only and rammed. I managed to find a space on Waitrose tiny car park and still had to pay £1 (for an hour, after that it rocketed) for the privilege. The parking costs and restrictions are nuts and it's spreading from city areas where it's more understandable out to places where it's purely profit-driven. Leisure centres for instance. And FFS, the worst of all, theme parks now. Till a couple of years ago, you parked for free because you were paying a fortune to get in the bloody theme park. But oh no, now that's been monetised as well. Don't defend them. You might have a rational argument, but that is not why the parking fines have been brought in at all.

Original poster

LEMmingaround · 06/10/2014 12:53

From the point of view of appeal i think we are shaky ground as the til receipt shows was only in shop 40 minutes. The car park is also ten minutes walk from the city centre so people probably do take the piss.

I am resentful of having to be a sheep but can do without the stress of the fight so will just pay the £40 and complain to aldi. See if that gets me any joy.

OP posts:

whatsthatcomingoverthehill · 06/10/2014 12:54

arethere

I know you are just using a turn of phrase, but it really is not a 'crime' to not adhere to the terms and conditions of private parking.

One of the problems is that the charges are ridiculous for the 'offense' (or rather breach of contract) committed. And even if you are only just over the time limits they will go after you. They also use all sorts of intimidation to try and get people to pay up. So no, I have no sympathy for the private parking companies, they are the descendants of the clampers and have the same sort of attitude.

whatsthatcomingoverthehill · 06/10/2014 12:55

LEMmingaround, I think if you appeal you can still pay the reduced charge later if you want, as the appeal puts the timescales on hold. Don't quote me on it though.

Joolsy · 06/10/2014 12:56

Please do not respond to the parking company as then they will have some sort of confirmation from you that you were there. Their contract is with the driver of the car and there is no way they can say who that was. Ignore all correspondence. I did that, the letters got more threatening but after about 9 months I heard nothing more - that was a year ago.

whatsthatcomingoverthehill · 06/10/2014 12:57

Joolsy, that is completely wrong. They can go to the DVLA to find out who the registered keeper is, and sue the registered keeper. They don't have to prove who parked the car.

whatsthatcomingoverthehill · 06/10/2014 12:58

Though ignoring the correspondence is one tactic that works in the majority of cases, unless you're unlucky.

PiperIsOrange · 06/10/2014 13:00

The company could take you to the small claims courts then pass the cost onto you.

You could appeal, but I doubt it would be successful after all the time on the receipt would show you went else where after paying for your shopping.

Original poster

LEMmingaround · 06/10/2014 13:02

They hsve a lovely picture of dp's ugly mug parking the car abd one of us leaving.

What fucks me off is that it is profit making but to be fair if there wasnt something in place you would never be able to park in the aldi car park as its so close to town centre with lack of parking and astronomical parking fees.

OP posts:

PurplePidjin · 06/10/2014 13:03

AFAIK it's an invoice not a Parking Charge - they are asking for recompense for their loss of caused by you parking there for the extra time. So they can pursue you through the civil courts, but it isn't a police matter.

If they offer free parking, what exactly is this £70 remunerating them for? They can't prove loss of earnings or whatever the technical term is. Write back with a copy of your receipt as said above, but selloptape a pound coin to the letter to cover it to cover their "losses"

DoctorTwo · 06/10/2014 13:06

There was a court case recently where a woman brought a case against Parking Eye and won. She had parked in a 'free' car park which had a four hour limit and went over the limit. The judge said that as the site was free to park at for four hours there was no monetary loss to the parking company, therefore he regarded the fine as an invoice.

I'd write to both Aldi and Parking Eye, pointing out to Aldi that they'd lose your custom, and asking Parking Eye to prove your overstay cost them £40. Which, as parking is free they can't.

MrsPiggie · 06/10/2014 13:11

You could complain and get out of it, I guess, but really it was your mistake. If they didn't have these rules in place people would take the mickey and use it as free parking. You wouldn't like to go shopping and not find a parking space now, would you?

YouTheCat · 06/10/2014 13:12

Tbh I'd pay up and then not shop there in future.

Make sure you are aware of how much 'free' time you have in car parks.

Shard1066 · 06/10/2014 13:18

I'm amazed that so many are showing any sympathy for these leeching bastards. A whistle blower recently revealed that they had been advised to concentrate of cars parked outside cancer wards, as the visiting relatives were often too upset and distracted to worry about their parking. I am pretty sure that was Parking Eye.

PrivateJourney · 06/10/2014 13:19

So you agree they need to have some sort of fine system, because otherwise people would abuse the car park and Aldi's customer's wouldn't be able to use it, but you don't think that penalty should apply to you

PuppyMonkey · 06/10/2014 13:22

As an aside, I've been known to queue up for 15-20 minutes waiting for a parking space to become available at Aldi. I blame MN for making the place so blinking popular. Unless everyone is just down the park like op .

pearpotter · 06/10/2014 13:27

I would write to customer services saying you did spend money in the shop (enclose receipt) and you forgot about the time limit, as most supermarkets allow you 3 hours. They may well reduce or cancel it.

I once got a fine from Greenwich council for parking in a residents bay - I had a visitor's permit but stupidly forgot to display it. I wrote to them explaining and they reduced the fine by half.

Letthemtalk · 06/10/2014 13:30

Don't pay it. It's not a legally enforceable fine. I am by all the people who are saying you should just pay it out of the goodness of your heart, or some sort of moral obligation? Nonsense.

Kerberos · 06/10/2014 13:46

Do some research. moneysavingexpert has excellent up to date advice in this area.

Personally I would not pay, complain to Aldi and then get on with life. If it came to court then bring it on. £40 is a lot to rent a car parking space for 30 mins.

borisgudanov · 06/10/2014 13:57

Parking Eye are nothing but parasites and bullies who make their living by frightening people into paying disproportionate "penalties" for totally inconsequential violations of ridiculous parking "rules". Their Directors should be in prison.

Their initial letter is not a "fine", a "penalty notice" or a "parking ticket". It is an invoice: a speculative invoice which is not enforceable in law because the scum cannot show that the amount claimed is a reasonable preestimate of the scum's loss. It can't show that because the claim is bollocks - it can't possibly lose £85 or whatever because you overstayed a few minutes in a car park with plenty of space and for which there is no parking charge. Furthermore if you are in Scotland they have no right to demand that you identify the driver.

Ignore all letters and calls. Do not engage at all. To do so suggests that you regard the claim as potentially valid. Do nothing unless they try to sue. If they do they probably won't turn up to the hearing. If they turn up they will lose on the above grounds. Sometimes, where unusually they have actually bothered there arses to go to court the judge or sherriff has sent for their directors to answer a contempt charge. In others they have been laughed out of court. Their solicitors and debt collectors are just façades. Their claims about successful prosecutions are lies. Their "advice" about their legal rights and entitlements are bollocks.

Take no notice whatsoever.

whatsthatcomingoverthehill · 06/10/2014 14:01

Or, in some cases they win at court. Though that case is now the subject of an appeal.

professornangnang · 06/10/2014 14:06

YABU. You went over the time limit which was clearly marked. It'll be less hassle to just pay the fine which you owe.

Original poster

LEMmingaround · 06/10/2014 14:16

Professor i know you are right on both counts and we are going to take the easy option and pay. I heard a nervous breakdown due to financial difficulties and its left me with extreme anxiety. I don't have the fight in me

OP posts:

Original poster

LEMmingaround · 06/10/2014 14:17

Cannot face the absolute scum of the earth that are debt collectors.

OP posts:

LividofLondon · 06/10/2014 14:31

LEM read this first. It has all the info you will need to fight the ticket. If you don't want the bother of jumping through the hoops, there's always the option of paying £16 to this company who will do it all for you. If they don't win your case they pay the ticket for you. I've used them recently and they sorted it really quickly.

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