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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to be fuming at being clamped in McDonald's!

77 replies

maggieryan · 31/07/2015 21:38

I could scream. Went up to mcdonalds with the kids. There was a kids party in so ended up staying for two and half hours. Good fun and good catch up with some of the mothers. Came out and my car bloody clamped. 120 euro to get it released. Said it to manager of mcdonalds and although he was sympathetic he said he'd write a letter and I would have to appeal. I gave out to clampers about how unfair it was but rhey said I should have read the signs. It was then I noticed a tiny sign. AIBU to think McDonalds should have bigger bloody signs or even announce it every hour to let people know. I could cry. I've about forty euro now to do me for the week!

OP posts:
Lurkedforever1 · 31/07/2015 22:43

Yanbu to object to being stranded at McDonalds, it is the only place you could die of malnutrition and yet still need a plus size coffin.

GraysAnalogy · 31/07/2015 22:44

I'm sorry you were clamped but I thought it was common knowledge to check carparks for signs as to the parking rules

Floggingmolly · 31/07/2015 22:45

The organised parties are 90 minutes.

DadfromUncle · 31/07/2015 23:01

Can't believe the lack of sympathy from some - I agree it's sensible to stop people taking the piss by parking all day - but OP was in MCds spending money. Is this what we've come to - a max time you can spend in McDs after that is it's get out or get clamped even if you're a paying customer ?

And yes, I surmised from the fact it's Euros that it's not UK (my guess was Ireland - what my MIL still calls the Free State) where clamping is allowed so not paying isn't an option if want the car back.

UrethraFranklin1 · 31/07/2015 23:05

Is this what we've come to - a max time you can spend in McDs after that is it's get out or get clamped even if you're a paying customer?

Yes, it has been for many years. In many places, supermarkets, restaurants, cinemas, all over the place. Pretty sure you have this in the UK too?

DadfromUncle · 31/07/2015 23:06

UrethraFranklin1 are you seriously saying it's a sensible policy for Mcds to clamp customers for staying inside too long?

It seems very short-sighted to me. Clamp folk who've parked and fecked off to work all day - that's one thing, but two and bit hours at a kid's party - that's insane.

Happy Birt........oh feck, everyone out we've hit the time limit - really?

NeedsAsockamnesty · 31/07/2015 23:08

Yes, it has been for many years. In many places, supermarkets, restaurants, cinemas, all over the place. Pretty sure you have this in the UK too?

It's pretty much illegal in England

www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/cars-and-other-vehicles/driving-and-parking/wheel-clamping/when-your-car-can-be-clamped-or-towed-away/

UrethraFranklin1 · 31/07/2015 23:20

But you have parking fines for the same thing, no?

Of course its a sensible policy. Say a McD's is in a town centre, and all the nearby carparks are paid by the hour. People are going to park for free in McD's. Then if McD's car park is full all day of non-customers, actual customers have nowhere to park. Therefore revenue goes down.

I'm really surprised you can't understand that. It's standard.

DadfromUncle · 31/07/2015 23:34

I'm really surprised you can't understand that. It's standard.

I know it's "standard"
I understand the reasons (you don't have to keep on repeating it).

Can't you see ANY difference between

1.Person 1 who has parked for free and fecked off to work and

  1. Person 2 who parked, took kids into MCds and is still in there enjoying a party, when CLANG! it's two hours that's it kids ABSOLUTE LIMIT to length of your enjoyment has ended EVERYBODY OUT. That is more like North Korea!
DadfromUncle · 31/07/2015 23:36

They do want custom - but only for two hours - after that it's get out or get clamped.

UrethraFranklin1 · 31/07/2015 23:37

How do you think the clampers know the difference between person 1 and person 2 from looking at their car? Hmm

The parties last 90 mins. You get 2 hours. They want you to leave within 2 hours, you're not going to be spending any more money, and frankly who the fuck wants to spend more than 2 hours in a McDonalds anyway?

It's called customer turnover. And its nothing like North Korea.

TheHormonalHooker · 31/07/2015 23:43

There was a bit on Rip Off Britain (Food) on BBC1 this week where a family got clamped in McDonalds for overstaying the time limit in the car park. I didnt see the outcome of what Rip Off Britain did or McDonalds said, but I wonder if you can get it on iPlayer?

I'd be annoyed in your situation too, OP. There should be some way around it to avoid being clamped if you are going to a party.

IonaNE · 31/07/2015 23:49

YABU. The only place you park without looking for signs/checking is your own driveway.

DadfromUncle · 31/07/2015 23:49

The customer/OP came out of Maccy Ds - it wouldn't be beyond the realms of possibility for the manager to phone the clampers and get it removed - a bit of common sense.

I love the idea that you so readily accept the time restrictions placed on your enjoyment by these places, as if it's OK for Maccy Ds to say I can only be in there for two hours max - what a cheek. Would it be the same if you went to a pub for a meal and had to leave the car park after two hours? It just seems really draconian to me and in the OPs case, it's hitting a paying customer, not someone trying to rip off some free parking. Are you always so keen to accept any rule just because its a rule, no matter how daft?

Salmotrutta · 31/07/2015 23:53

My reading of the OP is that she wasn't actually at the party - but I may be wrong...

And she just got chatting to people who were at the party.

How are Fast Food (clue in the name) supposed to encourage people to move on if they don't impose parking fines?

It's a convenience fast food outlet - you aren't meant to sit around for 2.5 hours!

GraysAnalogy · 31/07/2015 23:55

dad the managers don't have any say in these matters. The carparks are usually privately owned and governed by outside parties. My brother is a Parking Enforcer, and the carparks he goes round to are for all different sorts of businesses including post offices, restaraunts etc. they have no choice but to follow the rules. He waits ten minutes after the allotted time and then has to ticket them, or go along with whatever other practice they have. He has to do this. The manager of the store can't override it, but obviously he can provide proof that the person was utilising the store so wasn't misusing the car parking facilities.

Many of these car parks are taken advantage of by folk who are parking for football, or to leave their cars overnight etc so something has to be done. I don't deny it's wrong in a lot of cases, but that's just the way it is.

Floggingmolly · 31/07/2015 23:55

How come the op was the only one to get clamped? Could it be that she was the only one to stay for two and a half hours?

Salmotrutta · 31/07/2015 23:55

Why on Earth would anyone equate a meal in a pub/ restaurant to a Fast Food Chain?
How bizarre.

SurlyCue · 31/07/2015 23:58

Never heard of this either. Dont pay it OP.

UrethraFranklin1 · 01/08/2015 00:00

it wouldn't be beyond the realms of possibility for the manager to phone the clampers and get it removed - a bit of common sense.

2 different companies, the manager has no jurisdiction over the clampers. It's not common sense.

I love the idea that you so readily accept the time restrictions placed on your enjoyment by these places, as if it's OK for Maccy Ds to say I can only be in there for two hours max - what a cheek. Would it be the same if you went to a pub for a meal and had to leave the car park after two hours? It just seems really draconian to me and in the OPs case, it's hitting a paying customer, not someone trying to rip off some free parking. Are you always so keen to accept any rule just because its a rule, no matter how daft?

I agree with the rule. It makes sense, and if it was my franchise I would do the same thing. I don't accept rules just because they are rules, on this occasion I would accept the rule because by parking on private property you automatically accept the parking rules, and also because it isn't daft at all.

Of course its ok to for McD's to tell you how long you can spend on their property. They own it.

Salmotrutta · 01/08/2015 00:00

DadFromUncle - so did the OP order an A La Carte Meal/Proper cooked food that takes 2 hours from ordering to service with waitresses etc.?

Pub/restaurant meals have table service etc. so obviously take longer.

Because thats what generally happens in pubs - rather different from MacDs.

Any time I've been in MacDs it takes 25-30 minutes tops to order and eat.

UrethraFranklin1 · 01/08/2015 00:01

Never heard of this either. Dont pay it OP

1)She's paid it.
2) It's a different country. It's very common in that country.
3) rtft.

Salmotrutta · 01/08/2015 00:04

And just to repeat - my reading is that OP wasn't at the party she just got talking to people who were.

So the length of a MacD party is a bit of a red herring.

Salmotrutta · 01/08/2015 00:04

wasnt at the party she just got talking to people who were

DadfromUncle · 01/08/2015 00:07

Ok, Pub analogy might be stretching it a bit - on the other hand it was a party, not just a cheeky big mac.

I confess it's unlikely to affect me ever - even less reason than usual for me to visit maccy ds

I still think it's a bit unreasonable if the OP was there as a paying customer the whole time, she's not a cheeky parking thief like she would have been if she'd left the car there and gone to football match or something.