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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

6 mins over time in supermarket car park at 50 fine

43 replies

GetInFormationLadies · 28/04/2016 13:29

So as per the title, I've been charged almost 10 pounds a min.

I did however buy fuel before parking so I wasn't actually parked for over the 2 hour limit. Didn't know it counted from the second you went into the car park that contains the petrol station.

Worth appealing?

OP posts:
WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es · 28/04/2016 13:34

Have you got the receipt for the petrol to prove the time at which you paid for that which would have taken you under the two hours? That might swing it. Although in our local supermarket a big thing flashes your number plate and your expiry time up at you as you drive in, so even if you did then buy petrol I think you would have no excuse for not knowing when a fine was going to kick in. There's a lot of advice about parking charges on the MoneySavingExpert website.

DailyFaily · 28/04/2016 13:35

Definitely, especially if you have a receipt showing when you paid for the petrol and this demonstrates that you weren't parked for the 2 hours.

MummyIsMyFavouriteName · 28/04/2016 13:38

As long as you bought something from the shop, go in and show your receipt to someone in the shop. They usually cancel the fine. I used to work in a Go Outdoors and we had a time limit on the car park but if customers showed a receipt (some for hundreds of pounds) then my manager would cancel it. It was to stop people parking there and going somewhere else.

BiddyPop · 28/04/2016 13:42

You have strange supermarkets in the UK.

BarbaraofSeville · 28/04/2016 13:44

The cameras are usually at the beginning of the entrance so it is total time, not time actually sat in a parking space.

What sort of shop was it and how much did you spend?

It's worth asking for a refund but I can see them being more sympathetic if you spent £200 in a large supermarket or were helping an elderley relative than if you picked up a couple of bits and spent the rest of the time in other shops etc in the vicinity.

Usually if there is a 2 hour limit it is a generous amount, eg McDonalds or Aldi, where it would be very usual to be there for that length of time.

BarbaraofSeville · 28/04/2016 13:46

It's not that Biddy. If they don't put limits in place, people take the piss and will leave their car in a supermarket carpark and bugger off elsewhere for the day, leaving no spaces for customers.

Part of the problem is that we seem to have less free parking than a lot of other places. Eg. I've parked for free in Spain but if I went to a similar town/attraction etc in the UK I would expect to have to pay for parking.

BarbaraofSeville · 28/04/2016 13:47

Usually if there is a 2 hour limit it is a generous amount, eg McDonalds or Aldi, where it would be very usual to be there for that length of time

Of course I meant to say very unusual here.

NightWanderer · 28/04/2016 13:50

At my supermarket, you can get extra time if you show a receipt for over a certain amount. It makes more sense to me.

Skivvywoman · 28/04/2016 13:50

Don't pay it it's the supermarket dishing the fine not the council etc

smellsofelderberries · 28/04/2016 14:09

If it's the supermarket posting the fine it's under a private company and they're not allowed to actually 'fine' you (if I remember correctly from some radio phone in program). Apparently the council can only legally enforce fines, a private company can only recoup costs. So if it would have cost you 40p to park there they can only enforce the 40p. (Apparently-I could be really off the mark on this!)

LurkingHusband · 28/04/2016 14:13

There are some real thickos about, aren't there ?

Don't pay

Possibly the worst advice ever.

That said, Beavis did require the charge to be proportionate to the loss suffered. £50 for 10 minutes does sound steep, and I suspect a court would agree. On that basis it's worth contesting in the event the shop does not waive it.

However, it's worth noting that sometimes the shop can't waive the charge, depending on the contract they have with the parking company.

WhoKnowsWhereTheTimeG0es · 28/04/2016 14:13

You are off the mark, that advice is no longer true. A court case last year established that this type of charge issued by private companies is reasonable and can be enforced. Obviously you can appeal, but if you ignore it they can take you to court and they may well be successful.

whatsthatcomingoverthehill · 28/04/2016 14:18

Get over to pepipoo or money saving expert for decent up to date advice. smells is right that they cannot fine you, what you have been given is an invoice for a breach of contract, and to enforce it they would need to get a court order against you. You have not broken any laws. Go and have a look at the signs for a start, and in particular the location of the signs. If it is not clear that it is from time of entry (and they define exactly what they mean by that) then that would be a start.

I would have thought that in this case if you have both the supermarket receipt and the petrol receipt that a complaint to the supermarket might work. The parking company will be a separate entity but the supermarket can put pressure on, particularly for such a small amount of time over the limit.

Skivvywoman · 28/04/2016 14:27

My work is next to a supermarket and some colleagues park in there if hospital car park is full they get fines all the time and don't pay!
It's private grounds therefore it's the supermarket who issues fines!

Skivvywoman · 28/04/2016 14:29

GrinGrin wouldn't say thickos lurking only stating what happens in my area!

whatsthatcomingoverthehill · 28/04/2016 14:31

Skivvy, most of the time it's not the supermarket, rather they allow the parking companies to run the car park (i.e. issue charges). It very much depends on the particular parking company as to how far they take it. Just because it's worked for your colleagues doesn't mean it will somewhere else.

And the most important thing if you do ignore the letters from the parking company and so on is never ignore any court summons or orders!

FaithAscending · 28/04/2016 14:31

Appeal! I have several times now and never had to pay. I agree - go to Martin Lewis' website for an appeal template. Basically you tell them the fine is disproportionate to their less (£50 for 6 minutes!) and send photocopies of the filling station and supermarket receipts and they'll likely waive it:

smellsofelderberries · 28/04/2016 14:31

Ah interesting- the program I listen to was about 2 years ago!

Skivvywoman · 28/04/2016 14:33

You could well be right different laws in different places I've actually just googled it and here if you get a fine it's a civil matter not a criminal one

I'd look into it before you pay it

Original poster
GetInFormationLadies · 28/04/2016 14:35

Thanks everyone, I see mse have a whole board on this topic!

Their advice is still to appeal so I will do so. I wouldn't mind if the fine was fair in comparison to street parking charges.

It doubles if I don't pay in 14 days!

I can't find the receipts, but I've got bank statements that show it.

Is it worth me going down the route of being on benefits with little free money and a learning difficulty that affects my reading?

OP posts:
FaithAscending · 28/04/2016 14:37

My understanding is it used to be fine to ignore them as people were never taken to court (wasn't worth the cost). However in recent years people have been taken to court so it's not worth taking the risk to ignore it.

FaithAscending · 28/04/2016 14:38

Here's the link to the Martin Lewis advice He says don't just pay but don't ignore it either.

Amy214 · 28/04/2016 14:41

You dont actually have to pay a supermarket fine, i recieved one and done some research and it isnt a fine it is a notice. I simply wrote a letter stating that i didnt agree with the notice and i wasnt paying. A few letters later and one from a debt company i assume they have written it off as a loss as i havent heard anymore. You only have to pay police issued fines

BarbaraofSeville · 28/04/2016 14:42

Playing devil's advocate, can you argue that £50 for overstaying by 6 minutes is disproportionate?

What if someone turned up during that 6 minutes and couldn't find a space so gave up and went and did their big monthly shop at the other supermarket down the road?

Of course, it's worth writing a 'I'm very sorry, would you consider letting me off, I didn't realise and won't do it again' letter, but it's worth bearing in mind that a lot of supermarkets these days have some sort of parking restrictions so it's always worth making a habit of knowing what they are any time you stay for more than about an hour or so, make yourself aware of any time restrictions or minimum spend conditions on using the carpark.

LurkingHusband · 28/04/2016 14:44

Amy214

Did you read this thread ? Your "advice" is (a) wrong and (b) out of date .....