Those impossible-to-remove "don't park here" notices stuck on your car window

[ChickenVindaloo2]

Hey all,

I was at a very large shopping centre today. When I returned to my car, I noticed several people had come back to one of those "you have parked here for 4 hours, don't do it" notices. They said on them "please remove before driving" but of course, they are impossible to get off! People were standing in the freezing cold trying to scrape them off. They were mainly on rear passenger windows.

This is not so much a thread about parking notices/charges on private property as it is a question about whether this counts as criminal damage or vandalism? Surely no-one is allowed to mess with your property even if it is parked on their land?

I'd be interested to hear opinions as I'm now scared to shop for more than 4hrs lest I come back to find a sticker on my car!!

Thanks!

That happened to me in a large virtually empty Axa Insurance car park in Cardiff. I couldn't remove the A4 paper sign stuck fast to my windscreen so I went into their offices, apologised and asked for some water to help me get the sign off. They refused. A passing policemen saw me trying to scrape the sign off and when I explained what had happened he marched into the office and threatened the perpetrator with being arrested unless he removed the sign. So he did. I felt his embarrassment! He started saying I'd overreacted and hadn't the police better things to do but lovely policeman shut him downHowever, I never parked there again!

Bigbluebus sounds like you live near Cardiff!

Abide by the stated requirement & then you won't have a problem to moan about FFS.

If I break the rules, a shopping centre is allowed to basically vandalise my car? Is that right?

So many of you are not answering the question!!

I'd rather have a sticker than a fine.

If it comes off, is it vandalism?

You wouldn't steal from the shops. But parking on private land without any permission is also illegal - it's trespassing. Why is that ok? You wouldn't like it if someone parked on your private land without permission, but you'd like it even less if you told them they could stay for a bit, but they stayed for hours and reduced your income for the day.

Let's be brutal: someone spending £20 or so on lunch and queueing in the grotto all afternoon ain't going to pay anyone's rent at possibly several times that per square foot, so they won't be overly impressed with your note, I'm afraid!

I'd rather have a fine than a sticker as the fine is unenforceable!

Ill need to check and report back re signs re time limits.

Those flash peel notices are great. If your doing something you shouldn't be then you have to pay the price. A sticker that comes off easy with hot water isn't vandalism, it's an inconvenience, and that's the best way to get people to learn

er - the fines are not unenforceable if the notices etc are clear and they sue you. it has to be proportionate:

www.hardwicke.co.uk/insights/articles/the-law-on-penalties-after-parkingeye-v-beavis

of course, lots of land owners won't sue. but some will!

Jeez, what is with entitled twats who think the rules don't apply to them?

"Yeah, I'll just leave a note to say not to apply the rules to me."

May I distinguish the spirit of the law and the letter of the law? If I stay longer than four hours but spend loads of money then I'm still obeying the spirit of the law! And point out I'm also not in England. Many thanks!

I'm in Scotland if that's relevant.

Jeez, what is with entitled twats who think the rules don't apply to them?
^
This.

If it says you can only park for up to four hours, and you clearly know the rule, then why do you think you can just ignore it?

"If I stay longer than four hours but spend loads of money then I'm still obeying the spirit of the law!"

No. The maximum stay is 4h regardless how many millions you spend.

I think this is a lost case. Obviously the OP is just asking for confirmation that she is special and can do what she wants. Good luck removing the stickers, OP!

Good for them. I used to work in a shop near the town centre and people were always parking in the free customer parking and pissing off into town. My boss used to get great pleasure in locking up the car park at 1 minute past 5pm Saturday and disappearing until Tuesday morning. He'd have loved stickers.

Not a sticker, but a "parking charge", I was "caught overstaying" in a retail park and issued with a "parking charge" for spending the afternoon having the brakes replaced on my car at the garage which is accessed through the carpark

Successfully challenged by sending off the receipt for £££ and a firmly but politely worded letter, but a fucking inconvenience nonetheless. Naturally I won't cause further inconvenience by using that garage again. So well done Parking Eye for deterring repeat customers slow handclap

Surely the stickers are counterproductive by encouraging people to spend longer with the car in situ attempting to remove them.

Carparks managed like this tend to have the small print of their terms and conditions interestingly high up the lamp posts where incoming drivers aren't able to read them.

Funnily enough I looked this up last night after taping a notice to the car which had been parked in the disabled bay outside my house for over 24 hours.

According to the definition as long as it was easy to remedy and didn't cause damage it didn't count as criminal damage.

I'd rather have a fine than a sticker because the fines are unenforceable

Meaning, you prefer your consequences imaginary and easy to ignore. People like you are the reason rules like this exist - because you think the unwritten rules of common decency don't apply to you (don't hog a parking spot for an unreasonable amount of time, preventing someone else from shopping, potentially losing the business money), so they put proper rules and policy in place and you're the type who says "well, that doesn't suit me, so I'll ignore that too".

Remember the thread about dogs in the playground? Yeah, decent dog owners would behave decently, but enough dog owners were behaving unreasonably that the powers that be decided they needed a rule. The few spoiled it for the many. And still, people were saying "well, that rule doesn't suit me, I'm going to nitpick and rules-lawyer and ultimately decide that it's inconvenient so it doesn't apply to me".

Remember the thread about preschoolers/babies at parent meetings and primary school performances? Yeah, decent parents would behave decently, but enough parents were behaving unreasonably that the powers that be decided they needed a rule. The few, again, spoiled it for the many. And still, people were saying "well, that rule doesn't suit me, I'm going to nitpick and rules-lawyer and ultimately decide that it's inconvenient so it doesn't apply to me".

Are you seeing where I am going with this.

When are people going to get it through their thick, entitled skulls? Rules aren't put in place to give management a couple of holly jolly chuckles. They're there because people behave badly, and spoil things for everyone. That you can sit there on a site alternately complaining about how unfair it is that you are expected to follow the rules, and declaring that you're going to do what you feel like regardless, tells me you are exactly the kind of person that these kinds of rules are designed to target.

So. Bottom lining it for you.

The rule exists. Follow the rule. If you don't follow the rule, expect consequences. If you don't like the consequences, follow the rule. Stop whining, stop complaining, stop loopholing and rules-lawyering, and just grow up and accept that you are not special and that the rules apply to everyone. Not just the people it suits.

Fucking

Entitlement has to be my biggest pet hate in the world.

Not a parking anecdote, but used to work in a bar, and the amount of time you would get the response of 'but I've been Sri king here for 30 years!!' when someone has been told they have had too much. and usually its the first time they've ever been seen in the bar

Its the attitude that the rules are good for other people, but I'm obviously the exception. Cannot stand it.

Fuck. Sri king was obviously the more sensible option for my phone to autocorrect to than 'drinking' which I meant to type...

So the rules don't apply to you then OP? It doesn't matter how much you spend, they have decided they only want you parked for 4 hours on their land and that's that.

Well said jayisforjessica

And no OP, it's not relevant that you're in Scotland. We have the same rules up here as the rest of the UK.