Lidl parking charge

[RahRahRa]

I do most of my weekly shopping at Lidl and have just received a parking fine for overstaying in the car park by 29 minutes, the time limit is 1 1/2 hours.

Yes I should have paid attention, it is a new branch that we’d never been to before and tbh I just didn’t think about the time limit.

This is such a shame, I love Lidl but have three kids all with varying levels of ASD who slow me down (I don’t take them all with me but often have one or two). I am also a bit of a ditherer and like to take my time choosing.

I will appeal the fine but I don’t fancy my chances of it being revoked. As I can’t risk this happening again, I have no choice but to not shop there anymore. Their prices have gone up anyway and we have closer supermarkets so no real loss to me - Apart from the parking fine!

Lidl say there’s nothing they can do as a third party looks after their car parks but they must be involved in setting the policies so why on Earth do they allow this to happen to loyal customers? 🤷🏻‍♀️

'I have no choice but to not shop there any more.'

Well, you have plenty of choice. You could shop faster. 2 hours in one shop is an absurd length of time.

Shit ive just realised I went to lidl earlier and forgot to scan my receipt to validate the parking. Do you think I can go back and do it?

The companies can cancel them. My husband got one once for spending 8 hours in a shop car park.

It was because he was working a shift in the shop.

We sent his wage slip covering the date in question and the fine was cancelled.

Happened to me as well. I can easily spend 2 hours food shopping even in Lidl. Often they have foods I am not familiar with so I read the can, I am not a list shopper and buy on impulse/price so I might pick up something that looks nice, read the ingredients list decide I like it then go back around the store to choose other things to go with it to make a meal. I might spend a while looking though the middle of Lidl and random stuff I might want to buy or sorting though a crate of flip flops looking for my size.

I just paid up and now go to Aldi instead which is cheaper and no parking restrictions.

@Gilead

Make a list, don’t dither. It isn’t as if Lidl have loads of choices of the same thing like Sainsbury’s etc.

READ THE THREAD!

Lidl has around 4 aisles.half hour in each

I have read the thread.

I understand that the OP needs more time to facilitate her children with ASD but saving time by not doing her own dithering is a choice she could make as an alternative to not shopping there.

OP I also love food and shop in Lidl AND have an ASD child, but I cannot fathom how you could spend two hours in there with at least one child with ASK.

Honestly how did they not have a meltdown? When I do Lidl with my autistic son I am in and out in about ten minutes as the alternative would be horrific.

I do my foodie dithering in more luxurious food shops on my own!

How is it possible to spend 2 hours in any supermarket especially Lidl ? Even a hour is pushing it I’m in and out in 30 minutes or less and 10 minutes can be spent queuing. Sorry op but I don’t see how you appeal you could try and say it took you a long time to shop but I suspect they will think you’ve gone elsewhere after shopping.

*ASD obvs

I really can’t see how you can possibly spend over 2 hours food shopping in any supermarket.

@Gilead

Make a list, don’t dither. It isn’t as if Lidl have loads of choices of the same thing like Sainsbury’s etc.

READ THE THREAD!

Lidl has around 4 aisles.half hour in each

Unless you examine every item half a hour per aisle is excessive especially with a child .

It's perhaps helpful to remember why places like Lidl have time limits on their car parks. It's because otherwise people will take up spaces while they go round other shops in the area, or even while working nearby. When that happens the car park becomes full all day and you can't park there at all to use the shop providing the car park.
So ther time limits are really necessary and we have to observe them.

This is why I avoid ships with this car parking arrangement now. I got ticketed after my car broke down and the company who dealt with the parking were beyond horrible to deal with.
Pets at home have lost hundreds of pounds worth of business!

Totally agree Djifunrsn

Tbh, even if they do let me off the fine, this has put me off shopping with them. Why would they want to loose customers in this way? It makes no sense 🤷🏻‍♀️

There’s more than enough choice where we live and they’re opening up a new Aldi nearby very soon so I’ll just go there instead.

The point is with autism, it’s unpredictable. We should all be allowed enough time to shop no matter our circumstances.

There are definitely two camps of people when it comes to supermarket shopping.

A lot of you have said you can't fathom spending 1.5 hours in a supermarket. That's plenty of time for a top-up shop, but I don't see how it's possible to do a big shop in that time.

READ THE THREAD!

I have.

tbh I just didn’t think about the time limit.

I am also a bit of a ditherer and like to take my time choosing.

they’re opening up a new Aldi nearby very soon so I’ll just go there instead.

They will most likely have exactly the same car parking restrictions.

It happened to me recently (not Lidl) but it was my fault so I just paid it. Two hours is excessive.

Nearly all supermarkets have time limits in car parks, precisely to stop commuter/day out parking. Our Sainsburys and Asda are 3 hours, Aldi 2 hours. You might have been lucky and not been ticketed if you routinely spend 3-4 hours shopping but it's nothing new or unusual.

@bananapumpkin

There are definitely two camps of people when it comes to supermarket shopping.

A lot of you have said you can't fathom spending 1.5 hours in a supermarket. That's plenty of time for a top-up shop, but I don't see how it's possible to do a big shop in that time.

It's Lidl. The shops are small and ranges limited. There's no cafe and most of them don't have toilets either.

99.9% of all customers are probably in and out in well under an hour, even doing a 'big shop'. Therefore almost no-one will be caught by the 90 minute limit, which is usually in place due to a local issue of people parking their car in a free supermarket car park and then going elsewhere.

Supermarkets don't want this because it prevents paying customers using the store. They want you in and out in a sensible amount of time.

You have no grounds of appeal OP. 90 minutes is plenty of time even if you are a 'ditherer'.

@Fluffypastelslippers

op are your children registered as disabled? If so, the Blue Badge will cover all parking.

What is meant by 'registered disabled'?

There is no 'disabled register'

I am registered as disabled. And that entitles me to a Blue Badge. OK? OK … Means they accept that I am disabled and give me the relevant privileges. We call it registered here in Ireland which does not mean there is a written register.... That is the terminology they use and I am not sure what your issue is? Please google the term? Yes some local authorities do have a disabled register so they can check re parking privileges etc. Signing off on this - and I am happy with the terminology as it stops folk from claiming disability privileges when there are none. It does involve a medical reference/report.

The Aldi will probably also have a time limit in the car park.

This happened to my friend in tesco and the store manager called the firm and got the ticket cancelled. She did take the receipt as proof.
Not sure why the store won’t assist you. They have a relationship with the parking firm to get their staff number plates exempt.

This! I can imagine being in a huge supermarket with a café etc for 2 hours at a push, but Lidl?!

I agree. I can easily lose an hour in Tesco, I’d struggle to do that in Lidl.

@RahRahRa just submit a copy of your receipt with a letter explaining. They’ll probably cancel the ticket.

op are your children registered as disabled? If so, the Blue Badge will cover all parking

Having a blue badge doesn’t cover parking in private car parks, unless the terms and conditions from the owner expressly gives free parking to blue badge holders. In my experience they rarely do.