FFS Tesco

[HaveringWavering]

I did a massive shop the other week, spent over £250 quid, spent ages browsing the clothes and homewares, stocking up tins and freezer stuff.

I’ve just received a sodding parking ticket in the post because apparently the car park has a 2 hour limit and I was in there 2 hours and 10 minutes!

I know they have them to stop people using supermarket car parks as all-day parking but 2 hours? It’s pretty easy to spend 2 hours shopping, and I’d have bought a hell of a lot less if I’d realised I had to be out quicker.

I know that Tesco subcontract parking to an independent company so no point complaining I guess. And no I didn’t pay attention to the signs, or think about what time it was when I was in the shop. Never occurred to me that the parking rules would apply to genuine shoppers.

So if you know it's a subcontracted company who runs the car park what on earth does that have to do with Tesco? 😳

Because the businesses who own the car park and contract out to the parking companies can cancel tickets.
Shop Staff input their details into a system otherwise they would get charged every shift

Look up the site on the internet look at who it is run by then look at how people have not paid the fines. There will be a template letter that you can use most of the time the fine will be cancelled in my experience

Do you have a bank statement or club card which would show how much you spent? Ignore the hate I’d be thinking if the extra items I could buy with that money

Ask Tescos! They do subcontract but they can cancel fines too - otherwise how would staff, delivery's and workmen etc. manage. The place I work also subcontract the car park and we cancel fines all the time. Grantedly 'complaining' to tescos won't help because they don't have anything to do with issuing tickets if they subcontract, but asking them nicely might help - yes, technically you were past the limit but its only 10 minutes and on a busy day you could have been in the queue longer than that.

Fucks sake, the responses! People on here are so holier than thou. Round here the shops’ car parks are subcontracted out as you describe OP, and the community Facebook page is full of people getting tickets and people advising not to pay them and there’s nothing the company can do. Worth a research! Obviously you don’t want bailiffs turning up but I think 2 hrs 10 mins in a Tesco extra is fine. Normal Tesco round here, next to a hospital with shit parking, has 3hr limit.

It’s different because Tesco subcontracted the parking management enforcement. At some point they will have sat down with Horizon and said “We think that a reasonable time limit to allow people to shop is 2 hours”. Horizon will not have decided that unilaterally. My grip is with the instruction Tesco have gave to Horizon.

I'd appeal that. I've done that before when I've been a genuine customer and they've always waived it.

It's to deter piss takers from parking for free all day so I'd definitely go in with the ticket and proof of how much I'd spent and ask them to waive the fine.

Because as people have pointed out multiple times on this thread Tesco have control over tickets and fines and the power to override them. Large companies oddly enough don't want to deter people who shop with them and spend a lot of money so if you can prove you were shopping they will definitely cancel the ticket.

I had the same in a morrisons, because we decided to go in the cafe first. When I got the fine in the post I went straight into the store with a receipt that I was in there that day. They were really helpful and were able to immediately cancel the fine

Thanks @Philisophigal! it’s nice to wake up to all these positive and empathetic messages from you and everyone else.

My dad is a massive (annoying) browser. Might take 20 min to choose between jams 😂 He's had two fines from Lidl parking for being there longer than the allotted time and both have been overturned through appealing. I'd definitely appeal and even if you haven't got your receipt can you show proof on your bank statement?

If you're a Clubcard user they can reprint the receipt, even from a while ago. Go to the customer services desk and ask. They may also be able to help appeal or you might have to do it yourself depending on the nature of their relationship with the parking company.

Deffos appeal it but at the end of the day it’s not like the signs aren’t obvious is it 🤣 I’d be annoyed too but sometimes we have to admit when we’re slightly at fault too

More people are in agreement with you than not, looking at the voting.

No they really won't have done. Horizon set their own rules they are a separate company. It's really not different at all. It's on Horizon not Tesco.

That said I'm not sure you have to actually pay a fine from a private company. It used to be the case that only council issued parking fines were enforceable and not from private companies so it's worth checking out.
I once got a fine at an Aldi carpark for exactly the same thing as you. It had nothing to do with Aldi and was a private parking company. I just ignored the 3 or so letters that came and nothing ever happened.
You do need to check it out though in the groups and MSE that another poster linked you to.

DONT PAY IT WITHOUT INVESTIGATING!!

A council issued parking ticket is not the same as a private firm issued parking ticket. If its a private firm its effectively an invoice for a charge for staying over. So many people don't know this or the difference. A private issued parking ticket would have to take you to a small claims court and you would have to loose before they get any money 99% of the time they dont this especially for 1 ticket of 10 minutes! Lots of info about it online if you research.

Take your proof of shop into tesco customer services and explain and they will likely sort it out. Often if you over stay while shopping if you speak to customer services when you leave they will take your reg so you don't get a ticket.

Careless of what other people say it is very easy to stay longer than 2 hours in a shop like this especially if you browsing the clothes as well as a big shop, please speak to the Tesco store as you first point of call, they will get this all the time.

2 hours is ridiculous IMO, I spend as little time as possible in supermarkets but every one near me is a 3 hour limit which is much more reasonable. Some of them aren’t even massive stores either. Definitely try challenging it OP, might as well.

@EatingPeanutButterWithASpoon I too have that difficulty choosing between jams - sometimes I wonder if I'm compote mentis. It runs in our family because my marmite have done the same. 😂

Also Horizon are likely to have taken there 2 hour limit from looking at how long the average customer spends in a shop - so there will be people just popping in for a couple of things as well as people browsing. They probably haven't consulted Tescos at all.

OP, definitely contact Tesco customer service. I have a similar company contracted to monitor parking and issue fines, we have the discretion to have tickets cancelled for extenuating circumstances which it sounds like yours is to me.

Just take the ticket into the store and it will likely be sorted. Happens all the time near me and people are always getting their tickets revoked this way

Like what you did there. 😆

I just had one cancelled by euro car parks as a gesture of good will. I was genuinely shopping and hadn't noticed the signs. I've been going to that business parks for years and the signs are new.
I screenshot my bank transactions for that day and asked nicely and they agreed. Obviously I won't accidentally go over again but they were fair for a first offence.

I would try to appeal, my local Tesco is near a (very small) football ground and have a 1.5 hour rule to prevent people parking there and going to the match but it seems unfair it should apply to genuine shoppers of the store it really does.

The OP isn't contesting the rules.

She is rightfully pointing out that a retail establishment is bonkers and self-defeating to limit parking to a measly two hours when patrons can easily spend more time than that selecting purchases. Less time = less money for the merchant.