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.

You don't get a CCJ without the company first taking you to small claims court, in which case you get sent papers by the court

That's ridiculous OP. I would complain to Tesco and see if you can get them to have a word on your behalf and cancel the ticket.

Emphasise how much money you spent and say you feel like you've been punished for being a valuable customer.

If it's an independent parking contractor on private land, there's a good chance the fine isn't legally enforceable.

This. We recently got one from a hotel we had stayed at and hotel manager got it cancelled.

too options:

1. speak to whoever in charge of that store, with proof you where a genuine customer they can overturn it.

2. appeal... if you where genuinely only 10 minutes over you are within the 'grace' period and should win anyway as grace periods are law.

whatever you do do NOT pay it or ignore it.

This is completely wrong, the use to not bother enforcing them but they DO now and are fully enforacable with a court order.

Lots of people have gotten CCJs from this outdated advice... always appeal.

By that point you have racked up extra court charges and fees and have next to no chance of winning.

It take them a while to file court paper but it will catch up to you.

Our local Tesco has a cafe and an opticians. Just as well there isn't a two hour parking limit I guess ...

I think your mistake was posting during the night @HaveringWavering. All the grumpy people are out in force. I definitely notice a difference in tone. Some of them seem to think you're nothing short of a criminal. And asking if you had a list🤣🤣

Tesco is at fault here for not having the means for people using the store to stay longer than the two hours they have decided will deter chancers. Definitely appeal.

Why do you say "little" alarm, surely an alarm is an alarm, it doesn't have a size?

Is it to be condescending to the OP?

It makes you look quite infantile.

I know lots of people who have gotten out of these fines by emailing a photo of their receipt to both the Supermarket and the car park company. Those rules are not there for shoppers , they’re there for people who take the piss. Chances are your fine will be cancelled.

You'll be able to overturn it, OP. I did for my granddad. I just shown the bank statement and the payment amount on that date and they were content he was a true customer.

It doesn't matter whether you agree with the rules or not. If you want to park there they are what they are.

A while back DH went to a football match. Parking meter took his money but no ticket was printed. A message on the side of the meter said if it wasn't working properly to phone. He phoned, no one answered. Game was about to start so he left a note on the car to say what had happened. Several other people had done the same. He got fined. Tried to apppeal but their defence was that if the meter wasn't working he should have waited until the phone was answered. No account of the phone not being answered was taken or indeed the fact that he had actually paid but could not prove it. Was advised by a solicitor friend to just pay up because the Ts & Cs were clearly posted.

I'd take the ticket in and ask. Surely if you used your club card they can see you were in store. Our big Tesco has a nice place to eat lunch too, so eating, drinking coffee and browsing the all the shop would take longer than 2 hours. Pretty sure ours doesn't have a time limit, but there is no where to walk to from it, as all the surrounding big shops have lots of parking too.

This is a perfect example of a company going on the letter of the law, rather than the spirit, and not giving a fuck about customer loyalty, reputational risk, or jeopardising future income.

I guess if you’re in a business where you don’t rely on repeat custom, that’s one (rather horrible) way of doing things.

If Tesco cares about repeat business, the experience of its customers and its reputation, it will take the sensible view that this customer has been caught by something that was never intended to bite here, and waive the fee. Let’s hope they are sane. We shall see.

Hi, you should appeal or speak to Tesco to see if they can cancel. When similar happened to me I didn't contact Sainsbury but appealed to the parking company first. I'd been in 2 minds to just pay the £40 as the easier option rather than risk double that, but decided no. So complained that if you use the cafe and visit other shops, as there's Wilko etc there too, then 2 hours is not enough. It may have taken another scary letter from them and 2 times me filling in their online forms but then heard nothing more. A few months later the car park changed to 3 hours limit, so they must have had multiple similar complaints.

I could easily spend 2 hours in a massive supermarket if I'm not in my usual rushed mode, as sometimes you need that browsing 'catch up', looking round clothes for multiple people, looking at home or baby, make up stuff etc. Using the cafe.... Maybe I'm sad 🤣🤣

Appeal it. I don't give a toss if you'd spent £250 or 25p - exploitative and unreasonable practices such as this need push back from consumers - we're the ones putting money directly into the pockets of gigantic commercial retailers and we have to be prepared to make a stand on stuff like this or nothing changes.

I put this sort of crap in the same bracket as airports charging for drop-offs and pick ups - there is NO value whatsoever to a consumer in having to spend money stopping for all of, what, two or three minutes, in front of an airport terminal whilst their passengers unload their luggage. It's a fucking rip-off (then again, EVERYTHING concerning transport is a rip-off in the UK - don't get me started on the costs of train and tube travel).

Coupled with the extortionate cost of bloody everything at the moment, exploitative practices like the OP's experience need a bit of low-level activism!

Go in to store, they’ll probably cancel it. If not vote with your feet.

What a bloody insensitive comment that was.

One would assume the 2 hour rule is to stop people parking at Tesco but going for a shop round town for the day.
So shopping at Tesco only should be enough.
I would write everyone involved a letter and expect to have it cancelled.

Hi, ignore everyone who are saying the rules are the same for everyone. They're not. The parking restrictions are there to deter piss takers, not genuine shoppers however long it takes for them to do thier shopping.
You have two options... you can write to Tesco and explain and they DEFINITELY CAN get the ticket cancelled. If you have a receipt or a bank statement showing that transaction all the better, if not then still write. They will cancel it.
The other option will need a bit more nerve.... you can just ignore it. They will write to you for years threatening you with court action and bailiffs and all sorts. They won't take you to court. In law, they haven't given you a parking ticket in the sense you think. It's just an invoice. An invoice that you agree to pay when you actually pay it. Nothing more. I have done both of these numerous times when my elderly parents couldn't move fast enough and got a "ticket". I've also got their payments refunded when they have panicked and paid them. Having said all that, this is just my experience and I have no legal training.Good luck with whatever you decide to do.

Wow lots of perfect people on here! Super easy to go over the allocated time in one of those massive tescos. I know you said it's contracted out and you don't have your receipt but I would try contact them and plead you case!

I would challenge this. I’m sure Tesco would get it cancelled. We have a car park near us that has just imposed a 2 hour parking limit, this is for a shopping area so there are a few shops there, Aldi, dunelm, Tk maxx, Halfords etc. and it’s not very well publicised so lots of people getting caught out. Even those with a disabled badge that allows them 3 hours parking in a disabled bay 🙄 you would think they would have at least made it 3 hours for this reason. Not very inclusive so lots of complaints have been going in. I don’t know how the complaints are doing but I would challenge Tesco on the disabled pass point myself.
good luck

Aw, right In the feelz man

People love a parking thread don't they. Pushes all the buttons.

That's the spirit

No diagram = no parking thread

Not sure what the feelz man thing is about?