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.

Bless your heart.....

Go into the store, ask to speak with the manager, if you can get your transaction up on Internet banking show them, say you seem to have overstayed but you were in store the whole time
They can get it cancelled.

I got stuck in a traffic jam, going into tesco. It took over an hour to park. I spoke to the manager cos I was concerned about being ticketed by the time I'd done my shop. The manager said he was telling the parking company to not send out any PCNs on that day because of the amount of people who will have got a ticket with the traffic jam

Did you mean to tag or quote someone in that, or are you chatting to yourself?

Well they are because there’s a bloody time limit! That’s in big bold letters on the sign. Not saying the OP shouldn’t be annoyed or appeal - of course she should - but equally it’s not like it’s hidden behind the bushes to trick people.

Unfortunately some of these parking scum companies WILL take you to court and WILL get a CCJ on your credit score . Depends which company it is

You are right.
Tesco would be happy for you to be in 8 hours or more, as long as you are spending commensurate with that!

"Rules are rules" nah, it's the purpose behind the rule that's important. The rule IS to deter piss-takers.
Write and appeal it.

for everyone so certain you will not be taken to court or that a court will not enforce it I think you need to research 'Parkingeye vs Beavis'.

The supreme court declared in 2015 that it is perfectly legitimate and enforcable and since most companies DO press charges in court because they are most likely to win if you where too stupid to appeal and instead ignored them and CCJ are regularly issued for private parking fines.

I always find it amusing the ascertains of "DON'T PAY THEM!" on these type of threads knowing full well it could well bite them on the arse.

^ and the time you paid for shopping.
Appeal the ticket.

FibbertyGibbitt. No, They don't like taking people like Havering to court because as I and others have pointed out, private parking companies have to prove that their client, in this case Tesco, have lost actual money by her short over staying in that one parking space.
A court would acknowledge that It's not the same as someone using the parking slot as daily work parking for many hours and not buying any merchandise from the store.
Private parking companies' are in it for easy money and won't go after time consuming and difficult to prove cases like Haverings. They rely on people being scared into compliance by making people believe they are part of the criminal justice system when they are not. Only councils and the police have power to fine you in law.

Man, properly in I've got a wedgie mode aren't you. please continue.

Thats why by law you are given grace to appeal it both to the company (who will deny it) and to an indervidual invigerlator.

The OP is pretty much ganateed to win if what she has posted is true however if you dont appeal you are stupid and of COURSE they will sue you because you havent actually explained or proven anything and the longer it goes on the harder it is to prove.

Yes the burden of proof is on them only if you dont counter though as paying or ignoring is deemed admission of guilt.

Excellent, you've learnt how to quote and make your hilarious comments relevant, my work here it is done. Do feel free to thank me.

🤗

Two things - go to the store manager [not the parking company] and ask him to cancel it. They can!

The second point is that unless the parking company put a notice on the car at the time they have to notify you within 14 days. I have had two run-ins with NCP at a railway station where 2 months had elapsed! Got cancelled in each case.

You can google this in Protection of Freedoms Act 2012.

Same happened to me in Asda pre-covid. I called their Customer service desk and explained and they were able to cancel it instantly, over the phone. I wasn't asked to supply a receipt.
I had been Christmas shopping with my DSis who has dyslexia, and shopping with her is always a long job (as she needs time to look at things).
I too hadn't ever realised there was a 2hour time limit - we were in there nearly 3 hours!

Our bog standard Tesco supermarket (not an extra) has a 3 hour limit which is reasonable I think. I am a slow shopper, like to browse and yes sometimes have coffee and cake afterwards. You have to scan your receipt now in a machine, sometimes those machines go wrong. I have been sent a fine a few times because I have forgotten to scan the receipt or gone over. The customer services have been very helpful and got it cancelled for me.

If you go on Martin Lewis there’s several threads about parking charge notices issued by private companies. Also on Facebook there’s a good group which will tell you if they are trying it on , or will take you to court for non payment. IF when they have taken you to court and you do not pay they will issue a CCJ.

these notices are indeed an invoice and not bound by law as in a traffic warden or police parking notice. However some of them will take you to court. Scum the lot of them, and they can chase you for years and then take you to court for non payment.

Again I’d go back to Tesco and get them to cancel it.

Since Parkingeye got a judgement in its favour a few years ago they take people to court now...and win.

Do not appeal directly to the parking company. They have zero benefit in cancelling your ticket and will not do so.

Find out the store managers contact details and send them proof of the £250 shop and nicely ask them to instruct the parking company to cancel the ticket. The parking company will be working for the supermarket so have to obey their requests.

Yep, while I know all the advice about it not being enforceable is meant kindly, I’m a lawyer so I’m all over the legal side.

Ooh take them to court Op and boil them alive !

Actually yes ignore my previous advice about ignoring the fine.
These companies usually don't take anyone to court because it's too much hassle for them and they make enough from people paying anyway. Having said that though, there is a small chance they might, so don't risk it.
Appeal it with Tesco instead and they'll get it cancelled. Even if you don't have any proof at all they will still cancel.
These fines are not meant for genuine shoppers like. They are there for CF's like me who park at the local Lidl and go to my dentist round the corner 😊but because I get back in time I get away with it.😎

Hi @HaveringWavering
I'd query that at my Tesco, we have two in our town, one is a Tesco Extra the other just a big Tesco and both state 3 hours free parking.

Bloody annoying for the sake of 10 mins and amount of money you spent.

Op either take your receipt or bank statement to Tesco and they will cancel it for you. It's a very simple on line form for them to fill out takes less than 2 minutes

proper course is to appeal to the company (takes only a few minutes) and of the course they reject it but you are then supplied the independent appeal link which if you are in the right you will win (if it was only 10 minutes OP is in the grace period).

You can't have an independent appeal without appealing the company first... not all stores will cancel it for you though.