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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

...to not to want to pay McDonalds 125 quid for using their car park?

65 replies

missscarlett · 06/10/2008 16:15

I was desperate over the summer holidays when it was raining for something for the kids to do which was indoors and cheap...took the kids out to our local McDonalds in Leytonstone for lunch and to play in their kids area for a couple of hours. I know McDonals are evil, I know - but it was the summer holidays with NOTHING to do and I was going mad indoors - I didn't read the signs in the car park, which must have said something along the lines of 'Give us your money, eat fast and p*ss off!' and now a company which works for them (called MET) has just sent me a letter, trying to get me to cough up 125 quid for overstaying(well, only 75 if I'm good and pay up fast!) Argh! Do I have to pay it? I'm tempted to tell em to stick it but can they take me to court? Give me a CCJ? Send the bailiffs round?? Should just grit my teeth and pay up?

OP posts:
2cats2many · 06/10/2008 16:16

Lordy! How long did you stay for?

LadyOfWaffle · 06/10/2008 16:17

DH got charged for staying 61 mins once (60 min limit). Appeal, you were in McDonalds ffs.

cocoleBOO · 06/10/2008 16:17

Your not a trainee nurse are you?

With a taste for KFC as well?

Upwind · 06/10/2008 16:18

Did you sell your story to the Sun?

mabanana · 06/10/2008 16:19

Your only chance of appealing successfully is to either go back to the car park and see if the signs are totally or partially obscured so it was unreasonable to expect you to see the terms and conditions, or to write to head office and plead with them. It is totally normal to have time restrictions in car parks for restaurants (and Mcdonalds!) supermarkets etc. I wouldn't say an hour in there was particularly 'fast' tbh!

Original poster
missscarlett · 06/10/2008 16:20

Not a trainee nurse, no. Harassed SAHM.
I think I was in there for a while, maybe an hour and a half or so. The kids were playing in all their brightly coloured plastic tunnels.

OP posts:
Poppycake · 06/10/2008 16:21

www.channel4.com/news/articles/uk/mcfines%20for%20slow%20eaters/1169247

You are not alone! Are there any big notices up - how obvious do they make it? If you are going to not pay because of their unreasonableness, you will have to show how unreasonable they are being.

Original poster
missscarlett · 06/10/2008 16:22

I am willing to sell my story to the Sun, perhaps they could pay me the 125 pounds and I could use it to pay the fine!

OP posts:
rookiemater · 06/10/2008 16:24

OMG. I have no answer to any of your questions, but you have just been incredibly unlucky. Another good reason never to go to McDonalds

Original poster
missscarlett · 06/10/2008 16:24

I have absolutely no recollection of any notices at all. I'm sure there must be some, but I tend to park and go straight in, rather than checking out the signs dotted round the car park! Particularly when I have the kids with me, my main priority tends to be making sure they're not wandering into the path of any moving vehicles!

OP posts:
beanieb · 06/10/2008 16:26

I have a feeling that what they are doing is non-enforcable. It's a private company probably. I'll have a hunt because I am sure this happened to someone I know in a supermarket carperk

Original poster
missscarlett · 06/10/2008 16:27

thanks beanie

OP posts:
wordgirl · 06/10/2008 16:27

Have a look here www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/parking-traffic-offences/ and whatever you do, don't pay it. It's not legally enforceable.

beanieb · 06/10/2008 16:28

read this perhaos here

more about private parking companies here

beanieb · 06/10/2008 16:29

just to add - on that link I posted someone says this

"IMO its definitely worth fighting. The decision remains yours.

Let me clarify a few things for you to ease your mind
They cannot add charges. Only a court can do that.
The onus of proof in civil case is on the plaintiff not the defendant (i.e. you)
A court will not take their word over yours without some evidence to corroborate it.
You don't have to admit anything or incriminate yourself.
To get this to court - they have to prove you were the driver, prove you saw the signs, prove you understood the signs and agreed to the contract, prove you breached the contract and finally prove that the charges are reasonable damages and not penalties which are illegal in contracts. (That is quite hard to do all that with an "uncooperative" defendant)
I will warn you that they will probably try several letters, even try passing things over to a debt collection agency to try and scare you or harrass you or bully you into paying up. Stand firm and the eventually they will give up."

Lovingthepink · 06/10/2008 16:31

The same happened to us in Havant during the summer. We parked and had lunch and then looked in hobbycraft (I could spend hours in there)

I got my ticket a few weeks later. I phoned the car park people and explained that we were in McD and hobbycraft. They said if I faxed them receipts to say I had spent over thirty pounds during the time I was there I would be let off. Fortunately I had paid in McD with switch so sent them our bank statement and I bought some bits in hobbycraft. They let me off.

Might be worth calling them.

FioFio · 06/10/2008 16:32

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn

elkiedee · 06/10/2008 16:33

No advice but I can perfectly understand that it wouldn't occur to you. I don't drive but it seems a bit ridiculous for such places to have such a short time limit. Particularly as they have a play area for kids as well, that doesn't suggest that you're only allowed to stay for the time needed to eat your food.

How about trying to get them some bad publicity in your local paper? It might not help get the fine dropped but I'd be out for revenge as well as trying to get the fine dropped.

I noticed the Channel 4 website article mentioned a couple being threatened for taking too long in Tesco. OK, we don't drive but we've spent lengthy periods of time in our local supermarket and surrounding shops, by the time we've looked at baby clothes in a couple of places, hung out in a cafe, changed a nappy and taken it in turns to go to the toilet ourselves.

beanieb · 06/10/2008 16:33

hopefully this will make you feel better!

Original poster
missscarlett · 06/10/2008 16:35

I cannot express how much I don't want to pay it. Money's pretty tight here at the moment, but it's more that, it just seems like they're trying to rip me off.

OP posts:
beanieb · 06/10/2008 16:36

stop me if I am repeating myself.

you could pay it, you could be one of the 100's of people who do. Wouldn't you rather be one of the 10's of people who refuse to be bullied into paying something you don't have to pay.

wordgirl · 06/10/2008 16:39

Private parking companies don't have a legal leg to stand on. I got a ticket in my office car park for not displaying the correct permit. I just wrote to them saying I would not be paying it (there are templates on the Consumer Action Group site). I think they wrote back once and again I replied saying I would not be paying. I have heard nothing further from them.
If it ever got to court (which is highly unlikely) I think they can only claim reasonable damages which is never going to be £75 for staying in a parking place for an extra few minutes.

wordgirl · 06/10/2008 16:39

I am crossing posts all over the shop with beanieb - she is definitely right. DON'T PAY IT!

beanieb · 06/10/2008 16:41

Wordgirl, you probably know more though cos I haven't ever had this happen to me I am just posting link after link

Original poster
missscarlett · 06/10/2008 16:43

ok - so I won't pay - should I just completely ignore their letter or send one back stating that I am refusing to pay?

OP posts:
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