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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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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:

beanieb · 06/10/2008 16:47

I think you should send a letter back and also send a letter to macdonalds.

they will (accordign to the sites I linked to) keep writing to you and they May threaten you with baliffs but they won't persue it all the way to court.

another link specifically about MET parking.

Original poster

missscarlett · 06/10/2008 16:59

Beanie - thank you!
From the MET parking link....

"Don't worry. It's a scam and they know that. They try and scare you so you'll be tricked into paying.

? do not pay
? do not contact them
? ignore any letters you receive, no matter how threatening
? they will go away after 4 or 5 letters
? don't pay any attention to their lies about CCJs, court costs, owner liability etc. They are all pure fabrication
? they will not take you to court
? debt collectors are equally powerless.They'll just take over the letter writing and then leave you alone. The debt collectors are often the parking company under a different guise. All part of the scam.

Don't worry and get on with your life. Nothing will happen if you ignore them."

Phew!

OP posts:

squatchette · 06/10/2008 17:06

This happened to me at a BOOTHS i use .I had done my shopping there then used the chemist next door.Due to a problem on my dds prescription i then went across the road back to the hospital for 10 mins to sort it out(where i'd been before doing the shopping).
I got a ticket a few weeks later phoned up to explain myself and say i'm a ft carer no money to pay etc. They said then we'll just fine you even more .I said you do that i'll take my chances in court ,never heard anything else about it after the letter putting the fine up.
Also was fined for returning to a car park within 3 hours despite spending plenty of money.I didn't pay they wrote to me putting up the fine and i ignored them .Once again i heard nothing more about it.
BTW this approach doesn't work with normal fixed penalty notices given by traffic wardens etc.Unfortunately they don't just go away.

MsSparkle · 06/10/2008 17:08

I'd ignore them and if they contact you again i would say i want proof of your over stay.

catweazle · 06/10/2008 17:45

My DSs work at McDs and say you get 1 hr 45 parking. They brought in the restriction because people were leaving their cars in the carpark (not a very big car park) for whole weekends. They also said that if you go in and tell them your car has been there for over the time and you've actually been in McDs they note it anyway.

I see that forum says they can't make you pay, I'd be interested to know if anyone has ended up with a CCJ or similar for not paying.

ilovemydog · 06/10/2008 17:50

I think the issue is whether you were a customer with legitimate right to be there, which you were. I'd call the manager of McDonalds and say that you were there the whole time and get him to write a letter on your behalf, and use it if necessary. These companies work for the busineeses there...

Original poster

missscarlett · 06/10/2008 17:59

I've been reading all the info on the links that you lovely Mumsnetters have posted, and I think that McDonalds will not be interested in the fact that I spent the whole time in there. Judging by what other people on the consumer forums have said, McDonalds accept no responsibilty for the parking company and will not get involved. The parking comany apparently are not able to fine you, what they give is an invoice which basically won't stand up in court. They apparently very rarely take anyone to court because legally, it's a very grey area and they're not likely to win - they just send lots of nasty letters. Hopefully, they'll get bored of hassling me and give up!

OP posts:

lovecat · 06/10/2008 19:46

The Mickey D's in Leytonstone is notorious for this - I took DD to a party there a few months back and we got a letter too! Have successfully ignored (well, no-one's turned up from the County Court or the baliffs as yet!), as far as I'm concerned we were at a bleedin' party on their premises, so they haven't got a leg to stand on.

Parking in Leytonstone is terrible, Tesco introduced a 2 hour limit earlier this year and the McD's signs went up a little while after that. It's a plot, I tells ya....

Try the one in Newbury park if it's not too far away, that's got a good slide/climbing frame thing (not as huge as the Leytonstone one) and you can park next door in the retail park for as long as you like (although they lock the gates when the shops shut so beware on Sundays!)

MrsGuyOfGisbourne · 06/10/2008 19:51

YABU - they have signs everywhwere.

Sushipaws · 06/10/2008 19:57

This happened to my dh in a private car park, they tried to fine him, then doubled it, then doubled that. He called them up and told them to prove he was acually in the car park for the time they said. They sent him 3 more letters but couldn't send proof he'd parked there. They then turned it over to thier debt collecting company that sent us a fairly nasty letter which we shredded. In the end they got a lawyer involved and we called the lawyer to say they couldn't even prove we were in the carpark, so they dropped it.

Don't pay, it's a nasty scam, especially when your using the McD's.

pickledparsnips · 06/10/2008 20:44

can they prove it?

cupsoftea · 06/10/2008 20:50

Does MacD put a time limit on the time you can be parked whilst using their restaurant? If you sit there all day spending your cash on coffee & meals could they charge you for 'overstaying'. Send your till receipts, get them to find cctv footage to show you were a paying customer. If this is how they treat the people who keep their business going it's awful.

J2O · 06/10/2008 21:47

reading this thread with interest.
I know i'm going to get slated for admitting to it, but dp accidently parked in a disabled space last week ( he thought it was a parent and child bay for some reason) and am wondering if all those links would help to avoid paying the £75 that he got fined.

catweazle · 07/10/2008 17:08

cupsoftea no, if you are actually in there for longer than 1 hr 45 (why would you be?) you tell the lobby staff. It was brought in because of people using the free parking to go off and do something else.

greatdanelady · 07/12/2011 18:00

I am going through this at the moment. Please ignore all letters and do not reply to anything. There letters will become very threatening and scary but I find this all very amusing as it means nothing. They can not get a CCJ unless they take you to court which they will not nor can they send bailiffs round for the same reason. The onus is on them to prove you were driving, remember if you are caught by proper police speed cameras you have to admit it is you, or get a massive fine. These are not official tickets they are private companies trying to rip you off. If you ignore they will stop eventually sending you letters but beware they will sound scary. If you do reply or converse with this company you are admitting liability and then could be taken to court so ignorance is bliss.

LikeAnAdventCandleButNotQuite · 07/12/2011 18:13

AFAIK, the only parking fines we are legally obliged to pay are those issued by the Council or the Police. On everything else, stand firm and they will eventually (may take 18 months) give up.

The company can only claim for loss of income, and as they do not claim an income on the carparks (not pay-parking) they cannot claim this, or anything else from you. I am also of the understanding that they have to prove that you contractually agreed to the parking rules by entering the car park which they must have to prove. A photograph of your car is not sufficient, as a car is not able to enter a contract.

tallulah · 07/12/2011 18:22

greatdanelady this thread is 3 years old so the person who posted it has already sorted it out one way or another.

amicissima · 07/12/2011 18:25

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Bloodymary · 07/12/2011 18:27

How on earth does anyone manage to stumble across a thread that is over 3 years old???????

amicissima · 07/12/2011 18:28

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

DeWe · 07/12/2011 18:47

She's posted in another thread about parking charges that was a couple months old. Different story in that one though.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/1251390-BOYCOTTING-SAINSBURYS-Unfair-parking-ticket-and-shoddy-customer-services-from-Sainsburys-store-manager?pg=5#

RomanChristingle · 07/12/2011 19:19

This happened to dh. He emailed them saying that they had no authority to fine him and that he wouldn't be paying their invoice, He also invoiced them for the email (obviously giving them a chance to pay a lower amount if they paid straight away ).
We had one more email off them asking us to pay and dh restated that he would not be paying and that any further correspondence would be unopened/binned. We didn't hear from them again.

OldMumsy · 07/12/2011 19:22

Do not pay and do not even reply. Eventually they will go away. Whatever you do do not pay them any money, the bastards....

OldMumsy · 07/12/2011 19:25

Just to expand we got rid of one of these from Parking Eye, they go away eventually. And I would recommend not spending money at places that do this to their customers.

buggyRunner · 07/12/2011 19:28

As an ex mgr from them I just want to clarify a few things.

it is highly unlikely to be the restaurant fining you but a parking company on their behalf. There will be cameras and your time in and out will be recorded - similar to most mac stay free shopping car parks/ tescos etc
you could try to go in to the store and speak to the business mgr, if the store is franchised ask to write to the franchisee. I used to be able to email the car park company (if early enough) and get the ticket revoked.

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