Watch out if parking in Tesco mother and baby

[Grannybasher2]

Just a quick note to all carers of small children (grandma myself, come child minder). I recently visited Tesco with my baby grandson and managed to find a baby space which I thought great easier to get him in and out, cut a long story short I received a parking fine in the post which they are up holding. Please be careful if using Tesco parent and child spaces it could cost you.It seems they don't have the CCTV when requested it conveniently....

No I didn't stay over any time limit was perfectly in the space but their traffic attendant said I didn't have a child and that's enough to issue a ticket. When I requested the CCTV after jumping through numerous hoops proving ownership of car, identification, photographs of me and said child Tesco advised they didn't have the CCTV. So basically I parked in a child's space with a child and was still issued a fine for using a child's space. Tesco's CEO representative advised there's nothing Tesco can do about it, they cannot force Horizon who issued the fine to cancel it. So all the tesco club card points you like won't cover the cost of the ticket, court hear I come.

Surely they can't give you a ticket with no evidence, did they say it was on cctv (which they now dont have) or was it someone checking cars in person?

Well if this is about to parking in a P&C space without a child, and they've no evidence you didn't have a child... let them take you to court.

I thought P&C spaces were a matter of etiquette, not a legal issue.

Different Tescos can have different parking rules but a Google search shows this is a typical car parking policy:

If they say they can prove you didn’t have a child then they must have CCTV to back up their claim. The CCTV with therefore show you with the child if you actually had a child with you - failing that Tesco store will have CCTV of you actually in the store.
How old was the child?

I dont believe you got a parking fine in the circumstances you describe

If you lost the appeal and you still don't want to pay then don't.

They'll have to go to the bother of taking you to a small claims court and if everything you've said it true, they'll lose 🤷‍♂️

I didn't think you could fine for P&G spaces? It's not a legal requirement to have them, just a store courtesy. They can ask you to move, but no fine is enforceable.

We rarely agree but I am with you here
P&C spaces are NEVER enforced (unfortunately)

I was patiently waiting for a parent and child space the other week with my dc. Then. Huge pick up truck style car swooped in and a man on his own jumped out. I indicated PARENT AND CHILD but he just shrugged his shoulders and left. I hope that twat got a fine 😂

If they don’t have CCTV then how can they enforce the fine? As long as you were parked correctly within the lines, didn’t overstay, and met the conditions of the space, then I would appeal the fine.

Well that fine is not legal if as you described. Ignore it or fight it. Don't pay it.
Must admit I thought you were going to say watch out for puddles of urine.

No, a private car park can have whatever rules they want (as long as not discriminatory).
They can fine for p&c spaces just like they can have rules over how long to stay, and fine for going over. Most don’t bother with enforcing p&c spaces though.

It’s not a legal requirement to have a time limit, but a private car park can fine for staying past it.

They absolutely can give out fines for breaking the rules of parking there. It’s just that they almost never bother. Presumably because it is hard to prove, you’d need pictures of the person arriving and leaving to make sure no child was taken out/put in the car either time I guess. So more faff than it’s worth.

By fine, I mean a PCN. Which I assume is what OP means.

Tell them to fucking whistle for their "fine" as you did not breach their terms and conditions. They have told you that they have no evidence that you did indeed breach their terms as they don't have it on camera. So where is their case against you?

Just a random parking attendant’s word then?

Is it the same Horizon as the Post Office scandal?

How much was the fine OP?

I was issued with a fine when I did pay for a ticket and met all the terms and conditions. I won the appeal.

DD1 got a fine the other day in the two minutes it took her to walk over to the machine, pay for a ticket and return to the car. Thankfully it was cancelled.

PCNs are often issued erroneously, or I would say dishonestly.

Private companies cannot issue fines. You have not received a fine; you are alleged to have breached a contract with a private entity (which I imagine will be the car park operator, not Tesco), and they'll be pointing to a liquidated damages clause saying that you can be charged [insert amount(s)] for various infractions. If you don't believe you committed that infraction, don't pay and wait for them to enforce it. If they don't have CCTV I don't see how they have a case.

What is with all the posts of things that likely didnt happen recently....I thought these fines usually had a picture in with the letter?

On the letter you received from the parking company there is usually a log in where you can view the photographs they have which claim to show your infringement.

Do not ignore.

If there are no photos of you exiting the vehicle and walking away without a child then they have no proof with which to enforce the penalty invoice.

It sounds like you have already appealed? You might now receive numerous letters from a debt agency which can be ignored but if you receive a Letter Before Claim that means they intend to go to court. In which case they usually offer mediation. At that stage, if they cannot provide proof of what they claim if it usually closed.

Whatever you do, do not ignore it at it can get to £300+ if it goes to court, and if you do not attend they will win by default causing you to have a ccj