Advice on appealing a parking fine? Is the signage in small writing?

[Rosesandthorns66]

Can anyone advice regarding a parking ticket issued.
I was meant to stay on the premises while parked in the carpark.
The point about staying on the premises is in small print where you have to go close up to read it carefully.
I did shop at the farmfoods store where I was parked.
However the mistake I made was that I left the site for approximately 20 minutes and I've received a fine for that reason. I entered the carpark in the car approximately 9.01am and I paid for my shopping at the till at 9.40pm.

Any helful suggestions on appealing this parking fine.
The sign should really say clearly customer parking on, but its ridiculously worded in small writing.

• customer parking only.

Can they prove you weren’t in farmfoods for 40 mins?

Was the car park busy or were there lots of empty spaces throughout? Our local electrical store has a rule such as this. Basically parking while you are in the shop only.

How can you argue about the writing being too small to read, as in this case.

Customers parking while on the premises only is in small print.

You can ask them for a map that clearly shows the boundary that you have apparently left. They wont be able to provide one, because there isn't one.
This is a very common trick for the parking cowboys and many many people pay up as they believe they are in the wrong or simply pay to just make it go away ... Please dont pay. You will get lots of help and and advice on the moneysavingexpert.com parking tickets, fines and parking forum. Go onto the public forums where members of the public post their situations and other people help. Brilliant site.

Unfortunately yes, they have cctv footage of me leaving the carpark. Which they have included in the fine letter sent to me.

There were empty spaces.
I think some other people must have received fines aswell and now have stopped using the carpark.

I think in this case it would be very hard to argue. Small print or not it’s there.

Extenuating circumstances, you went in urgent search of a toilet.

I'd ask on the money saving expert forum; there are some really knowledgeable people on there.
I successfully fought a parking fine which came down to the parking company having an out of date contract to run the site, however I spent hours and hours taking photos of their signs and putting together documents for court to support my case. I also put together a case for my son which he lost, but again it took hours and hours to put it all together. It may be more economic to suck it up and pay the fine!

Thankyou, will this work?
Just incase they want proof of where did I use the toilet.
I'll have to ask a shopp keeper to write a note for me if it comes to that.
I was back in farmfoods at 9.40am.

You see my fine letter has a link where there are pictures of me leaving the carpark right upto the main road.

Yes thankyou.
Unfortunately it appears to be a case where I will end up having to pay the fine.
I have emailed farmfoods if they will ask the carparking company to waive the fine as a gesture of goodwill as I'm their regular customer but I doubt they care.
As for the carparking company they are just bullies after peoples money.
I'll get over it, but its really upsetting because you save every penny and now its spent in this way.

I'm not well off, I'm a single parent, have 4 children and have to save whereever I can to make ends meet.
I made a mistake and will have to deal with it.

I think you’d be better off going into farm foods and speaking to the manager, harder to say no face to face I reckon.

Good luck

Tbh, I would just pay it - far less stressful.

The internet is awash with poor advice on parking fines. Whether there were empty spaces is irrelevant, for example.

In this instance, I think you have a case. Anyone looking at that sign will think they can park for 3 hours between 6am and 12am. Three of the items in small print are standard - you must park within a bay, you must display a disabled badge if using a disabled space and you must not cause a blockage. The requirement to stay on the premises is not standard. If there was no other signage indicating that drivers they can only remain in the car park while they are shopping at Farmfoods, the courts may agree that this sign is inadequate. However, I can't guarantee that an appeal to Popla would succeed or that the courts would decide in your favour.

Thankyou for your reply it is appreciated. I have an update.
Farmfoods have been very supportive, I emailed them my purchase receipt.
They have had the parking fine cancelled.

Thankyou to everyone who replied.UPDATE WITH GOOD NEWS.After I emailed my purchase receipt to Farmfoods customer services.Farmfoods customer services have emailed me to say they have had the fine cancelled.I absolutely appreciate the support that I have received from Farmfoods. They have shown a true gesture of goodwill.It shows they value their customers.I am so relieved.

Do you mean cctv of you leaving on foot? Just deny its you. Also private parking companies aren't allowed to film people i don't think, just cars. Say you weren't the driver of you are the registered keeper and just happenned to be there on foot if necessary. Or ask them for the cctv of you coming back in, which they womr have, and say you popped out to retrieve your sunglasses you had dropped out of the window just outside the range of the cameras but still within the boundary of the carpark that you have asked them for, and they won't have.

Seriously go on moneysaving expert parking forums and dont pay this. The lawyers there will have a field day with them saying you left on foot - if that's what you are saying.

Argh just wrote a lengthy post on the "red ink with a red hand pointing to it" point in Thornton v Shoe Lane Parking before seeing the update 😂

I'm so glad you didnt just pay the 'fine' as many people do. Going directly to the store manager is the right thing and is one of the first things the moneysavingexpert.com site will tell you to do. Business is bad enough for stores at the moment without them losing customers due to the cowboys that are operating in their parking areas. I always avoid such places.

Great news!
And thank you for letting us know.

Ahhh brilliant! 👊

How do they know it was you leaving by foot? Is there a camera recording all the drivers faces??

Pleased you've had the fine dropped. I was just going to come on and say always try the retailer first, and then just keep appealing the fine. It doesn’t cost you anything and they will drop it eventually. I had one that went as far as getting a date for magistrates court, they then drop it as its not cost effective to send a solicitor to court. The fines are totally disproportionate to any alleged offence. Money saving expert has all the info on what to do.

It is by no means guaranteed that they will drop it eventually. Parking companies take around 500,000 drivers to court every year to enforce their fines (and there is reason to believe this estimate is much lower than the true figure). The courts are clear that a charge of up to £100 is reasonable and will be enforced. Much of the advice online is incorrect and reflects the position prior to ParkingEye Ltd vs Beavis being decided by the Supreme Court.