If you are going to Cornwall, please be aware of Initial Parking car parks..

[BoodleBug51]

We went for a week in March, and have had a £100 and a £60 fine. The £100 one was for going over the ticket time by 7 yes 7 minutes, and the £60 was for driving in, deciding it was too windy to walk and driving out again........ but we didn't get a ticket.

This was St Michael's Mount, Marazion and Fistral Beach. DH is apopletic with rage over it all.

Thought I'd pass a friendly warning on.

You are complaining about a fine you received for exceeding the time, when you did, in fact, exceed the time?

Regarding the second fine - I did a week temping for one of these companies years ago, things might have changed, but back then it worked like: The tickets are automatically system generated, they scan your plate on the way in and out, if they can see no ticket is purchased for the vehicle an automatic ticket is issued. You can contest the ticket, and if upon review it could be seen there was no actual parking then it would be rescinded. Obviously it may not be the same company, and it has been a few years, but I suggest contesting the second fine. Though it may depend on whether you actually parked up and spent time dilly dallying about whether to walk or not. Or if it was a zip in and out.

£100 for 7 minutes parking would put some families in serious financial difficulties following a holiday.

I had a ticket like this recently with a different company (I went over by 10 minutes) . I wrote them a polite articulate calm letter noting the accuracy of the overrun but explaining my timings and that I hadn't abused the facilities deliberately and had every desire to comply with the conditions of the space, that while there had been a delay in my timely departure my intentions were within the spirit of the use and conditions.
Legally they could have taken no notice, there is precedent for that, but actually they wrote it off and it went away.
So, keep calm, write an email and engage with them as humans and see what happens.
www.britishparking.co.uk/bpa-approved-operators

www.popla.co.uk/

And thanks for the warning. I felt sick to the stomach when mine arrived as we couldn't afford it though would have had to find the money.
But do engage with them and ask them to rescind, as pp said they are auto generated usually and they aren't always bastards if you give them a chance.

If I was 7 mins over the paid parking, I would be expecting a ticket!

Where I live, the wardens start stalking cars once there is under 5 mins left of the paid time
The second it clicks over the paid time, there is a ticket slapped on

By 7 mins past, they are probably coming back to put a second ticket on!

I think the money saving expert site usually has up to date advice on what you can do in these circumstances so I suggest you check on there.

The £100 ticket is fair enough. If you can’t afford a fine - don’t be late.

The other one needs contesting.

Check if they are members of the ATA if so they are signed up to a 10 minute grace period, in which case if you appeal and state that you were only 7minutes, they should remind the fine. If not check with the appropriate government body.

Sorry, should say recind the fine

Also be aware of any Alliance Parking operated car parks. There are several on the north coast. They charge you from the moment you enter the car park, regardless of whether you find a space or not and lots of people have been caught out with fines, often given months later. I don't know how they get away with it.

They control a number of car parks in the Lake District. Try to avoid them. Goggle them and you find excoriating comments.

How long were you in the second car park? I thought that a lot of car parks with automatic number plate recognition had a few minute grace period when you enter?

I agree. It seems like a scam to trap the unsuspecting tourists. I went with my newborn daughter to one of their parkings last year. They have a camera somewhere to note the time of your entry and exit which is bound to be longer from you getting out to buy the ticket and leaving. Plus the time to get baby out and get her in prem. Plus the initial machine that I used was not working so had to walk to another machine to purchase ticket. They sent me ticket saying I did not pay for 12 minutes of extra time. I appealed against it in ombudsman but no point. Looks like a fixed game to extort money. Gives a bad name to not just their particular parking but entire Cornwall as this company has many many parkings there.