Parking your motorhome at supermarkets when shopping - fines,?

[JRT]

So how much did they reap because vehicles being forced into bus lane.... what were you supposed to do.. stop and wait for the bollards to be removed..
That IMO is definately worth pursuing!

Absolutely agree 100% ok it's only 30 quid but allowing council bureaucrats to get away with that is not acceptable IMHO.

 

[minesapint]

I received a 'fine' from Horizon parking who manage the parking at our local Tesco. I wasn't in the motorhome at the time but it just got me thinking about parking the motorhome there as I often do this on trips.

Basically I was 'fined' for 'not parking within a marked bay.' on this occasion my excuse was there are some barriers up so the marked bays are not long enough for safe parking. Me and several others parked longways across the bays instead. I went back and people were still doing this (no temporary signs saying not to). Horizon making a mint out of Tesco customers in this particular situation then.

Anyway, on a more general note - anyone been 'fined' in a supermarket for parking a motorhome a across 2 or more bays?

Would be interested in any thoughts about how to approach this particular situation too!

View attachment 884583

Today...

View attachment 884584

Easy answer after this is just not to shop at Tesco, if they have rented their car park to money grabbers.

 

[Sharkfighter]

The advice to ignore is years out of date. If you ignore you’ll potentially end up with a county court judgement against you. The parking charge notice is a speculative invoice from the parking company. Only police and local authorities can issue fines, these are penalty charge notices.
What you need to do in the first instance is contact the store manager and ask them to cancel the ticket, if the car park is just for their store they can do that. After all you are a customer that was using the facilities but couldn’t park properly as they had partially blocked some parking.
If the manager won’t help then you need to start collecting your evidence in order to appeal the charge, photos of the area you parked in and the signs displayed. When you appeal always use the third person, the driver did this etc.
Next go to pepipoo.com, this is a forum that gives advice on how to deal with this, it’s been around for years and very good.
If you choose to do nothing then potentially it’s going to cost you money and having a black mark on your credit rating .
The Protection of Freedoms Act covers this, the parking company can chase the keeper for the money and not the driver, if they don’t know who it is and they have 6 years to do it. If it was in Scotland then they can only chase the driver, which you don’t tell them and tell them to do one as the Protection of Freedoms Act doesn’t apply there and the driver is liable.

 

[DelMar]

Tesco Extra near us have a three hour parking limit, presumably o prevent it being used as an all day car park by commuters . and surely three hours is more than enough to do a weeks shopping .. and have a coffee

We don’t get three hours, so don’t assume. It could be that someone has a disability or some problem. Luckily we don’t, but still not the fastest on two legs. As I said it was Christmas, not a weekly shop. Coffee comes in a few minutes, lunch takes a lot longer.

 

[Davecrawf]

I received a 'fine' from Horizon parking who manage the parking at our local Tesco. I wasn't in the motorhome at the time but it just got me thinking about parking the motorhome there as I often do this on trips.

Basically I was 'fined' for 'not parking within a marked bay.' on this occasion my excuse was there are some barriers up so the marked bays are not long enough for safe parking. Me and several others parked longways across the bays instead. I went back and people were still doing this (no temporary signs saying not to). Horizon making a mint out of Tesco customers in this particular situation then.

Anyway, on a more general note - anyone been 'fined' in a supermarket for parking a motorhome a across 2 or more bays?

Would be interested in any thoughts about how to approach this particular situation too!

View attachment 884583

Today...

View attachment 884584

I was fine in the Wentworth car park in Hexham a few years ago. I did park considerately, however my wheels were just over the white line

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[JRT]

I spoke to a guy in Settle last week as I noticed his car wheel was outside the white lines of the bay in the (??council) car park.

"If I were you mate I'd make sure you are in the space".

Shrugs shoulders and walks off.

Guess what was stuck to his windscreen when we returned to our car?

You can't help some folk.

They nabbed a few that day including ones in the market square not displaying a parking disc in the 2 hour disc zone.

 

[Spriddler]

That was your decision, but if all drivers did that imagine how much the Council would reap during the period that all traffic was diverted around the repairs that probably took many hours. Not to speak of the rake-off if any contractor was involved in operating the scheme.

I agree that it wasn't very public spirited to pay up, but at 79 I've given up getting myself hot under the collar about life's unfairness or what others are benefiting from it. (You're also a sailor, Geoff, so you'll know that worse things happen at sea ).

 

[VXman]

Easy answer after this is just not to shop at Tesco, if they have rented their car park to money grabbers.

It's pretty much standard nowadays for supermarkets to employ a external company to manage parking, particularly if it is in a bust area where people might park in the Tesco car park while visiting other shops.

 

[8250]

I received a 'fine' from Horizon parking who manage the parking at our local Tesco. I wasn't in the motorhome at the time but it just got me thinking about parking the motorhome there as I often do this on trips.

Basically I was 'fined' for 'not parking within a marked bay.' on this occasion my excuse was there are some barriers up so the marked bays are not long enough for safe parking. Me and several others parked longways across the bays instead. I went back and people were still doing this (no temporary signs saying not to). Horizon making a mint out of Tesco customers in this particular situation then.

Anyway, on a more general note - anyone been 'fined' in a supermarket for parking a motorhome a across 2 or more bays?

Would be interested in any thoughts about how to approach this particular situation too!

View attachment 884583

Today...

View attachment 884584

With my daytime job I need to spend long periods waiting for people and use all the main supermarkets as I can get food do some shopping and nip to the loo if needed. I have had a couple of tickets over the years and other drivers in the industry have also had them.
Contacting the local manager will usually do the job but if they don’t agree to cancel it (they have full control over cancelling any tickets) They will try a few letters but it is private land and they have no enforcement powers so WILL NOT TAKE YOU TO COURT feel free to contact me if you would like more info.
Tony

 

[Dogstoat]

Something that has worked for me several times in respect of (non road) parking tickets...

Demand a copy of the land registry certificate for the land on which you had parked
Demand a copy of the agreement between said named person on the land registry certificate and the parking company.

You are entitled to this to prove that the alleged 'breach of contract' has any validity at all. Otherwise, any scammer could start making demands of you. You are entitled to satisfy yourself that the debt claim against you is lawful.

If you appeared in front of a County Court judge for the alleged debt and demanded proof of the audit trail the judge would be duty bound to have it established or to dismiss the claim. The judge would also be furious that court time was taken up because the parking company had failed to prove the said audit trail previously.

The simple fact is that parking companies do not want to go to all this trouble and that can work in your favour.

I don't deliberately park illegally but when I have fallen foul I have used this tactic to great effect.

Just something to consider....

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[Conniedriving]

Think your find it’s not a (Fine) as only a court of law can issue a fine
It’s more a invoice they would have to take you to court to get the money

 

[VXman]

Think your find it’s not a (Fine) as only a court of law can issue a fine
It’s more a invoice they would have to take you to court to get the money

Yes - I know. That's why I wrote fine in brackets. 'fine'. It's a charge. By parking on their land you agree to their conditions and if you violate them they can charge you.

I know it is an approach to ignore and they might give up eventually, but they could possibly take you to court. They will certainly hassle you for a while. My approach will be to appeal to their better nature (if they have one!) and if not pay it by the due date which will result in a £40 bill rather than a £70 one. I'd rather lose £40 than the worry of what might happen down the line.

 

[gus-lopez]

Appealed waste of time and told the signage was clear so had to pay up.

It is only clear if it is A) pointed out to you or B) you go looking for it , which you did but afterwards. It would never occur to me to A) go looking for a notice in a car park as I expect it to be free unless it is pay & display. & B) if no one has informed me of the conditions how do I know?
They still try to scam you though even illegally & criminally thinking you are a foreigner.

By parking on their land you agree to their conditions

But only if you are informed. I do not go "informing myself" it would never occur to me nor do I expect there to be any type of limit

and if you violate them they can charge you.

as above you can't violate what you do not know & if they wish me to know then inform me.
I never have a problem in the UK & on the one occasion I did in a pay & display he said it wasn't even worth the bother ticketing me, being foreign.

 

[nicholsong]

It is only clear if it is A) pointed out to you or B) you go looking for it , which you did but afterwards. It would never occur to me to A) go looking for a notice in a car park as I expect it to be free unless it is pay & display. & B) if no one has informed me of the conditions how do I know?
They still try to scam you though even illegally & criminally thinking you are a foreigner.

But only if you are informed. I do not go "informing myself" it would never occur to me nor do I expect there to be any type of limit

as above you can't violate what you do not know & if they wish me to know then inform me.
I never have a problem in the UK & on the one occasion I did in a pay & display he said it wasn't even worth the bother ticketing me, being foreign.

Glad to hear that, but at same time I have little desire to visit UK in a MH.

 

[Silver-Fox]

How on earth do you deduce that??? the red car is me - you cannot see the rest of the car park!

If you can’t see the rest of the car park then neither can they.

You can state it was half empty and they wouldn’t know

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[VXman]

If you can see the rest of the car park then neither can they.

You can state it was half empty and they wouldn’t know

I doubt that would affect their decision anyway.

 

[VXman]

Well, a bit of a result. I emailed Tesco CEO (ken.murphy@uk.tesco.com) One of his minions replied.

Dear Mr Coveney,
Thanks for getting in touch.
I was sorry to learn that you had received a parking charge notice for parking outwith the alloted parking spaces in our carpark. I can only imagine how frustrating and disappointing this must have been for you to receive this.
There are 12 signs in total at the entrance and throughout the carpark advising the terms and conditions of use of the carpark. I am sorry that these were not clear to you when you have been visiting the store.
As a gesture of goodwill, and as a one off to say sorry for your poor experience. I will now contact Horizon Parking and ask them to cancel the parking charge notice you were issued with. As the maintenance work will be ongoing for several more weeks, I would advise you to ensure that your vehicle is parked within the boundaries of the parking space to prevent this from happening again.
Kind regards
Fiona Kitching

I don't agree with the 12 signs. I saw 2. There may be more signs telling you to look for other signs.
I am disappointed they haven't said that the store will stop people parking here with barriers or a temporary sign as I fear many others will pay up.

But hey, at least I don't have to decide whether to fight this any further or not.

I have learned though this process. I did pay up £40 a few years ago as I thought it was a fair cop when I parked for 5 hours while attending a theatre nearby a Tesco. That was when I thought Supermarkets had unlimited free parking. Now I'm a little wise. There is a whole forum on this sort of stuff which is very useful and educational!

Parking tickets, fines & parking

Confused about parking penalties and fines? Get help with all kinds of car parking problems.

forums.moneysavingexpert.com

Maybe while I have his attention I should ask Ken if he wants motorhomes shopping at Tesco?

 

[Michael Gaylor]

I had the same problem with Horizon last week parked in a disabled bay at Tesco forgot to put disabled badge up ( first time) just got in the door somebody said your getting a ticket so went to reception desk next to the entrance spoke to the women who came out to my car and said we have nothing to do with Horizon had ticket e few days later phoned horizon they said I can appeal which I did and you can go into any Tesco and say you are disabled and they register you .like me you forget and then you don’t pay any fine so that was straight from horizons,

 

[VXman]

I had the same problem with Horizon last week parked in a disabled bay at Tesco forgot to put disabled badge up ( first time) just got in the door somebody said your getting a ticket so went to reception desk next to the entrance spoke to the women who came out to my car and said we have nothing to do with Horizon had ticket e few days later phoned horizon they said I can appeal which I did and you can go into any Tesco and say you are disabled and they register you .like me you forget and then you don’t pay any fine so that was straight from horizons,

My wife got a ticket from Horizon a while back when she took her 96 yr old mother shopping and parked in disabled. She forgot to put the badge up. She appealed to Horizon and enclosed a picture of the disabled badge. They cancelled immediately.

I don't mind them being hot on disabled spaces as people do take the mick. Also drop off points -forever being used by lazy drivers popping in for something. Where I don't like them is charging people (often incorrectly) for overstaying for a few minutes or being slightly outside a line. In my case I wasn't causing an inconvenience - just using a bit of common sense in an extra ordinary situation.

 

[Spriddler]

There's far too much aggravating technology these days.
I parked my car in pouring rain near to a pub to attend a pal's wake but the only payment method was by smart phone which I don't have. A pal had also just parked and tried to pay for each of us but he couldn't get a signal. We both moved and parked in a distant side street. Coming home after the wake I was diverted by emergency roadworks into a bus lane and received a £30 fine in the post. Coming out of Tesco last week my trolley wheel locked up at the exit. The security chap asked me for my receipt but I never bother with them so I had to go back to the same self-checkout and an assistant produced it. The chap then went through checking off all my shopping.
I'd move to a croft on a Hebridean island if the weather wasn't so rough up there.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[The Old Man]

The motorhome takes anything from two to four spaces, so;

I park near the rear.
Take a photo.
Report myself to the door Security Person and note the name.
Show the photo and explain the problem.

Usually that ends with an 'OK'.

Any issues, ask for the Shift Manager.

It has always ended there and ususally takes less than Five minutes.

 

[Puddleduck]

I've parked in a very quiet part of the supermarket carpark (across 2 bays) near where the delivery vans are parked across several bays and then gone to customer services and asked them if it was okay to leave it like that. They take a note at my request and I've never had a refusal nor a parking invoice.

Perhaps the markings are obscured by the delivery vans.

 

[VXman]

The motorhome takes anything from two to four spaces, so;

I park near the rear.
Take a photo.
Report myself to the door Security Person and note the name.
Show the photo and explain the problem.

Usually that ends with an 'OK'.

Any issues, ask for the Shift Manager.

It has always ended there and ususally takes less than Five minutes.

Not convinced that will protect you from the likes of Horizon and other 3rd party parking companies. Tesco will just say it is not their responsibility. Security or Shift managers have no authority and will not be stopping the Parking company from coming and ticketing you. You may not know until a week later when the bill arrives. Asking to see the shift manager every time I want to pop into do some shopping would be a pain anyway. I reckon it's a case of letting the wife do the shopping while I laze around in the van on guard will be the way forward in future!

 

[VXman]

I've parked in a very quiet part of the supermarket carpark (across 2 bays) near where the delivery vans are parked across several bays and then gone to customer services and asked them if it was okay to leave it like that. They take a note at my request and I've never had a refusal nor a parking invoice.

Perhaps the markings are obscured by the delivery vans.

Probably just a case of luck. I have parked across 4 bays on many occasions in the last 3 years and never had a problem either. However, on this occasion - in a car I did. ¯\(ツ)/¯

In the case of Horizon parking I guess they don't have a parking 'enforcement officer' in 24 hours. They will probably pop in a random times and ticket as many as they can. 'Are you feeling lucky?'

Certainly I will be reading signs carefully in the future.

 

[The Old Man]

Not convinced that will protect you from the likes of Horizon and other 3rd party parking companies. Tesco will just say it is not their responsibility. Security or Shift managers have no authority and will not be stopping the Parking company from coming and ticketing you. You may not know until a week later when the bill arrives. Asking to see the shift manager every time I want to pop into do some shopping would be a pain anyway. I reckon it's a case of letting the wife do the shopping while I laze around in the van on guard will be the way forward in future!

I've never been ticketed not photoed and rightly or wrongly Security often given me a verbal 'go ahead.'

Waitrose.
Morrisons.
ASDA.

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}

 

[VXman]

Easy answer after this is just not to shop at Tesco, if they have rented their car park to money grabbers.

Well, that would be punishing myself as it's the nearest supermarket to me and i am happy with the food, prices, shopping experience.

Anyway - check yourself next time you park in a supermarket. Most of the big players use companies to manage their car parks. As far as i am aware there is no 'renting'. they allow the parking company to 'manage' the parking. It makes their life easier and saves them money (keeping food prices down).

Just to add - in case you missed it - Tesco have cancelled my 'charge' after me emailing the UK CEO.

 

[VXman]

I've never been ticketed not photoed and rightly or wrongly Security often given me a verbal 'go ahead.'

Waitrose.
Morrisons.
ASDA.

Me neither for 30 years.....until now!

 

[ElliesBoss]

Just got back from our local Tesco store. Carpark probably about half full. Couple of large vans (and a bus!) parked at the far end. Of the cars I would estimate one in five had at least one wheel outside of the marked parking bays. Rich pickings for carpark management company. However I was not able to locate any signs posted to warn of charges etc so perhaps not all stores are affected?

 

[nicholsong]

Here in Poland both LeClerc opposite us and Lidl down the road have just introduced charges for >2 hours, presumably to stop local workers and commuters using the CPs.

There are no marked spaces and no height barriers, so it is not very restrictive and seems sensible. There is a machine to pay but I have not seen any patrols.

 

[jerryz]

Brighton is a Bus lane trap , even crossing them to turn into a junction or destination can get you a fine ,, also some roads are so badly marked its easy to turn into a access only bus lane at Old steine ,, the markings have eroded .. when I was still living there i had 6 in 3 years and fought them all and won ,, but the council is cynical and know that 68% of people will just pay up,, even when its not valid so its a good earner ...They have removed over 800 parking bays recently and more than 50 disabled bays to make unused cycle lanes and electric only bays ... glad I dont live there anymore ... Last week council was forced by a court ruling to cancel thousands of tickets people when roadworks diversion on A259 at peacehaven sanctioned by council forced drivers into bus lane for almost a mile .... bloody idiots,,,, a real clowncil
Top

^{_{Subscribers  do not see these advertisements}}