Parking ticket in Asda car park - Is this legal, can they take me to court?

DCodd

pineapple wrote: »

I agree. Supermarket car parks are not there so you can avoid pay and display car parks. They are primarily a resource for the shop and for the convenience of customers. A 2 hour limit ensures a turnaround. It also ensures that I can roll up and get a space without it being clogged by selfish pr*cks who are off having a shopping spree in town.

It's very simple, if the Supermarket wishes to enforce the parking limits then they must do so within the law and that is contractual law, if they do not wish to follow the law then they have to right to close the car park to the public. It is their choice (unless a car park is a term of their planning permission), but I know that they won't want to close the car park as it allows them to trade.

If you wish to use the law then you must abide by it.

Harry_Flashman

pineapple wrote: »

I agree. Supermarket car parks are not there so you can avoid pay and display car parks.

But they are very useful for that (especially the one in my town).

sarahg1969

pineapple wrote: »

I agree. Supermarket car parks are not there so you can avoid pay and display car parks. They are primarily a resource for the shop and for the convenience of customers. A 2 hour limit ensures a turnaround. It also ensures that I can roll up and get a space without it being clogged by selfish pr*cks who are off having a shopping spree in town.

Funnily enough, the Aldi and Tesco in our town are not solely for the use of their shoppers. They might look like they are, and Aldi have put up signs saying that "penalties are in force" if you stay more than 90 minutes (Tesco haven't done the same), but I happen to know that it was part of their planning consent that they offered parking to people visiting the town, and that Aldi can't penalise anyone for parking there.

mangomangotree

He should pay the £20 and take it as a lesson. Don't be lazy, if you are not disabled, do not park in disabled spaces. It is not that hard!

sarahg1969

mangomangotree wrote: »

He should pay the £20 and take it as a lesson. Don't be lazy, if you are not disabled, do not park in disabled spaces. It is not that hard!

As the original post is six years old, Asda are just about running out of time if they want to take this to court. I'm guessing it's all forgotten about by now.

mangomangotree

sarahg1969 wrote: »

As the original post is six years old, Asda are just about running out of time if they want to take this to court. I'm guessing it's all forgotten about by now.

What in the world was it doing in the recent updated posts then? :rotfl:

Harry_Flashman

sarahg1969 wrote: »

Funnily enough, the Aldi and Tesco in our town are not solely for the use of their shoppers. They might look like they are, and Aldi have put up signs saying that "penalties are in force" if you stay more than 90 minutes (Tesco haven't done the same), but I happen to know that it was part of their planning consent that they offered parking to people visiting the town, and that Aldi can't penalise anyone for parking there.

In my town we have Tesco, Sainsbury and Wilkinsons with pretty large free car parks and a couple of pay and display council ones.

Anyone with any sense will use the supermarket ones and I've never seen either Sainsburys or Tescos car parks totally full (Wilkos does get that way as it's right n the middle of town).

It's a bit like the Disabled spaces - everyone seems to say that you shouldn't park in 'em -ever! But I've never seens 'em all taken up yet - especially late at night or early in the morning.

Driver8

PRIVATE PARKING TICKETS - DON'T PAY!
IT IS NOT A FINE! YOU HAVE DONE NOTHING ILLEGAL!

This is an information page for the thousands of people who receive "tickets" from private companies in the UK ever day at supermarkets, retail parks, and in any other privately-owned carpark.

We are NOT encouraging anybody to openly flout parking restrictions on private land, or to refuse to pay reasonable charges for parking. Landowners have a right to make reasonable charges for the use of their land.

For advice specific to your case, you should visit the forums at http://forums.pepipoo.com or http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/parking-traffic-offences.

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/forumdisplay.php?f=163

1. What you should know about these companies

It is important to remember that private parking companies (or PPCs as they are often called) have NO OFFICIAL POWERS - that's right, none at all! They give out their "tickets" on the basis that you have seen the signs in their car park and that you have therefore agreed to a contract obliging you to pay a certain sum of money.


2. What happens to people who don't pay?

In 99.9% of cases, absolutely NOTHING! The company pays the DVLA £2.50 to get your address, and then sends lots of threatening letters. In the main, these letters can be safely IGNORED. The only way the company can actually force you to pay is by taking you to the small claims court, which costs them even more money. And they are by no means guaranteed to win! And they practically never do.

The two main reasons for this (among others) are the following:

- Only the person DRIVING the car could ever have agreed to any such parking contract. The company can only get the Registered Keeper's address from the DVLA: you don't have to tell them who was driving.

-Many of these charges are so extortionately high that they constitute a penalty, which is unenforceable in a consumer contract.


3. Can they affect my credit rating?

NO! The only way your credit rating could be affected by ignoring private parking companies is if you were taken to court, lost, and then still refused to pay. But they will not take you to court.



IN SHORT

The vast majority of the time, you can safely IGNORE tickets from private parking companies, they are not official fines.

The vast majority of the time, you can safely IGNORE the threatening letters, including those from debt collection agencies.

You DO NOT have to pay a penny of your hard-earned money to these companies. Remember that the chances of being taken to court are very slim indeed.

DO NOT IGNORE COURT PAPERS!
If you receive real court papers from a private parking company (very rare) then you should go to http://forums.pepipoo.com or http://www.consumeractiongroup.co.uk/forum/parking-traffic-offences for help defending the claim. Do not be afraid to sign up and ask questions regarding any paperwork you are not sure about.

Don’t believe the above? Watch a solicitor on Watchdog advising you what to do with the scam invoices.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XAIcdi9niHA

THEY ARE NOT FINES

Only the Police, Courts or Council’s can fine you. NOT a private company, please remember that.

mrkester

Hi.

Probably going over old ground, but got a ticket off Town & City Parking, whilst in Sainsbury's today. Stopped 2 1/2 hours as opposed to 2. Got the ticket. £60 reduced to £30 if paid now.

Ignore?

trisontana

mrkester wrote: »

Hi.

Probably going over old ground, but got a ticket off Town & City Parking, whilst in Sainsbury's today. Stopped 2 1/2 hours as opposed to 2. Got the ticket. £60 reduced to £30 if paid now.

Ignore?

Yes. Nothing else to add.