Beware ALDI parking fines!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

before_hollywood

aldi here has a council car park

rules:
park within the lines and if using a blue badge display it correctly

alison999

DCFC79 wrote: »

Do people not check the aldi website to see the opening times, no aldi ive worked in opens at 8,

i wouldnt think to check the opening times when most supermarkets DO open at 8 or even earlier. Aldi is very behind the times (litterally!)

Debt_Free_Chick

I have a fundamental problem with the concept of fining someone for staying too long. It's a financial ticking off - you've been naughty and now you must pay for your naughtiness with £1s.

What harm does it do, staying too long? No-one is guaranteed a parking space anyway and the car park could be genuinely full when you decide to visit. The result is the same - you either wait or return at a later time. I wonder how much "parking time" is actually lost by those overstaying - including those who are genuinely having a "big shop" and may well be in there for hours?????? How many people are really "abusing" the system by parking in Aldi (or wherever) and then trotting off elsewhere, leaving their car in the Aldi car park??? With Aldi, in particular, they tend to occupy the less than prime retail sites and there's generally nothing else within walking distance anyway!

And what about the retail parks, where it's easy to spend most of a day, visiting three, four or more stores?

It just seems petty and unnecessary - which it is, as it's simply a money-raising scheme. Waste of time and potentially destroys any customer goodwill.

And yes ... I've been "fined" by these operators, ignored the fines (with help from MSE) and not been pursued since.

trisontana

And, of course, these "fines" are not just imposed for overstaying. They will try and "fine" you for having one wheel on a white line of the parking bay, or for parking on their own yellow lines, "P&C" spaces and "disabled" bays. All of which have no legal standing.

taxiphil

hollydays wrote: »

Then how would you suggest they solve the problem?

Local kids occasionally ride their bikes over my front lawn. I can't think of any method that would definitely stop them doing it besides buying a gun and shooting them. However I don't want to do that as it would be illegal and immoral.

Just because there's isn't a perfect solution to a problem doesn't make it acceptable to resort to unfair and unlawful solutions.

hollydays

If people do things that inconvenience others (ie parking all day in a local carpark,so that others can rarely park),they need to be made accountable.I find THAT immoral and unfair.

And I agree,unlawful solutions are not the answer.

juliescot

We live in an unfair world I am afraid.

If parking all day in a car park is an issue then someone should actively look into a workable solution.

Debt_Free_Chick

hollydays wrote: »

If people do things that inconvenience others (ie parking all day in a local carpark,so that others can rarely park),they need to be made accountable.

Just curious .... but why should they be accountable ... and to whom????

I find THAT immoral and unfair.

We're talking about parking on private ground. If that is immoral to you, then where is your remedy? Let's say that I am fined for parking on this private ground .... do you gain an advantage? In fact, do you gain anything at all?

In most cases "no" - it's just that this private parking firm issues me with a fine. If I pay this, this does not benefit you in any way whatsoever. I can understand you being cross with that - that is (partly) my point!

And I agree,unlawful solutions are not the answer.

We''re agreed then - the private parking companies have no lawful right to impose a "fine" on me

hollydays

I think we are all agreed there is no easy solution,but that doesn't make it ok.
You can believe it is immoral,without having to find a remedy-that is not for me to do...

If you are "invoiced " (happy?) for parking on private ground,if this was legal to do,it would make it less likely you would want to keep on paying out,as in council car park tickets .
As for being accountable,well we know at the moment that the BPA are not any use here,there needs to be an independant body set up to regulate.

I don't think "illegal" parking per se is intrinsically terrible, (and yes,I do know it IS not illegal )I think selfishly hogging spaces for long periods of time,rather than sharing out the spaces for shorter periods causing others to be inconvenienced,is bad.

vikingaero

Debt_Free_Chick wrote: »

Just curious .... but why should they be accountable ... and to whom????




We're talking about parking on private ground. If that is immoral to you, then where is your remedy? Let's say that I am fined for parking on this private ground .... do you gain an advantage? In fact, do you gain anything at all?

In most cases "no" - it's just that this private parking firm issues me with a fine. If I pay this, this does not benefit you in any way whatsoever. I can understand you being cross with that - that is (partly) my point!



We''re agreed then - the private parking companies have no lawful right to impose a "fine" on me

The main point is that the majority of people are discouraged from parking in time limited car parks thus ensuring that spaces are free for legitimate shoppers. The fact that they don't know about the legality of these private invoices is neither here nor there.

At the closest Aldi to me, in Gillingham the Aldi is about a one minute walk from the rail station. If all the train commuters decided to flood the car park then there would be chaos for legitimate shoppers. All that would happen is the return of clampers and tow trucks.