Car parking charges

Laz123

I usually never park in town because I object to funding local councils with their exorbitant charges, but daughter drove me into Kingston town centre last week.

The charges were 80p per half an hour, £1.80 per hour and £3.20 for two hours. All I had was one-pound coins so I put in £3 thinking it would give me either change or the time I'd paid for. No. It took my money and only gave an hour on the ticket. So that's £3 per hour!

I emailed their HQ:

Dear Sir/Madam

I parked in your carpark in Kingston-on-Thames yesterday. I had no small change, only one pound coins. The charge for 2 hours was £3.20. I didn't need to stay that long so I paid £3.00, assuming I'd either get change; or it would automatically give me one and a half hours; or it would give me £3 worth of time. It printed out the ticket for one hour and gave no change. My question is, is this legal?

This is their reply:

With reference to your enquiry, I can confirm that the tariff for up to 2 hours is £3.20. If you look at the machine there should be a tariff on the machine as well as signage which states the tariff. The machine does not give change and that is stated clearly on the machine tariff notification.

The machines are set to give you up to 2 hours parking for a fee of £3.20 and cannot differentiate. If you put less money in you will automatically receive the ticket for the lower tariff which is Up to 1 hour.

Yours sincerely,

Annemarie Fourie
Business Support Team Leader

The machine does not state it doesn't give change, nor does it state you don't get the time you've paid for.

Enfieldian

Add the cost of a wasted stamp to that as well then.

BFG_2

Laz123 wrote: »

The machine does not state it doesn't give change, nor does it state you don't get the time you've paid for.

There are two possibilities here....

Either........

You're right, and the machine has been installed with incorrect signage by a large company which installs and manages thousands of these across the country, and is fully aware of the issues that could arise from incorrectly 'badged' machines, or..........

You're wrong, and possibly just didn't read the signage correctly.

Obviously I don't know which possibility is the correct one, but if I were a betting man............

Do let us know the outcome.

BFG_2

Enfieldian wrote: »

Add the cost of a wasted stamp to that as well then.

Emails tend not to require a stamp.

Unless this is some new stealth tax that you know about???

BFG_2

Laz123 wrote: »

The machine does not state it doesn't give change, nor does it state you don't get the time you've paid for.

If you're right [see previous posting above on this], then you should waste no time in issuing papers in the County Court [small claims track].

It'll cost £30 initially to file the claim, but you'll get that back when you win your case.

Do it online.

Go to the press - this is just the sort of story the Daily Panic-everyone-with-frontpage-cancer-stories-every-day, sorry that should be Daily Mail/Express, loves.

What about Good Morning or even Watchdog.

Crack on and teach the thieving scum a lesson they won't forget in a hurry.

Esqui

If you didn't need 2 hours, why didn't you put £2 in? There's no £3 coin, so you must have had £2 in the machine and then put another pound in.

mrcol1000

It may be useful to send them a photo of the front of the machine. They won't be able to argue with that. As long as it doesn't say exact change only..... Couple of quid for an hours parking doesn't seem that bad. Cheaper than the bus anyway.

woody01

Why waste so much time and effort over such a small amount and something so trivial?

Its common knowledge what the council person told you anyway.

Laz123

woody01 wrote: »

Why waste so much time and effort over such a small amount and something so trivial?

Its common knowledge what the council person told you anyway.

Well....

If you multiply my experience with a few million others it turns into 'a nice little earner'.

And I suppose it's the principle. Which is why these forums are so busy.

Laz123

In fact it's quite a wide-spread problem:

Local authorities in Kent have admitted drivers are often left out-of-pocket by ticket machines which do not give change. It means motorists without the correct change often end up paying over the odds. Recent reports revealed Tunbridge Wells council made £227,000 last year alone in overpayments. In Tonbridge the figure was £30,000. http://www.yourthanet.co.uk/kent-news/Councils-blasted-over-car-parking-machines-newsinkent26379.aspx?news=local

I can't understand the security issue because the machines are full of cash anyway, even if they don't give change. But why can't the machines give the exact amount of time which has been paid for?

SallyForth_2

I loathe pay and display machines, and will do anything to avoid carparks which use them - even going to another town if that's an option. Why? Because I often don't have the right change either, and I hate paying more for parking than I actually use.

The best carparks make you take a ticket, which you take with you shopping, you pay when you return (often with the facilty to use a debit/credit card) and then put the paid ticket in the exit barrier kiosk - brilliant!