Help - BP want to fine us!!!

hippyadam

Anihilator wrote: »

The fact you managed to make it into the garage, buy water, walk to a restaurant, eat a meal etc but couldnt tell the garage staff is imo going to be what would win them any court case.

Sorry i must have missed that bit, i thought the OP said Wife & Child in car. She felt unwell, pulled over into BP garage, bought water and rested in the pub. OP travelled by train to collect car, OH & DD. Duly collected them and then gets grief off manager etc...

Oh hold on that is what the OP said... :rolleyes:

Anihilator

Oh sorry because the fact she didnt eat is the relevent part. No the relevent part is she managed to enter the garage, make a purchase, travel to the adjoining pub and at no point could tell the staff.

Marmaris08

Anihilator wrote: »

The fact you managed to make it into the garage, buy water, walk to a restaurant, eat a meal etc but couldnt tell the garage staff is imo going to be what would win them any court case.

OMG did you actually read the post and engage your brain before replying? At what point did the OP say that they had a meal in the Brewers Fayre?

I'm surprised you haven't added that they booked a room and didn't come out until the next morning, leaving the car at the BP garage all night.
:rotfl:

I wouldn't worry about it too much OP, BP imo will not pursue this through the courts as it would be more hassle than it's worth for them.

neilmcl

You're assuming that the OP knew she was causing an obstruction. Clearly she didn't at the time, whether through her own fault or the lack of proper signage. That's not to give her an excuse but does explain why she wouldn't have had the courtesy to tell the staff of the forecourt that she was parked there.

Anihilator

Marmaris08 wrote: »

OMG did you actually read the post and engage your brain before replying? At what point did the OP say that they had a meal in the Brewers Fayre?

I'm surprised you haven't added that they booked a room and didn't come out until the next morning, leaving the car at the BP garage all night.
:rotfl:

I wouldn't worry about it too much OP, BP imo will not pursue this through the courts as it would be more hassle than it's worth for them.

I was referring to the partner - which was blatantly obvious other than to those who are wrong and want to try and debate stuff like this to hide that.

Whether they had a meal or whatever is relevent. If they were well enough to walk into the garage, make a purchase, walk to the pub, rest, then they were well enough to tell the garage staff.

also unlikely brewers fayre just let her sit there.

You are right in that BP probably wont pursue this. They could though

Anihilator

neilmcl wrote: »

You're assuming that the OP knew she was causing an obstruction. Clearly she didn't at the time, whether through her own fault or the lack of proper signage. That's not to give her an excuse but does explain why she wouldn't have had the courtesy to tell the staff of the forecourt that she was parked there.

Its a bit of common sense though isnt it. Don't park on a garage forecourt, especially dont park over the pipes etc.

They don't need to have signage etc in this case as the OP's OH parking somewere she shouldnt have would imo have far more of the duty to check and ensure it was right than to just assume it was.

If she was genuinely ill then maybe medical confirmation could be sought if BP pursue it.

Tozer

Anihilator wrote: »

Its basically the same thing.
She was neglient to park somewere she shouldnt have.

If she had parked in the garage somewere but it wasnt causing an obstruction or such they couldnt do much.

Either way the OP should really hope that BP don't pursue it.

It's not the same at all!!

Completely separate tortious rights with very different principles applying to each.

Please don't quote things as fact when you clearly have no idea.

pinkshoes

Daviegow wrote: »

She pulled into a petrol station - BP and parked behind 2 cars.

DVardysShadow wrote: »

Having reflected a bit, if it did come to a claim, it could be claimed that BP had [presumably] not marked the area out as 'no parking' - otherwise partner would not have left car there. And that if they expected a delivery, they had not taken steps to secure the area. And that if they desigened the filling station, they were victims of their own negligence in not providing a separate access to the filling points.

I agree with DVardyShadow entirely.

Firstly, they cannot fine you. Their claim would be for the loss they suffered.

The crucial thing is that you parked where other cars were parked, and that there were no signs saying that you could not park there. You must go and take some pictures of this area.

Was there no CCTV showing you going into the pub? If they were worried about the petrol delivery being blocked, they would have announced your registration in the pub so that you could have moved your car.

I'm struggling to see how they can make a case of this, but you MUST go and get some evidence... Is there a close up view on google earth?

hippyadam

The fact remains, if they sue for £500 it will be a small claims matter. They (BP) wont be able to recover their costs, only the cost of issuing.

If the OP defends the action, BP's costs will sky rocket to easily more than the amount being claimed. Again they wont be able to recover these costs even if they win.

It sounds to me like the manager was just sounding off, but you can never be sure. Like my dear old Nan always says "hope for the best, but prepare for the worst".

Sound advice Nan

FatAndy

pinkshoes wrote: »

The crucial thing is that you parked where other cars were parked, and that there were no signs saying that you could not park there. You must go and take some pictures of this area.

Just playing Devil's Advocate here but where I live no one uses petrol station forecourts as 'long-term' car parks. Most people drive up to the pump, pay and then drive off. You get the odd person who parks up elsewhere and pops into the shop for a newspaper, sweets, fags or whatever but they don't stay parked for more than a few minutes. I'm not sure therefore why the garage would feel the need to put up no parking signs in places where customers wouldn't normally park, at least not for more than a couple of minutes at a time.

Or maybe they're happy for customers to park in that spot for five minutes or so providing they spend some money in the shop and providing they don't stay there too long. I'm sure that the manager wouldn't have been too bothered if someone had been parked there when the tanker arrived as long as they returned to their car within a couple of minutes of the tankers arrival (ideally clutching a bag full of Mars bars and Haribos).

I also fail to see the relevance of the other cars being parked there. Two (or three) wrongs doesn't make a right. When the OPs wife parked next to those other cars she presumably didn't know whether they were parked 'legally' or not. You can't assume that you're allowed to park somewhere just because someone else has.

I think I have to side with the BP manager in this case. The facts as sees it are that his business suffered an inconvenience which may or may not have had a serious consequence, i.e. the petrol station could have run out fuel. Then the owner of the car responsible returns and says "Sorry, I had no choice but to leave the car there as I was far too ill to drive", then follows that up by saying "You couldn't find me because I'd popped into the pub next door"! Doesn't sound too good, whatever the truth may be.

The one thing that puzzles me a bit is that most Brewer's Fayres I've seen have car parks of their own so why didn't the OP's wife just park there in the first place. If she had this thread would never have come into existence.