Bad signs in car-parks

Kite2010

I had an idea to name and shame car-parks which has bad signs, either for the lack of them, the positioning of them or badly worded. Only as a laugh.

I think I have seen some bad signs in a PPC "managed" car-park for a big-name store. In the Lidl/Dreams/MacDonalds car-park just off Oxford Road near Reading West station, the signs are full of information about the various terms you agree to entering into when you enter the car-park, shame that most of the text is around 1cm tall. Must have been 20 or so lines on that sign, so good luck to any driver entering from a busy road to read that sign before "entering" the car-park.

I was in a rush to catch a train so didn't get a picture or make a note of the scammers in operation, but here is a linkie to Streetview
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=reading+west+railway&hl=en&ll=51.455852,-0.982718&spn=0.021901,0.066047&sll=53.800651,-4.064941&sspn=21.350277,67.631836&hq=reading+west+railway&t=m&z=15&layer=c&cbll=51.455885,-0.991104&panoid=XdPOj__nhtS1y1zpOIdoNQ&cbp=12,185.97,,0,0.24

Coupon-mad

Wow - nothing visible as you drive in then! Not sure I know of one as bad as that at the entrance.

Half_way

Ive seen one in a car park somewhere somehting along the lines of "Free parking for up to 2 hours, after that you agree to pay a parking charge of £80"

isnt that in breach of the unfair terms in contracts law?, as well as it being an unlawful penalty therefore amking any contractual agreemnet instantly null and void

and something about people not displaying blue badges will also agree to pay an £80 parking charge, im sure that breaches the equalities act as well - if the person is disabled but doesnt have a blue badge?

Coupon-mad

Half_way wrote: »

Ive seen one in a car park somewhere somehting along the lines of "Free parking for up to 2 hours, after that you agree to pay a parking charge of £80"

isnt that in breach of the unfair terms in contracts law?, as well as it being an unlawful penalty therefore amking any contractual agreemnet instantly null and void

and something about people not displaying blue badges will also agree to pay an £80 parking charge, im sure that breaches the equalities act as well - if the person is disabled but doesnt have a blue badge?

I would say that the first example of wording actually goes part of the way towards a contract. If it's very clear then it could be OK.

The second example in bold is IMHO definitely breaching the Equality Act 2010 - which as we know, PPCs do every single day all over the Country. Just waiting for someone with a disability who is harassed by a PPC to bite the bullet and sue.

Kite2010

Half_way wrote: »

Ive seen one in a car park somewhere somehting along the lines of "Free parking for up to 2 hours, after that you agree to pay a parking charge of £80"

isnt that in breach of the unfair terms in contracts law?, as well as it being an unlawful penalty therefore amking any contractual agreemnet instantly null and void

and something about people not displaying blue badges will also agree to pay an £80 parking charge, im sure that breaches the equalities act as well - if the person is disabled but doesnt have a blue badge?

IIRC Tesco signs have something like that, although I don't think they have mentions of the disabled bays on.

Half_way

Coupon-mad wrote: »

I would say that the first example of wording actually goes part of the way towards a contract. If it's very clear then it could be OK.

The second example in bold is IMHO definitely breaching the Equality Act 2010 - which as we know, PPCs do every single day all over the Country. Just waiting for someone with a disability who is harassed by a PPC to bite the bullet and sue.

So if your 2 hours and 5 minutes, that will then justify an £80 charge?

give_them_FA

Coupon-mad wrote: »

I would say that the first example of wording actually goes part of the way towards a contract. If it's very clear then it could be OK.

Would be interesting, but if we use the well worn debating technique of reductio ad absurdum, it isn't so clear-cut:

"The first two hours of parking are free. After that you agree to pay a charge of £750,000."

Would a court uphold that?

So the amount of the charge must indeed be relevant in deciding whether the "contract" is a valid one or not.

grumpyawldwifey

Coupon-mad wrote: »

The second example in bold is IMHO definitely breaching the Equality Act 2010 - which as we know, PPCs do every single day all over the Country. Just waiting for someone with a disability who is harassed by a PPC to bite the bullet and sue.

I have a disability and am on to letter 3 from UKPC, let's see how far they take it. I'd be willing to sue if someone would help? (I also tried to post a link to some photos of the bad signs but need more posts before I can )

give_them_FA

Keep collecting the letters, they are valuable evidence. Yes, you can get some help. For best results get near the end of the letter chain though.

grumpyawldwifey

Here's the link but you have to put your own http:// and www. in front of it

flickr.com/photos/79779101@N06/sets/72157629959346155/

ManxRed

In my local Wickes (for Coupon Mad and SodG24's benefit its the one down by St Annes Well Gardens), that has high up prominently displayed but difficult to read (due to the small typeface and the height) signs stating 2 hours free.

Whereas on the wall of the Wickes itself, there is a bigger sign, with bigger type, stating just one hour free. This second sign is low down (about two feet off the floor and right behind the parking spaces at the front of the store so is completely obscured from view at leats 80% of the time by parked cars.

Not sure which sign they 'enforce' on, but wouldn't surprise me if they started ticketing after an hour!