Euro Car Parks

shown73

I've just received one of these blasted letters, for overstaying a two hour limit in Morrisons. Best of it is, it was OH and her friend, who do their weekly shop there every Wed., then meet others for lunch in the restaurant. I know that people abuse this car park, but their must be a better way than this, penalising bona fide shoppers.
They are saying that signs clearly show 120 min limit, and T&C's, well, they probably do, but that hardly seems to encourage shoppers, and here was me thinking that was the purpose of a supermarket!
I presume, from what has been said, that i "file" this bumpf where it belongs?? Am I likely to receive further threats etc.?
Euro car parks have apparently been "appointed to manage the car park!" If it isn't clampers its these sort of parasites, they always find a way.

taffy056

Euro will get the RK details and will send a well documented series of baseless threats to take you to court, which they never do as they admitted some time ago in the Sunday Times. Best solution for you is to ignore them.

RENEGADE_2

You're sure to get further threats but they can be stored as emergency toilet paper, it is their only use.

The charge is, as you rightly guess, unenforceable.

The_Slithy_Tove

shown73 wrote: »

Am I likely to receive further threats etc.?

Yes, you'll get a sequence of ever more hysterical letters threatening all sorts of hellfire and damnation, all of which can safely be filed away with the first.

Once you have the whole set, take them back to Morrisons, demand to see the manager, then pointedly ask him if he thinks that is a reasonable way to treat one of their regular customers. When he BS's you about how it's nothing to do with them, just let him know that their shop and restaurant will no longer be receiving their regular income from your OH and friend, as you'll be taking your custom elsewhere. Make absolutely sure he understands why.

shown73

Yes, a visit to the manager was one of the things I had in mind, not that it would achieve anything, but if enough people harass him, perhaps they would have a rethink. There are other ways of discouraging non shopping parkers, I would have thought. Two hours is daft, when the shop has a restaurant also. Tesco in Slough is 3 hours, seems a bit more realistic, if you have to have restrictions.

The_Slithy_Tove

shown73 wrote: »

Yes, a visit to the manager was one of the things I had in mind, not that it would achieve anything, but if enough people harass him, perhaps they would have a rethink.

Exactly! If everyone thinks their individual voice will make no difference, no-one says anything, and the situation remains the same. It's only by speaking up that anything will happen.

taffy056

I done an intensive study of tescos in South Wales and a little further afield. The results showed that most didn't have scammers in them and ran fine, the few that did have them infesting car parks had problems.

Coupon-mad

shown73 wrote: »

Yes, a visit to the manager was one of the things I had in mind, not that it would achieve anything, but if enough people harass him, perhaps they would have a rethink. There are other ways of discouraging non shopping parkers, I would have thought. Two hours is daft, when the shop has a restaurant also. Tesco in Slough is 3 hours, seems a bit more realistic, if you have to have restrictions.

You are EXACTLY right. :mad:

Definitely complain. Enough bad customer feedback about this scam will one day see a big retailer stop using these 'agents' IMHO. Then the others will follow. It may take years but we WILL get there.

I do remember the time 3 years ago when I complained to another Supermarket - Sainsburys - about them using Euro Car Parks and pretending they could fine people, there's an amusing thread about it:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/1966977

As you can see, the branch I complained at didn't get the fact they cannot fine people - but AFAIK the leaflet in question was eventually withdrawn (I spent the best part of 6 months before that, throwing every leaflet in the bin every single time I shopped there, and the bins were next to the Security guy's desk!).

You have to read bargepole's brilliant exchange of emails with Sainsburys on that thread!

nomoresugar

Thanks to this site, we are satisified customers!
Having spent over £100 one day in Morrisons High Wycombe, a letter arrived from Euro Car Parks demanding payment for overstay in the car park. My partner and I were angry and frustrated so I did some research and found the advice and tips from MSE. As predicted, the intimidating letters with threat of legal action and increased charge followed. I then went to the store and had a chat with the manager. He promised to investigate without promising an outcome. He said he has never known of a ticket being cancelled. To our delight a couple of weeks later he called to confirm our ticket has been cancelled! We have shopped at that store at least once a week for several years. We're good customers and the manager made the right decision. Next step is to write the boss of Morrisons to praise the manager at High Wycombe and suggest the company implements a system that means if you can prove you spent more than a fixed amount in the store you should not be pursued for money relating to parking. This just seems sensible and fair.

taffy056

What would be sensible would be to get rid of scamming parking companies at their stores, whilst it commendable that the local manager did at least get the fake ticket cancelled, is there really any need of them there ? Is there really an out of control and systematic abuse there? Regardless of money spent if you are a customer there is no abuse.

By the way it's funny that Euro is threatening legal action, their director did an interview for the Sunday Times where he admitted that they have never done court, or have any plans in the future to do so due to the precarious legal position. In fact I can only remember them there once as the defendants as they were sued by someone and they lost.

trisontana

Not quite correct. They did take someone to court and lost:-

http://forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?showtopic=73765

They took me to court for "£2,560", and yesterday, the judge quite correctly dismissed the case.


- No evidence of contract between Sainsburys and ECP
- No witness statement
- Nothing to show the claimant has the right to issue proceedings
- No proof of system of data collection, no evidence to show the cameras were working and that it's safe to rely on their evidence
- No proof of breach of contract
- No submission of of evidence of quantifiable losses, therefore their ludicrous "parking charge notices" are nothing more than unenforceable penalties