Smart Parking PCN Halesowen Asda, forgot to buy pay & display! HELP please!

_ellie_

Hi all, My very first post here!
Basically my mum (who's a pensioner) went to the halesowen Asda today and used the big car park as we'd told her in the past it was free but u need your receipt as proof you've shopped there. She did a small shop there (and went to some other shops in town) and held onto her Asda receipt, then came back to the car to find a Parking Charge Notice on the car window. The trolley man told her you're meant to pay first then get it refunded, (he also said for her to contest the ticket). She's really upset as it's £40-70 and she didn't see the Pay and Display notice; she normally uses Tesco and they have a huge free carpark, she'd only gone to asda to save some money!!
So what I'd like to know (in layman's terms please:) ) what should we do? Can we just ignore it?! Or will they send bailiffs round?! Thank you in advance for your help!

Stroma

I would make a complaint to asda about this, show the receipt and demand that they get this cancelled , she is a customer there is no loss to this poxy parking company or asda. This will never go to court.

I would also consider challenging the company, and going to https://www.popla.org.uk if they turn it down. But this will have to be your mum doing this not you, no harm in you doing the work on it but in your mums name.

Or if she is up to it, to ignore this company as its highly unlikely that they will try court, and when I mean highly unlikely I mean it would be a first time ever, which means they won't go there.

Coupon-mad

_ellie_ wrote: »

Hi all, My very first post here!
Basically my mum (who's a pensioner) went to the halesowen Asda today and used the big car park as we'd told her in the past it was free but u need your receipt as proof you've shopped there. She did a small shop there (and went to some other shops in town) and held onto her Asda receipt, then came back to the car to find a Parking Charge Notice on the car window. The trolley man told her you're meant to pay first then get it refunded, (he also said for her to contest the ticket). She's really upset as it's £40-70 and she didn't see the Pay and Display notice; she normally uses Tesco and they have a huge free carpark, she'd only gone to asda to save some money!!
So what I'd like to know (in layman's terms please:) ) what should we do? Can we just ignore it?! Or will they send bailiffs round?!

Thank you in advance for your help!

Send bailiffs round, LOL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! :rotfl: Of course a company can't send bailiffs round, that's a Court thing!

Here you go, a thread with my answer to save re-typing it all:

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/comment/59543201#Comment_59543201

Tell us what happens when you go marching into Asda with Mum to complain about this harassment of an elderly person and their customer who has now been frightened into not shopping there ever again! Go with Mum, be assertive and...wear a black jacket like this lady did(!!):

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/4534485

And be ready, DO NOT take 'it's a Council car park, nowt to do with us' for an answer as it's Asda's favourite lie. NOT TRUE. Smart are their agents and an Asda Store Manager can cancel a fake PCN like this with one phone call. Do not discuss it with the CS desk clerk, nor a random 'Duty Manager' from the meat counter! STORE MANAGER ONLY.

hoohoo

Smart parking are confused about their own name. Check the signs there; if they are Town and City Parking Ltd, with the Ltd inexplicably coloured black, your magic get out appeal is:

Dear Sirs,

I have received an invoice from you and would like to invoke your appeal process.

I note that the signs in the car park are from Town and City Parking Limited, but that your invoice is from Smart Parking Limited, also trading as Town and City Parking.

Please confirm that you are raising this invoice as Town and City Parking Limited. If you are raising this invoice as any other body, please confirm why your signs do not have the necessary legal references, such as xxx ltd also trading as Town and City Parking Limited, and whether you have clearance from Trading Standards to do this.

Please also send me a current copy of your contract with the landowner which allows you to raise these invoices.

I will not be entering into further communication with you.

I require you to acknowledge this communication and either cancel your invoice or provide me with a POPLA code with the timescales of the BPA code of practice.

T&C allow email appeals so a quick cut and paste should see your mothers's case quickly solved.

_ellie_

Thank you everyone for your replies! You're all so helpful just telling my mum she's so relieved. Will let you know what happens!

Stroma

That okay can you tell us what you are going to do ?

_ellie_

Stroma wrote: »

That okay can you tell us what you are going to do ?

Not sure yet lol I'm going to talk it over with my mum, probably complain in Asda to see if they can cancel the PCN first ?

Coupon-mad

_ellie_ wrote: »

Not sure yet lol I'm going to talk it over with my mum, probably complain in Asda to see if they can cancel the PCN first ?

Yes but you still sound doubtful...

Please take a deep breath, read the links and see this for the SCAM it is, then get in there to Asda with an icily polite but ASSERTIVE approach to this complaint.

This needs you to march in there, fully prepared, in assertive mode and heels/smart jacket(!!) demanding to speak to the Store Manager and no-one else. Not Mum on her own, nor both of you asking 'can you cancel this please...?' then just saying 'oh, OK then...' when fobbed off by a CS staff member saying 'nothing to do with us, we don't own the car park; or other fob off lies!

Be ready and complain. Tell them you'll complain to Head Office if they don't sort it out NOW. Don't worry about holding up the queue at CS desk or being overheard (but don't shout of course!). People need to hear about the parking scam and how it affects and intimidates genuine customers.