Smart Parking/ Asda

James_R

Hi everyone. Just got a parking fine 20/8/13. It was in a car park in Newton Abbot. I was on holiday down south and up north near me (Wigan, Skelmersdale) you don't usually need to pay if you are using the store and staying less than 2-3 hours.

It appears different here. You pay a pound an hour and get it back if you spend over £10 at the till (I didn't notice as was stressed from the drive and just came hoping there was a petrol pump). There was no pump, so I used the toilet and paid for a couple of snacks costing £2.72.

Returning to the car I was shocked to discover the ticket. I asked the customer service and they said they couldn't do anything as it wasn't their ticket and it says as you enter the car park (it does but it says ASDA CAR PARK in big letters and pay and display smaller underneath.


Anyway, the cost is £40 going up to £70 if unpaid in 14 days. Its already been 7 as only got home yesterday. There is an appeal address on the ticket, is it worth it? as I did only pay £2.72, not the £10 and I doubt the company will be sympathetic. I still have the receipt btw dated the same minute as the ticket.

Any help appreciated, Thanks!

Strider590

Ignore, it's nothing more than an invoice, legally the maximum you owe them is the amount they lost during the time you were parked there and they'd have to prove this loss in a court of law.

Check out the parking forum.

My local Morrisons started doing this, the local council claimed their were losing money due to people parking at Morrisons for free (despite the council run car parks being completely rammed every day). Morrisons fitted ticket machines and CCTV/ANPR camera's, you had to go to the machine, pay £1.50, choose the image of your car and take your ticket into the store.

I did this 2 or 3 times, countless other customers would complain whilst queuing at the machines.
I stopped paying and when asked in store if I had a ticket, I told them quite loudly that i'd be shopping elsewhere if this continued and that there was no legal obligation to pay these tickets or any subsequent "fines", I think half the store cheered at this point 3 weeks later the machines were removed.

To this day, more than a year later, the store is MUCH quieter than it used to be and the nightmare that is the local Tesco, is even more of a nightmare.

spacey2012

Asda are complete and utter liars.
They have a self ticketing scam where the trolley collectors are also fake parking ticket disher outers.
Gives them some feeling of authority whilst working in a dead end minimum wage job.
So yes it is their car park, yes their staff gave you the fake ticket.

PS if ASDA dont like this comment, issue a full statement for publication and put a name to it as well.
But lies will be exposed for what they are.

Strider590

spacey2012 wrote: »

Gives them some feeling of authority whilst working in a dead end minimum wage job..

Probably, but I also think this stuff comes from overzealous and egotistical new managers, trying to make an impression, trying to stamp their authority on the store, trying to look like they're in control, but not considering that customers will just up and shop elsewhere.

Iceweasel

spacey2012 wrote: »

Asda are complete and utter liars.
They have a self ticketing scam where the trolley collectors are also fake parking ticket disher outers.
Gives them some feeling of authority whilst working in a dead end minimum wage job.
So yes it is their car park, yes their staff gave you the fake ticket.

PS if ASDA dont like this comment, issue a full statement for publication and put a name to it as well.
But lies will be exposed for what they are.

I agree 100% - especially about the trolley collector 'yoofs'

I could have written this post.

OddballJamie

spacey2012 wrote: »

Asda are complete and utter liars.
They have a self ticketing scam where the trolley collectors are also fake parking ticket disher outers.
Gives them some feeling of authority whilst working in a dead end minimum wage job.
So yes it is their car park, yes their staff gave you the fake ticket.

PS if ASDA dont like this comment, issue a full statement for publication and put a name to it as well.
But lies will be exposed for what they are.

The Asda by me that charges for parking has a guy in uniform who sits in a booth at the back of the car park who does the parking 'invoices'. The bottom level is Asda and the rest are for general shoppers.

Even though you get the parking money back, I prefer to drive a little further and go to a different store.

pogofish

This should be in the Parking Tickets Forum, not Motoring.

Plenty of current advice on dealing with ASDA and Smart Parking there.

mgdavid

James_R wrote: »

....... (I didn't notice as was stressed from the drive .......!

one suggests you'd be better not driving if it's that bad.

James_R

I would but people were relying on a lift as trains were about 100 quid each

londonTiger

spacey2012 wrote: »

Asda are complete and utter liars.
They have a self ticketing scam where the trolley collectors are also fake parking ticket disher outers.
Gives them some feeling of authority whilst working in a dead end minimum wage job.
So yes it is their car park, yes their staff gave you the fake ticket.

PS if ASDA dont like this comment, issue a full statement for publication and put a name to it as well.
But lies will be exposed for what they are.

I didn't think about that. I was given an hand written note on my dash once, it basically said that I didn't pay for parking so they just gave me a warning saying my reg has been recorded and next time I will be issued with a ticket.

The thing is I've never seen any parking attendants there, now that you mention that the trolley collectors issue tickets that makes a lot of sense.