LIDL/Athena Parking PCN at Barking, Essex.

vivvov

Hello All



I've received a Civil Parking Charge Notice from Athena Parking.com. Other threads suggest that I write to the LIDL CEO to get it quashed....I've composed the below email to send to the CEO:


I'm not any good at complaining..Is it correct or a mess?
(Thanks in advance for your replies).


Also what do I do Athena Parking wise..now that it seems that I can't do the whole POPLA appeal stuff?








Dear Mr Gottschlich


I recently received in the post a Civil Parking Charge Notice (0 002 102 267) for £90 from athena-parking.com stating a parking incident had occurred at LIDL (Barking) on 17/10/2015.

I am the Registered Keeper of the vehicle in question. (registration PN53 RYC).



Athena-parking.com state that the vehicle overstayed 17 minutes:47 seconds beyond the 10 min allows duration.


I want you to email me back stating this PCN has been cancelled.


On the 17/10/2015 visit in question, approximately £50 pounds was spent in your LIDL store, after waiting patiently in the aisle furthest from the exit. The shopper has no receipt andthey paid with cash on this occasion, but stated that the cashier was male, approximately appeared 30-35 years old and of British Asian descent. I am sure that a review of your instore CCTV will confirm this fact.. Additionally the customer directly infront was a lady of causasian descent, approximately 5' 6", 25-30 years of age, blonde hair and had a full conveyor belt of shopping which delayed exit from your store. She even put certain items back: two packets of flower tea. This detail is to highlight and make you well aware of the fact that in the 27:47 minutes that the car was parked in your carpark, your store was the only store visited and money was spent only in your store (even though no receipt can now be produced).


This17:47 minute "overstay" was due to the queues in LIDL being very busy at that moment in time and the shopper had not even realised that they only had a maximum of 10 minutes to enter, shop, exit. The shopper did not think to look for signs that stipulate parking parameters due to the fact that although they (and myself) are regular, weekly customers at Lidl stores (Burnley and Finsbury Park) we both usually take a bus or walk to Lidl stores (plus there is no carpark at the Finsbury Park Lidl) and additionally, top the best of my knowledge, there is no draconian 10 minute parking restrictions and ridiculous, offensive "catch your loyal customer" out regimes in spending hard earned money in any of your rival's stores.


As a weekly customer of Lidl, I'm sure you can appreciate that I am absolutely furious to receive this PCN. I shop in your stores at least once every week! No one expects to receive a PCN demand for £90 for shopping at your store and overstaying 17 minutes in your carpark as they wait patiently to pay for their shopping. That is beyond ridiculous.


Since LIDL arrived in the UK, I have specifically changed my shopping routine to include LIDL- I walk past a Sainsbury's, a Tesco's and numerous other shops...even an ALDI.. to shop at Lidl with the expressed intention of saving myself money (as emphasised in all your national promotional advertising). I do not therefore expected to then be ripped off by a nasty, verging on criminal, outfit specifically employed by LIDL to oversee your on-site parking arrangements.

I associate with LIDLs to SAVE money not be ripped off.



Mr Gottschich, I have visited the Martin Lewis Money Saving Expert forum and it is awash with complaints by legitimate LIDL customers who have had similar treatment to myself.

Are you aware that contracting athena-parking.com, you have contracted a company that are no longer in the BPA and no longer offer a fair appeals system (POPLA) so are you therefore aware that all your customers will now have no fair appeal that it would be possible to win?


I would go the Store manager at Barking to show him the PCN and stand there on a busy Saturday and not leave the Customer Service until they've rung Athena and cancelled this nonsense PCN. However I do not live anywhere near Barking, Essex therefore I request that you personally resolve or delegate this to someone who will cancel this PCN immediately please, or I and my family will have lost faith in LIDL and social media is a wonderful device for airing ones own dismay at this kind of anti-consumer rights treatment.



Even as I finish writing this email, I am still shocked that a store that champions shopper's rights to value and good service actually employ a rogue outfit to undertake such devious parking restrictions and directly profit from your loyal customers. I am capable of writing this email and stand my ground against unscrupulous practice but my parents (who are also loyal LIDL customers) are in their 70's and, if they had received the PCN, I know they would have panicked and paid this disgusting company that you, personally as LIDL CEO, are responsible for contracting.


I have attached a copy of the civil PCN.
My request is that you email me back asap stating this PCN has been cancelled.


Yours Faithfully

Coupon-mad

Not bad - a bit long - but I would remove everything about the appearance of the people in store (it doesn't read well for various reasons and the keeper would not know...).

I would change this:

I want you to email me back stating this PCN has been cancelled.

I am requesting that this unfair 'PCN' is cancelled because this has put us off ever shopping in Lidl again. Absolutely shocking to treat paying customers like this.

Fruitcake

I would also appeal to Athena as a parallel activity using the appeal template in the Sticky thread for NEWBIES exactly as it is.


In addition, Fakebook, Twatter, Trivadvisor, and your local press are avenues you can use to tell people what a bad shop Lidl is for setting this parking scumpany scam its genuine customers.

beamerguy

Coupon-mad wrote: »

Not bad - a bit long - but I would remove everything about the appearance of the people in store (it doesn't read well for various reasons and the keeper would not know...).

I would change this:



I am requesting that this unfair 'PCN' is cancelled because this has put us off ever shopping in Lidl again. Absolutely shocking to treat paying customers like this.

I got a ticket from Athena in a Lidl car park in camberley, Surrey.

It was 5 mins over the the 2 hr free time and that was due to the long wait at check out because of lack of staff ?
I wrote to the CEO of lidl who never replied, one those ignorant CEO's in the retail sector.

After putting pressure on them, eventually the public relations of lidl contacted me. I advised them I would never shop at lidl again, enclosed my receipt for £100 and they cancelled the ticket.
It can be done.

What amazes me is the true ignorance of these supermarkets who don't have a clue the distruction these scam PPC's are doing to there business. One day they will wake up because word and mouth spreads like a virus, they have simply no idea

vivvov

Hi All..thanks so far

Sent off my complaint letter with tweeks to the Lidl CEO...will get onto them again soon and hopefully get a cancelled athena "PCN" via this avenue...but was reading the stickies and getting confused /overloaded with info.......Athena seem to have been POPLA but have now become IPC????....and....... I know a response said appeal via template...but

to quote Ralph-y off of **NEWBIES!! PRIVATE PARKING TICKET? OLD OR NEW? **READ THESE FAQS FIRST!** Thankyou! ....

"Ralph-y 10-09-2015, 8:53 PM
so .... I know I am a bit thick .....
is the newbie sticky advice to do the first appeal to an IPC member but not do the second appeal
or
not do any appeal to an IPC member ... first or second ?
Ralph"

I can see why I'd appeal if Athena were still with POPLA but do I appeal to Athena now they're lined up with IPC....???

Thanks in advance

Redx

if they were IPC members at the time of this parking event, then popla is not an option

if you appeal it and they offer the IAS, then you could appeal to the IAS, or not, your choice

you can read the pranksters blog on 30 oct 2015 about ADR, especially when it comes to the IAS

your best option is a cancellation by their CEO

vivvov

Email received....Got a cancellation...yeah!

Email in full:

"Re: Parking Charge
Thank you for contacting us regarding the parking charge which you received whilst parked within our store car park.

As you are probably aware, Lidl UK GmbH is a national retailer. As such, we have stores in locations with limited parking space and in common with many of our competitors, our store car parks are abused to a significant and detrimental extent. We have therefore judged it necessary to take measures so that our stores parking facilities are available first and foremost to our customers.
In order to ensure that sufficient parking spaces are available at all times to our customers, Lidl employs third party contractors to monitor and control our car parks. So far, this service has proved reliable and effective in reducing car park abuse and in freeing up spaces for our customers.
In light of your comments, on this one occasion, I have contacted Athena and have requested that this charge be cancelled. Athena will confirm this in writing to you in due course. Please note, your comments regarding our parking restrictions have been noted and passed to the relevant department.

Thank you again for contacting us.

Yours sincerely,
For and on behalf of Lidl UK GmbH


Kenneth Muirhead
Customer Service

[T] + 44 (0) 370 444 1234/ 0800 977 7766
[E] customer.services@lidl.co.uk"


:T:T:TThanks for the help folks.
Have to be vigilant for nonsense restrictions from now on....
vivvov

Umkomaas

Have to be vigilant for nonsense restrictions from now on....

I think I'd be more vigilant as to which shops I used. I don't think much of any retailer who would turn a 3rd party on to a paying customer.

I'd be extra vigilant where the parking company has squeezed the allowed parking time to anything less than 2 hours - in fact so extra vigilant as to perform a swift swerve. Then write to the retailer explaining why!

beamerguy

AFTER seeing that Sainsbury's profits were down by 18% I decided to see if the Sainsbury's CEO was remotely interested in maybe why ?

OK, they are being hit by Lidl and Aldi and it is lack of customers that created an 18% reduction in profits.

I email the CEO MR MIKE COUPE, OF SAINSBURY'S SAYING:-

"It is interesting to note that your profits are down by 18% ?

Whilst this is no doubt due to the cheaper competition, you now have a loyalty issue to resolve.

People I know, including myself will not shop at Sainsbury's because you employ Parking donkeys to operate your car parks. You are holding customers in contempt and therefore you simply cannot expect loyalty, hence lower profits."

Amazed therefore to receive this email today from Sainsbury's
" Thank you for your email to Mike Coupe. I have been asked to write to you on his behalf.

I wanted to let you know I will be conducting a full investigation into the comments you have raised. I hope to be in contact with you soon, normally within five working days. If the investigation process takes longer than expected, I will let you know.

Thank you for taking the time to contact us as your feedback is important and I will be back in touch as soon as possible.


Kind regards

Danielle Travers
Executive Office"

This is one way forward to let ALL retailers know that we do not accept these parking donkeys. One door was closed when the Beavis case came to an end BUT FOLKS ... we are all capable of opening even more doors to attack these vermin

You really must tell the CEO's of Supermarkets that these parking donkeys are actually affecting their business. The problem the supermarkets have is "how much business are they losing" ???

Kick out the parking donkeys and they will see sales increase

A MESSAGE TO ALL CEO'S
" A fool and his money are easily parted"

Redx

agreed

another one is

"once bitten , twice shy"

and

"dont bite the hand that feeds you"

beamerguy

Redx wrote: »

agreed

another one is

"once bitten , twice shy"

and

"dont bite the hand that feeds you"

SPOT ON Redx

FOLKS, don't take these vermin laying down, complain to those who must make profits ...... THE CEO

WHO IS THE CEO
Easy to look up with email address
GOOGLE .... EMAIL OF CEO