Breastfeeding and parking fine

rowl

Hi all,

I parked on a premier inn car park on Saturday and entered the table table resteraunt to feed my ill and screaming daughter and meet some friends. She is under a paediatrician for weight loss and has to be fed on demand.

I was in there around 20 minutes, didnt even think about getting anyone else to put a ticket on my car as I was a little busy and after i finished feeding her I left to put the pay and display on my car to come back to a traffic warden writing me a ticket. I explained to him the situation and he told me that the ticket could be cancelled if I gave it to the resteraunt manager.

I gave the ticket to the manager and was informed that it would be dealt with and I would get a call back from her later that day.

No phone calls so I rang today and she said she was unable to cancel the fine and I would have to pay it because she didn't see that breastfeeding my ill child was an emergency. She was also arguing with me down the phone which I am definitely going to complain to head office about.

Surely this is discrimination as if I was formula feeding my daughter I could have given her someone else to feed whilst I put a ticket on my car. I had already brought the ticket anyway by the time I saw the traffic warden at my car so the ticket is for 1 minute after the PCN was issued.

So where do I now go from here? Can I go down the equality act route (because if I wasnt breastfeeding I would have been able to put a ticket on my car straight away) or not?

pappa_golf

equality act


read up and remind them of the consequences of breaking it


you WERE FEEDING a minor

Coupon-mad

It's not a warden. Who issued the PCN?

Have you read the NEWBIES FAQS thread & learnt how/when to appeal (NOT TALKING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED OR WHO WAS DRIVING)? And also to see all the 'Successful Complaints' linked there too?

The Equality Act protects breastfeeding Mothers with babies up to six months and is what you should use in the complaint to the Head office of Premier Inn.

Rant about discrimination in the complaint, mention that Act and get the name of it right (soooo many people here call it the Equalities Act = wrong).

beamerguy

rowl wrote: »

Hi all,

I parked on a premier inn car park on Saturday and entered the table table resteraunt to feed my ill and screaming daughter and meet some friends. She is under a paediatrician for weight loss and has to be fed on demand.

I was in there around 20 minutes, didnt even think about getting anyone else to put a ticket on my car as I was a little busy and after i finished feeding her I left to put the pay and display on my car to come back to a traffic warden writing me a ticket. I explained to him the situation and he told me that the ticket could be cancelled if I gave it to the resteraunt manager.

I gave the ticket to the manager and was informed that it would be dealt with and I would get a call back from her later that day.

No phone calls so I rang today and she said she was unable to cancel the fine and I would have to pay it because she didn't see that breastfeeding my ill child was an emergency. She was also arguing with me down the phone which I am definitely going to complain to head office about.

Surely this is discrimination as if I was formula feeding my daughter I could have given her someone else to feed whilst I put a ticket on my car. I had already brought the ticket anyway by the time I saw the traffic warden at my car so the ticket is for 1 minute after the PCN was issued.

So where do I now go from here? Can I go down the equality act route (because if I wasnt breastfeeding I would have been able to put a ticket on my car straight away) or not?

how disgusting ?

The warden lied, the manager lied, then the manager was arguing on the phone. What sort of idiots are Premier employing now

(Text removed by MSE Forum Team)

The Equality Act protects breastfeeding Mothers.

How on earth would they expect to see you, breast feeding is not a public thing unless of course they are preying as peeping toms

Premier would not want to be seen in a court breaking the Equality act

arthurx1234

I parked on a premier inn car park on Saturday and entered the table table resteraunt to feed my ill and screaming daughter and meet some friends. She is under a paediatrician for weight loss and has to be fed on demand.

So if you were breastfeeding, why go anywhere?
Park the car and feed your child "on demand" in the car.

Arthur

AltheHibby

arthurx1234 wrote: »

I parked on a premier inn car park on Saturday and entered the table table resteraunt to feed my ill and screaming daughter and meet some friends. She is under a paediatrician for weight loss and has to be fed on demand.

So if you were breastfeeding, why go anywhere?
Park the car and feed your child "on demand" in the car.

Arthur

Seriously?

OP, you did the right thing for your daughter so keep fighting this.

matchboxfull

Coupon-mad wrote: »

It's not a warden. Who issued the PCN?

Have you read the NEWBIES FAQS thread & learnt how/when to appeal (NOT TALKING ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED OR WHO WAS DRIVING)? And also to see all the 'Successful Complaints' linked there too?

The Equality Act protects breastfeeding Mothers with babies up to six months and is what you should use in the complaint to the Head office of Premier Inn.

Rant about discrimination in the complaint, mention that Act and get the name of it right (soooo many people here call it the Equalities Act = wrong).

Breastfeeding women are protected regardless of the age of the child, I believe.

Guys_Dad

From your first post it appears this was a pay and display car park and you didn't buy a ticket. It seems to me that this places you in the same category as anyone else who didn't buy one either. Fed on demand is not going to be fatal if you took 2 minutes to buy a ticket.

I just don't buy this excuse to give you a preferential edge over any other motorist in the same circumstances.

Having got that off my chest, then by all means pursue this as advised and be sure to parallel your appeal to the PPC with the restaurant.

Guys_Dad

matchboxfull wrote: »

Breastfeeding women are protected regardless of the age of the child, I believe.

David Walliams will be glad to hear that then. :rotfl:

beamerguy

Guys_Dad wrote: »

From your first post it appears this was a pay and display car park and you didn't buy a ticket. It seems to me that this places you in the same category as anyone else who didn't buy one either. Fed on demand is not going to be fatal if you took 2 minutes to buy a ticket.

I just don't buy this excuse to give you a preferential edge over any other motorist in the same circumstances.

Having got that off my chest, then by all means pursue this as advised and be sure to parallel your appeal to the PPC with the restaurant.

Let's put it this way Dad, if you were bursting for a pee, would you be looking around for a pay machine first ??

Guys_Dad

beamerguy wrote: »

Let's put it this way Dad, if you were bursting for a pee, would you be looking around for a pay machine first ??

Not a like for like comparison. Had 3 children myself, had them cry for food as all babies do but a 2 minute delay is not as potentially catastrophic as a 2 minute delay in finding a loo.

And to answer your question, on balance, I would prefer to use a loo rather than a pay machine to relieve myself.