Smart Parking think a pregnant lady is not 'with child'.

Coupon-mad

A nine months pregnant lady is apparently not 'with child'!

Very understandably, she parked in a parent/child bay (NOT a disabled bay, note, she did the right thing) because she was 'carrying' a child and needed to be near the store as she was, no doubt, the size of a minibus and struggling to walk. She has Equality Act 'protected characteristics' as a very heavily pregant lady.

Of course any retailer worth its salt would/should allow her to park there, just as they would offer her a seat if she felt faint.

Common sense does not prevail (yet):

http://www.getreading.co.uk/news/reading-berkshire-news/pregnant-womans-outrage-over-parking-11023378

Come on Smart Parking, you are being kicked out of Asda car parks and the 'smart' money says that might well be because of the reams of complaints. This sort of example shows why these scumbag firms should not be within a million miles of retail customers.

Trouble is, Asda seems to be lining up a pointless new contractor for their car parks as has been discussed already.

Asda, how about trying NO COWBOYS AT ALL?

Save for some exceptions near football grounds or a station, for example, the British public are not intent on using the majority of your out of town car parks all day. That's a myth spread by PPC World, you know. :mad:


Oh, and check out the STUPID comments from some of the utter dim-brains reading that Reading Newspaper. Apparently 'rules are rules' and one even misread that she parked in a disabled bay...she didn't. And laws are laws - e.g. she's protected (to an extent) by the Equality Act.

Common sense and gracious behaviour towards pregnant women, especially by retailers who USED to put customers first, was once the norm.

Browntoa

Surely it's not got any Legal status anyway , it's basically a gimmick introduced by the supermarkets ?

beamerguy

I have often seen a pregnant lady parked in a child/parent bay, what is the problem with that, even though there is no visible child, there are still two of them and some of the sizes pregnant ladies get to, it is impossible to park in normal spaces and open the door to get out.

You often see empty spaces but on either side is a huge 4x4 and you know even if you could squeeze your car in, you will not get out.
Plus with the sheer ignorance of a lot of drivers, the possibility of getting your car scratched is very high.
The bays in car parks are now too narrow for many modern vehicles.

Clearly the comments made by Smart Parking staff, are ignorant and that must stem from the top of Smart Parking and the training, or lack off..
Asda should take note that ignorant people working in their car parks will mean less customers in a time when they are struggling.

There is lack of "people understanding" with Asda and no doubt all the others who employ these scammers. By doing this to a young mother to be, she will tell all her friends (young mums have a huge social circle) Who in their right mind would want to shop at Asda when there are cretins on patrol

The lady did the right thing by going to the newspaper, now people all over Reading will know what can happen in an Asda car park.

Foolish Asda for allowing these cowboys like Smart Parking to go anywhere near their customers. And Asda think it is Aldi or Lidl they have to worry about ???? such a joke, the lack of customers is happening in their own back yard, will the penny drop with Asda ?

And the comments given in the newspaper article are from the typical "hide behind my laptop" bunch, like twitter, who if were face to face with someone would run a mile

So thanks to Smart Parking, Asda has another black mark against them

Umkomaas

Maybe the penny has dropped - ASDA have given Smart the sack!

But in this game, sometimes it's better the devil you know ...........!

beamerguy

Umkomaas wrote: »

Maybe the penny has dropped - ASDA have given Smart the sack!

But in this game, sometimes it's better the devil you know ...........!

I know, contract runs out in April but then Asda are bringing in yet another bunch of cowboys, the penny has not dropped very far

The_Deep

Companies should cancel any ticket which has the merest whiff of the EQ about it. Adverse publicity such as this can and does cost them £££££.

roddydogs

9 months gone, yet shes driving herself to the supermarket at great risk to herself & the child? must be potty.

AltheHibby

"Smart Parking thinks". Come on, C-M, you know better than that!

beamerguy

It's now gone National

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3500546/Pregnant-woman-fined-using-family-parking-space-Asda-wasn-t-parent-yet.html

Coupon-mad

roddydogs wrote: »

9 months gone, yet shes driving herself to the supermarket at great risk to herself & the child? must be potty.

Haha! 'at great risk'?!

There is no reasoning with a pregnant lady. I did the same when I was few days overdue with my first baby, one hot summer. OH was at work and I was in Tesco piling my shopping high and then realised I was shattered and had to ask for help to unload it into the boot.

Among other stuff, I recall filling the trolley with strawberries and short-shelf-life stuff that then went off while I was in hospital for a week after an emergency caesarean (yep I'd gone into labour the night of the big shop, so it did the trick). Daft really but you can't help buying food; it seems like such a good idea at the time!

A pregnant woman can't avoid the nesting instinct. She should be able to avoid scummy parking firms though.

GwylimT

roddydogs wrote: »

9 months gone, yet shes driving herself to the supermarket at great risk to herself & the child? must be potty.

How on earth is that risky?