Athena/Lidl - rejected

roarybobby

Hi

I used a forum template to reject a charge received for an overstay in Lidl Okehampton while on holiday - less than twenty minutes over. I also complained directly to Lidl.

Lidl were prompt to contact back and asked for permission to pass the details of the issue to Athena and to the Lidl area manager for that neck of the woods, which I gave them. I stuck to 'the keeper/the driver' etc.

I have now received a rejection from Athena.

What now? Do I go through the appeal to IAS? Is it worth complaining again to Lidl?

Thanks

Kate

Redx

an IAS appeal is considered a waste of time , it tells you this in the NEWBIES sticky thread

put pressure on LIDL to get it cancelled, thats the only option to avoid up to 6 years of hassle , try head office or the CEO

roarybobby

I have read the sticky thread, but I didn't realise the IAS was totally hopeless, just 99%! I can't waste my time on them anyway, as we are in the throes of moving house.

Can I email CEO/Head Office, or does it need to be snail mail? I haven't packed the printer yet...

Kate

Redx

email and freephone I would think

do a search on the forum using the forum search box as I am sure its been published many times

or try the SUCCESSFUL COMPLAINTS thread for the same details

Quentin

Regarding your house move - you do need to make sure that any future correspondence you get from the PPC or Court reaches you - otherwise you risk getting a CCJ in default on your record that you know nothing about - till you get a refusal for a loan/mortgage/credit card etc

The_Deep

Write some bad stuff here


https://www.google.co.uk/?gws_rd=ssl

roarybobby

Thanks - we are having mail redirection.

Quentin

roarybobby wrote: »

Thanks - we are having mail redirection.

They have 6 years to commence legal proceedings.

See the many threads on here about court papers turning up after long periods of silence!

Or are you going to pay for redirection for 6 years?

Redx

found a few links in less than 2 minutes using the forum search box (not difficult)

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5502124

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5356907

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/5060852

roarybobby

So I've emailed Mr G. I'm sure my letter bears more than a passing resemblance to several published on these forums - thanks very much to all concerned for that

Dear Mr Gottschlich

I am taking the step of contacting you directly, as your customer services department, although polite and helpful, have not been able to resolve my issue, which is as follows:

I returned from holiday in Devon on 27th July to find a Civil Parking Charge Notice (xxxxxxxxxx) for £90 from athena-parking.com stating that a parking incident had occurred at LIDL (Okehampton) on 21 July 2016. Athena state that the vehicle overstayed 20 minutes:11 seconds beyond the allowed stay.

I requested via customer services that this unfair 'PCN' be cancelled. I also appealed directly to the parking management company.

My family and I are regular Lidl shoppers, and were so pleased to find a branch 40 minutes from our holiday accommodation, but are now shocked that you would apparently utilise a firm to treat paying customers in this unreasonable way.

Regrettably, the only access to the Okehampton store is via a small back street, with mini-roundabouts, which also serves two other supermarkets, plus various other local retailers. Around lunchtime each day, this road is at a standstill, as is the Lidl car park, with vehicles queuing to exit the respective businesses' car parks. On the day of the charge, and on several other occasions during our holiday, the driver queued in traffic for fifteen minutes to enter the car park; waited again for a protracted time for a space within the car park - there is no way to leave once in the queue of traffic - and then queued again to leave the car park. The photographs of exit and entry to the car park show only that, and not the fact that it is impossible for your customers to 'escape' the car park and avoid overstaying, once they have committed to the queue to leave.

As a weekly customer of Lidl, I'm sure you can appreciate that I am absolutely dismayed to receive this PCN. No one expects to be treated in this way after loyally shopping at your store and unavoidably overstaying in your car park as they wait patiently to leave.

I do not have the receipt for the visit to your store, but provided evidence to customer services by way of bank statements showing two of the driver's visits to the store last week, including on the day referred to in the PCN, along with a copy of the PCN. Their only action was to direct me back to Athena.

I appreciate fully the need to manage your car parks to avoid abuse by non-Lidl shoppers; however, as a genuine customer, I feel most aggrieved by this unreasonable charge. I hope to hear from you shortly with the reassurance that this unfair PCN has been cancelled.

Yours faithfully...

I'll let you know how it goes.

roarybobby

Thanks. I've read several of those earlier today. They were really helpful.