Parking fine in Matalan Car Park?

Whitters27

Hi
My wife has just received in the post today a "parking charge" from Smart Parking (£50, rising to £95 if we appeal and fail). This is from a photograph of the car on entry and exit to the car park.

She parked in a Matalan car park for 50 minutes where she understood that if she bought something the parking was free.
She spent £42 and has the receipt. The parking is free for Matalan shoppers, however, she should have paid £1 for the car park and claimed it back in store.

Does the community think it worthwhile appealing? Very frustrating as only £1 parking charge and such a large fine. She genuinely wasn't intending to avoid the cost as this would be waived if she spent money in the shop.
Interestingly, we only have 14 days from the date of the infringement which was 24/10/16 to pay before the charge goes up ..the letter only appeared today, so already 8 days gone. Elsewhere on this site, I see that the period to pay for a photo based charge is 21 days.

Thanks
A

Coupon-mad

Does the community think it worthwhile appealing?

Of course, seeing as Smart Parking cancel when they get a decent appeal from the registered keeper, not saying who was driving. Or the keeper would win at POPLA (second stage, assuming this was in England or Wales) because Smart can't hold keepers liable.

Hence why the NEWBIES FAQS thread gives you a template appeal from the registered keeper, not the driver, not implying who that was.

You have 28 days to appeal and you will not be paying a penny so stop looking at the 14 day bribe for idiots who pay!

shirliewurley

I have received a letter from a Smart parking at Matalan in Wellingborough. My husband has a blue badge and we registered it with Matalan, I am not sure when. It was for a year , I am not sure when I did it. Before this we parked in disabled spaces when possible but always got a ticket. We did not know about the 'free parking' until one day we heard it on a speaker in the shop. We visited Matalan on the 24th and 25th October. We asked at the customer service desk on the 25th if they could tell us when We registered the blue badge but she said they had no idea but to register it again anyway which we did, not even thinking that our year was already up. We received a letter for £50 for parking without getting a ticket. I rang Smart and the lady asked me when I parked, I told her and she said it ran out on the 24th October and said we should appeal

Coupon-mad

What on earth is this madness that a landowner/retailer (service provider) 'lets' a disabled person register their lawful right to use a disabled bay provision offered by the retailer/landowner ONLY for an arbitrary limited period of 12 months then lets it silently expire then lets an agent FINE you? I am horrified!

That is awful, one of the worst things I've read on here in a very long time! That is an unfair policy which breaches your RIGHTS under the Equality Act 2012. The disability doesn't just expire after 12 months and get better!

Do not pay!

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