Curious as to the legality of this one

eyelinerprincess

I'm in Scotland so know that regulations etc regarding pcns but was curious on this point:

Car park has recently changed from free to "pay on exit or free if you spend £5 in store". Upon entering the car park it has a sign saying that the car park is pay on exit HOWEVER it also says "terms and conditions displayed inside". You cannot see the t&cs until you have entered the car park, by which point they have taken a photo of the car. I will also point out it's a pain to turn before entering too as it's on a bend.
As far as I can recall the only signs displaying the price of the car park are inside the car park also (although I can check next time I'm passing).

Surely you cannot agree to the terms and conditions until you have seen them, and by the time you have they've deemed you have accepted them.

The_Deep

Surely you cannot agree to the terms and conditions until you have seen them, and by the time you have they've deemed you have accepted them.


By whom? Not the PPC as grace periods apply,

Fruitcake

The question should be is this lawful because it is to do with civil or contract law as opposed to legal which is to do with criminal law.

However, a contract cannot be made if the driver cannot see the Ts and Cs.

Suppose the motorist changed their mind and decided to leave without buying anything, they could not possibly enter into a contract. As you surmise, it's a load of shoe menders.

You are correct about the important stuff since you are in Scotland and can ignore parking scammers, but I believe this misrepresentation is unfair and complaints should be made.

zardoz70

So is this a barrier car park?
i.e. You have to pay to get your ticket validated by the machine to put in the barrier or the store validate it for you if you spend £5.

eyelinerprincess

No, there is a camera which takes a photo of the car as you arrive. If you spend the money in the shop you get a barcode on your receipt. There is a machine where you type in the last 3 letters of your reg no then either pay or scan the barcode.

pogofish

Most of the barrier car parks round here have a 10-15minute "free" period where you can get out again without paying if you don't accept the T&Cs - or can collect your messages quickly.

Operators don't make this at all clear though and it may be in the very smallest print on the most difficult to find copy of the T&Cs posted-up behind the back door to the bogs or only on their website.