Athena - Lidl PCN

maelstromz

Hi all,
So as the registered keeper, I just received a letter about a PCN from Athena ANPR Ltd about the driver on that day parking in a Lidl for longer than allowed.

The allowed duration of stay, to the driver's knowledge, was 1 hours and 30 minutes. So they were parked for less than 1hr30, but when the PCN came I discovered that the allowed duration of stay is actually only 10 minutes and is 1hr30 for "shoppers entering reg at the terminal". The driver wasn't given this option while they were shopping and had no idea about it so I'm not sure what to do now.

Unfortunately the driver threw away the receipt as they did not expect this to happen (but we are regular customers and probably have other receipts at Lidl).

What is the best course of action?

Also is this the current best e-mail address to email a complaint to: christian.haertnagel@lidl.co.uk

The_Deep

This is an entirely unregulated industry which is scamming the public with inflated claims for alleged breaches of contracts for alleged parking offences, aided and abetted by a handful of low-rent solicitors.

Parking Eye, CPM, Smart, and another company have already been named and shamed, as has Gladstones Solicitors, and BW Legal, (these two law firms take hundreds of these cases to court each year). They nearly always lose, and have been reported to the regulatory authority by an M.P.

Hospital car parks and residential complex tickets have been especially mentioned.

The problem has become so rampant that MPs have agreed to enact a Bill to regulate these scammers. Watch the video of the Second Reading in the HofC recently.

http://parliamentlive.tv/event/index/2f0384f2-eba5-4fff-ab07-cf24b6a22918?in=12:49:41

and complain in the most robust terms to your MP. With a fair wind most of these companies may well be put out of business by Christmas.

Fruitcake

Did you pay by card, and if so, do you have a bank/CC statement?

That email address is out of date. I believe he has had so many complaints now that you have to use a customer services email address or similar. You will have to look it up using a search engine.

When you complain, make sure you tell them you will shop elsewhere if this isn't cancelled, and you will tell all your friends and family about this unregulated parking industry that is set up to scam genuine shoppers.

Please do complain to your MP, but also quote the comments in red below when you complain to Lidl.

These are some of the comments made by the MPs in Parliament concerning the unregulated parking industry (Feb 2018):

https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2018-02-02/debates/CC84AF5E-AC6E-4E14-81B1-066E6A892807/Parking(CodeOfPractice)Bill

''Rip-offs from car park Cowboys must stop''; unfair treatment; signage deliberately confusing to ensure a PCN is issued; ''years of abuse by rogue parking companies''; bloodsuckers; ''the current system of regulation is hopeless, like putting Dracula in charge of the blood-bank''; extortionate fines; rogue operators; ''sense of injustice''; unfair charges and notices; wilfully misleading; signage is a deliberate act to deceive or mislead; ''confusing signs are often deliberate, to trap innocent drivers''; unreasonable; a curse; harassing; operating in a disgusting way; appeals service is no guarantee of a fair hearing; loathed; outrageous scam; dodgy practice; outrageous abuse; unscrupulous practices; ''the British Parking Association is as much use as a multi-storey car park in the Gobi desert''; and finally, by way of unanimous conclusion: ''we need to crack down on these rogue companies. They are an absolute disgrace to this country. Ordinary motorists and ordinary residents should not have to put up with this''.

These are the exact words used, so you should quote them to your MP in a complaint and ask him/her to contact Sir Greg Knight MP if he wants further information about this scam.

maelstromz

I will definitely complain to my MP as soon as I get this sorted. Thanks

I'll see if I can find a customer services email. Should I also make an appeal directly to Athena? Or should I just email Lidl first?

Also the driver paid by cash unfortunately.

Fruitcake

Appeal to Athena using the template from the NEWBIES before the deadline if Lidl don't cancel first. Don't miss the deadline.
If you paid by card at any other time, or have any Lidl own brand products you can photograph, then use that as proof in your complaint to Lidl.

I would complain to your MP sooner rather than later.

beamerguy

maelstromz wrote: »

I will definitely complain to my MP as soon as I get this sorted. Thanks

I'll see if I can find a customer services email. Should I also make an appeal directly to Athena? Or should I just email Lidl first?

Also the driver paid by cash unfortunately.

Type into google ... email ceo lidl

Mr Christian Härtnagel Managing Director

Email compliance@lidl.co.uk

Coupon-mad

I'll see if I can find a customer services email.

It's in the thread called Successful Complaints, the hyper link in the NEWBIES thread, because this is done pretty much every month on here by complaining to Lidl.

Anyone could easily find it, by searching the forum for Lidl Athena complaint.