Aldi Parking Eye - Successful Appeal with apology from Aldi...

AmaniA

: ) This Watchdog video is a wonderful link to send with GDPR claims if anyone wants to use it. What a great asset bank we’re all building here for future appeals, complaints, claims

beamerguy

AmaniA wrote: »

: ) This Watchdog video is a wonderful link to send with GDPR claims if anyone wants to use it. What a great asset bank we’re all building here for future appeals, complaints, claims

And the BBC has this page
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1Q8WCKXkmC75Qq4zTPbnbGv/parkingeye

“ParkingEye’s ANPR systems are the benchmark for the industry and are regularly audited by the British Parking Association and the DVLA. Factors such as dirty number plates, driving very close behind high sided vehicles and weather conditions can affect accuracy of ANPR readings.

Our view is .... REALLY ????

When did the BPA and DVLA audit that Aldi car park ??????

For that matter any ANPR car park of a BPA member

AmaniA

I think it’s interesting the DVLA use the BPA as some sort of indication of ParkingEye’s quality and ethics. Members of the BPA like PA pay to be members.The BPA is a not for profit organisation but exists solely for the benefit of its members - the parking companies. The BPA was set up by the parking industry. They are not an impartial regulatory body with any obligations to the public. The industry is unregulated. Their audits mean nothing. The DVLA are being misleading each time they state that BPA membership is a good enough reason to provide data. They are misleading the public into incorrectly thinking or assuming that the BPA are independently regulating the industry effectively and in accordance with law, when this isn’t the case.

Half_way

beamerguy wrote: »

And the BBC has this page
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/1Q8WCKXkmC75Qq4zTPbnbGv/parkingeye

“ParkingEye’s ANPR systems are the benchmark for the industry and are regularly audited by the British Parking Association and the DVLA. Factors such as dirty number plates, driving very close behind high sided vehicles and weather conditions can affect accuracy of ANPR readings.

Our view is .... REALLY ????

When did the BPA and DVLA audit that Aldi car park ??????

For that matter any ANPR car park of a BPA member

As a public body then the DVLA should accept a FoI request as to how many ANPR sites they audit, at a guess it would be a single figure that is circular shaped

JohnLa

AmaniA wrote: »

It seems that the number plate recognition systems in many Aldi store car parks managed by Parking Eye are failing to provide accurate evidence of parking infractions. And this is resulting in customers using the same Aldi store to shop more than once in a 24 hours period receiving unfair, unwarranted parking fines. Either it’s a technical issue or Parking Eye are hoping people will not be able to prove they are innocent and therefore it’s a scam.

It’s been covered in the National press in the past so why they haven’t fixed it is open to debate...

ALWAYS KEEP YOUR ALDI RECEIPTS.

So I hope this post helps others.

I’ve taken out contact names and contact info, but I will happily provide these if someone wants to use as part of a fine appeal.

With this approach, my parking ticket was cancelled via Aldi in less than 24 hours. Although please note that Parking Eye have not send me a notification of the cancellation yet and all I’ve received from them so far is an unhelpful automated email response.

Anyway... Here’s how I tackled it.

I appealed to Parking Eye and sent the below to Aldi U.K. And I also copied in Aldi’s CEO:

My Parking Eye / Aldi case - fined for loyalty

I shop in Aldi between 1 and 3 times a week. A loyal customer

On the 26 and 27th Jan 2019 myself and my husband shopped there on 2 separate occasions on 2 consecutive days. Leaving the car park on 26th immediately after our Aldi shopping trip and then returning to the same car park again just before our 2nd Aldi shopping trip that weekend on 27th.

So... my husband has now received a parking infraction notice and £70 fine demand from PE for leaving his car there for 21 plus hours? - seriously, what is wrong with them! Why are their cameras not working properly, is it a scam?

We’ve appealed sending them the dated Aldi receipts for both separate shopping trips. And we have an electric vehicle so we can actually prove that our car (by VIN number) was charging at our home charging point via the mobile charging app on the night they say the vehicle was left in the Aldi car park overnight.

But i’ve done my research, other people have experienced this - forums and online info tells me this is not a unique case. In fact it’s common. People have been fined for 2 consecutive shopping trips within 24 hours over and over again. And imagine if you’re not like us and you didn’t keep receipts (this was pure luck btw) or don’t have evidence. Lidl and Asda don’t use Parking Eye btw

But legally speaking, I believe that as this same thing has happened to others prior we have the right now to claim compensation for our inconvenience because PE have not fixed a recurring issue they’ve been notified about before on numerous occasions. And what is Aldi’s liability here? They act on your behalf under your instruction and control.

Do you only want customers to shop at you stores say once a week? Please let me know the rules and restrictions on multiple store visits, as a commercial business this would seem to be a bizarre business model, but I think customers need to know.

Please also see the below, just taken from our back and forth with Parking Eye so far - you’ll get the gist...

‘Dear Parking Eye Appeals Department,

It’s disappointing that when your organisation has been negligent in ensuring your systems for accurately establishing correct facts when issuing fines are at fault, you continue to inconvenience me further by insisting on complaints being put in the post.

I will write a physical letter and charge you costs including £100 for my time in having to do it, as you request. Online there are numerous examples of other people being fined by you due to the same error with your cameras in car parks that have led to your mistake with me. As it is easy to prove you haven’t fixed this issue, despite being aware of it prior, I am entitled to charge you costs for having to spend my time on your mistake.

In addition to receipts for Aldi shopping I also have evidence via my home electric charge point app records for my Electric Vehicle (vin number specific) that shows my vehicle was charging at my home on the night you say I left my car in an Aldi car park.

I will happily persue or defend this action by whatever legal action is needed and publicise my story.

Regards”

So Aldi, what’s your take and how are you going to deal with this issue?

ALDI REPLIED QUICKLY:

Good morning

I am writing regarding your correspondence addressed to our CEO, Giles Hurley, who has reviewed your email and asked me to respond on his behalf.

Thank you for contacting us regarding the parking charge you recently received from our Salisbury store.

I have spoken to ParkingEye, who have confirmed that your appeal with them was successful and your charge has now been cancelled.

A confirmation letter has been sent in the post to the registered keeper of the vehicle and should arrive within the next few days.

Once again, thank you for bringing this matter to our attention.

Yours sincerely

XXXXX
Aldi Parking Management

Aldi Customer Services
UK 0800 042 0800

Ireland 1800 991 828


I RESPONDED:

Thank you for your email. So it should be dropped immediately. And I expect an apology in writing also. We shouldn’t have been put in a position to have to spend our time appealing this in the first place.

I hope now that Aldi and your CEO are fully aware of the issue that Parking Eye have with their number plate recognition systems being unreliable, you’ll immediately be making sure the same thing doesn’t happen again to any other customers. Having spoken to an expert about this today, the number plate recognition cameras used by Parking Eye are too unreliable when vehicles are queuing one behind the other to be effectively used as evidence of an infraction.

So now you know the issue with parking at your stores relating to this, the onus and legal responsibility is on you as well as Parking Eye to fix this glitch or find a different way of tracking parking timescales.

Regards.

THEY APOLOGISED:

Good afternoon

Thank you for contacting us again. I am happy to hear that the charge has now been cancelled by ParkingEye. I can appreciate how upsetting this must have been for you and I would like to apologise for any inconvenience caused.

Please be assured that your comments regarding the system in place and your concerns regarding a potential glitch have been forwarded to ParkingEye, for monitoring purposes.

Once again, thank you for taking the time to raise your concerns with us.

Yours sincerely


XXXX
Aldi Escalations Team

I went to use Aldi car park to do my shopping with Aldi only for young couple without a child use a child and toddler parking space and to top it they went McDonald's and didn't even use Aldi

twhitehousescat

but the DVLA do not audit sites , that work is done by the BPA and IPC

twhitehousescat

and dont forget , in this sad world we live in, Parking eye were given a 80% startup loan , by HM gov , in return HM Gov retained shares to the value of 20% , and reaped the rewards from this

beamerguy

Half_way wrote: »

As a public body then the DVLA should accept a FoI request as to how many ANPR sites they audit, at a guess it would be a single figure that is circular shaped

Yes, that is my point. The audit must confirm to the public that the ANPR system is working correctly plus signage

This cannot be happening as we see on here with signage that does not comply and double dipping ANPR
If these audits are not being done on a regular basis, as they claim they are, then the DVLA find themselves in an "unsure" situation and should not release data unless they can prove a recent audit

If your car fails the MOT and you continue to drive it, you act illegally.

Yes, a FOI should prove interesting about any particular car park.
In turn, I assume a SAR to the BPA as to their own audit.

beamerguy

JohnLa wrote: »

I went to use Aldi car park to do my shopping with Aldi only for young couple without a child use a child and toddler parking space and to top it they went McDonald's and didn't even use Aldi

That will never stop but maybe they realised that with ANPR without a warden, it's not where you park, it's how long you park

AmaniA

JohnLa wrote: »

I went to use Aldi car park to do my shopping with Aldi only for young couple without a child use a child and toddler parking space and to top it they went McDonald's and didn't even use Aldi

I agree, in my local sports centre car park, the BMW dealership next to it used to use it to store some of their vehicles and paying members of the leisure centre then couldn't get a parking space, so they hired a private parking company. Great as long as they operate for the benefit of the leisure centre members and the leisure centre.

But when we visited Aldi and received a charge for violating the parking rules, we didn’t use a disabled or parent and child space, we didn’t park and go elsewhere. We used the car park to spend money in the landowner - Aldi’s - store, on two consecutive days, without overstaying on each occasion. Every term of car park use we complied with.

I really don’t think that because a number of people do not comply with the terms and conditions of the car park, this justifies penalising, inconveniencing and violating the privacy of those who do use it correctly. In this day and age private parking companies should be able to find ways to tell the difference between those who comply and those who don’t. It’s not too much to ask especially when these mistakes seem to happen so frequently.