Win against LIDL Eastleigh and Athena APNR

Modern

:beer: win
I sent an email to
christian.haertnagel@lidl.co.uk
complaining about a very recent civil parking charge notice for £90 for the driver overstaying 12 minutes beyond the 90minutes and they replied-

Re: Your Contact
Thank you for taking the time to contact our CEO. I have been asked to reply on his behalf.

I was sorry to learn that you received a parking charge. I appreciate this may have been frustrating for you.

Lidl is a national retailer. As such, we have stores in locations with limited parking space and in common with many of our competitors, our store car parks are abused to a significant and detrimental extent. We have therefore judged it necessary to take measures so that our stores parking facilities are available first and foremost to our customers.

In order to ensure that sufficient parking spaces are available at all times to our customers, Lidl employs third party contractors to monitor and control our car parks. So far, this service has proved reliable and effective in reducing car park abuse and in freeing up spaces for our customers.

In light of your comments, on this occasion only, I have requested that the parking charge is cancelled. Athena will confirm the cancellation in writing in due course.

Thank you again for contacting us.

Yours sincerely,
For and on behalf of Lidl Great Britain Limited


Reece Aitken
Customer Service Management

[T] + 44 (0) 370 444 1234 / 0800 977 7766
[E] customer.services@lidl.co.uk

Umkomaas

Well done, you’ve taken the correct route by going straight to CH rather than, as many do (unsuccessfully), to Lidl’s Customer Service team, or worse, appeal to Athena.

Thanks for letting us know.

Modern

I followed the advice on here! It’s a fabulous resource of information. Thank you to all the regulars to help so much.

Modern

To help anyone else who want to fight an unCIVIL PARKING CHARGE NOTICE from LIDL

This was my email to the MD (email address on my first post)

Dear Christian Haertnagel,

Re: Parking Charge Notice No: 0 Xx
Vehicle Registration: Xx
Issue Date: 26/04/19
Entered Car Park: 24/04/19 @ 11:16:36
Exited Car Park: 24/04/19 @ 12:58:44
Athena claim an Overstay of 12 minutes.
Photo attached of the trickster envelope.
Photo attached of a contemporaneous receipt valued to your company as sales of £150.27

I am writing as the registered keeper of a car in reference to Athena ANPR Ltd's Notice to Keeper (ref: 0 xxx ).

The THIS IS NOT A CIRCULAR brown envelope used by Athena looks exactly like a circular. They are trying to trick people into ignoring the letter, and then feel it is possible to claim more money from them! See attached photo of a genuine set of today’s post with the only brown envelope amongst them.

The penalty of £90 they/you are trying to impose on me as the keeper of this car fails show that the driver at that time is a customer of Lidl.

The driver (your customer) did not park illegally, and I attach a contemporaneous receipt for £150.27.

I personally also shop at the same store. Whilst there I have noted that Athena make no allowance for actually acquiring a space in which to park or the time it takes to finally transfer your shopping to your vehicle.

Athena attempts to scare your customers who overstay with a charge of £90 in the hopes that they will feel so threatened and confused that they will just pay up the "discounted" £45 without question. It’s easy money for Athena and a bad reputation for Lidl's for being involved with such a company.

When I spoke to the Lidl manager today she simply said she couldn’t help in any way, with the fact that I as the registered keeper have received this threatening demand.

Would you please address this PCN with Athena with a view to cancelling it.

Attached,
Receipts for Lidls Purchases.
Photo of the brown envelope

beamerguy

Well done :j

Lidl still don't get it do they ?

"In light of your comments, on this occasion only, I have requested that the parking charge is cancelled. Athena will confirm the cancellation in writing in due course."

There will not be another occasion to be scammed Lidl, I will spend my money elsewhere ..... maybe at Aldi ??

Clearly there is an element of thickness here by Lidl

The_Deep

I thought that Athena were not authorised by Lidl to take court action.

Modern

Is that so? If that’s the case then the letters possibly could be ignored.

beamerguy

It's heresay that Aldi won't allow Parking Lie to do that, not sure about Lidl

Umkomaas

Modern wrote: »

Is that so? If that’s the case then the letters possibly could be ignored.

They could be ignored, but there would be months of hassle and aggravation from Athena and their debt collectors. While they might not have authority to proceed to court (but no one knows the absolute position) at the moment, they have 6 years to issue court proceedings.

No one should be second-guessing what a predator might do between now and 2025.

You’ve killed your Charge dead, and the approach to CH works every time. There’s no need for anyone to ignore the Athena PCN, it’s not the easy answer.

Modern

I will update this thread when Athena actually send the letter, acting on Lidl’s behalf.

I have since received another LIDL EASTLEIGH pcn from before this one. It was delayed in posting as I was named as the driver from a garage who lent me a courtesy car.

I wrote to the CEO of Lidl and attached a receipt from a different date as I couldn’t find the receipt of the day.

I received the email saying “on this occasion” we will cancel it and “Athena will confirm this in writing in due course”

I wonder if Athena will ever write. They owe us two letters.

The_Deep

If they do not, complain to you MP.

Parliament is well aware of the MO of these private parking companies, and on 15th March 2019 a Bill was enacted to curb the excesses of these shysters. Codes of Practice are being drawn up, an independent appeals service will be set up, and access to the DVLA's date base more rigorously policed, and persistent offenders denied access. Hopefully life will become impossible for the worst of these scammers.

Until this is done you should still complain to your MP, citing the new legislation.

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2019/8/contents/enacted

Just as the clampers were finally closed down, so hopefully will many of these Private Parking Companies.