B&Q - PARKING CHARGE NOTICE CANCELLED

Cocktailqueen

I recently went to my local branch of B&Q with a long list of items I wished to purchase for a big DIY project.  I also wanted to get some paint mixed and whilst there I wanted to price up a new bathroom.

I loaded up my trolley and ended up in a long queue with only 1 checkout opened.  After queuing and getting through the checkout I went and loaded up my little Fiat 500 with my new items which was a bit of a squeeze.  I bought 14 items at a cost of  £178 and I had already been in the store for a long time.  I went straight back into the store to get the paint mixed and there was a long queue and 1 man serving so I went off to price up the bathroom.  I came back and there were still 2 people in front so I still had to wait ages to get the paint mixed.  As I was leaving I decided to buy another couple of items.  I ended up queuing again for ages and then waiting for the lift as I needed to get down to the ground floor car park.  I then couldn’t get out of the store because of a roped off 1 way system to facilitate social distancing.  The  only way out was to go through the one opened checkout where the queue was enormous. I was trapped and there was nobody around to ask how I could get out so I had to wait in the queue.  I was so stressed by the time I finally got out.

Yesterday to my horror I received a Parking Charge Notice for £70 reduced to £40 if I paid within 14 days for exceeding the maximum stay time.  I couldn’t believe I had been in there for so long.  Today I wrote to the CEO of B&Q and copied in the Store Manager. I enclosed the receipts which spanned the time I was in the store as proof that I hadn’t used it as free parking to visit other shops.  I explained about the lack of staff and long delays at the checkouts and if this had not been the case I would not have been in there so long.  I also mentioned the amount of money I had spent in the store that day totalling £230 and that I was a regular shopper and didn’t think they wanted to fine genuine customers like me.  I got a reply from the CEO’s Office within an hour apologising for my experience saying that someone would call me tomorrow but in the meantime the Store Manager contacted me to advise it had been cancelled.

I am absolutely delighted with the outcome and wanted to share with others who are fighting these charges.

Umkomaas

Well done. 👍 Proves the power of the retailer complaint. 

but in the meantime the Store Manager contacted me to advise it had been cancelled.

Which parking firm please (TPS perhaps)?  You just need to access their website by going as if to pay the parking charge and check its current status, to make sure the manager's instruction has been followed. 

After queuing and getting through the checkout I went and loaded up my little Fiat 500 with my new items which was a bit of a squeeze. 

Luckily you didn't buy the bathroom suite then! 😆

Cocktailqueen

Cheers. Very funny.    Believe me if I could have gotten the bathroom suite into my car to save me another journey to the store I might have.  Thanks for the tip about checking it has been cancelled.  It was TPS and I will check to ensure it has been done.

beamerguy

Well, that's the way.
And you also saved money for the stupid insane debt collectors and legals we see on here

Coupon-mad

Great to hear this outcome and thanks for posting it.  Could you also add your post as a reply on the thread 'SUCCESSFUL COMPLAINTS ABOUT PPCS' which is linked in the first post of the NEWBIES thread where we encourage people always to do this as 'Plan A' before any appeal?

D_P_Dance

Well done, now write it up on their Facebook page to encourage the others.