McDonalds (MET) PCN - Manager refused to take any action

Coupon-mad

Resolver is sadly crap.   Just do an email complaint and don't go looking for some hand-holding template for it (please).  

deejbk01

ok, so I wrote to Jason Clark, McDonalds UK COO.

I was answered by a member of customer services as follows:

I am writing further to your email which has been passed for my attention from Jason Clark about your visit to one of our restaurants. I have noted your comments and welcome the opportunity to confirm our policy on this matter.

As a company, putting in place enforcements within our car parks is only done after careful consideration and very much as a last resort. Primarily, we use parking measures to ensure there are spaces available for our customers’ vehicles, as well as to deter unwarranted or unreasonably prolonged usage of the facility.

I can confirm this parking area is managed by an independent company who are responsible for monitoring the car park and taking details of registration numbers. The regulations and signs at the restaurant clearly state the policy and the relevant charges.

I trust you will appreciate that in order to maintain a consistent approach; we have to adhere to the guidelines in place regardless of whether you were in the restaurant for the duration of the stay or not. As such, in a situation such as a clear contravention of parking regulations, we are unable to deal with any specifics or cases on an individual basis. Suffice to say, if a customer contravenes the clearly displayed parking regulations, they will receive a ticket.

Thank you for contacting us and again for the opportunity to comment and if you do wish to pursue the matter, this will need to be done by following the appeals process outlined on the parking ticket.

Kind regards,

XXXX
Senior Customer Services Manager
Customer Services Team

A pretty useless reply in my view. What should I do next?

Umkomaas

deejbk01 said:

ok, so I wrote to Jason Clark, McDonalds UK COO.

I was answered by a member of customer services as follows:

I am writing further to your email which has been passed for my attention from Jason Clark about your visit to one of our restaurants. I have noted your comments and welcome the opportunity to confirm our policy on this matter.

As a company, putting in place enforcements within our car parks is only done after careful consideration and very much as a last resort. Primarily, we use parking measures to ensure there are spaces available for our customers’ vehicles, as well as to deter unwarranted or unreasonably prolonged usage of the facility.

I can confirm this parking area is managed by an independent company who are responsible for monitoring the car park and taking details of registration numbers. The regulations and signs at the restaurant clearly state the policy and the relevant charges.

I trust you will appreciate that in order to maintain a consistent approach; we have to adhere to the guidelines in place regardless of whether you were in the restaurant for the duration of the stay or not. As such, in a situation such as a clear contravention of parking regulations, we are unable to deal with any specifics or cases on an individual basis. Suffice to say, if a customer contravenes the clearly displayed parking regulations, they will receive a ticket.

Thank you for contacting us and again for the opportunity to comment and if you do wish to pursue the matter, this will need to be done by following the appeals process outlined on the parking ticket.

Kind regards,

XXXX
Senior Customer Services Manager
Customer Services Team

A pretty useless reply in my view. What should I do next?

Ignore MET, if you want to continue eating junk, go to BurgerKing in future!

Le_Kirk

A pretty useless reply in my view. What should I do next?

Follow advice given by @Umkomaas but one thing I would not be doing is returning to a McD's anywhere and I would be telling the ever-so-helpful "Customer Service" person that neither you, your family nor your friends can afford to eat at one of their restaurants ever again if every meal is accompanied by a £100 surcharge.

D_P_Dance

Have you complained to your MP?

Coupon-mad

Reply and say, no, I don't appreciate that McDonalds is not prepared and pretends that it is 'unable' to tell your parking contractor to cancel the parking charge.  This is a normal part of such contracts.  Private 'contractual' PCNs like this are routinely cancelled by (and this is not an exhaustive list):

Starbucks
M&S
B&Q
Tesco
Aldi
Waitrose
Sainsburys
Morrisons
Hotel chains
Restaurant chains

Then explain why the appeal will not work - that POPLA don't consider the fact the occupants of the car were patrons...etc.  And finish by saying you want the complaint escalated and feel insulted that an email to the CEO was downgraded to a customer service team who either haven't been told or don't understand what they can and can't do under the il-advised parking contract they have signed, that works against their own customers.

deejbk01

Thank you,

Here's the email I sent based on Coupon-mad's post:

I'm afraid that is unacceptable. I don't appreciate that McDonalds is not prepared to tell their parking contractor to cancel a parking charge, and I know it is not true to say that McDonalds are 'unable' to do so. I know that the ability to request cancellation of Parking charge notices to be a normal part of such contracts with private parking companies such as MET Parking. Private 'contractual' PCNs like this are routinely cancelled by (and this is not an exhaustive list):

Starbucks
M&S
B&Q
Tesco
Aldi
Waitrose
Sainsburys
Morrisons
Hotel chains

Restaurant chains 

I do not think it is appropriate to suggest that I use the appeals process outlined in the Parking Charge Notice, since POPLA do consider the particular facts of the circumstances, such as the occupants of the car being patrons of the restaurant.

My original email was to McDonalds UK COO Jason Clarke and I feel insulted that this email was downgraded to a customer service team who have refused "to deal with any specifics or cases on an individual basis". I don't think this is acceptable, nor does it demonstrate customer service.

Please can this complaint be escalated immediately.

Here another poor response from them:

Thank you for getting back in touch further following the parking ticket you received during a visit to one of our restaurants.  I can confirm that as Senior Customer Services Manager for McDonald's in the UK & Ireland, your email was passed directly to myself from Jason to respond to.

I regret that when a parking contravention has occurred, we are unable to deal with any specifics or cases on an individual basis. As mentioned, if a customer contravenes the clearly displayed parking regulations, they will receive a ticket.

I have once again reviewed all the information produced, but whilst I do appreciate your further comments, our position on this matter has not changed. I can therefore only refer you back to our previous email.

If you have not already appealed to the parking company, this would be an advisable step to take first. As a further action after this point, POPLA are an independent body who rule on such matters. They can be contacted via www.popla.co.uk

Thank you for contacting us again and I am sorry that we can be of no further assistance on this matter.

Kind regards,

Michael Kelly
Senior Customer Services Manager
Customer Services Team

I'm really appalled that they refuse to take any action. What should I do next?

nosferatu1001

I would point out that they are wrong. THey have CHOSEN not to do anythign. They are perfectly able to do so.
Good to know they are happy with their customers getting charged £100. You will ensure the press is aware of this.

Umkomaas

What should I do next?

1. Appeal to MET
2. Get your POPLA code
3. Appeal to POPLA
4. Ignore MET thereafter
5. Change your junk food suppler 

MET aren't litigious at present but they have 6 years to sue. Come back if you receive any Letter of Claim or court papers from the Northampton CCBC. 

deejbk01

nosferatu1001 said:

I would point out that they are wrong. THey have CHOSEN not to do anythign. They are perfectly able to do so.
Good to know they are happy with their customers getting charged £100. You will ensure the press is aware of this.

That is a very interesting take. I'd not considered that step. Has anyone done this before, is there any precedent here?
I could contact the Croydon Guardian about this to see whether they would take this up. Or do you think I should instead go to national press?

Do you think I should contact them one last to say, "as you have CHOSEN not ask MP to cancel this I will have to go the press as I think more people deserve to know how badly you are treating paying customers..." to see if they change their tune, or just go direct?