Spending amount to use Aldi car park

voddyman

Hi, My wife received a parking ticket from Parking Eye in an Aldi store. Now, to give you the full story, she forgot to put her number into the machine at Aldi. Then she realised and came back in within a few minutes. She spoke to someone in the store, and they said to put her number in now. If she gets a letter, she should take it to the store, and they will get it cleared.

Now here is the kicker, when we went back in the girl we spoke to [assistant manager] said that she WOULD clear the ticket but as she only spent just over £20 she would not do it again as she was parked for an hour and she hadn't spent enough money to justify the length of time she was in there.

Now, I remember when this parking eye started in Alldi, I asked the manager if it was okay to shop elsewhere, and he specifically said yes as long as I was back within the one-hour thirty-minute limit.

My wife is now embarrassed with how the Aldi employee dealt with this matter and has said that if the ticket doesn't get cleared she won't go back into the store to be embarrassed again and will just pay the fine., although that's NOT going to happen because I will pursue the matter myself on her behalf.

So, I need clarification or is this the case or is that Aldi employee that my wife spoke to just being pedantic?

elsien

I’m sorry, but I’m confused. You’ve said that Aldi will clear the ticket this time, so as it stands, there’s nothing to pay anyway.
So is your question about if your wife visits the store in the future? 

voddyman

elsien said:

I’m sorry, but I’m confused. You’ve said that Aldi will clear the ticket this time, so as it stands, there’s nothing to pay anyway.
So is your question about if your wife visits the store in the future? 

Hi, Sorry for not making this query clearer.

The question is it the case that you have to spend a certain amount to justify using an Aldi car park for the one and half hours that your allowed. 

Which is what we were told by this Aldi employee.

Brie

I would say it only applies if it's stated on their signs.  I would bet it isn't and if it was it's too small to see or refers your to T&Cs online that you may not be able to access.  Frankly I've never seen it at an Aldi and would suggest it's just something someone has made up to frighten your wife.  Given that there's normally no way to link your receipt to how you log your reg number it's sounds a load of fluff.  I'm assuming the last given I popped in to Aldi and bought just a sandwich the other day and in fact I've been in their stores a couple of times and they didn't have what I needed to I left without any purchase whatsoever - but did log my reg.

AND it's only going to be an issue if your wife (or potentially you?) has this same situation again.  Which is unlikely.  But I also get what your wife is saying - my OH won't go back to Aldi after we got caught out for not registering - I sorted it with the manager but OH took the huff about the whole thing.  

!!! just checked their website !!!!  nothing about minimum spends in relation to parking charges!!

Search Results | parking charges (aldi.co.uk)

voddyman

Brie said:

I would say it only applies if it's stated on their signs.  I would bet it isn't and if it was it's too small to see or refers your to T&Cs online that you may not be able to access.  Frankly I've never seen it at an Aldi and would suggest it's just something someone has made up to frighten your wife.  Given that there's normally no way to link your receipt to how you log your reg number it's sounds a load of fluff.  I'm assuming the last given I popped in to Aldi and bought just a sandwich the other day and in fact I've been in their stores a couple of times and they didn't have what I needed to I left without any purchase whatsoever - but did log my reg.

AND it's only going to be an issue if your wife (or potentially you?) has this same situation again.  Which is unlikely.  But I also get what your wife is saying - my OH won't go back to Aldi after we got caught out for not registering - I sorted it with the manager but OH took the huff about the whole thing.  

!!! just checked their website !!!!  nothing about minimum spends in relation to parking charges!!

Search Results | parking charges (aldi.co.uk)

Brilliant, thank you so much for that succinct reply, it is very much appreciated and I now know the facts for myself for future reference and in case we find ourselves in this situation again.

So it's looking like what I thought and the Aldi employee was let's say "economic with the truth", lol. 
Thank you once again👍👏

Fruitcake

There is a secret spend amount, above which PE will cancel if the supermarket ask them to. I say secret because neither Aldi nor PE will tell anyone what it is, but as you have discovered, it is greater than £20, whereas other posters have said it has been cancelled when they have spent perhaps £30 or more.

Coupon-mad

You won't be paying it anyway.

POFA compliant or not? See the thread of NTK pictures and compare.