Parking at Travelodge and Horizon Parking Ltd.

MrPhiltheSpanielino

I've just received an irritating New Year's Present - a Parking Charge from Horizon Parking Ltd. for having the temerity of parking my car in the Car Park at Sunbury M3 Travelodge while staying there before Xmas.

I had no idea that might happen and there was absolutely no mention of needing to pay for parking either when booking online or from the check-in staff when we arrived. I've appealed the 'reduced' charge of £25 (this goes up to £85 in two days time, and I've only just got the letter) and also complained to Travelodge themselves. Has anybody else fallen into their "trap" - no mention of parking and having to pay for it when booking or when arriving, then a nasty surprise three weeks later.

My basic beef is with Travelodge, since I am/was their customer and they seem to buy into this racket of effectively hiding the need to pay when booking, and then doing this "It's nothing to do with us, it's the 3rd Party who your now into for £25 (or £85), who you have the problem with" strategy. What a way to treat your customers and source of income, and drive folk to Premier Inn!

Does anyone have any similar experiences? I'm seething and ready to fight this racket.

Half_way

was this travelodges car park?

fisherjim

"no mention of needing to pay for parking either when booking online"

Really:

Parking

This car park is operated by Horizon Parking on behalf of Travelodge.

Spaces are available on a first come, first served basis. Height restrictions: 1.9m. Trailers, coaches and HGVs are NOT permitted in this car park.

Parking charges: £6 per 24 hours for guests.

Pay for parking at the car park pay and display machine, via QR Code, phone, Horizon website or Horizon parking app.

This car park is managed with Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras. Please provide your vehicle registration number when paying for your parking and register your vehicle at the tablet in reception to validate the resident parking fee.

Blue Badge holders are exempt from charges. Please make the reception team aware of your Blue Badge and registration details when checking in.

It is possible to pay for a maximum stay of 3 nights but this does not guarantee a space on arrival or if you leave the car park during your stay.

There is a limited number of pre-pay car parking spaces available at this hotel - to book click here or follow the link on your confirmation email. Guests not wishing to pre-pay can pay for parking on arrival.

https://www.travelodge.co.uk/hotels/346/Sunbury-M3-hotel?utm_source=google&utm_medium=GHA_Organic&utm_campaign=GHA_Sunbury M3&WT.tsrc=GHA_Organic

However it's Horizon who aren't the sharpest knives in the drawer, have a look around her for other Horizon threads.

Iceweasel

"Absolutely no mention"
You missed the info on the website when booking.
You missed the signage at the carpark entrance.
You missed the notices about parking charges when you checked in.
Notwithstanding those 'errors' follow the advice on here regarding Horizon and you won't need to pay the PCN.
Calm down - 'seething' won't help

Coupon-mad

It's easy to beat Horizon at POPLA still.

MrPhiltheSpanielino

Half_way said:

was this travelodges car park?

No, it turns out that it is owned or maybe just run by Horizon Parking, and that's the issue, really. You end up dealing with a third party, and Travelodge in legal terms wash their hands of it. And they cover themselves in the (massive) Terms and Conditions, which in real life no one has the time or training to read, but you have to tick the little lozenge to book. When you spend some time reading them, it is of course clear. You do have to work your way down to Section H - that's after taking the lift down past A - G.

H Car parking

 

1. Car parking is available at many Travelodge hotels.  In some locations this is provided by Travelodge and at other locations it is provided by a third party provider and fees vary between hotels.  Car parks and fees are shown in the ‘Directions and Parking’ section on specific hotel details pages. Please scroll down the page to view.

2. If the car parking at a hotel is provided or managed by a third party provider and you decide to use this car parking you will enter into an agreement with the third party provider and not Travelodge.  Information on the third party provider is displayed at the car parks and on the pay and display tickets.  We strongly advise that you read the third party provider’s terms as displayed at the car park before parking your car.

3. We shall not be liable in any circumstances for any loss or damage to vehicles you bring to the hotel or any property left in them regardless of whether they are parked in a car park connected to the hotel or not.

1505grandad

" I've appealed the 'reduced' charge of £25 (this goes up to £85 in two days time, and I've only just got the letter) ..."

Did you state who the driver was in your appeal (to ppc?).

MrPhiltheSpanielino

fisherjim said:

"no mention of needing to pay for parking either when booking online"

Really:

Hi Fisherjim,

Thanks for your input, and Yes - Really.

I know that I'm bound to be in the wrong legally, and will probably end up paying some sum for my overnight parking. No problem. And we're talking about either £6 to park overnight, or £25 at the lowest level of the charge. I can manage. BUT I don't see why I should have to. It's an issue of Customer Relations and being treated fairly by the hotel, because I'm their customer. I'm happy to pay in advance, eager even. But I didn't know.

My issue with Travelodge is two-fold: firstly, you want to book, because you need a bed for the night in the right location. So you go straight through to the online booking process and that never mentions parking. I know, because I went through it when booking in early December (not having any intention of falling unawares into this pain in the neck), and I went through it again this morning, to see what on earth had happened. Not a word. They do have time to try to upsell you for Breakfast; Dinner; Early In; Late Check Out; Pets and WiFi. Not a word about parking. The Hotel is called Sunbury M3 - the clue is in the name: who ever stays there who doesn't drive to it. Pretty-much everyone will need to park their car. So why isn't parking in that list? Pets - Really? Has anyone ever, ever arrived there with their pets in two and no car to park?

Secondly, do they want to make it easy for me or hard for me to pay for parking and avoid this nonsense? I'm their customer, so I know what I think. Not a mention at Check In from their staff about Parking

The text that you have posted (which I've just found for the first time), is below the Breakfast offering (we didn't want it, as we had an early start), below the Saver-rate and Flexi-rate options (I went Saver, as the Birthday we were there for was one of those for-one-day-only deals), below the photo of a comfy bed, below the nearby hotels (irrelevant to us), below the map (I know where it is, I lived in SW London for years). So I never went down that far, and thus immediately became a likely, and unwitting victim of Private Parking Charges, weeks after being there. Is it an accident or is it a scam?

Thanks for the steer on Horizon.

MrPhiltS

fisherjim

MrPhiltheSpanielino said:

No, it turns out that it is owned or maybe just run by Horizon Parking, and that's the issue, really. You end up dealing with a third party, and Travelodge in legal terms wash their hands of it. And they cover themselves in the (massive) Terms and Conditions, which in real life no one has the time or training to read, but you have to tick the little lozenge to book. When you spend some time reading them, it is of course clear. You do have to work your way down to Section H - that's after taking the lift down past A - G.

Horizon will not own the car park they are a third party parking company that provide their services free for the benefit of making money from PCN's.

It looks like you have already appealed and dobbed yourself in as driver, Horizon don't always use the POFA but you have sewn up that loophole. 

You need to wise up and read things better on here take note of what you are being advised, read the newbies thread, we all know about terms and conditions, and you have to take note instead of burying you head in the sand.

T&C's are what they say you broke it's no good saying that no one has time to read them, the signage should be in the car park that they say you agreed by!

You have now appealed it WILL be rejected you now need to follow here or they will hound you in to paying up.

Coupon-mad

Did you admit to driving in your appeal?

You had an almost certain POPLA win available to you as registered keeper but not as an admitted driver if you've already done that before coming here.