Tesco Heathrow 8 minute overstay

D4RK51D3

Hi all 

My daughter got a letter from horizon stating that she’d overstayed in their car park for 8 minutes and 30 seconds at 4am!!  Pretty lame I think. I’ve complained to Tesco on twitter stating that we are a family of Tesco shoppers with Clubcards and a credit card and got a very blasé response of “if you believe it was issued in error then contact the issuer”

The photo evidence supplied is very questionable. You cannot see the registration number on the car photos themselves, just the zoomed in ones that quite honestly could’ve come from anywhere. Also, if their main aim is stopping lost revenue from people overstaying their welcome, I wonder how they could justify that as an argument for 8 minutes at 4am.

so I guess it’s on to the next stage as per the newbie sticky thread unless anyone can chime in with recommendations for horizon parking or what worked for them? 

Here’s hoping 

Fruitcake

If the shop is within the airport boundary where bylaws apply, then the vehicle keeper cannot be held liable. It is important therefore that the identity of the driver is never revealed.
Even if the shop is outside the area where bylaws apply, the NTK may not be PoFA compliant. If you are unsure, post both sides here, but redact all personal information including the PCN number, but please leave all dates showing.

fisherjim

I think the "Heathrow" reference is a red herring I don't believe there is a Tesco within the airport site.

D4RK51D3

Thanks Fruitcake, I will show the letter when I get home in a bit. 

FisherJim, yes it’s just a Tesco near Heathrow. Its actual address is Ashford, Middlesex. I think they try to run off the back off Heathrow and their parking restrictions. 

D4RK51D3

So here’s a redacted copy of the notice. What do we think? Actually it was my daughter that mentioned Heathrow Tesco rather than Horizon. 

Castle

D4RK51D3 said:

Hi all 

My daughter got a letter from horizon stating that she’d overstayed in their car park for 8 minutes and 30 seconds at 4am!!  Pretty lame I think. I’ve complained to Tesco on twitter stating that we are a family of Tesco shoppers with Clubcards and a credit card and got a very blasé response of “if you believe it was issued in error then contact the issuer”

Where does the 8 minutes 30 seconds come into it as the length of the overstay is not mentioned on the NTK.

fisherjim

She fell foul of the Tesco closes at midnight parking rules nothing to do with 8minutes and 30seconds, though you wouldn't know that from the NTK!

The new Horizon signage in car parks Tesco is abysmal!

D4RK51D3

Castle said:

D4RK51D3 said:

Hi all 

My daughter got a letter from horizon stating that she’d overstayed in their car park for 8 minutes and 30 seconds at 4am!!  Pretty lame I think. I’ve complained to Tesco on twitter stating that we are a family of Tesco shoppers with Clubcards and a credit card and got a very blasé response of “if you believe it was issued in error then contact the issuer”

Where does the 8 minutes 30 seconds come into it as the length of the overstay is not mentioned on the NTK.

Sorry Castle, I was working on assumptions to begin with, that as she mentioned Heathrow, that it would be a 1 hour parking allowance and therefore she would’ve overstayed 8 minutes. It’s not until now I’m researching etc that facts like this are coming to light.

D4RK51D3

fisherjim said:

She fell foul of the Tesco closes at midnight parking rules nothing to do with 8minutes and 30seconds, though you wouldn't know that from the NTK!

The new Horizon signage in car parks Tesco is abysmal!

Thanks fisherjim, do you think there’s room to be able to contest this?

D4RK51D3

fisherjim said:

She fell foul of the Tesco closes at midnight parking rules nothing to do with 8minutes and 30seconds, though you wouldn't know that from the NTK!

The new Horizon signage in car parks Tesco is abysmal!

Thanks fisherjim, do you think there’s room to be able to contest this?

Car1980

Their signs are confusing enough in broad daylight, let alone unlit in the dark.

Remember the onus is on them to make any restrictions clear, so they'd be expected to provide an illuminated sign for post-midnight times like this. Yet they don't. It's not even printed on reflective material like a road sign.

It's only invoice at the end of the day, so you can't contest it as such. Just wait and see if you receive a court claim. If so, they discontinue almost always as it's just a game of chicken.

Alternatively, you could email Horizon just to inform them that it's not a good case to bother sending to a court claim.

e.g. Your invoice (PCN) is in dispute and no payment will be made. No signage was visible and none was seen. The onus is on you to make any alleged contract clear, which would include use of illumination and reflective surfaces for terms and conditions that can only apply during night time hours. This you have failed to do and therefore no contract exists between the driver and Horizon. No further correspondence will be entered into and any spurious debt collection charges are now at your own risk and would be irrecoverable in any county court claim.