Parking fine is unsympathetic

12:40pm Tuesday 14th August 2012 in Letters

I AM incensed by the actions of the company now running the car-parking at ALDI in Stockton Heath, Euro Car Parks.

My wife is disabled and has her blue badge displayed in the car window as instructed. This morning we received a fixed penalty notice of £70 for overstaying the 90 minute time limit by nine minutes last Monday.

Every car park in the country is sympathetic to disabled users and allows some lee-way for someone who walks very slowly due to the arthritis in her legs.

Aldi advertises that its prices are cheap, we shop there every week, or we have until now. I have worked out that all we have saved by shopping there in the last six months will be taken by this exorbitant charge, £70 00 is all of my wife’s pension for a week, she claims no other benefits.

ROBERT HOLCROFT

Comments(14)

nextdoor says...
1:41pm Tue 14 Aug 12

They seem to be operating cameras on the entrance and exit so they can correctly determine how long you have been there. Therefore, blue badge or not, you will be fined if you over stay the 90 minutes.

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leechappers says...
3:14pm Tue 14 Aug 12

Whilst I am sympathetic with the disabled person. Rules are rules. My mum is disabled and if she knows that she will not be back in time she will either get me to park elsewhere or pay for longer parking. Disabled parkers already get priorities (closer parking, wider spaces and in a lot a cases FREE parking) why should they now be able to "flaunt rules".

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Cheap Mower says...
10:53pm Tue 14 Aug 12

only yourself to blame, you parked for longer than your allowed.

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Cleopatra says...
1:58am Wed 15 Aug 12

Robert, didn't you know? You get no sympathy from anyone on here for parking misdeanours. All WG online readers are perfect parkers.

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moleogod says...
9:32am Wed 15 Aug 12

A notice is not a bill or a demand legally it is an offer to pay but they work it very deceptive. by law do to not actually need to pay it. what you do it you right to them saying that you require proof withing 7 days of receiving your letter that it was indeed you driving and a ask them to give you a valid legal reason within the law on why to pay ( there is none and they know this) and if you do not hear back it will be a sign that they do not with to take any further action as both parties are happy not to continue. its just an illusion of authority there are no penalties for doing this. so dont pay them look this up online

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moleogod says...
9:32am Wed 15 Aug 12

meant word it very deceptively

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leechappers says...
10:51am Wed 15 Aug 12

Cleopatra, Never said I was perfect but if you break the law then you take the punishment. And as far a parking is concerned I have NEVER recieved a parking ticket, NEVER parked on double yellow lines and never parked in a disabled or mother and child spot without having a disabled person or child with me. If I break the speed limit, I know the consequences and accept them, my decision and my rule breaking.

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Nick Tessla says...
11:11am Wed 15 Aug 12

I don't know this carpark but if it is AldiIs own carpark then it raises a question about this person's whinge.


- Did it really take over an hour and a half to shop in Aldi ?


- if not - were they continuing to use the facility, provided by Aldi for customers while they are shopping at the store, while going to other shops etc.?


I imagine if it is Aldi's own carpark then you'll find the conditions only permit parking while shopping at Aldi - in which case the writer of the letter may have overstayed their welcome by more than the nine minutes.


P.S. A disabled badge should not be regarded as a universal "get out of jail free" card

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old-codger says...
5:52pm Wed 15 Aug 12

Take the parking ticket to the manager of Aldi together with the reciept you got for shopping there as it will give the time you left the store. Nobody needs one and a half hours to go round a small supermarket like Aldi but if your disabled I,m sure the manager will compromise.

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Mark-B says...
8:45pm Wed 15 Aug 12

If this is a private car park then don't pay the fine. They won't take you to court because they know they'll lose. The judge will say that £70 is an unreasonable charge for 9 minutes parking and throw it out. They're trying to bully people into paying so just ignore it

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ilovewazza says...
1:14pm Thu 16 Aug 12

If it has taken this disabled couple more than 99 mins to wander around Aldi then it is unfair ticket and providing the can see the interent they should go here... http://www.moneysavi
ngexpert.com/reclaim
/private-parking-tic
kets

If they parked in Aldi (provided the car park is only for there) and over stayed their welcome becuase they went elsewhere then they should just pay up. They shouldnt have thought that with the use of that blue badge/get out of jail freecard they have the right to stay longer than others

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Pauline McEwan says...
4:37pm Thu 16 Aug 12

On the few Aldi stores I've been in it would only take a disable person maximum 60 minutes to walk round and get their shopping, sorry but I see it all the time at work people parking in disabled spaces.
If this is a private parking then they need to take it up with the company, not with the press !!!

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Freeborn John says...
9:52am Fri 17 Aug 12

I think that disabled drivers should be allowed to park where, and for as long, as they need.
They're hardly clogging our roads and car parks up, are they?
On the other hand, those able bodied people who abuse the blue badge system should have the book thrown at them.

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Cheap Mower says...
10:20pm Fri 17 Aug 12

What about the drivers who think its ok to park in a parent and child spot because they have a blue badge!

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