mike 202 Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Yesterday I read for the first time the LIDL parking rules and I was shocked !!! Why? Well you get 90 minutes to park and if you return within 2hours then you agree to pay a fee of £90 to the company that runs the car park on behalf of LIDL. Having got a response of "nothing to do with me" from the Fareham Hampshire manager I rang customer services with the following question If having shopped for say 30 minutes and left the car park then I remember an item that I had forgotten (my example was butter) and I returned to the store say 15 minutes later then would my pack of butter cost me £1 plus the £90 charge as I had returned before the 2hours was up. LIDL customer services said YES I WOULD BE EXPECTED TO PAY the £90 plus of course the £1 for the butter. So be carefull if you forget an item and return to LIDL I appreciate that there is some legal issues on whether the fine/payment is valid but who needs the stress of letters through the post. Mike Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
colin Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I know someone who got caught out by this. He had brought something, can't remember what now, got home and found it wasn't working, returned to store, and got a ticket, and actually paid it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keith T Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 I have to admit to never having checked this out, as I have only looked at how long you can actually stay at any one time. I wonder if the likes of Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose etc are similar? I also have to say that when in France I have never looked at any maximum length of stay at the Hypermarkets, and often have spent many hours there especially on days with bad weather. I would be surprised if they have limits though. Regrettably more and more do seem to be sprouting height barriers though, as well as almost inaccessible fuel stations, certainly where the cash booth is!. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Collings Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 My son had one of these drop on the doormat after returning a CP several hours later. He did some home work on the net and replied quoting the proforma he found. End of story. You cannot be fined for a civil debt they can only sue you for a loss but if you can produce evidence there was plenty of spaces unused they have not lost income. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cattwg Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 We had a similar experience at an ASDA carpark last year. We had overstayed by 10 minutes. I spoke firmly but politely to the store manager. I explained that we had just spent over £400 pounds on groceries, glasses and clothes and that I was NOT going to pay the penalty. I rejected his attempt to explain that the car park was not ASDA’s and was operated by a different company. I had a ‘phone call from him a couple of hours later saying that the ‘ticket’ had been cancelled. I’ve heard nothing since. Cattwg :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billggski Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 Both the "honest john" and "Martin's money tips "websites have articles on what to do if you get a ticket from a supermarket. They all try it on, to prevent long term parking. You need nerve to ignore the threats. But the bottom line is that you don't have to pay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Peter James Posted April 7, 2015 Share Posted April 7, 2015 If you had a supermarket how would you prevent the car park being full of cars owned by people who have gone somewhere else, so there is nowhere for your customers to park? They don't have this problem across the channel because free parking is not so scarce. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brith Posted July 22, 2016 Share Posted July 22, 2016 Recently called into Kings Lynn Lidl to stock up before moving on to Sandringham CCC site. When we got home the following week there was a parking fine for £90 - £45 if paid within 14 days. Apparently we had parked for 1hour 42 mins - just over 12 mins longer than we were allowed! I appealed with a copy of the receipt and also contacted Lidl customer service suggesting we shopped elsewhere and the charge has been dropped. I remembered seeing the sign about the time limit but hadn't thought to time our entry and exit which was when we were caught on camera. Packing a lot of groceries away before leaving does take some time - 17 mins in total from till to exiting carpark. It took me 10 mins when I just loaded the shopping in the boot yesterday! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vindiboy Posted July 23, 2016 Share Posted July 23, 2016 Lidl' s car parks are private property, so they have the right to impose restrictions on the use of their car parks ,they chose to use an agency to control the parking and display signs outlining the rules, and also the penalties incurred if you do not comply, how much simpler can it get? if you cant do the time, don't do the crime SIMPLES ???? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 How on earth can you spend 90 minutes, basically shopping for groceries? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brock Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 I'm not allowed in the shop when my missus goes into a supermarket. We have a different approach to shopping so best to avoid the conflict. She can do a weekly family shop for 3 or 4 within an hour. She keeps a shopping list on her smart phone. I sit in the van and watch the antics of other shoppers/parkers. Our local LIDL does not have any parking restrictions so I guess it is a location issue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 Ever since ANPR cameras began to be installed at supermarket car-parks there have been problems when people make multiple visits to the car-park within a relarively short time-window. This might amuse: http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/weird-news/lidl-customer-gets-90-parking-7904961 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldi Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 Afternoon folks, Our local council run car park was used by the employees of the local small busineses in the town which reduced the footfall in the town, ( so they say) so they put a4 hour limit on and height restriction bars as well just for good measure. People then started to clog up the Tesco car park which did not have restrictions. so Tesco then put up one of these signs with 90 minutes on. Ah well I'm, glad mrs goldi does all that sort of thing. norm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pepe63xnotuse Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 No doubt "tweaked" for comedy effect (if not totally made up?) but funny none the less.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brabander Posted July 24, 2016 Share Posted July 24, 2016 Our local LIDL car park is shared with other businesses within the business centre. The town centre is quite close. There is a large paying car park across the road from LIDL. The reality is that come 9 am the car park is usually 3/4 full ie most spots are taken by shop keepers from the town centre. Sometimes I wish they would introduce a max stay limit and POLICE this. There are actually large signs stating that the car park should only be used by customers of the business centre. I suspect that over 50% of the parked cars are not owned by customers. I suspect this is typical for most free large store car parks where they are located close to town centres, hence the need for restrictions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RogerThat Posted July 26, 2016 Share Posted July 26, 2016 Keith T - 2015-04-07 3:55 PM I wonder if the likes of Tesco, Sainsbury's, Waitrose etc are similar? . Our local Tesco has ANPR. I'm not sure I understand the issue here though... Your reg plate is captured as you enter the car park, it's captured again as you leave. The computer then does the smoke task of working out the time difference between the two captures. If it's over their pre-defined time then it'll issue a PCN (or call it what you will), if it's under the time limit the 'capture' is simply deleted. If you leave, then return again within xyz time, a new capture is taken and timed. I can't see how you received a fine at all, as your second visit to the store was exactly that, a second (and separate) visit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Derek Uzzell Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 This assumes that the ANPR system is as efficient as you’ve described. If the ANPR system fails to ‘capture' when a vehicle exits and the vehicle returns later but the ANPR fails to capture its entrance, it’s probable that the 2nd exit will be linked to the 1st visit. It’s certainly been claimed in the past that this has happened. (This is a 2015 thread that was resurrected. I don’t think any forum member who has posted here was actually fined as a result of making two visits.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PJay Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 We have this system at one of the local hospitals. Once you get used to it , works fine. On the old system people would pass their ticket on if time left on it. I only wish the parking charges at hospitals when to the hospital, and not to parking companies. Our local ones are always busy, and often have to queue to get in PJay Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 sshortcircuit - 2016-07-24 10:47 AM How on earth can you spend 90 minutes, basically shopping for groceries? My wife could spend ALL DAY shopping for groceries. LIDL need to incease their limit to 2 hours, like all the other supermarkets. 90 minutes is not long enough. This rule is to stop folk parking and shopping elswhere, a simple production of a valid reciept for the date and time when parking was done should automatically cancel any ticket imposed. Anything else is entrapment and fraud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 90 minutes to purchase groceries is really way excessive unless you are double, triple checking sell by dates,etc. Life is far to short to waste time in this way, particularly if its just for foodstuffs Proof of purchase would not work as a minor purchase would be made to circumvent the requirement when as you suggest, shopping has been done elsewhere. Businesses are there to make money and not provide a free service with no benefits to themselves. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 sshortcircuit - 2016-07-27 12:42 PM Proof of purchase would not work as a minor purchase would be made to circumvent the requirement when as you suggest, shopping has been done elsewhere. Businesses are there to make money and not provide a free service with no benefits to themselves. Penalizing genuine customers who park in your car park is a poor business model. I suspect if too many Lidl customers get tickets, they will find their market share dropping. And quite right too. Same goes for supermarkets who put height barriers at their car park entrances. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RogerThat Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 Derek Uzzell - 2016-07-27 9:38 AM This assumes that the ANPR system is as efficient as you’ve described. If the ANPR system fails to ‘capture' when a vehicle exits and the vehicle returns later but the ANPR fails to capture its entrance, it’s probable that the 2nd exit will be linked to the 1st visit Very good point :-D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayjsj Posted July 27, 2016 Share Posted July 27, 2016 We are only trying to point out that most Women(our wives in particular) have a different prospective when it comes to shopping....me, i would rather go to the dentists than spend more than half an hour in a supermarket, but my other half...as i said, could easily spend half a day buying the weekly groceries.But as shown, i need to be careful when using Lidl. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sshortcircuit Posted July 28, 2016 Share Posted July 28, 2016 I would have thought you would have been advocating a reduction from 90 minutes to 60 minutes as Ishops tend to sell the everyday household item that needs very little thought process. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StuartO Posted July 28, 2016 Share Posted July 28, 2016 I was just making a tactful suggestion, and hoping to be light hearted about it, that women enjoy shopping and take their time to do so, and you weren't allowing for this. A bloke on his own will tend to be in and out in no time. Few of us would pretend to understand why women do what they do but at least we have learned not to fight it. I feel sorry for retailers whose car parks get clogged by people who aren't shopping with them but trying to limit the duration of parking to less than a woman needs will inevitably impact on footfall and sales. People who have parked at a shop and then gone off somewhere else deserve no sympathy if they then get a ticket. People who claim to have gone off and come back and thereby get a ticket probably don't deserve much sympathy either because that's just the sort of story the other lot would come out with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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