The car park on Wish Street (for those who don’t know it) is situated immediately behind The Strand Fish and Chips on the roundabout. It is operated by Euro Car Parks and has been in the spotlight recently. Some visitor’s heated comments have promoted a lot of debate which included a request for photos of the car park signage (or lack of it) to be published.
One disgruntled motorist wrote the following:
“Please educate people to the unfairness (a more mild expression) of Wish Street car park. I arrived and went straight to the ticket machine. Joined a queue of people all trying to fathom out how the machines worked. Took 15 minutes to get my ticket. Enjoyed lunch and a wander round. Left the car park with several minutes in hand on the ticket. Enjoyable outing ruined when a parking notice arrived with a £60 / £100 fine as I had apparently overstayed. Time, it told me is based on the entry and exit cameras, making the information on the purchased ticket superfluous.
“There may have been a notice to this effect, but grappling with the ticket machine was more than enough to cope with. Rye will loose visitors and tourists. I won’t come back.
I am sure this isn’t a new complaint but visitors need to know. How about large signs on entry to the town telling us to avoid that car park?”
I visited the car park to investigate the concerns highlighted. I looked at all the available signage and have included photographs of what I saw for your information. Unless I missed it, I didn’t see a sign which made a statement regarding when the ticket time starts and finishes.
Afterwards I got in touch with the customer services department at Euro Car Parks seeking clarification on their policy for timed parking. They responded very quickly with the following explanation:
“The car park is operated by Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR). Cameras capture an image of vehicles entering and leaving the car park and calculate their length of stay on site. The time is calculated when the vehicle enters the car park.”
So there you have it, to a degree, the time on your purchased ticket is irrelevant and is not when the clock starts ticking, it starts when you enter the car park but you won’t know this until you buy a ticket and read what’s on it. But, let’s face it, how many of us actually read anything other than the time stated on the ticket? If we did then we would know what the rules are and make sure we returned to our vehicles in time to avoid being fined.
I then went back to Euro Car Parks, given all the confusion asking them if they would consider erecting a new sign making this clear to visitors. I will publish their response when I receive it but to avoid incurring unnecessary fines, if you intend to park at this car park your parking time starts when you enter the site, not from the time stated on your ticket.
Image Credits: Nick Forman .
This car park is a disgrace for Rye – locals avoid it, so the victims are invariably visitors. Couple of years ago, a friend drove me there to pick up my own car. At no point did she park or get out of her car. Fnished chatting, said goodbye, and yes, a fine based on the gate cameras taking her number. Appeal turned down. Rye council should insist on a large warning sign at the entrance.
I had a friend visit a few weeks ago. Parked in the car park and paid for a ticket whilst getting fish and chips. After leaving here they took their car abroad for a week or so. When they got back not only had they received a parking fine but it had increased to £100. Knowing they had paid they thought there would be no problem in challenging the fine but paid the £100 instantly to avoid any further costs.
That challenged the fine and after a number of emails and letters with evidence of paying for parking got a reply however they only refunded £40 the rest was taken as an administration fee. Disgraceful
Never pay the charge, if you know it is invalid or just wrong. These companies never ever pay it back, even if they ever admit they got it wrong. The Money Saving Expert site has suggested template letters/emails to send to challenge these sorts of things. Also, flag up the situation and unfairness to your MP. We had a similar situation in Lewes, with lots of people getting caught out. As soon as the MP got involved, all the threatening letters, demanding payment, were stopped. Better signage went up and people were no longer penalised for dropping off goods to the charity shop!
I tried to pay using contactless payment, the machine got as far as “authorising payment please wait” after waiting for several minutes I gave up and parked elsewhere. I took a photograph of the machine screen showing the time and the caption. The photo data can prove I took it at that location at that time. I appealed and was turned down. If I go to the next stage the fine goes from £60 to £100! For 15 minutes/40p. I’ll go to court rather than pay.
Way to go. If enough people took the same stance these rogues would soon think twice. Grow some good people, grow some.
Well done, Jane! I wish you the very best of luck.
Having been on holiday in the north of the country recently,I was pleased and surprised carpark companies giving motorists a 10 minute grace period on arrival, something that should be implemented right across the country.
All unfair car parking charges such as those arising from the use of this car park should be reported to the appropriate Trading Standards office immediately.