A woman has revealed how she was handed a pricey fine after picking up a parcel from ‘24/7’ lockers – and is urging people to be aware in the lead up to Christmas.
Fiona Hingston was dished the £100 penalty after being just two seconds over what she claims to be an “undisclosed grace period”.
The 57-year-old, who has parked in the spot before to pick up a parcel, claims that The Range’s car park in Kingsteignton, Newton Abbot, has 24/7 access and that there are no signs to suggest otherwise regarding the lockers.
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She has since contacted the fining company, Parkingeye, though she says her appeal has been rejected.
Fiona is sharing her ordeal to warn others about the risks of picking up and sending parcels from the advertised “24/7” lockers outside stores, which are used by InPost, DPD, UPS, Evri, and Royal Mail.
“I was horrified when I got home after work to find that I had been given a parking notice,” the accounts clerk told Need To Know.
“I spoke to the manager at The Range, who said I wasn’t the first person to mention this and that the store had only been given notice that the cameras were in operation [the day before].
“Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do as it was from a different company.
“[I was told to] contact Parkingeye directly and I did this as soon as I got home.”
Fiona, who was given the fine on 25 September, claims there is no barrier to prevent access to the car park once the store is closed.
She said: “If access to the lockers is not permissible outside store opening hours, then this needs to be made obvious.
“Nowhere does it say the lockers are not accessible 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“The car park sign does state no parking outside of [opening] times, though it doesn’t mention this applies to the lockers.
“And there is no small print relating to a grace period, either.”
Fiona says this is the first time she’s been given a fine, despite parking there multiple times before to send items.
She said: “I’ve used that car park on a number of occasions to send parcels and have sometimes been longer as the scanner didn’t work the first time.
“Or I had to wait for the scanner to become free.
“There was no mention that the cameras weren’t working and that they would be back in use.
“Or any warning to say charges would now be issued if outside the grace period.
“There’s also nowhere in the car park to purchase a ticket, so how else are we meant to use this service?
“The signage that Parkingeye currently have would appear that the terms of parking haven’t kept up with the new on-site facilities offered.”
Fiona has since appealed further to POPLA, an independent appeals service, and has also gotten her local MP involved.
She added, “My anxiety and stress levels are skyrocketing.
“I won’t give up without a fight – and won’t be using the lockers anymore.
“I’m not holding my breath.”
A spokesperson for The Range said: “The Range does not manage or have any control over parking enforcement at our stores.
“The Parking Charge Notice has been issued by an independent parking company, appointed directly by the landlord of the site, meaning we do not have contact with the company.
“This service is in place to prevent misuse of the car park by people who are not genuine customers of The Range or the other retailers on the retail park.
”Because this service is entirely separate from The Range, we do not have the authority to intervene, cancel, or alter any fines that are issued.
“The parking company operates under its own rules and legal framework, which means all appeals or disputes must go directly through them.
“This is also why there is no option for parking fines on our customer contact system, as they are not something we can handle.
“While we regret that we cannot get involved with this matter, please be assured that clear signage is placed around all of our stores where parking restrictions apply, to make customers aware of the rules in advance ”
A spokesperson for Parkingeye said: “The car park at the Range in Kingsteignton, Newton Abbot, is monitored by ANPR camera systems to prevent parking for long periods of time and abuse of the parking facilities, while providing motorists with clear guidance on how to use the car park responsibly through the 14 prominent and highly visible signs on site.
“All motorists visiting the postage locker facilities at the car park outside of working hours are provided an automatic grace period, ensuring that they have sufficient time to access the service when the store is closed.
“The motorist in question parked at the facility and overstayed the granted grace period, which resulted in receiving a parking charge.
“Parkingeye operates a BPA (British Parking Association) audited appeals process, which motorists can use to appeal their parking charge.
“If anyone has mitigating circumstances, we would encourage them to highlight this by appealing.”
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