Since 1995, Tesco has had the largest market share of supermarkets in the UK. Along with its different store types, it also owns Premier, One Stop, Marko, F&F and Booker. A lot of these locations will provide some form of parking for their customers. Due to the ideal location of a lot of their car parks, they have been rolling out strict parking rules. If these rules are not adhered to, you could find yourself getting a Parking Charge Notice. This article will discuss ways to appeal a Tesco parking fine.
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Tesco Parking Time Limit
Most Tesco stores offer free parking, however, there is a maximum parking time limit and is dependent on where the store is located.
The maximum parking time limit should be displayed at the entrance to Tesco car parks. There should also be clear signage providing the terms and conditions for the car park, which should also include the maximum time limit.
Tesco Parking Validation
We created an article about Tesco parking validation due to the amount of problems that have been reported with this feature.
Tesco Parking Rules
Parking beyond the maximum time limit outlined on the signage in the car park will result in a Tesco parking fine being received.
As of January 2023, the current charge for overstaying is £70. This is reduced to £30 if paid within 14 days of the offence date.
Tesco Horizon Parking Fine
Horizon Parking are a Private Parking Company (PPC) that manage car parks in the private and public sectors all over the UK. They are a member of the British Parking Association (BPA), so can legally issue Tesco Parking Charge Notices. They are currently managing 84 Tesco car parks across the country.
Horizon Parking have also create a self monitoring car parking solution with Tesco. This enables Tesco employees to police their own car parks and report any parking offences via a handheld device.
Tesco APCOA Parking Fine
APCOA are the other PPC that Tesco have partnered with to monitor their car parks. There is no figure on how many they operate at. They are operating the ParkToShop system which allows customers to park for the maximum time limit when they meet the minimum spend requirement. This is done by entering the validation code you receive from Tesco into the website.
APCOA’s go to monitoring method are Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems. This way they get an accurate time your vehicle was parked for. If you overstay, you will receive a Tesco parking fine from APCOA.
Tesco Parking Fine Appeal
If you find yourself with a Tesco parking fine from either Horizon Parking, APCOA or any other PPC, here are the steps to take to try and resolve the issue without a charge.
The first you need to do before appealing is let the store manager know at the location where the ticket was received. Sometime retail locations can have a clause written into their contracts with the PPCs they have partnered with to allow them to cancel Parking Charge Notices for genuine customers.
Also check the amount of time you were parked for. If you were parked for less than ten minutes, but still received a Tesco Parking Charge Notice, you could appeal it due to parking ticket grace periods introduced by the Government in 2015. These grace period rules apply to council car parks in England, Scotland and Wales. However, the rules are voluntary for PPCs that aren’t part of an Accredited Trade Association (ATA).
If you find the grace period rule doesn’t apply to you, the net step is to make sure all the information on the Parking Charge Notice is correct. This is irrespective of whether it is a Notice To Driver or Notice To Keeper. Make sure the date is correct and that you were driving the vehicle at the time of the parking offence. If anything is incorrect or seems suspicious, this will give you more leverage during an appeal. Any evidence will help your cause too during an appeal.
There are also some types of excuses that can be used to help cancel a Tesco Parking Charge Notice. Please bear in mind though, these kind of excuses may not be accepted as valid reasons for breaking the parking rules. Ultimately, the decision lies with the PPC.
The last thing to do is follow the appeals process on the Parking Charge Notice to fight your case.
Can You Ignore A Tesco Parking Fine?
It is never recommended to ignore a Tesco parking fine. By doing so could result in more problems further down the line. You could start receiving letters demanding payment and/or threats of court action. It could even escalate to a debt collection agency and/or bailiffs being put on the case.
Remember though, a debt collector doesn’t have any legal powers to collect a debt.
If you feel that the Tesco parking fine you received is unjust, it is always recommended to follow the appeals process.
If you receive other correspondence from APCOA, Horizon Parking, or any other PPC, in relation to a parking offence at a Tesco car park, don’t ignore them. By doing so could result in a County Court Judgement (CCJ), which could affect your credit score.
TLDR: Tesco Parking Fine
- Horizon Parking currently manage 84 car parks for Tesco;
- APCOA are commonly managing Tesco car parks with their ANPR systems;
- If you overstay the free parking period, or forget to validate your Tesco parking ticket, you could receive a Parking Charge Notice for an overstay;
- Try and get the Parking Charge Notice cancelled through the genuine customers clause first;
- Make sure you weren’t within the parking ticket grace period;
- Make sure all there is no incorrect or suspicious information on the Parking Charge Notice;
- Don’t just ignore or forget about a Parking Charge Notice.
Sources used to write this article: