A Rubery car park – popular with shoppers – has today seen the introduction of parking charges. However, there is some confusion about the costs with signage and online payment service displaying completely different tariffs.
Signage parking rates
According to signage in the car park, which sits behind the Cooperative store on New Road, the first two hours of parking remains free, with charges payable after that time.
- First 2 hours FREE
- Additional 1 hour – 90p
- Additional 2 hours – £1.50
- Maximum 4 hour stay
- Charges apply 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Payment service – card only and extra fees
Any extra charges are payable using the RingGo service, with options to pay using a debit or credit card online, via a smartphone app or by telephone.
There are no concessions for blue badge holders and no provision for cash payment. Extra fees are also payable to RingGo, including a compulsory 20p ‘convenience fee’ and optional payments for text reminders.
Parking is monitored by ANPR cameras and those failing to adhere to the parking tariff could see a charge of £100 dropping through their letter box.
Confusion over payments today
However, today the RingGo app today displayed a completely different set of (higher) parking rates to those on the signs:
- Up to 2 hours – 80p
- 3 hours – £1.20
- 4 hours – £1.60
When asked about the discrepancy, a representative from RingGo said: “This is currently being investigated further in house and [we] will be contacting Smart Parking to discuss further. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.”
2 hours free parking should be sufficient for most shoppers. But I rather think the hassle of having to ring the company for additional hours is rather lazy on behalf of the operators; and not everyone has access to a mobile phone, or the app, or has the understanding of how to pay online!
Why not operate a straightforward payment machine at the carpark itself? Or would that be too much of an overhead for the Muppets who manage it? (“Smart Parking” – say’s it all really)
My son lives above the shops so will I have to pay each time I go to visit him??
I think so, if it’s over the 2 hours Kathleen. Try giving the car park managers a call on 0845 230 3081 x
Looks like a scam to me. They’ll probably “fine” people who stayed under two hours and be unreasonable when it comes to appeals.
Please consider complaining to your MP!
Parliament is well aware of the MO of such private parking companies, many of whom are former clampers, and on 15th March 2019 a Bill was enacted to curb the excesses of these shysters. Codes of Practice are being drawn up, an independent appeals service will be set up, and access to the DVLA’s database more rigorously policed, persistent offenders denied access to the DVLA database and unable to operate.
Hopefully life will become impossible for the worst of these scammers, but until this is done you should still complain to your MP, citing the new legislation.
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/2019/8/contents/enacted
Just as the clampers were finally closed down, so hopefully will many of these Private Parking Companies.
Will you publish the responses if they reply to you?
regards
We will – We had a response from RingGo today…
“This is currently being investigated further in house and will be contacting Smart Parking to discuss further. Apologies for any inconvenience caused.”
One of the stupid company in UK
They make bussines to fine charging.
If the fine isn’t a Penalty Charge Notice you are under no obligation to pay the fine. Its a civil contract matter,as private parking firms have no power to issue fines or enforce private parking tickets.
Protect yourself, know you rights learn the difference between a ‘parking penelty charge’ and a enforcable Penalty Charge Notice.
https://www.daslaw.co.uk/blog/parking-tickets-penalty-notices-and-fines
My father in law just paid a fine as he was confused… They stated he arrived at 20:10 and left at 11:30am the next day… Fined him £100, he lives round the corner and wouldn’t leave his car down the road, I was surprised at his arrival time as he doesn’t like driving at night but he said he couldn’t remember so just paid it as he didn’t think he could fight machines