Meadowhall Retail Park car parking megathread

[Darbees 10]

Just ignore their requests and ask them to take you to court.

 

If it does go to court which it won't just tell them you weren't driving.

No one was driving if it was parked.

 

I'll say as I always do on this subject, ignore them, don't respond at all to any of their threats and they will go away.

[Berberis 10]

Do not respond what so ever and they will eventually go away.

[McThew 10]

We were fined £75 last year when we went to see The Dark Knight - in the evening I might add, so the shops were completely closed and no one would be using the car park for shopping purposes. (I can see the point if the shops were open and you weren't using it for those reasons, but after that...?) Centertainment has no reliable control over who uses their car parks, so during Arena events they are usually filled with non-Centertainment customers, forcing others to go elsewhere. If you've booked tickets for a movie and there's a good chance you can't park anywhere, the only option is public transport which makes an already expensive night out (can anyone remember when going to the cinema was a cheap night out?) even more expensive and not worth while.

The upshot of this is that we haven't been to Centertainment since last summer and don't intend to go again. And the Meadhowhall Retail Park has lost our custom. We now shop on line if we can't find what we want elsewhere, and usually go to the Odeon or Showroom in town if we’re that bothered about watching a film – but to be fair it’s worked out cheaper over the last five years to buy a home-cinema setup and projector and watch all the films we want on the “big screen” than it has been paying extortionate prices at the cinema – which at around £14 for a couple is a blatant rip-off.

[Berberis 10]

That the crux of it, isn’t it. Meadowhall retail park's heavy handed money grabbing and centertainments ineffective control on parking is causing customers to go elsewhere. In times like this, that is the last thing either want but they are oblivious to the problem. I doubt they will do anything until they notice their profits dwindle, but not before they price most people out of going to the cinema.

 

Hopefully centertainments loss will be places like the Showrooms gain.

[alchresearch 215]

but to be fair it’s worked out cheaper over the last five years to buy a home-cinema setup and projector and watch all the films we want on the “big screen” than it has been paying extortionate prices at the cinema – which at around £14 for a couple is a blatant rip-off.

 

Especially considering all the adverts and trailers they make you sit through, and the huuuuuge mark up on food.

[mj.scuba 10]

It annoys me that the DVLA are flogging all our data to unreputable companies.

[manaman 10]

I had seen this thread but had not read it because I usually only park in there for an hour at most. But this week I have also received a "Parking Charge Notice". I now have read the complete thread and agree that it is best to ignore this notice. Civil Court proceedings can't be taken without them knowing who the driver is.

 

Having looked at the images of my car entering and leaving the Retail Park, I now believe that the ANPR system used is not fit for purpose in this application. Looking from the camera angles it appears that;

 

On entry, the front number plate can only be scanned on a single car or the leading car of a queue of cars (which is the usual case for vehicles coming through the traffic lights on Attercliffe Common). It would appear that all or most of the queue (dependant on spacing) could not be scanned.

 

On exiting. the rear number plate can only be scanned on a single car or the last car in a queue. Again it would appear that all or most of the queue (dependant on spacing) could not be scanned.

 

The implications of the above observations are;

 

A large percentage of vehicles' number plates will not have been scanned (especially at peak times). Therefore with no entry and exit times, parking times cannot be established (theoretically these vehicles could park for weeks).

 

The identity of cars, at the front of queues on entry and cars at the back of queues on exit, will be known, but with only one scanned time, the length of parking time cannot be established.

 

In theory the only cars whose parking times can be established are those that were scanned on entry and exit. But this is not true in all cases. Some previous posters have received a "Parking Charge Notice" after they say that they had completed multiple visits to The Retail Park in one day or consecutive days. This is because they were scanned on entry on their first visit, but not scanned on exit on their first visit (probably at the front or middle of a queue). They were not scanned on the second entry (again in the middle of a queue or end of one), but scanned on exit (either as a single car or at the end of a queue). The scanning system matches the two scans and calculates the time interval between them. Hey Presto! more than three hours, print out "Parkng Charge Notice".

 

It appears to me that neither Meadowhall Retail Park nor G24 Ltd. would be able to establish in a Civil Court, who the driver of the offending vehicle was, and how long the offending vehicle (or for that matter, any other vehicle) was parked for in the car park.

 

The only way that I could see this ANPR system working is if vehicles are only allowed to enter and leave the car park one at a time so that ALL vehicle number plates are scanned front and back. This would require something like barriers being fitted. I'm sure these would fit in with "Your friendly shopping experience". But this alone would still not be good enough, because a driver recognition camera would be required to identify the driver to the car.

Edited February 27, 2009 by manaman

[McThew 10]

The whole system they use is a joke. And the landlords who own Meadowhall Retail Park are a joke for using them. The companies who rent the spaces at the Park have said they are powerless (or spineless - you chose) so we decided to hit them in their pockets. In a period of prolonged recession, it's customer such as us that have the businesses by the balls. If we vote with our feet and boycott these places for other businesses then they'll suffer even more. I certainly won't return to either with this parking firm looking after the Meadowhall Retail park.

Likewise with Centertainment who cannot manage their car parks for toffee...

[Darbees 10]

I had seen this thread but had not read it because I usually only park in there for an hour at most. But this week I have also received a "Parking Charge Notice". I now have read the complete thread and agree that it is best to ignore this notice. Civil Court proceedings can't be taken without them knowing who the driver is..........

 

 

 

...........The only way that I could see this ANPR system working is if vehicles are only allowed to enter and leave the car park one at a time so that ALL vehicle number plates are scanned front and back. This would require something like barriers being fitted. I'm sure these would fit in with "Your friendly shopping experience". But this alone would still not be good enough, because a driver recognition camera would be required to identify the driver to the car.

That would be far too complicated and expensive for them, all they do is emply morons who wander round the car park making note of when cars park there and putting the notices on them. If they ever took anyone to court (which they won't) they would do what beloved SCC do with tramgates and charge the vehicle keeper not necessarily the driver.

 

I had a ticket once on a vehicle which wasn't registered to me but was insured and they tracked me down through Motor Insureres Bureau. I ignored all their unenforceable threats which included seizing the vehicle and making it impossible for me to obtain a mortgage amongst other things. It's all hot air.

[mj.scuba 10]

I had a ticket once on a vehicle which wasn't registered to me but was insured and they tracked me down through Motor Insureres Bureau.

 

I can't believe how loose these places are being with peoples details. Places like the Motor Insurers Bureau should have no business passing on details for parking fines. I wish that "Information Commissioner" would step in to stop this crap.

 

Data protection? Its a bloody joke.

[kelly_1983 10]

there id definately a 3 hr rule because me and a friend parked there when we went to the cinema and we were 10 mins over the 3 hours and recieved a fine!

[nikki-red 308]

there id definately a 3 hr rule because me and a friend parked there when we went to the cinema and we were 10 mins over the 3 hours and recieved a fine!

 

In Meadowhall or the retail park?