3. Parking charge at Mcdonalds as staff member did not validate ticket
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Parking charge at Mcdonalds as staff member did not validate ticket
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Hi all. I'm just asking for some help. I don't actually live in the UK full time but hired a car on my UK drivers license. I picked up a hire car and then picked up my family from the airport. We then went to McDonald's in Mondial Way near Heathrow and took a parking ticket and ate in the restaurant. Whilst I was in there, there were signs saying you needed to validate your parking ticket so I asked a member of staff how to do it. She seemed very confused and told me that it was only free for two hours and I said 'I know I've only been here 20 minutes'. I showed her the time on my parking ticket and the time on my phone. I could identify the staff member of necessary. She then went away with my ticket for about five minutes and came back and gave it to me. I assumed it had been validated so exited to the car park with it. I've just received an email from Enterprise telling me that I've got a fine for parking at McDonald's Mondial Way. They have already charged me £35 and I'm going to get the parking ticket in the post I presume. I'm just really annoyed as I took all steps I thought were necessary to validate my parking. I don't really know if I have a leg to stand on as presumably the ticket wasn't validated. I have complained to McDonald's but they're obviously a massive company and will probably just completely ignore me. So I think I'm stuck paying what will be probably over £100 for doing nothing wrong. Is there anything I can do?
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Re: Parking charge at Mcdonalds as staff member did not validate ticket
« Reply #1 on: »
Until you actually receive a PCN in your name theres not much you can do. Assuming you actually receive it you need to come back here and post both sides of the notice to hirer. At that point you will probably have grounds to appeal as its unlikely the private parking company has provided all the documents required to hold the hirer liable. Do not identify who was driving to anyone, if they don't know who was driving and can't hold the hirer liable (even if it's the same person) they are stuck.

Validated parking rather than a simple max stay is a bit odd in a MacDonalds, especially given the confusion from the staff member, however it's just outside Heathrow where they get major problems with people using the airport.
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Re: Parking charge at Mcdonalds as staff member did not validate ticket
« Reply #2 on: »
As stated wait for the notice to hirer, then come back.
Need to see if this Mcdonalds is within the Heathrow land and covered by byelaws.

have a look at your hire agreement and see what it says about parking tickets (not penalty tickets).
to see what they charge admin fees for.

If you live outside the UK, then you could submit your address for serving the driver.
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Re: Parking charge at Mcdonalds as staff member did not validate ticket
« Reply #3 on: »
As above wait for something in your own name. But in the meantime...

You mention that you don't live in the UK "full time" - when hiring the car, did you provide the hire company with a UK address or foreign address? (Or both). If the hire company hold a UK address for you, is it one at which you're able to get access to post?
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Re: Parking charge at Mcdonalds as staff member did not validate ticket
« Reply #4 on: »
https://www.ftla.uk/private-parking-tickets/smart-parking-ltd-exceeded-parking-time-mcdonalds-mondial-way-harlington/msg28725/#msg28725

https://www.heathrow.com/content/dam/heathrow/web/common/documents/company/doing-business-with-heathrow/flights-condition-of-use/heathrow-byelaws/HAL_Byelaws_2014.pdf includes a map. I haven’t checked or correlated this with this Mcdonalds location but it should be easy to do.

EDIT Since Mondial Way is N of the Bath Road I think it is outside the airport boundary, so not covered by bylaws.

As already stated, the Notice to Hirer is unlikely to comply with the requirements of PoFA 2012 to transfer liability to the hirer, so if the driver is not identified an appeal on receipt of the NtH will be clear.
« Last Edit: Yesterday at 12:31:28 pm by jfollows »
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Re: Parking charge at Mcdonalds as staff member did not validate ticket
« Reply #5 on: »
the OP should also check Enterprise T&Cs regarding the £35 admin charge. there has been much discussion on the validity of such charges.
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