What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks

Malice a forecourt

My wife has just received a demand for £50 payment for parking on "our clients private property at Jempsons Store, Hawkhurst". The car is recorded by CCTV showing the correct vehicle date and time. Is she obliged to pay this?

Asked on 15 January 2010 by KJ, via email

Answered by Honest John
She has to pay something as she has clearly either trespassed on Jempsons property, depriving Jempsons of customer parking, or breached her contract for parking there. I suggest she sends a cheque for £10 "in full and final settlement for" (her) "minor breach of contract" stating she had not been made aware of any greater penalty. Tell them if they want more they will have to sue her for it in the small claims track of a county court convenient to her where they will have to prove that her parking deprived their client of £50 worth of business. More: www.honestjohn.co.uk/faq/parking-fines.
Similar questions
I recently received a PCN but in the vehicle registration details, the make was shown correctly as an Audi, the colour was shown correctly as Silver BUT there were no details shown under Tax Disc or Expiry....
I paid £9 at Oxford station ticket office for a car parking ticket and the receipt was timed at 9.25am. I travelled to London by train and on return found that I had a Civil Parking Notice from APCOA...
I parked my wife's car in a shopping area which previously had not been subject to parking restrictions. I was not aware of the notices. My wife has received demands for payment from UKPC and Debt Recovery...