A beachgoer was fined for taking too long to buy a ticket in a gridlocked car park on a summer's day.
Lindsay Bull was shocked after being slapped with the £100 fine from a day out with her family at Fistral beach during their holiday in in Cornwall.
It took the family about 20 minutes from the moment they entered the packed car park to the moment they were able to purchase a ticket, she said, with intermittent phone signal hindering their efforts while using the mobile app.
After finally managing to pay for a two-hour session on the machine, the family headed to the beach and later returned to their car with some time to spare before their ticket expired - but had to jump-start their car as the battery had died.
Despite that, Lindsay said she was certain they had still left before the session ran out, as she remembered her son checking the ticket and stating they had a few minutes left, reports Cornwall Live.
However, when a Parking Charge Notice arrived in the post a few weeks later, Lindsay was left shocked by the demand that a £100 fine, reduced to £60 if paid within 28 days, be paid to the car park's operator, Initial Parking.
She said she appealed the fine, but it was rejected as an automated camera in the car park highlighted that they had 22 minutes' worth of unpaid parking.
Lindsay said she incurred more charges for not paying the fine after the appeal was rejected and owed £170. She added that she started receiving regular letters demanding payment and eventually decided it wasn't worth pursuing it any further and paid the fine instead.
She said she was left "frustrated" by the whole situation, and that it's worth highlighting to others so they don't find themselves in the same position.
Lindsay said: "It's so annoying and frustrating because when we got there, the car park was gridlocked.
"We couldn't find a space because we had to find one that was big enough to fit our van in, so we drove around for a while before we managed to park. It also took us a while to get everything out the boot and pay for a ticket.
"Then when we were leaving, we had to jump-start our car because the battery had died, and while we were doing that I asked my son to check the ticket time, and I remember him telling me that we had five minutes left. But when I appealed it, [the parking company] said the ticket ended at something like 18 minutes past, even though I was certain it ended at half past."
She continued: "You can't buy a ticket while you're driving in and can't get a ticket until you park and go to the machine or download app with bad signal and pay. This all takes time. You also can't backdate the time of your ticket when you purchase, and you shouldn't have to pay from time you drive past the camera.
"I didn't avoid paying, I thought I'd done nothing wrong and did the best I could to follow rules and got a ticket. The most annoying thing is reading all the reviews of the car park online and seeing that so many other people have had the same issues, yet nothing has been done about it. They really should install a barrier that only opens if there's space or have signs that say whether the car park is full. It's put me off visiting ever again."
A spokesperson for Initial Parking said: "Fistral Beach car park has a number of prominent and highly-visible signs throughout which provides motorists with clear guidance on the terms and conditions of using the car park. Drivers have the option to pay by the pay and display machines, or by phone and app. They also have the ability to top-up payments at any time during their stay.
"The motorist made payment for two hours of parking. However, the vehicle remained on site for two hours, 22 minutes and 58 seconds, and was therefore correctly issued with a Parking Charge Notice. The motorist appealed through Initial Parking’s British Parking Association Appeals process, however this appeal was rejected."
