A Scottish man has lashed out at fast food giant McDonald’s after he was handed an eye watering fine whilst he was sat tucking into his breakfast.
William Reynolds, 72, says that he is a loyal customer at the South Queensferry eatery and says that he had caught up with his son for a quick snack one Thursday morning when his car was slapped with a ticket as he devoured his McMuffin.
The Bo’ness resident said that the £50 ticket came as a “bit of a blow” during the cost of living crisis. The father and son are facing a total of £200 in “ridiculous” parking fines from this same McDonald’s branch.
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The 72-year-old former maintenance engineer said that the restaurant was a ghost town during their latest visit and that 90-minute time limit signage was not made adequately visible. He said that he did not realise he had received a fine until a letter came through his letterbox with a photograph of his car attached.
Speaking to the Scottish Express, Mr Reynolds said: "I am gutted actually, I mean £50. I know from a previous dispute that if I am correct I don't even think it's entirely legal unless it's issued by the local council or government.
"These private companies try and squeeze money off you when it's really not enforceable, and very often don't even have adequate signage up to indicate.
"McDonald's did have a sign, but you don't even think to look and it wasn't immediately noticeable I only know from looking on Google maps afterwards. If there's a parking meter which says pay to park I am happy to pay the couple of quid, but there was not even a parking ticket on the car when I went back; I only found out after getting a letter in the post with a photograph of my car on it telling me I owed £50."
Citizens Advice explains that it is not generally considered a criminal matter in Scotland if you park your vehicle on private land. They say that a parking charge notice may appear to look like an official fixed penalty from the police, but that is not one.
It is understood that private companies can often threaten to take you to court but that they rarely have the ability to be able to follow through on this due to the risk of losing in court.
William says that he would frequent this particular branch with members of his family as it is "probably the nicest and most convenient McDonald's to Bo'ness" with the other local branch in Grangemouth often overcrowded.
"I know McDonald's breakfast is not always for everybody but I do enjoy a McMuffin it's tasty and good priced and the coffee there is really quite good," William added.
He continued to say that he would regularly visit other businesses such as Costa for meet ups with his family but had never faced any issues like he had at McDonald’s despite staying for hours.
"The nearest place next door is Brewers Fayre but I don't particularly like their coffee. Usually, we would go to a Costa in Grangemouth and we would sit and drink coffee from morning until midday, which they never seem to mind because we are purchasing regular coffee, get some food as well sometimes and are seen as regular and loyal customers," he added.
"You don't expect to go into a restaurant and see a sign up on your way in saying you only have 90 minutes or we will fine you. Normally places would say you can have the table but need to leave in an hour and a half and I am ok with that but there was no one in looking for tables, it was a quiet morning."
He thinks that the South Queensferry McDonald’s must have fallen on hard times since the Forth Road Bridge had been replaced by the Queensferry Crossing in 2017 as there are not as many commuters stopping off from the M90.
He said: "We aren't stopping business for them. I do believe it is a ploy to drive people out of the restaurant [once they have finished their meals] because they want turnover. The sad thing is they obviously, I am assuming, don't get revenue from these tickets and have to pay someone to actually police it.
"If someone had been looking for a seat and we had been there a while I would get up and leave and of course give someone the seat but that wasn't the case. It never gets to that position, it's always half empty which makes it more insulting.
"I've written to the company saying I won't pay it but that's not the point. I guess people are in and out of there all day and generally don't stay for longer than 90 minutes which is actually what it says on the sign but it seems a bit unfair to me and I wouldn't like other people to get caught like this."
Mr Reynolds told the chain that they would be losing a valuable customer after explaining his situation and demanded that the problem be rectified. He also says that he secured advice from a solicitor on the matter and they told him that private companies won't go to court as "it would make every car park in the UK free forever."
McDonald's said in an email shared with the Scottish Express: "As a company, putting in place enforcements within our car parks is only done after careful consideration and very much as a last resort.
"Primarily, we use parking measures to ensure there are spaces available for our customers’ vehicles, as well as to deter unwarranted or unreasonably prolonged usage of the facility."
"I can confirm this parking area is managed by an independent company who are responsible for monitoring the car park and taking details of registration numbers. The regulations and signs at the restaurant clearly state the policy and the relevant charges," they added.
The Express say they have contacted McDonald’s for further comment.
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