Many of us have been caught out by an unexpected parking fine. It's especially likely at a shopping centre or business park, where private companies often enforce the time limits with a firm rod.
It's never nice to get a letter through the post demanding money, but it can happen easily if you don't keep an eye on your watch. And that's exactly what happened to BirminghamLive reporter Kirsty Bosley.
Here, she shares a cautionary tale in hope that others will not fall victim to the same fate:
I must have eaten around 100 KFC vegan burgers in the days since they launched and have always, up until now, been a huge fan. A chicken-friendly alternative to the Colonel's usual feathered offerings, this one has all of the herbs and spices, and none of the death.
So when I drove into the car park at Sutton Coldfield 's Princess Alice Drive branch, tummy rumbling after a pleasant ramble around Sutton Park, I was ready for my afternoon treat. One vegan burger, please, with some corn on the cob and that watermelon pop you do. Good times.
There was a wait, as there often is when you order the meat free option. So I stood and waited patiently as the minutes ticked by, excited that my burger would be fresh and hot. And it was.
I took it to the table and savoured every bite, yammering on to a friend about vegan junk food and just about anything else that took our fancy as we whiled away an hour. As tasty as the burgers are, this one was a bit dry, so it took me a while to get through it - I needed to rely heavily on the watermelon pop for lubrication but, I got it down me.
So far so good. Then I popped to the bathroom, did a big wee and tried to think which gate of Sutton Park was my favourite to visit. I washed my hands, humming a tune, and I departed, saying goodbye to my pal and making plans to 'do this again, it was great'.
But when I got to my car, I was hit by a pang of dread. I hadn't noticed it when I arrived (I'm a new driver, not to mention the least most observant person I know), but there was a sign saying you could only park for an hour. I looked at my watch. Surely we hadn't been an hour? But with all that waiting for my meal, maybe it was.
I got home and forgot all about it... until the letter arrived. My first ever parking fine. Smart Parking had hit me with a £100 bill for being 14 minutes over the designated hour. Reduced to £60 if I paid right now.
It didn't seem fair, so I appealed it. It felt a bit harsh considering how long we waited to get served - what if we'd had accessibility issues to contend with? Kids to wrangle? It already sucked that I'd been fined for savouring a quick (!) bite with a friend.
I waited as the parking firm considered my plea. Within days, another letter had landed, bearing bad news, as though it had been flown to my house via black crow from the citadels of Westeros.
It was long and thorough, but here's the general gist: No, you idiot, it clearly said an hour, you flouted that by eating like a sloth and now you owe me £60 so cough up, and quick, or it'll be a £105 burger you ate that afternoon in Sutton Coldfield.
I understand, it's a fair cop, right? It's not like there were no signs, it's just that I was too excited to notice them. But it doesn't sting any less. So consider this a warning if you're heading to KFC on Princess Alice Drive. Eat fast, don't have fun, get out quickly!
