A fuming Tesco customer has vowed never to return after being given a parking ticket for making two trips to the store.
Emily Smith was incorrectly handed a £35 fine after visiting the Tesco Extra store in Whitfield, Dover, two separate times to buy fuel and groceries.
The 47-year-old says she was 'treated like a criminal' after the ANPR car parking system failed to register her leaving and mistakenly thought she had been parked at the site for more than 10 hours, the Mirror reports.
Charity manager Emily said: “We are being treated like criminals, there is no innocent until proven guilty.
“We have now found some proof because we use a tracking app with my eldest.
“It’s bonkers, and trying to prove where we were is quite hard.”
If the £35 ticket is not settled within 28 days, the charge doubles and the mum now fears other could be frightened into paying the charge.
Emily was even threatened with further enforcement action is she failed to pay the fine.
She said she will now be shopping at Lidl in the future and has slammed Tesco for the way they dealt with the situation.
She added: “I am deeply disappointed in Tesco - I am not going to risk being their customer again.
“I’m worried that this is going to happen to other people who may just pay the charge because it is really quite frightening.
“When my husband called Tesco, he was told ‘our cameras do not lie’ - we were basically accused of lying.
“We had to give our time and energy to get this resolved when we did not do anything wrong.
“I think it is a money-making tool for Tesco and the parking company. Because you are told the fine is less if you pay within 28 days, most people will pay it because they don’t want the hassle.
“People need to know they have the choice to shop somewhere that will not fine them if they visit more than once in a day.”
A spokesperson for Tesco said: “We are sorry to hear about this and have ensured the charge is cancelled.”
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