A FAMILY was left with a bad taste in their mouths after a parking company fined them £150 for taking 11 minutes too long at a pizza restaurant.
Matt Turner had taken his five-year-old daughter Rebecca to the Pizza Hut on Great Portwood Street, Stockport, for a birthday treat.
They parked in the Pizza Hut car park and spent just over two hours in the restaurant.
But when they left, Matt was amazed to find he and his girlfriend's sister had been fined £75 each - because they hadn't eaten their food within a two-hour time limit. Matt, a deputy head teacher, said: "It's a £200 pizza bill, in effect - it's staggering.
"Pizza Hut were extremely slow at serving their food, so we waited for ages.
"They took a while to bring the food out and by the time we waited for the bill, we had been there for just over two hours - two hours and 11 minutes to be precise.
"We were only in that long because they were slow. So if you take longer than two hours to eat a pizza, it costs you £75."
Car park owners Creative Car Parks say the rule exists to prevent unauthorised parking by non-customers, and said that there are clear signs warning drivers of the limit.
But despite being a genuine customer, Matt still had his appeal rejected.
Unjust
Matt, from Hyde, said: "I thought it was totally unjust.
"I was absolutely gobsmacked and I feel very hard done by. It has put a real dampener on things and was a sour note on my daughter's fifth birthday.
"I think Pizza Hut as a whole needs to look at this situation. It's going to put one or two people off going there."
A spokesman for Pizza Hut said the two-hour restriction had been made without its knowledge.
She said: "We understand our customers' concerns about the time restrictions at the car park outside our Great Portwood Street restaurant. These restrictions were introduced by the car park owners and without any consultation.
"We would not want our customers to feel hurried while eating their meal.
"Our property management agents have raised the issue with the landlord and have requested the time limit be extended. We hope the matter will be resolved shortly."
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Fury over £200 pizza bill
September 18, 2008
Matt Turner and daughter Rebecca
Showing comments 1 to 25 and replies | View All
PW, Manchester (18/09/2008 at 08:15)
When this recession bites harder, I think it will be the jobsworths who will be amongst the first to go on the dole. It's all tantamount to persecution now.
Peter (18/09/2008 at 08:16)
PW, Manchester (18/09/2008 at 09:02)
Sick of this Government, MADchester (18/09/2008 at 09:12)
In other words you've been caught out and now the media have got hold of the story so now its time for damage limitation and blame.
So will Pizza Hut refund the parking penalty now?
Mark,Radcliffe. (18/09/2008 at 09:33)
EricH, Horwich (18/09/2008 at 09:50)
They shouldn't be coming up with excuses, just refund the fine.
Frostee, Oldham (18/09/2008 at 10:02)
The family should not pay these charges but should just let the parking company take them to court where they can explain the circumstances.
Many of these contractual penalty charges are disproportionate to any offence caused and a decent judge (usually in a small claims court) will either reduce the charges or dismiss them. Never be bullied by these private parking companies.
Jomov (18/09/2008 at 10:02)
Professor Bob (18/09/2008 at 10:12)
MCFC once a blue always a blue, South Reddish (18/09/2008 at 10:12)
Bean B4, manchester (18/09/2008 at 10:36)
Guten Tag (18/09/2008 at 11:00)
Barney Gumball (18/09/2008 at 11:47)
P Dorff (18/09/2008 at 11:55)
I remember once, just passing there, there was an elderly couple sat at one of the window seats... "They were in their 20's when they walked in..." I said...
I know I made the mistake of choosing that particular Pizza Hut earlier this year for my birthday - two people, three courses THREE HOURS!
I feel that families pain - they should've just headed up to Grand Central and hit the McD's drive through - but then again, thanks to their suffering, finally the shocking and awful way Pizza Hut is has now been highlighted. STEER CLEAR PEOPLE!!
Of course, the family should NOT pay the fine and Pizza Hut should be ashamed of themselves.
In fact, I'm surprised nobody has tried to destroy that Pizza Hut... really, I mean, I'm surprised it's still standing to be totally honest...
adders, Co.Cavan ex Manchester (18/09/2008 at 11:56)
Of course we need laws and rules and regulations but there seem to be too many which exist for the purpose of both making money and making life miserable for everyone.
We`ve probably all seen the often-circulated "Death of Common Sense" and whoever wrote that was dead right, common sense R.I.P.
P Dorff (18/09/2008 at 11:58)
I wouldn't suggest anyone go down there and try it either...
We have a game we play, and we only play it because we live in the vicinity and have to go past it on our way into town. That game is called 'Lets see how quiet Pizza Hut is!'
sallyg, Lancs (18/09/2008 at 12:36)
They are NOT fines. They are entirely unenforceable invoices.
And YOU owe it to your readers to get it right. What you are writing is misleading, and could fool your readers into thinking that these invoices have some kind of legal standing when they do not.
As for this man's "appeal" being rejected - that's a joke. There IS no appeals procedure. Because he has not been fined.
MEN, please, please, please do some research and run a story about the truth behind these parking scams.
You will find everything you need to know on www.pepipoo.com.
Alan Kelly (18/09/2008 at 13:55)
This website will make Mr Turner realise that he has nothing to worry about and no "fine" to pay.
Please MEN check out the facts before embarrassing yourself again.
Jomov (18/09/2008 at 14:01)
They offer you a range of pizza, a couple of pasta dishes and various salads.
The pizza base is very thick though...so it doesn't take much of that to fill you up...that's the key!
Shade of green (18/09/2008 at 15:15)
Second Row Lump, Manchester (18/09/2008 at 15:24)
He couldn’t resist picking at the toppings, he delivered a pizza to a table and the family who ordered it was horrified to see a huge string of cheese from his mouth to their pizza!
He was fired on the spot!
Still, 200 'sovs' for pizza, sounds like a bill Pavarotti would end up with!
mancunian, australia (18/09/2008 at 20:54)
He should be complaining about the service not the fine.
The mind boggles.
gladys rowbotham, Manchester (19/09/2008 at 07:11)
"We would not want our customers to feel hurried while eating their meal.
So how about a goodwill gesture from one of the world's largest eateries?
PW, Manchester (19/09/2008 at 08:55)
Richard Brookes-Tee (20/09/2008 at 22:10)
I have looked into it and it appears that the legality of a private firm issueing what appears to be an official Penalty Charge Notice, but is in effect an invoice which they claim you owe because by parking there you agreed to enter into a contract, this is nonsense. They also contacted the DVLA to get the registered keepers address, which they need to request your permission to do first! Also, the wording on the invoice could be seen as harasement and is meant to look like an official document from the courts (notice the scales in the top right). Also the cost of £150 or £75 if paid within 14 days is ridiculous. £75 for 11 minutes. If you parked over the road it would cost 40p for that time. I'm not going to pay them a penny. Check out this link for some more help.
forums.pepipoo.com/index.php?autocom=ibwiki&cmd=article&id=56