MOTORISTS run the risk of being ripped off in private car parks after an investigation revealed that one-third are in breach of consumer protection laws.
A probe by Trading Standards, launched in the wake of a wave of complaints against unscrupulous parking firms, found drivers have been hit with penalty charges ranging from £15 to £100 for sometimes trivial offences, while unclear signs leave drivers in the dark about what constitutes an offence.
This is despite private car parks being governed by the same laws which ensure fairness for consumers, just as if they had bought goods and services from shops on the high street.
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The investigation found one-quarter of car parks that officers visited had inadequate signs and malfunctioning ticket machines. As there is no uniform penalty system for transgressions, fines can vary from one car park to another.
Evidence of unfair penalties was also uncovered, including the case of one driver who paid the correct fee for parking, but was still fined £100 after they failed to type their vehicle registration correctly into the ticket machine.
Around half of car parks use automatic number-plate recognition technology to track vehicles, while some did not inform drivers that payment was required at all.
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Peter Adamson, chairman of the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland (SCOTSS), said: “High- demand parking space in our towns and cities must be managed and consumers cannot expect to park for free in these busy urban areas. However, at the same time consumers must be treated fairly. They must be given all the information they need to use a car park and must not be subject to unfair terms or practices. “We want to see an improvement in standards and are working with the industry to achieve this across Scotland.
“We would like to see a single code of practice developed which addresses these issues.”
Despite the problems highlighted by SCOTSS, recent court cases have seen judges come down on the side of parking companies when fines have been contested.
Last year Carly Mackie was ordered by a sheriff to pay a private parking company £24,500 in unpaid charges, after she ignored hundreds of parking tickets for leaving her car at Dundee’s Waterfront without a permit, claiming they were unenforceable.
The probe has been welcomed by the Institute of Advanced Motorists, who say drivers often face “unfair” charges.
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Neil Greig, IAM Scottish spokesman, said: “It’s great news that long-suffering drivers in Scotland have a supportive ally in the form of their local trading standards department. “Many drivers have struggled to appeal on their own against unfair charges or unclear signposting so involving the consumer law experts at your council will be a great help to those seeking redress.”
No-one from the British Parking Association was available to comment.
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