1 /5 Steven Greaves: I’d like to address the manager’s frankly insulting responses regarding the parking charges — having now received one myself.
We’re told there are “seven signs in the car park, so it’s unlikely they’ll be missed.” And yet, they are being missed. Repeatedly. It was dark. It’s a pub car park. Customers arrive to eat or drink — not to conduct a perimeter sweep for small-print parking warnings. If multiple patrons are falling foul of this system, the problem isn’t the customers.
We’re also told that staff are trained to ask every customer to enter their registration number. Really? When I walked in there were perhaps four customers in total, an empty bar, and two staff members with nothing pressing to do. Not one of them mentioned entering my registration. Not once.
At some point, common sense has to prevail. Instead of hiding behind policy and blaming paying customers, perhaps the management should examine how poorly this system is being implemented. Hospitality businesses are supposed to make guests feel welcome — not ambush them with £100 demands after the fact.
It’s hard not to conclude that this arrangement is a rather convenient revenue stream. After all, if it genuinely worked as claimed, so many customers wouldn’t be getting caught out.
For the record, I won’t be paying. I can prove I was there at the time and date in question. If they’re so confident in their position, they’re welcome to test it in court.
