A woman in the UK has been fined ₹2 lakh (£1,906) for taking more than five minutes to pay for parking in Derby. Rosey Hudson claimed that bad mobile signal prevented her from making the payment in time.
Hudson said she had to walk around to find a place with better reception, but once she was able to get online, Excel Parking Ltd had already issued her 10 parking charge notices. The car park has a very strict policy of requiring payment within five minutes of parking the vehicle.
Describing the rule as “totally unreasonable,” Hudson expressed concern for others who may struggle under similar circumstances. “I haven’t got children, but I can imagine a busy mum trying to sort her kids out or dealing with a faulty machine while there’s no signal,” she told the BBC.
Since Hudson started using the Copeland Street car park in February 2023, she has had to deal with the parking machine being out of order more often than not. Trying to pay via a mobile app was problematic because she could not get a signal. “I finally used the store’s Wi-Fi to pay online through their app,” she said.
Yet, despite paying each time the full amount due, one day Hudson received a notice through the post demanding £100 within 28 days. She contacted the company behind the demand to explain her situation. Intimidated by letters threatening further complications, Hudson paid the initial fine.
Thereafter, she got nine further demands for £100 each, plus a “debt recovery” charge, and a threat of an 8% per annum interest rate.
The spokesperson for Excel Parking responded, “The signage at the car park clearly stated ‘Pay on Entry’ and specified a maximum five-minute window to purchase the parking tariff. It is the driver’s responsibility to read and understand these terms. It seems that Miss Hudson is the author of her own misfortune.”
When asked why the five-minute rule, the company said it seeks to eliminate abuse by motorists who would enter the parking lot only for quick drop-off and pick-up from their retailers around the area.
Excel Parking also claimed that Hudson took “between 14 and 190 minutes” to complete each transaction via phone, averaging nearly an hour per payment. The case is set to be heard in court within the next six months.
