Aldi Parking Fine – Should I Pay or Appeal?
Did you get a parking fine at Aldi and feel unsure about what to do next? You’ve come to the right place for answers. Each month, over 130,000 people visit our website for advice about parking fines.
In this article, we’ll show you:
- What an Aldi parking fine is and why you might have got one.
- If you need to pay it straight away.
- How to say the fine is not fair, if you think that’s true.
- What could happen if you decide not to pay.
Churchill Motor Insurance reports that in 2022, UK councils issued an average of 19,631 parking fines every day. That’s an increase of 12% from the previous year!1
So, it’s quite common to feel concerned about parking fines. Don’t worry, we’re here to help you understand what to do next.
Most Appeals Succeed
In some circumstances, you might have a legitimate reason not to pay your fine.
It’s a bit sneaky, but the last time I needed legal advice, I paid £5 for a trial to chat with an online solicitor called JustAnswer.
Not only did I save £50 on solicitor feeds, I also won my case and didn’t have to pay my £271 fine.
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*Around 35,000 people dispute their tickets each year with the Traffic Penalty Tribunal, and a striking 64% of those appeals are successful, so it’s well worth a try.
What is an Aldi parking fine?
An Aldi parking fine is a fine for breaking the terms and conditions of using one of Aldi’s free car parks.
Most people receive an Aldi parking fine because they use the car park but don’t actually shop at Aldi or because they overstayed the parking time limit of 90 minutes.
Because Aldi outsources the management of their car parks to Parking Eye, you’ll receive a parking ticket if you commit a breach of terms, which is why it may also be known as an Aldi Parking Eye parking fine.
Private parking fines like these are officially known as Parking Charge Notices.
Here is an example of someone’s experience from an online forum:
“My wife has just received a £40 parking fine from Parking Eye for parking on an Aldi-owned car park which has on its site an Aldi store (obviously!), Iceland, Ladbrokes and McDonalds. […] The notice arrived today saying that she spent 2 hours and 10 mins parked there, stating that there are signs saying 1 hour 30 min maximum stay.”
Bendrarin (Money Saving Expert Forum)
How does their car park work?
Aldi offers free parking to motorists who shop at an Aldi store.
Some store car parks have height restrictions, and there may be other conditions to using the car park, such as registering your vehicle address within a store computer or parking time limits.
Parking Eye, an outside company, is in charge of car park enforcement at Aldi and dishing out a parking ticket to anyone who contravenes the restrictions.
Parking Eye may have installed specialist CCTV cameras in Aldi car parks to prevent drivers from using the car park when they shouldn’t.
Successful Appeal Case Study
Situation
| Initial Fine | £100 |
| Additional Fees | £171 |
| Total Fine | £271 |
The Appeal Process
Scott used JustAnswer, online legal service to enhance his appeal. The trial of this cost him just £5.
| Total Fine | £271 |
| Cost of legal advice | £5 |
JustAnswer helped Scott craft the best appeal possible and he was able to win his case.
Scott’s fine was cancelled and he only paid £5 for the legal help.
In partnership with Just Answer.
Is there a time limit?
Yes, there are limits restricting the length of time you can park in an Aldi car park, even when you’re using the car park to shop at the store.
The exact time limit may differ between locations due to how busy each store can become, but generally, the Aldi car park time maximum stay duration is 90 minutes.
This will be enough time for most people to do their weekly grocery shop, but not everyone, especially those with children or people looking after someone with a disability.
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Can you park in Aldi overnight?
No, you shouldn’t use an Aldi car park overnight.
This would breach multiple conditions of using the car park, including the need to use the Aldi store, and you’ll exceed the time limit of 1.5 hours.
Moreover, leaving your car in an Aldi car park overnight wouldn’t be considered safe and could raise a range of security concerns.
If you left your car in an Aldi car park overnight, you’d likely receive an Aldi parking fine in the post.
How Much is their Parking Charge Notice?
Parking Charge Notices are currently capped at £100 with a minimum 40% discount that must be offered to people who pay within the first 14 days.
However, new laws have been passed that will cap Parking Charge Notices at £50 in most cases.
So in the near future, the most you could be charged for an Aldi parking fine will be £50 in most cases. This will also be subject to an early-bird discount, making them even cheaper.
It’s important not to confuse Parking Charge Notices with Penalty Charge Notices, as they’re very different in how they must be handled and what consequences they can bring.
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The appeal process
You can appeal the Aldi parking ticket instead. You must do this within 28 days, and the appeal should be sent to Parking Eye – not Aldi.
Your appeal should state why the Aldi parking fine is unfair and may require supporting evidence. Parking Eye has 56 days to respond.
There’s due process that must be followed when appealing a parking fine. Here’s a quick table summarizing it.
| Process: | Steps you should take: |
|---|---|
| When you receive the ticket… | You should gather as much evidence as you can to support your appeal claim and prove that the ticket was unfairly issued. |
| If you were given the ticket in person/attached to your car… | You must make an informal appeal (sent to the local authority/council that issued the PCN) within 14 days. This should be a letter with the evidence proving why the ticket was incorrectly given. |
| If it was posted to you… | You will be given 21 days to submit an informal appeal (from the day you received the letter). Your informal appeal should be a letter with the evidence proving why the ticket was incorrectly given. |
| If the informal appeal is rejected… | You will receive a Notice to Owner and will have 28 days to respond to this with a formal appeal. You can conduct the formal appeal online or via paper form. The Traffic Penalty Tribunal can send you one of these forms. |
| If the formal appeal is rejected… | You will receive a Notice of Rejection. From here, you are free to challenge the council’s verdict at an independent tribunal. |
| If the independent tribunal disagrees with your appeal… | You should pay the ticket within 28 days of the tribunal rejecting your appeal. If you don’t, the fine will be increased by 50%. If you don’t have the money to pay the fine, you should contact Citizens Advice or another debt charity. |
If you want to save time and write an effective appeal, you can download MoneyNerd’s free parking ticket appeal letter template. This free resource gives you a fantastic starting point to launch your appeal.
You can escalate the appeal to POPLA for free if the appeal is rejected. They’re an independent appeals service for private parking fines and will sort out dispute resolution.
They will follow a process to see whether your claim is valid.
There are only two possible outcomes; you will either have your parking charge notice cancelled or be asked to pay.
You can contact Citizens Advice for further advice if your appeal is unsuccessful.
Hire a Parking Solicitor for less than a coffee.
If you’re thinking about appealing your parking ticket then getting some professional advice is a good idea.
Getting the support of a Solicitor can make your appeal much more likely to win.
For a £5 trial, Solicitors from JustAnswer can look at your case and help you create an airtight appeal.
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