I have just been well and truly told off!

Becomes more like Switzerland every day seemingly.
There the philosophy is pay, pay, pay, no transferring, signs everywhere saying this, that and the other is forbidden.
So it's a small country, but so is UK!

Maw, you are not a killjoy ?

In the car park I use in Bridport you have to enter your registration number - only problem the buttons are at waist level, presumably to aid wheel chair users, and exceedingly small, so that they can hardly be seen. Panic is induced in the elderly user: firstly, trying to remember your registration number, then crouching down to enter it on buttons so small you can hardly read them. Then fumbling for diminutive coins, I'd like to know which idiot designed the machine.

Silly old fart.

Our local council are so mean you have to enter your reg. No. into the machine which means you can't give your ticket to someone else. I do in other car parks though, or leave it stuck to the machine.

What a shame. Maybe his toast got burnt that morning?
I quite like the number recognition if it means I only pay for the length of time I park,
Our local car park next to the theatre had a system that allowed an account to be set up and the money came out of one’s account at the end of the month. That meant not having to wait at the end of a long queue after a theatre performance while people keyed in their registration numbers (if they could remember it!) and paid.
The account system was withdrawn. Apparently, there was something illegal about it and the DVLA objected - probably something to do with storing people’s details. Great shame,

Bathsheba, I totally agree. I have been very vocal about this for a long time. In my view, if I purchase a ticket for 2 hours, the space is mine for 2 hours to do as I please - I could lie down in it if I chose! Or, pass it on to the next person who wants to park. This space has been paid for and it is appalling to recharge for something which has already been purchased. We wouldn't accept this in any other area of our lives.

Spot on Yellowmellow....I used to say that about some of the customers/clients I've had to cope with in my various jobs over the years. Its as if they've woken up and just decided its your turn! Difficult not to take it personally at the time...but as they say it just says more about their failings than your own.

At one of my local hospitals, the minimum is £3.50 for 4 hours and I have never over-run. Quite the reverse. I'm rarely there for more than an hour. Once, I managed, in a rush, to punch in the wrong registration number for my car and subsequently got a parking charge notice from the Evil Eye. I was able to explain what had happened, by emailing them a photocopy of my receipt. Moral is - always keep the receipt just in case!
Another hospital I had to attend on one occasion had a 'pay on exit' system which meant I paid for the time I'd been there and very little more.

As for hospital parking, I was told by a member of staff to pay the minimum amount. If challenged I should just say that my appointment took much longer than expected

That wouldn’t work in our local hospital GreenGran as the “Evil Eye”photographs you entering and leaving and you are fined for being even a minute over.

Yes, he was rude, unnecessarily. If he didn’t want to take you up on your offer, he could just have thrown the ticket away after you’d gone, and bought his own.

But it does surprise me how much people rant about parking charges. DH and I go into town at least once a week, and would rather go by bus. It’s only three miles away. However, even though he has a free bus pass, my return fare would cost £5.70, whereas parking for five hours costs £2.50. Let alone the fact that there’s only one bus an hour. Surely we should all have access to decent public transport, and be encouraged to use it?

Some people just get up in the mornings, and decide to be as unpleasant as possible. Put him down as being one of these.

Wigan Council have decided to allow free parking in the town centre every weekend until Christmas. After only a couple of weeks there are a lot more people visiting the town to do their shopping. This can only be good for everyone concerned, as many shoppers would normally rather drive to the Trafford centre in Manchester and park free of charge.
When will Councils realize that excessive parking charges result in people going elsewhere and high street shops closing down?
As for hospital parking, I was told by a member of staff to pay the minimum amount. If challenged I should just say that my appointment took much longer than expected. Of course, that would only work in a pay in advance car park, and if we were prepared to tell a few porkies!

Sorry, meant ‘ riles’

Don’t let the miserable old swine put you off ‘ticket offering’ nannyme , I always do it, and so do most people where I live- the parking companies aren’t being cheated of any money , they just aren’t getting twice the money, and that’s what ri,es thegreedy buggers!

Nannyme, had to laugh at the cake bit, was a brilliant idea and hope you enjoyed every mouthful. And I would have taken your ticket graciously, miserable old b****r. Keep on being nice to others, he must have been having a bad day!

Miserable old b.....d I offer mine all the time and most times they are gratefully taken.

Our shopping centre car park charges a minimum of £2 for three hours. I only ever use an hour at the most so always pass on my ticket if I see someone approaching the machine. I don't care if it's illegal, it's robbery on the part of the car park company. They should either give you the option to choose a time and give change, or install pay on exit machines.
My other gripe is that all the machines over six floors are positioned at knee height for wheelchair shoppers who also have a whole floor devoted to disabled shoppers. Shouldn't that be enough? It's usually mostly empty on that floor too.

Whilst it might contravene the rules of the car park, it is not illegal. Everyone did it in our local car parks even to the extent of leaving unexpired tickets by the ticket machine.

The council got around this by installing new machines which printed the Registration number so we can't do it anymore. But at least we can get an hour's free parking as opposed to 30 minutes!

Why couldn't you leave the man alone? It's troublemakers like you who bring such misery to the world.

I wonder if there have been any prosecutions for doing a good deed like this. I would be hopping mad if I ended up paying a fine, when where I live there are cars parked illegally and on the pavements every day - and the owners get away with it!

I have passed on tickets occasionally in the past and accepted them but I stopped a few years ago because someone I know got caught passing on her ticket and received a hefty fine. It is actually illegal

I think this was all I was saying but GabriellaG seems to have taken exception and to think that makes me a killjoy

MawBroon. What a killjoy you are
#thereyougo.

Nanny,
You acted in good faith and that's all that counts. What goes around comes around, they say, so hopefully your kindness will soon be returned. Many people call this Karma.

Karma is supposed to works both ways.....that means that all his 'righteous' parking meters will run miserably past due and the tickets will cost him both fortune and dismay!

I used to do this until they bought in machines where you have to type in your registration number. Most people are delighted and grateful. Some people just enjoy telling others off, don't they. Miserable old grumps,

How unlucky you were to meet such a righteous, pompous, ungrateful and nit picky person so early in the day. Don't let it put you off being generous to others - I have often given a ticket with time left to someone else. Help! that's my ticket to heaven torn up. Enjoy your cake, nice helpful person.

I’m sure that made his day, horrible pompous know it all. You must be very patient - I’d have walked away once he started. When I pay my hard earned money to the council for parking I will give it to whomsoever I please! They’ve been paid for the time and space for al car to park so they are ripping people off by not allowing that time and space to be used for the full time allocated.