PARKED OFF
‘I felt like I’d been robbed’ says parent after bizarre error saw drivers hit with £100 parking charge at theme park
The management cited a 'technical error' for the wrongly-issued bills
DRIVERS have been hit with a £100 parking charge at a theme park despite paying the correct fee.
Parents received the unexpected bill in the mail after visiting Pleasurewood Hills in Lowestoft, Suffolk.
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At the end of May, a new pay-to-park system was implemented at the park, costing patrons £3 per day and season ticket holders £9 annually.
Despite having paid the necessary fees, guests have since received parking charge notices from Smart Parking, the organisation in charge of overseeing parking at the location.
Suzi Russell, 35, purchased the season ticket and headed to the site in June with her husband-to-be and their daughter.
A few weeks later, a £100 parking bill - or £60 if paid early - appeared in their letterbox.
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Suzi told The BBC: "I was like, ‘Hang on a second, this can’t be correct’, so I called Pleasurewood Hills and was told the cameras were switched on too early.
“The registration data hadn’t been sent to Smart Parking yet but I thought, ‘That’s not a 'Me' problem that’s a 'You' problem’.
“We’ve paid £85 each for a season pass and £9 per car, and now I have a £100 [bill]. It is their problem and the buck has to stop with them.
“It’s meant to be a family-friendly park for a great day out but it’s anything but that at the moment - and even now there has been no apology. I just find it really rude.”
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The Pleasurewood Hills management cited a "technical error" as the reason for the wrongly-issued bills.
A spokesperson for Pleasurewood Hills said: “Whilst there has been some negativity surrounding the introduction of parking charges, it is important to remember we have welcomed thousands of guests - the vast majority of whom have had no issue.
"We became aware of a technical error which resulted in some who had paid still receiving a parking charge notice.
"Our team have been happy to help and have been assisting with guests getting these queries answered and promptly resolved."
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Lowestoft resident Jason Grundy, 44, received an invoice after dropping off his two sons and departing during the park's allotted 15 minutes for parking.
He said : “I was angry and I felt like I had been robbed.
"I won’t pay [it]. I will not reply to any more emails, and every letter they send me will be put in the bin.”
Pleasurewood Hills hired Smart Parking's services in order to "stop parking abuse and ensure genuine customers can always find somewhere to park".
A spokesman added: "We use a state-of-the-art ANPR parking management system that monitors cars entering and exiting the car park.
"Importantly the car park at Pleasurewood Hills is private land, so motorists should always check the terms and conditions of use before deciding to park.
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"Ahead of the site going live, the Pleasurewood Hills team had a technical issue with their season tickets, and subsequently some PCN’s were issued.
"However, working with the Pleasurewood Hills team we quickly identified the issue and have subsequently cancelled the PCN’s that were issued to the season ticket holders."
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