Car parking fines...

If the envelope has any of those royal mail fluorescent/orange barcode markings, I believe they include a date, look under a UV torch.

As long as there was no ticket placed on your car at the time you should be ok. I imagine if there was they'd have a photo.

I think these systems operate purely on CCTV images showing arrival/departure, they are enforceable ...

No. Its the usual ANPR set of photos. I was caught out because my normal waitrose has a 2 hour limit - and this one had 1 hour 30 minutes. At least I think that's what happened. I have no actual memory of being in that car park on that day. And Barclays bank is down for researching card purchases.

I really dislike the way in which they delay posting in order to give you less time to get the fine discount.

The whole experience is distinctly shark-like.

But only up to 14 days after the alleged offence.

And backdating the ticket is illegal.

was that a typo of 2012?

e.g

I am sure many have...

I seem to recall there is a similar time provision for the reception of a notice of intended prosecution from the police...

The letter will have been issued by a company who Waitrose has given a contract to for matters of this sort. They usually work on a quick-return basis where no challenge is made and the majority just pay up.

If you keep challenging them (and you're sure of your facts), they will give up as their admin costs will outweigh any quick profit they might make.

When this happened to me many years ago I challenged them and said I would be interested to see what a magistrate would make of their data and claims (so threatening them with having to defend their claim in court, which could be quite expensive). They backed down.

Yes. It's Britannia Parking - they handle Waitrose car parks. I suspect it is mostly what you say. Look official and make demands and penalise any attempt to object.

And if valid objection made, give up.

I got off a parking ticket once because I had put the ticket on the dashboard upside down.

They claimed I hadn't paid. I submitted the parking ticket. They claimed I hadn't displayed. Appeal said 'you can't change the offence halfway through' and dismissed the case.

I think you credit them with too much intelligence.

WM: "Hello, how can I help you?" TNP: "I don't ever remember visiting this store, but unless you cancel the parking fee, I'll never come back again."

That's not intelligence. It's pure sharkiness

-- I was brought up to believe that you should never give offence if you can avoid it; the new culture tells us you should always take offence if you can. There are now experts in the art of taking offence, indeed whole academic subjects, such as 'gender studies', devoted to it.

Sir Roger Scruton

That is a path I may later pursue. In the meantime Brittania parking appear to be operating ultra vires and should cancel the ticket immediately

It wasn't helped by tje fact that their sty is limited to 90 minutes. I think this may have been the day I had to queue for a haircut. Then did the shopping, checked the time and decided to have a coffee in the cafe.

That took me over the time, But not the time I am used to in my usual Waitrose - 120 minutes

I'd just tell then that I'm sodding off to Tesco Sainsburys or somewhere more welcoming to my custom!..

Go in there and complain i would, i like doing that if they are in the wrong!..

I like telling other customers how they are mistreating a customer whos buying from them!, the customer is always right i tells 'em!!

If you can prove by receipts that you paid when you visited Waitrose, and had a coffee in their cafe, I would have thought they would cancel the PCN for goodwill. They do have that power.

I thought you regularly shopped there, can you total up your spend over the last 12 months? You have a card I presume so they can independently verify your spend. If so, simply saying you will never shop at a Waitrose until the issue has been resolved might get the desired result.

The supermarket car park would not have someone putting bit of paper on the windscreen. These days many supermarket car parks have automated number plate recognition and log you by camera entering the car park and the same when you exit. There would be a notice stating "free" parking for an hour (or two), after which there is a penalty fee.

Even on pay by the hour car parks some have number plate recognition and when you use the machine to pay just entering the first part of your number plate the machine will complete the plate details and show a photo of your car.