Pak'nSave Manukau is the latest of the Foodstuffs-owned supermarkets to come under fire over tickets issued to customers who exceed carpark time limits. Photo / Google Streetview
A man doing a pre-Christmas grocery haul totalling more than $450 was shocked to discover he’d been fined $85 for parking too long at Pak’nSave Manukau, sparking a weeks-long battle to have the ticket waived.
Kunal Rautela was among several disgruntled shoppers to contact the Herald after Beachlands mum Rachel Gu was fined nearly half her grocery bill when she parked at Pak’nSave Papakura for an hour and 40 minutes, 10 minutes longer than the 90-minute limit for customers. That limit was increased to two hours the next day.
Gu’s $85 fine has since been waived, as was an $85 ticket sent to Hawke’s Bay woman Renee Sciascia over her 2h 20m slog in Pak’nSave Hastings’ 90-minute limit carpark while putting $400 of groceries in the trolley for her family of five.
“I just didn’t know you could be fined for shopping too long,” Sciascia said.
Pak’nSave owner Foodstuffs told the Herald that parking limits at supermarkets ensured spaces remained available for customers during busy periods. Those who genuinely needed more time could ask on arrival, or ask to have their fines waived.
Foodstuffs was sorry Rautela had endured a “frustrating” experience in getting his ticket waived, spokesman Stefan Herrick said.
Rautela was ticketed after spending more than two hours in the Pak’nSave Manukau carpark on December 23.
“It took a considerable amount of time just to find a park, and the shopping itself was lengthy because of the crowds. I was shocked to later receive an $85 fine,” he said.
He believed measuring use based on when vehicles entered and left the carpark was a “fundamentally flawed” system that didn’t count time spent looking for a park.
Unloading after a large shop also took time, said Rautela, who had only noticed parking limit warning signs after receiving his ticket.
He then faced an “absolute nightmare” to get the ticket waived.
“No single person would own the problem and work to resolve it for me. Each visit meant explaining the situation from the beginning to new staff members.”
He didn’t appeal directly to the parking compliance contractor Smart Compliance Management because he no longer had his shopping receipt when the fine arrived on January 14, Rautela said.
He’d also been told by a staff member, when he first challenged the fine in person at Pak’nSave Manukau on January 15, that they’d “try to get it waived”.
On two subsequent visits, he was told by separate staffers that his complaint was still being looked into, before a fourth visit a few days ago ended with the store manager confirming the fine had been waived.
“[Until then] I was never given any written confirmation that the fine had been cancelled, leaving me anxious that the issue might resurface.
“Despite the multiple visits and discussions, I received no follow-up communication from Pak’nSave or any manager to confirm the resolution or apologise for the inconvenience.”
Herrick said Pak’nSave Manukau was “very busy”, so parking was limited to two hours so all shoppers were catered for.
Time of use was measured from when a vehicle entered the carpark to when it left, but Foodstuffs understood that shopping could sometimes take longer than expected.
“If customers think they may need longer than two hours, we just ask them to drop into the service desk and let the team know, so a note can be made and no infringement is issued.”
The company was pleased Rautela’s ticket had been waived, Herrick said.
“However, we’re sorry to hear the customer had to speak with a couple of team members before that outcome was confirmed. We understand that would have been frustrating.
“We thank the customer for their patience and apologise for the inconvenience.”
Customers who received an infringement notice should first follow the appeals process outlined on the ticket.
They could also speak to staff at the store directly, he said.
“If there’s been a genuine situation ... the team will work with the parking provider to review the case and put things right where appropriate.”
Several other people contacted the Herald with parking fine woes, including some who’d also fallen foul of time limits at Pak’nSave carparks.
A Northland woman’s daughter-in-law was fined three times for parking at Pak’nSave Whangārei, but all were waived after she provided store receipts and proof of health issues.
“Her weekly shop is usually $450-$500. She has three boys and likes to take her time … [but] she now clicks and collects.”
One woman was ticketed while spending $400 and filling her car at Pak’nSave Westgate.
“The parking company ... did waive the ticket. [The] store manager said if the ticket wasn’t waived, he’d ensure it was,” she said.
Another Aucklander had, like Gu, been fined for parking too long at Pak’nSave Papakura.
She had a disability permit, but that did not give her more time.
“By the time I’ve found a park, shopped, loaded everything into bags, then queued and poured petrol, it takes at least 100 minutes … fortunately, the infringement notice I received was reneged.”
A third shopper had also landed parking tickets while shopping at Pak’nSave Papakura.
“I have paid them, but let’s see if they refund.”
Cherie Howie is an Auckland-based reporter who joined the Herald in 2011. She has been a journalist for more than 20 years and specialises in general news and features.