Yahoo News Supermarket customer boycotts Tesco after being treated 'like a criminal' over parking fine
A Tesco customer has vowed 'never to go back' to the supermarket giant after she says she was 'treated like a criminal' over a parking fine.
Emily Smith, 47, visited her local branch of the chain for groceries in the morning, then returned later in the day for fuel.
But she later received a parking fine in the post accusing her of being in the car park of the Tesco Extra store in Dover for 10 hours - breaching the three-hour limit for parking.
The charity manager said she was threatened with further enforcement action if she did not pay up, and when she tried to explain the situation was told: 'our cameras do not lie’.
It was only when she and her husband found some proof that the car hadn't been parked there the whole time that the charge was cancelled.
She said: "I am deeply disappointed in Tesco - I am not going to risk being their customer again.
"I’m worried that this is going to happen to other people who may just pay the charge because it is really quite frightening.
"When my husband called Tesco, he was told ‘our cameras do not lie’ - we were basically accused of lying.
"We had to give our time and energy to get this resolved when we did not do anything wrong."
Smith, from Dover, thinks the car park's ANPR cameras failed to pick up their vehicle leaving the site.
She said the letter she received said the £35 charge would double if not settled within 28 days - something she fears frightens most people into paying up without challenging it.
She added: "We are being treated like criminals, there is no innocent until proven guilty.
"We have now found some proof because we use a tracking app with my eldest. It’s bonkers, and trying to prove where we were is quite hard.
"Because you are told the fine is less if you pay within 28 days, most people will pay it because they don’t want the hassle.
"People need to know they have the choice to shop somewhere that will not fine them if they visit more than once in a day."
A spokesperson for Tesco said: "We are sorry to hear about this and have ensured the charge is cancelled."
