Yahoo News Drivers charged dozens of times by faulty car park payment machine
Angry motorists have hit out at council bosses after faulty car park payment machines charged them dozens of times, costing them hundreds of pounds.
The automatic machines repeatedly overcharged people at various locations in Worcester, leaving some unexpectedly in debt.
Restaurant owner Andy Gynn, 40, saw £610 drained from his bank account in just three days after 122 parking transactions went through, leaving him in an unarranged overdraft.
He said: "I've had a total of 122 transactions go through after the last three days putting all the accounts into unarranged overdrafts.
"I'm due to go on holiday and can't access any of my accounts, which is more than an inconvenience.
"I feel frustrated, anxious and very stressed. I feel helpless. My banks have cancelled my card but can’t stop the offline transactions from happening."
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He said he had spent days trying to sort the situation out and had incurred extra costs for his holiday now he can't use his bank accounts.
"If the boot was on the other foot and I owed the council money, I’d be getting charged daily interest and admin charges," he added.
Fellow driver Rod Barlow, 33, initially feared his account had been hacked after he noticed money "dripping out of his account".
He discovered he had been charged between £180 and £200 after 33 transactions were made after he parked in the city's Newport Street car park.
He said: "I realised I had gone into my overdraft and I knew that didn't sound right.
"I have never parked in St Martins Gate, but the tickets are addressed to that car park.
"My first reaction was I thought I was being scammed. I contacted my bank immediately.
"They told me they can't stop the money from going out because the money is being taken out from a pre-set date."
He went on: "It is frustrating when you see money dripping out of your account. Nobody is going to park in the same car park nine times a day.
"I'm physically seeing money going out of my account and it's just the fact that it's multiple transactions every day."
Worcester City Council say they are working with the company running the parking machines to rectify the glitch and refund drivers.
A spokesperson said: "We have been assured that no further duplicate payments are being processed.
"We are working closely with the card payment processor and card machine operator, to get to the bottom of this issue.
"Whilst the cause of the problem is not yet clear, the council would like to assure customers that all incorrect payments will be refunded as soon as we are able."
