Parking at Eagles Meadow


This week's local free newspaper carried an item about a man who had driven over to Wrexham from Crewe to avail himself of the shopping delights of our lovely new blot on the landscape shopping centre, Eagles Meadow, which has disrupted the daily life of the town for a good two years and counting and has reduced the town centre to a ghost of its former self.  However, that is not the point of this post. No, this post is about the man from Crewe who parked in the car park, was assisted in buying his ticket from the machine by the attendant on duty and then went off to do his shopping, secure in the knowledge that he was legally parked.
However, on his return, he discovered that he had myseriously incurred a £70 parking fine, in spite of coming back before the end of his allotted time. It seemed that, having placed the ticket on his dashboard, the draught caused by his shutting the car door had flipped the ticket over so that the attendant couldn't read it. Fair enough, you might think, although hardly deserving of a fine of £70.  However, the attendant was the one who had helped him with the ticket machine and had watched him place the ticket in his car! So even though he couldn't read the ticket, he knew that it was valid.
When the 'spokesperson' for the firm responsible was wheeled out, she said, oh yes, he would have been given a ticket in the circumstances but, if he appeals and can show his ticket (he has and he can), the fine will be waived.
So am I the only person who read this and wondered why on earth the ticket would be given in the first place knowing that it will be rescinded on appeal as a matter of course?
Of course, this kind of incident is not going to do a lot to encourage people to do their shopping there either, but I can live with that.

4 comments:

Yorkshire Pudding said...

I think the owners of Eagles Meadow should themselves be fined for abusing apostrophe rules. Shouldn't it be either Eagle's Meadow or Eagles' Meadow. Regarding the former I picture a single eagle strolling around in his meadow after a hard day's hunting in Snowdonia. In tbe latter case there are several eagles - perhaps comparing notes about the rodents and smaller birds they managed to eradicate.

Jennytc said...

Indeed it should, YP but, it ain't! :)

Anonymous said...

I despair when I read things like this! It's a crazy world at times! Flighty xx

Jennytc said...

And getting more so, I think, Flighty. :)

Plaster board and dust

So, we're still no further forward on the British Gas smart meter front and I've given up making non-existent appointments with them...