I have just been well and truly told off!

Yes, he was rude, unnecessarily. If he didn’t want to take you up on your offer, he could just have thrown the ticket away after you’d gone, and bought his own.

But it does surprise me how much people rant about parking charges. DH and I go into town at least once a week, and would rather go by bus. It’s only three miles away. However, even though he has a free bus pass, my return fare would cost £5.70, whereas parking for five hours costs £2.50. Let alone the fact that there’s only one bus an hour. Surely we should all have access to decent public transport, and be encouraged to use it?

As for hospital parking, I was told by a member of staff to pay the minimum amount. If challenged I should just say that my appointment took much longer than expected

That wouldn’t work in our local hospital GreenGran as the “Evil Eye”photographs you entering and leaving and you are fined for being even a minute over.

At one of my local hospitals, the minimum is £3.50 for 4 hours and I have never over-run. Quite the reverse. I'm rarely there for more than an hour. Once, I managed, in a rush, to punch in the wrong registration number for my car and subsequently got a parking charge notice from the Evil Eye. I was able to explain what had happened, by emailing them a photocopy of my receipt. Moral is - always keep the receipt just in case!
Another hospital I had to attend on one occasion had a 'pay on exit' system which meant I paid for the time I'd been there and very little more.

Spot on Yellowmellow....I used to say that about some of the customers/clients I've had to cope with in my various jobs over the years. Its as if they've woken up and just decided its your turn! Difficult not to take it personally at the time...but as they say it just says more about their failings than your own.

Bathsheba, I totally agree. I have been very vocal about this for a long time. In my view, if I purchase a ticket for 2 hours, the space is mine for 2 hours to do as I please - I could lie down in it if I chose! Or, pass it on to the next person who wants to park. This space has been paid for and it is appalling to recharge for something which has already been purchased. We wouldn't accept this in any other area of our lives.

What a shame. Maybe his toast got burnt that morning?
I quite like the number recognition if it means I only pay for the length of time I park,
Our local car park next to the theatre had a system that allowed an account to be set up and the money came out of one’s account at the end of the month. That meant not having to wait at the end of a long queue after a theatre performance while people keyed in their registration numbers (if they could remember it!) and paid.
The account system was withdrawn. Apparently, there was something illegal about it and the DVLA objected - probably something to do with storing people’s details. Great shame,

Silly old fart.

Our local council are so mean you have to enter your reg. No. into the machine which means you can't give your ticket to someone else. I do in other car parks though, or leave it stuck to the machine.

In the car park I use in Bridport you have to enter your registration number - only problem the buttons are at waist level, presumably to aid wheel chair users, and exceedingly small, so that they can hardly be seen. Panic is induced in the elderly user: firstly, trying to remember your registration number, then crouching down to enter it on buttons so small you can hardly read them. Then fumbling for diminutive coins, I'd like to know which idiot designed the machine.

Maw, you are not a killjoy ?

Becomes more like Switzerland every day seemingly.
There the philosophy is pay, pay, pay, no transferring, signs everywhere saying this, that and the other is forbidden.
So it's a small country, but so is UK!