Pregnant Exeter mum's parking ticket cancelled
PARKING attendants will be told to review their procedures after a ticket was issued to a heavily pregnant woman in a mother and baby space.
Annika Fewlings said she was "ecstatic" after Exebridges Retail Park demanded that her ticket was cancelled and she received a full apology from its parking company.
The 27-year-old had pulled into a mother and baby space outside the shopping centre on Monday to pick up a few last minute items before heading into hospital to give birth.
When she returned 10 minutes later, she had been given a ticket. She immediately confronted the parking attendant and claims she was told that her unborn baby did not count as a child.
Mrs Fewlings, from Exwick, was due to be released from hospital last night after her baby Taliesin was delivered by Caesarian section on Wednesday.
She was planning to seek legal advice and appeal against the £70 ticket.
But on hearing the news yesterday, she said: "Is that the end of it? That's fantastic news. I am ecstatic. That is such a lot off my mind.
"It shouldn't have happened in the first place."
APCOA, which oversees car parking for the Exebridges Retail Park, said the company was now reviewing its procedures.
A spokesman said: "If we have a caused any offence or distress to the customer we sincerely apologise.
"The terms and conditions are clearly advertised and our attendant operated in accordance with the standard operating procedure.
"It is understandable that one might question whether it was appropriate to issue the ticket and we will be issuing new guidelines to staff.
"Each case will be determined on its merits. A parking attendant would not necessarily be able to recognise immediately if someone was pregnant.
"We will have to give some services thought as to how we can provide guidance for our staff that doesn't put them in a difficult situation."
A spokeswoman for Savills, managing agents for Exebridges Retail Park, said Mrs Fewlings would receive a letter of apology and a goodwill voucher for one of the stores.
She added: "This is not acceptable.
"We want to attract customers to our site. We are a very friendly site to mothers and babies."
11 Comments
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by Paul, Exeter
Wednesday, June 24 2009, 9:16AM
“You don't have to challenge the 'ticket' as it is not an official parking ticket'. You simply ignore it. They could take you to court, but they wont because all they can claim is their losses, which, as it is a free car park amount to zero. These tickets are not worth the paper they are printed on. APCOA (German owned - Airport Parking Company of America) are breaking the law in making it out to be an official ticket, which it is not. I let them know that I new this and they mysteriously cancelled my ticket too - and I'm not pregnant”
by SKoM, Cullompton
Monday, June 22 2009, 10:02PM
“Exactly my point anon. It was a pretty unsubtle trap - but they usually work.
If you accept that rules can be broken and you can get let off any punishment then who appointed YOU to decide where the line is drawn.You have to leave it up to the individual and if you don't like what someone else has done - tough. The ultimate result is anarchy and a complete breakdown of law and order. Are you prepared for that?
Live by a simple ethos - if you break the rules and get caught then accept it and pay the penalty.
BTW I don't shoplift and generally live by the rules - when I do break them I'm not stupid enough to get caught.”
by anon, devon
Monday, June 22 2009, 7:54PM
“oh SKoM, the next time you go over to exebridges to "accidentally" do shoplifting is not the same and parking in the wrong space,”
by anon, devon
Monday, June 22 2009, 7:49PM
“SKoM - so you want to know where i would draw the line 11 or 12 mins? i only say 10 mins because that was how long she was there for. the point i was making is that she could stay there for 2 hours for all i care, - you say rules are rules, but everyone breaks rules at some point in they life, and i'm sure you have.!!
and yes people are just saying she only got off the ticket because she went to the paper...but so would everyone if they could do it.”
by SKoM, Cullompton
Monday, June 22 2009, 9:00AM
“Carl
Easy - it's not a baby until it's born and as been said before, this isn't how these spaces are defined.
As for anon's comment - so where do you draw the line - 11minutes? 12? Rules are rules - if we all set our own exceptions to them they may as well not exist. Others breaking the rules is no excuse.
Kieran's got it right - if you get caught out go whining to the paper and try to get off. I'll remember to go to Exebriges next time I want to 'accidentally' do some shoplifting.”
by anon, devon
Monday, June 22 2009, 6:39AM
“i don't think its hurts, its was only 10 mins,and i would rather see a pregnant lady use the space, then what you see all the time, people who don't have kids, disabled people(who have more spaces than any mother and baby) and people who think having there older child (who looked at least 25!!!!! she was even driving the car) use the mother and baby/toddler parking spaces.....!!”
by Carl, EXETER
Saturday, June 20 2009, 6:28PM
“I can't understand how Liz can tell her to concentrate on her BABY, but then say she was wrong to park in a "mother and BABY space". where else should she park ?”
by Dave, Exeter
Saturday, June 20 2009, 2:38PM
“No she wasn't, it's the private parking companies that are on dodgy ground. Anyone who gets a ticket from a private parking company (as opposed to council or police) should have a good trawl of the consumer advice websites as many are unenforceable. Which is apt seeing as they are rarely given for genuinely dangerous or antisocial parking and rather more often appear on cars in empty car parks outside of business hours.”
by Kieran, Exeter
Saturday, June 20 2009, 11:28AM
“She was in the wrong. I guess she just made more of a fuss than the average person. Next time I get a ticket I will come crying to the paper, even if I was completely in the wrong.”
by jim wills, Crediton
Saturday, June 20 2009, 10:42AM
“The report say's the parking attendant was not aware the lady was pregnant. I saw the photo of her, the only thing I can suggest is the attendant should have went to Specsavers.”