As of: January 19, 2024, 7:02 p.m
By: Ulrike Hagen
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A pensioner from Bremen parks at Lidl for 39 minutes and buys something for just under 34 euros.
Now he is asked to pay – because his purchase is “not related to the parking time”.
Bremen – Parking in discount store parking spaces can be expensive, the word has probably gotten around by now.
Even at Lidl, parking is not free for all customers.
But now the rip-off practice of a surveillance company commissioned by Lidl in Bremen is causing a stir: a purchase at Lidl that costs almost 34 euros is not enough to park your car in the discounter's parking lot for 39 minutes, the service provider told a pensioner - and sent him a juicy ticket.
“Legally speaking, this is absurd,” said the
Bremen consumer advice center
when asked by
kreiszeitung.de
from
IPPEN.MEDIA
.
Lidl |
Discounter |
|---|---|
founding |
1973 |
branches |
over 3000 in Germany |
Parking paradox: 34 euros worth of shopping shouldn't be enough for 39 minutes of parking at Lidl
Many supermarkets offer their customers free parking in their parking lot.
However, due to the increasing number of third-party and illegal parkers, parking time limits have been introduced, including at Lidl, as the discounter explains.
“In a few branches – mostly in the city center – we work with various external service providers.
In these parking areas, we use clearly visible signs to indicate how long parking is free for customers,” it tells
IPPEN.MEDIA
.
The parking duration is recorded by the parking disc placed in the vehicle by the customer, with the help of sensors in the ground or by cameras.
Bremen pensioner has to pay a fine of 35 euros - because he only shopped at Lidl for just under 34 euros
In the case of the Lidl branch “In der Vahr” in Bremen, the surveillance company Park-Point uses video surveillance to ensure that the maximum parking time of 90 minutes is adhered to.
And on top of that – as it seems – it also ensures that customers leave enough money with Lidl.
Because when a pensioner used the Lidl parking lot to shop for 33.80 euros after visiting the gym, he experienced a nasty surprise.
A pensioner from Bremen parks at Lidl for 39 minutes and buys something for just under 34 euros.
A monitoring company is now asking him to pay because the amount is apparently not enough.
© imago/Symbolbild
The surveillance company, which monitors the parking lot using cameras, demanded a “contractual penalty” of 35 euros because “the proven purchase amount is not in relation to the determined parking duration,” as the
Weser-Kurier
reports.
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Pensioner parks in the parking lot behind Lidl - and is asked to pay
Behind the Lidl building there is a fitness studio and a drinks market, each of which has its own parking space.
However, in order to reach this parking lot by car, you have to cross the Lidl parking lot, the entrance to which is controlled by camera surveillance.
The pensioner, who first parked in the gym parking lot behind this Lidl, received the ticket, even though he only parked his car at Lidl later and after only 39 minutes.
In order to take action against the fine, the man tried to contact Park-Point, as the
Weser Kurier
writes.
But neither phone calls nor emails were successful.
“Legally absurd”: Pensioners should pay a fine for Lidl parking
Finally, he sent a registered letter accompanied by confirmation from his gym and the Lidl receipt.
Park-Point's response left him stunned: "Unfortunately, the proven amount of purchases is not in relation to the determined parking time," they say, and the penalty remains.
Nicole Bahn, legal expert at the
Bremen Consumer Center
, is horrified.
“From a legal point of view, this is absurd – and the legal situation is clear: the amount of the purchase is completely irrelevant.”
“Complaints are piling up”: Bremen consumer advice center criticizes Lidl parking lot operators
Bahn adds: “The punishment for parking violations on private property is not based on the road traffic regulations, but is a contractual penalty.”
The parking and usage rules depend accordingly on the respective providers.
By parking his vehicle on the site, the customer accepts the terms and conditions of the contract.
In this case, that is the maximum parking time of 90 minutes, “in no case the amount of shopping.
Even if you shop for one euro, you can stand there.”
This is legally nonsense - and the legal situation is clear: the amount of the purchase is completely irrelevant.
Nicole Bahn, legal expert at the Bremen Consumer Center
The consumer law consultant recommends lodging an objection in any case: “If there is only one entrance for both parking spaces, the operator must first prove that the customer did not use the other parking space.” That is likely to be difficult.
And it is simply impossible “to subsequently call up any minimum purchase values if the maximum parking duration is stated as part of the contract,” says Bahn.
It is actually surprising that there were not more complaints due to the non-transparent recording mode.
But recently the inquiries have increased.
Data protection proceedings against Lidl due to camera surveillance
The discounter's camera control in the parking lot at the "In der Vahr" branch, which was installed last November, is under the radar of consumer advocates, and not just for reasons of access to other parking spaces.
As Bremen's state data protection officer Imke Sommer
confirmed in response to questions from
kreiszeitung.de , a data protection supervisory procedure is also underway.
It is being examined whether camera surveillance actually sufficiently complies with data protection in the sense of the EU.
.