The 36-year-old businessman, Amar Tanna, had driven to the McDonald’s branch in Wheatfield Way in Hinckley, Leicestershire, and paid £35 to charge his EV to get back home to Coventry. When Mr Tanna arrived at the fast-food chain, the branch’s car charging station was in use. The businessman decided to wait while having his lunch and then plugged into his vehicle.
He said: “The rate they were charging was extortionate as it was – twice the cost of electricity I’d paid before while charging my car.
“But I needed to charge it up or I wouldn’t be able to get home.”
Mr Tanna paid more than £35 for the electricity and drove home.
However, a short while later, he was shocked to receive a parking fine through the post.
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After receiving the fine, he contacted InstaVolt, the electric charging provider, to ask if he had been fined for being in the car park when he was paying for electricity the whole time he was there.
Customer services executive at InstaVolt Katherine Binks wrote back: “Unfortunately the parking restrictions are managed by a third party, which means that the existing parking restrictions still apply to our customers even when using our charging stations.”
She added that InstaVolt’s signage at its stations stated “that existing parking restrictions still apply”.
She said that this was also outlined in its frequently asked questions (FAQs).
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“Primarily, we use parking measures to ensure there are spaces available for our customers’ vehicles, as well as to deter unwarranted or unreasonably prolonged usage of the facility.”
It continued: “I can confirm this parking area is managed by an independent company who are responsible for monitoring the car park and taking details of registration numbers.
“The regulations and signs at the restaurant clearly state the policy and the relevant charges.
“I trust you will appreciate that in order to maintain a consistent approach, we have to adhere to the guidelines in place regardless of whether you were in the restaurant for the duration of the stay or not.
“As such, in a situation such as a clear contravention of parking regulations, we are unable to deal with any specifics or cases on an individual basis.
“Suffice to say, if a customer contravenes the clearly displayed parking regulations, they will receive a ticket.”
Express.co.uk have attempted to contact Civil Enforcement Ltd, but the company has a number on their website that requires a ticket number to get through.
