A real ticket war is raging around the Aldi parking lot in the Baumberg district of Monheim. What was supposed to be a leisurely shopping trip turns into an expensive pleasure for many citizens. Now even the mayor is getting involved.
Discounters and supermarkets lease their parking spaces to private companies who are supposed to charge those who park illegally. The company “ParkRaum Service” monitors the branch on Zwilling-Scholl-Straße for Aldi Süd.
According to information from FOCUS online, Aldi Süd has handed over the parking spaces of the Baumberger branch (Monheim am Rhein) to the private operator in order to get rid of unwanted long-term parkers. The maximum parking time has been limited to one and a half to three hours, depending on the time of day. License plates are automatically recorded by the operator when entering and leaving, and violations are punished with a so-called “contractual penalty” of 25 euros.
The new regulation caught many citizens off guard. Suddenly there are dozens of tickets under the windshield wiper – for some the claims add up to over 1,500 euros!
Operator ParkService is expected to issue up to 60 tickets per day. Because the parking lot, where there is a lot of activity, is a pivotal point for many: there is not only the large Aldi market here, but also a shopping center, a municipal sports hall and a daycare center. In addition, the regulation was introduced without much notice. Many people parked there out of habit and didn’t notice that there were new regulations.
This also applies to the daycare center employees, who continue to use the Aldi parking spaces to park their vehicles. In an interview with WDR, manager Susanne Gaspar reports of desperate colleagues who don’t know how to pay the high amounts.
Monheim’s mayor Daniel Zimmermann is angry. “It doesn’t work like that,” he says and calls on Aldi Süd to stop parking surveillance. In his opinion, the discounter is violating the city’s contractual requirements.
Over 20 years ago, the city sold the property to the discount store – on the clear condition that the parking lot remained public. “Otherwise we would never have sold the property,” Zimmermann makes it clear.
Aldi Süd apparently sees things differently. The new cameras record every car and monitor exactly how long it is parked there. Normally nothing unusual, but according to Zimmermann it was a clear breach of contract. “The city does not agree with the cost and time regulations that have now been introduced.”
The mayor “strongly advises those affected not to comply with payment requests”. And further: “The company is requested to immediately reverse the current regulation and take back the fine notices that were sent out.”
The city provides alleged parking offenders in the Aldi parking lot with a corresponding form. Payments that have already been made can only be challenged in court by those affected.
FOCUS online contacted the press offices of Aldi Süd and Parkraum Service. There was no response at the time of going to press.
When using the parking lot, drivers automatically enter into a contract with the operator – and accept the conditions. To do this, the applicable conditions must be clearly visible, for example by signs, in the parking lot. They must also point out the consequences of any violations, informs the Lower Saxony Consumer Center.
FOCUS online advises: Before you park at Aldi Süd, Lidl, Rewe or Edeka, you should always pay attention to the relevant signs. According to consumer advocates, the sums claimed are not automatically inadmissible. It is also advisable to check the ticket in good time and pay accordingly on time. Otherwise, high collection costs may follow.
The basic rule is that the penalty must be proportionate to the parking violation. If in doubt, a court could check this. For example, hidden notices, unclear conditions or signs overgrown with bushes could be a reason to object to the payment request.
It’s worth a try. If you want to object, you should do so in writing and use photos to prove that, for example, the terms of use were not sufficiently pointed out. In cases of doubt, an attempt can also be to ask the operator for an accommodating solution. Ultimately, “supermarkets should also have an interest in not scaring away their customers,” says the consumer advice center.