The parking company has been criticised on Google. (Representative Photo/Unsplash)
A driver in the United Kingdom has been fined £100 (Rs 9,500) for eating McDonald's meal while parked in a Starbucks car park. According to Wales Online, Bob Spink was shocked to discover a letter through his door issuing him a fine for using one of the parking bays outside the coffee giant for 16 minutes.
Mr Spink had visited McDonald's drive-thru with his girlfriend and when they were unable to find space at the burger chain they opted for the nearby parking lot outside Starbucks. Speaking to Wales Online, Mr Spink said that he had not realised penalties were a thing, however, ever since he has been fined, the 50-year-old vowed not to go near a Starbucks ever again.
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"We had only bought a £12 order from McDonald's and the car park was entirely full so we parked in Starbucks to eat as there was plenty of space," Mr Spink told the media outlet, adding, “It just feels like legalised theft, I haven't done anything wrong legally.”
Further, he revealed that the letter he received told him that if he paid the fine within 14 days, it would be reduced to £60 so he did so in a bid to avoid the bigger charge. "I was baffled by it, we have just moved here and it's something you can't ignore as it only gets worse and increases the fee," he said.
Mr Spink also went on to inform that he hadn't even left his car. He said that he doesn't understand what Starbucks was trying to achieve. Now, he hopes that his case will bring some awareness and help people steer clear of the giant coffee chain.
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Meanwhile, according to Wales Online, Starbucks uses National Parking Enforcement Ltd (NPE) at the branch Mr Spink visited with his girlfriend. The parking company has previously also been criticised on Google as a “horrible company only looking to take people's hard-earned money”. The coffee giant, on other hand, has acknowledged the parking offence notice but has stated that the parking issue is the responsibility of NPE.
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