£70 fine shock for Vinted users using ‘24/7’ Aldi parcel lockers
Lockers that are meant to open all hours have revealed a hidden cost...
Vinted users have been left fuming after being hit with £70 parking fines while using supposedly 24/7 parcel lockers at their local Aldi supermarket.
The InPost lockers are advertised as being available around the clock, seven days a week.
However, customers visiting the Aldi store in Garstang, Lancashire, say they received penalty notices after driving into the supermarket car park to collect, return or drop off parcels when the shop itself was closed.
It’s now emerged that they were being caught out by automatic number plate recognition cameras, which automatically generate the £70 parking charge for motorists who enter the car park when the supermarket is shut.
According to the Lancashire Evening Post, that has left some customers asking how they are supposed to use a 24/7 parcel service without risking a hefty parking bill.
It told how one customer was left stunned when the fine landed through their letterbox after making just a brief trip to use the locker.
“I couldn’t believe it when the fine turned up,” they told the Lancashire Evening Post’s reporter.
The customer contacted Aldi and said the parking charge, generated by car park surveillance company ParkingEye, was later cancelled.
However, they want to warn others not to risk using the service outside the store's normal hours.
“The ANPR will clearly show that you’ve only been on the car park for a matter of minutes to drop off or pick up your parcels,” the customer said.
“I won’t be using it again until they do something about it. It’s too much worry and hassle.”
Aldi began introducing InPost Lockers at its UK stores three years ago. The parcel service is now found at more than 600 stores, and is particularly popular with Vinted customers who use them to deliver and send items.
When the partnership reached 600 lockers, Jonathan Neale, Aldi UK's managing director of national real estate, said it demonstrated the supermarket's commitment to saving customers time and making everyday tasks easier.
According to InPost, the locker service at the Garstang Aldi is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
The Aldi store, however, opens from 8am until 10pm from Monday to Saturday and from 10am until 4pm on Sundays. It means anyone arriving by car outside those hours could therefore find themselves caught by the car park's ANPR system.
Aldi and InPost were approached for comment about the reports of parking charges.