A teacher has been given a parking charge almost three years after falling foul of “ridiculous” rules at a controversial shopping centre.
Monika Wentowska made the mistake of visiting Prospect Way Retail Park in Whitstable twice within a four-hour period on March 27, 2023 – breaching the site’s “no returns” policy.
But the mum-of-one says she was only made aware of the infraction last November when a “Final Notice” letter arrived from operator Parkingeye threatening her with court proceedings unless she pays £100.
“I feel I have been unfairly treated and I am not willing to pay a fine because I have just used a car park that is used for the shopping centre, while I was shopping,” explained Ms Wentowska.
“Both visits were brief and entirely legitimate. There was no overstay, no misuse, and no attempt to evade parking rules.
“This is all just a ridiculous waste of time – there are so many things to worry about in this cost-of-living crisis, now I have to deal with the cost of this fine too.”
The 43-year-old – who runs Whitstable tutoring company the Little Science Society – says she visited the retail park that day to buy supplies for an educational project, although she admits it is difficult to remember such a routine occurrence more than 33 months ago.
A spokesperson for Parkingeye says an initial correspondence was sent last April and that to contest the charge, Ms Wentowska should have saved her receipts to prove she had been a genuine customer on the day.
“The scary thing is that this is my local shopping centre – I was not aware of this ‘no returns’ policy and I am there all the time,” she added.
“It makes me feel insecure because if this is happening from three years ago, then I’m not sure how many more fines may be on the way.”
In 2023, KentOnline reported on a spate of similar experiences by shoppers caught out by the “no return” rule.
At the time, the director of the company that previously managed the site said the regulation would be dropped by May of that year.
But according to signs on display in the car park, it continues to be in effect.
Ms Wentowska hopes to fight the ticket through POPLA, an independent appeals service for parking charge notices issued on private land.
A Parkingeye spokesperson said: “The car park features prominent and highly visible signs throughout, providing information on how to use the car park responsibly.
“This includes guidance that the car park is for customers only and there is a maximum stay period of three hours, with no return within four hours.”
They said she was first sent a letter in April 2025, advising on the parking charge with a final notice in November.
The spokesperson said Parkingeye operates a British Parking Association audited appeals process, which motorists can use to appeal charges if they have mitigating circumstances.
“We granted the motorist a late appeal, however, they failed to provide any evidence that they were a genuine customer and the appeal was rejected,” they added.
