A restaurant at a service station an hour from Greater Manchester has been flooded with complaints after customers claim they were hit with unfair parking fines.
Customers have vented their anger online after being charged £100 for parking at OK Diner, a US-style eatery at the westbound Northop Hall services off the A55 in Flintshire, North Wales. Some have vowed to contest their fines in court while most have said they will never return to the restaurant. One family making their annual trip to Llandudno said: “Breakfast for 4 people including a person in a wheelchair…. £265.”
The OK Diner chain promises classic 50s American fare “on the great British roadside”. Over the years it’s attracted a loyal clientele – but in recent weeks its online ratings have been tumbling.
On May 1, the Northop Hall site introduced new parking arrangements, with an APNR camera system managed by Smart Parking.
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To avoid a fine, customers were required to enter their vehicle registration details on a tablet. By June, social media was awash with negative comments from people who said they were genuine customers but that they’d been fined £100.
OK Diner says they had to take action due to people parking there and not using the restaurant and that signage is up in the car park to notify people of the restrictions.
Those complaining claimed they were unaware of the need to enter their car details – or had done so but were fined anyway. From the reviews examined by North Wales Live, no one has yet successfully contested their fine.
One woman complained to OK Diner Northop Hall on its Facebook page. “I decided to take the family for a meal at this place for a Father’s Day treat,” she wrote. “We didn’t see any signs about registering our car and at no point did any staff make us aware that this was required for us to do.
“I received a fine yesterday of £100. I was absolutely shocked and angry. I paid with my credit card, so I do have proof we ate there. This experience has completely put me off going to this place ever again.”
A sign at the entrance reminds people the car park is for customers only. On Facebook, OK Diner said it introduced the new system “due to the volume of cars blocking our car park who aren’t genuine customers”. In a post about the new arrangements, on July 8, the restaurant said guests will only qualify for free parking if they “sign in their vehicle”.
Customers claimed there are no signs in the car park. One, an MBE recipient, said he was also unaware of the system. He arrived at 12.30pm on June 11, paid for food at 1.32pm and left the car park at 1.42pm. He received a fine three weeks later and, despite sending a copy of the meal receipt, the Smart Parking appeals team rejected his claim on July 17.
He wrote: “I will attend a lawful court and again prove that I was a legitimate customer as the car park signs insisted.”
A Google reviewer had a similar experience. He too was fined £100 and is appealing. He said: “Brilliant customer experience. Their reviews are going down the drain because of it. Not sure who signed off on the contract but they’ve destroyed their reputation over it.”
Not all recent reviews have been negative – some people said they enjoyed their meals, the staff were helpful and they were “happy customers”. But many have been dissatisfied. A holidaymaker who left without eating, after being kept waiting for a table, received a £100 fine after returning from her trip. She headlined her Tripadvisor review “Not OK Diner” and pledged not to pay.
A couple travelling to Llandudno stopped at Northop Hall Services for breakfast with their daughter, who arrived in her own car. They both received £100 fines. The mother wrote: “Breakfast for 4 people £62.35, gave the cashier £65 cash plus 2 parking fines at £100 each.
“Absolutely disgusted. Why wasn’t there a machine inside to log your car details into when we arrived? We will never use this place again.”
Two retired parents drove three hours to meet their children, spent more than £100 on food, and both parties were fined £100 each. It was a similar story for two other pensioners – one disabled – who also received a £100 parking fine. Despite being frequent customers, they said no staff members had told them what they had to do. “Totally disgusted,” one wrote. “Never again will I enter an OK Diner. I’ve informed all my family and friends.”
Recent visitors believe OK Diner staff have been reminded to tell customers of the need to sign in. Yet people claim they are still being fined. “Clearly the tablet did not process my details and now I’ve got a £100 fine,” said one customer. “I did fight this with the parking company and I was told it was my responsibility even though the staff said it would be OK.”
OK Diner was approached for a comment. On Facebook, in response to complaints from irate customers, the Northop Hall restaurant has offered to help. Sharing an online contact form, it wrote: “Please use this link to give details, including your proof of purchase, we can help you sort this out.”
Complaints have also been made to the OK Diner account on X (Twitter) – one man was fined after meeting his wife for tea after work. In response, the company said on July 10: “I’m sorry you’ve received a PCN. There is signage up in the car park to notify people of the restrictions. It has been necessary to introduce this because in many instances the car park has been full but the diner not busy, and genuine customers couldn’t find space to park.”
Smart Parking was also asked for a statement. A spokesperson said: “Smart Parking were brought into manage the car park at the OK Diner to stop parking abuse and ensure genuine customers can always find somewhere to park.
“The car park at the OK Dinner is private land, and motorists should always check the terms and conditions of use before deciding to park. At the OK Diner there is no free parking between the hours of 9pm and 9am and this is clearly highlighted on numerous signs positioned across the site. For customers who park within the correct hours they simply need to update the terminal in the OK Diner to secure free parking.
“Smart Parking are proud members of the British Parking Association (BPA) and strictly follows its guidelines. We operate a BPA-audited appeals service and we would recommend any motorists who feel they have been incorrectly charged to contact us directly and we will investigate.”
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