Geraldton WA Visitors Be Warned.
Submitted: Tuesday, Sep 06, 2016 at 17:05
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Member - reggy 2 (VIC)
Travelling in WA
Geraldton today, as a Victorian did not expect to pay to park in a Woolworths car park did shopping ten minutes later returned to car only to find a $75 fine under wiper blades.
BE WARNED YOU HAVE TO PAY IN WOOLWORTHS CAR PARK .
Cheers happy wandering and wild flower hunting.
Reply By: vk1dx - Tuesday, Sep 06, 2016 at 17:20
Tuesday, Sep 06, 2016 at 17:20
I just spent 30 minutes going around the car parks for Woolworths and other supermarkets etc in
Geraldton with google Maps street view and I am sorry to say that the signs were quite hard to miss. Costly lesson my friend.
Phil
PS The date on Google Maps was June 2015.
AnswerID:
604154
Reply By: TomH - Tuesday, Sep 06, 2016 at 17:36
Tuesday, Sep 06, 2016 at 17:36
Was like that in 2009 when we were there. Plenty of signs so no excuse The area of the park we were in had a faulty terminal so had to find another one. A local said they dont take that as an excuse either as it says to do that on the terminal.
If I remember rightly it was not a "Woolworths " exclusive park but a Shopping centre park which just happens to be closest to Woolworths and so they get blamed unfairly
It is actually the Stirling shopping Mall
carpark
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Reply By: tazbaz - Tuesday, Sep 06, 2016 at 18:00
Tuesday, Sep 06, 2016 at 18:00
Yet another reason to not
shop at Woolworths. Very expensive on more ways than one!
AnswerID:
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Follow Up By: Member - ACD 1 - Tuesday, Sep 06, 2016 at 18:24
Tuesday, Sep 06, 2016 at 18:24
Unfortunately, the charging of
parking fees is not controlled by the supermarkets.
It is the responsibility of the Shopping Centre Management.
Not saying I agree with it...
Cheers
Anthony
FollowupID:
873854
Follow Up By: Nomadic Navara - Tuesday, Sep 06, 2016 at 21:59
Tuesday, Sep 06, 2016 at 21:59
"Unfortunately, the charging of
parking fees is not controlled by the supermarkets."
It is exactly the same in the large cities on the eastern coast. We
shop in shopping centres where the
parking is controlled by the centre management and not the shops. The management is the ones controlling the
parking fee.
In other
places the local council controls the
parking lots around the business centres. Earlier this year I was in
Launceston where you pork in council open style of multi story car parks. The multi story ones have boom gates operated by toll tickets. The open
parking lots have ticket machines and if you don't feed those then you cop a fine.Ten years ago when we were in
Geraldton there were some
parking there where we had to pay so there is nothing new about that over there.
I don't think that many posters here have any sympathy for the OP.
FollowupID:
873865
Follow Up By: Member - ACD 1 - Tuesday, Sep 06, 2016 at 22:03
Tuesday, Sep 06, 2016 at 22:03
"where you pork in council open style of multi story car parks."
Geez I'm moving east - we get fined for that here LOL (and
parking as
well if you're the OP)
Cheers
Anthony
FollowupID:
873868
Follow Up By: vk1dx - Wednesday, Sep 07, 2016 at 09:37
Wednesday, Sep 07, 2016 at 09:37
Westfield owns the local shopping centre that we use. 1st two hours are free and all weekend is free.
Peter - Was that pulled pork mate
Phil
FollowupID:
873890
Reply By: Bob R4 - Tuesday, Sep 06, 2016 at 21:51
Tuesday, Sep 06, 2016 at 21:51
Vote with your feet.
AnswerID:
604172
Follow Up By: Nomadic Navara - Tuesday, Sep 06, 2016 at 22:01
Tuesday, Sep 06, 2016 at 22:01
Yes, you can
shop at
IGA out in the boon docks where
parking is free.
FollowupID:
873866
Follow Up By: fisho64 - Tuesday, Sep 06, 2016 at 22:21
Tuesday, Sep 06, 2016 at 22:21
Funny thing is, there is Queens
IGA not more than 50 meters away, bigger than Woolies and
miles of free
parking...
FollowupID:
873869
Follow Up By: vk1dx - Wednesday, Sep 07, 2016 at 09:58
Wednesday, Sep 07, 2016 at 09:58
It's 2 hours only for free. But that should be enough to pick up some potatoes and snags.
Phil
Edit: Oops didn't realise you were the same poster as above Fisho
FollowupID:
873893
Follow Up By: Member - Stephen L (Clare SA) - Friday, Sep 09, 2016 at 07:17
Friday, Sep 09, 2016 at 07:17
If we ever get the chance in a town and there is an
IGA v Woolies, we always go
IGA. Support locals and not Multi national, where you usually get a far wider choice of goods to buy and usually as cheap as the bigger stores and the money stays in the town and not overseas.
Support locals is out Moto
Cheers
Stephen
FollowupID:
873967
Follow Up By: Gramps - Friday, Sep 09, 2016 at 14:42
Friday, Sep 09, 2016 at 14:42
"Support locals and not Multi national"
Since when did Woolies become multinational ?
Regards
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: TomH - Friday, Sep 09, 2016 at 15:27
Friday, Sep 09, 2016 at 15:27
Since the parent company is South African
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Zippo - Friday, Sep 09, 2016 at 15:46
Friday, Sep 09, 2016 at 15:46
Tom, I suspect your information source is amiss.
Check here
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Follow Up By: Gramps - Friday, Sep 09, 2016 at 17:28
Friday, Sep 09, 2016 at 17:28
TomH,
Where on Earth do you get the idea that Woolies is Sth African ?
Woolies in Aust is not connected in any way to Woolworths SA, UK or USA. They may have bought out Woolies in NZ though.
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: TomH - Friday, Sep 09, 2016 at 19:19
Friday, Sep 09, 2016 at 19:19
Apologies Woolworth SA now own David Jones
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: fisho64 - Friday, Sep 09, 2016 at 19:57
Friday, Sep 09, 2016 at 19:57
Reckon if they own Woolies NZ, that would clearly make them a "multinational"?
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: Nomadic Navara - Friday, Sep 09, 2016 at 21:29
Friday, Sep 09, 2016 at 21:29
" They may have bought out Woolies in NZ though."
No. They started Wooolies NZ
See this link.
FollowupID:
873997
Follow Up By: Gramps - Friday, Sep 09, 2016 at 22:34
Friday, Sep 09, 2016 at 22:34
The original reference to "multi national" was clearly an inference to "foreign multi national" as in "the money stays in the town and not overseas". Woolworths Limited is obviously NOT a foreign multi national.
FollowupID:
874003
Reply By: fisho64 - Tuesday, Sep 06, 2016 at 22:03
Tuesday, Sep 06, 2016 at 22:03
There is free
parking next to Stirling Shopping Centre, and only 50 meters away Queens
IGA with a massive free
parking area.
While I hate to pay for the
parking there and so rarely use Woolies, as said if you could miss those signs, you would also miss give way, stop, and speed signs!
Queens
IGA (50 meters), Durlacher
IGA (400 meters away), Coles (1km away) all have free
parking.
If you could even pay for your stuff in there within 10 minutes though your doing
well
AnswerID:
604175
Follow Up By: vk1dx - Wednesday, Sep 07, 2016 at 09:56
Wednesday, Sep 07, 2016 at 09:56
Queens
IGA has now got 2 hour free
parking for customers.
We may get casual with signs when on
home turf, but when somewhere new it pays to try and read them twice.
Phil
FollowupID:
873892
Follow Up By: fisho64 - Wednesday, Sep 07, 2016 at 12:23
Wednesday, Sep 07, 2016 at 12:23
The difference is though that the
IGA one is private and hence CGG can't/don't ticket it.
IGA could tow you away but you'd need to do something pretty extreme for that.
FollowupID:
873899
Reply By: new boy - Tuesday, Sep 06, 2016 at 22:26
Tuesday, Sep 06, 2016 at 22:26
The car park accross the road from Woolies is Council controlled and therefore nothing to do with the shopping centre or it,s tennants plus it,s pretty
well sign posted with a machine right at the lights. The centre,s free car park is next door to the building with good access into the shops.
AnswerID:
604176
Reply By: Motherhen - Tuesday, Sep 06, 2016 at 22:53
Tuesday, Sep 06, 2016 at 22:53
I have not seen these pay for
parking shoppers car parks in
Geraldton, but do not find it unusual. Probably over twenty years ago when shopping in the Bunbury CBD the council car parks were all pay
parking. In some towns in our travels, even street
parking is pay
parking (eg
Devonport in Tasmania).
Now at the shopping centre in central Bunbury, car
parking, including in the adjacent under cover car park is free for two hours, but you still have to display a ticket. Much better.
AnswerID:
604177
Follow Up By: Murray48 - Thursday, Sep 08, 2016 at 16:49
Thursday, Sep 08, 2016 at 16:49
The
carpark in question has had meters since at least the eighties.
If I recall correctly, it may have even been the first
carpark in
Geraldton to get them.
FollowupID:
873954
Follow Up By: Member - Ups and Downs - Friday, Sep 09, 2016 at 08:48
Friday, Sep 09, 2016 at 08:48
vk1dx states 'We may get casual with signs when on
home turf, but when somewhere new it pays to try and read them twice.'
So true. I collected my 1st
parking fine recently at the Bunbury CBD car park.
I saw the Free for 2 hours but didn't see the reference to getting a ticket.
Literally there for 10 minutes and came back to a fine of, I think, $30.
Paul
FollowupID:
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Reply By: marty d - Wednesday, Sep 07, 2016 at 15:05
Wednesday, Sep 07, 2016 at 15:05
The
Adelaide city council , like many others practicaly abolished free
parking years ago , then kept increasing the prices to a point that now if you don't have to go to the CBD you don't !. Now they are crying about lack of people/shoppers coming to town and have proposed
parking happy hours/days to lure business back , to late fella's you've burnt me and theres better options !.
AnswerID:
604196
Reply By: Member - Paul B (WA) - Saturday, Sep 10, 2016 at 19:39
Saturday, Sep 10, 2016 at 19:39
I'm not exactly a
young fella any more at 58, but I've been paying for
parking for virtually all the 41 years I've been driving. I just don't get the point of this post. Yes, we get charged for
parking. We also get charged for fuel and for all sorts of things. Deal with it, move on.
AnswerID:
604281
Reply By: Life Member-Doug T NSW - Sunday, Sep 11, 2016 at 08:44
Sunday, Sep 11, 2016 at 08:44
The Woolworths
Supermarket car park here in
Orange has a 2 hour limit, City Council inspectors will put a ticket on if you over stay the 2 hours.
.
AnswerID:
604284
Reply By: The Bantam - Sunday, Sep 11, 2016 at 11:45
Sunday, Sep 11, 2016 at 11:45
Now this raises an interesting point ...... If this is a privately owned
carpark ..... it must be noted that private individuals and companies are not legally entitled to levy fines and penalties in Australia, though many will sucessfully try it on.
It is covered by a federal act .... cant remember the name off the top of my head, but it is the xxxx sundry xxxx act, that covers the conduct of many business and government matters.
There is an argument that Local councils are not entitled to levy fines on the basis that they are not recognised as government in the constitution and are in fact private corporations ( or like) ...... but that is a more obtuse argument.
The above does not represent legal advice.
cheers
AnswerID:
604288
Follow Up By: Frank P (NSW) - Tuesday, Sep 13, 2016 at 16:45
Tuesday, Sep 13, 2016 at 16:45
I like your line of thinking, Bantam, but I can't afford the lawyer I would need to pursue it. Not for a $30 fine anyway.
FollowupID:
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Follow Up By: The Bantam - Tuesday, Sep 13, 2016 at 23:19
Tuesday, Sep 13, 2016 at 23:19
There are a lot of fines and penalties levied both by private companies and governments that would not stand up to a properly framed defence.
Those that are trying this on are depending on both ignorance and the fact that people will not persue the matter.
The whole banking industry got a heavy spanking a little while ago because they where applying punitive penalties on their customers on things like late fees and bounced cheques ..... several of the banks had to refund large sums of money.
There was a thing with towing scams a while back that hit the fan ...... people
parking illegally would be towed and charged rediculous sums to get their vehicles back ..... there is still some $#!^ going on with this.
Private individuals and companies are only entitled to charge reasonable costs.
cheers
FollowupID:
874122
Reply By: Dean K3 - Sunday, Sep 11, 2016 at 16:21
Sunday, Sep 11, 2016 at 16:21
quite a few shopping centres in WA do this your typically allowed 2 hrs maximum after this you must pay but you still have to obtain a ticket from vending machine.
Victoria park centro is another one I am aware of that has this policy
you probably didn't realise you had to get the ticket otherwise you be ok, ALL public hospitals in
perth metro if you don't purchase a ticket its a $2000 fine defaulted to $250ish if you pay up front within 14 days of fine being presented
AnswerID:
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Reply By: Echucan Bob - Monday, Sep 12, 2016 at 07:39
Monday, Sep 12, 2016 at 07:39
I am concerned that so many people accept being treated so poorly by so called "authorities".
Parking fees are collected to pay for the land and bitumen etc.
Parking fines are imposed to discourage people from freeloading. "Authorities" quickly twigged to the fact that fines are a far greater source of revenue than the fees they collect. With no oversight fines can be set at any level and are usually way out of proportion to the magnitude of the "offence". A $76 fine for not paying $1
parking fee? The "authorities" have turned into robber barons and inflict more pain on ordinary citizens than recognised criminals. And before the anal retentives come out and say "if you don't break the rules you don't have a problem" the OP is a perfect example of a person caught out through unfamiliarity with ways of the west. No harm was intended, and they weren't trying to 'save a buck', but cop a fine that would knock a large hole in most people's day. A $30 fine would be fair.
Wake up people, stop councils, state governments, banks etc shafting you. Stop defending their unconscionable, greedy actions.
Bob
AnswerID:
604315
Follow Up By: The Bantam - Tuesday, Sep 13, 2016 at 23:27
Tuesday, Sep 13, 2016 at 23:27
Don't get me started ..... look at current traffic enforcement ...... speeding fines are fund raising pure and simple ...... why would anybody push the engineringly rediculous lie that "every K over is a killer" other than to justify fund raising.
If governments where realy concerned about road safety they would have police on the roads actively enforcing a wide range of offences every day ... not just the ones that are easy and cheap to enforce.
Oh yeh and anybody noticed that in QLD at least they have manipulated the penalty thresholds to maximise the return on lower range speeding.
cheers
FollowupID:
874124
Reply By: Chorba - Tuesday, Sep 13, 2016 at 16:48
Tuesday, Sep 13, 2016 at 16:48
I got caught in a similar situation in
Melbourne a couple of years back ?????
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Reply By: Ron N - Wednesday, Sep 14, 2016 at 22:50
Wednesday, Sep 14, 2016 at 22:50
The OP might want to study up on the information on the site below.
Private car park fines
These car park owners are straight-out rorters, pure and simple. Make their "fine" collection as difficult as possible.
You may be in breach of contract by not paying for your time in the car park, but the contract conditions must be made clear to you upon entry to the car park.
Incidentally, I am very careful of where I park nowadays.
After having been savaged more than once, by the best of the best, as far as vicious councils go (
Perth City Council and Subiaco City Council) I am "once-burnt, twice shy".
My best efforts were $100 for
parking in a loading zone in the CBD on late Sat afternoon, for all of 5 mins (the vultures were waiting in hiding) - and $50 (quite a few years ago), for
parking on the verge at the
Perth Royal Show.
Seen people regularly done for $200 for
parking in a Clearway after 4:00PM. Not seeing/reading the
parking signage, is no excuse.
Cheers, Ron.
AnswerID:
604392