Costa Coffee — Restaurant in Scotland

I’ve seen comments about car parking fines, but I think they’re unfair. There are clear signs in the car park and inside the store explaining the policy: if you’re planning to stay for more than 90 minutes, just pop your registration into the tablet provided, and you can stay as long as you like. Simple and hassle-free!

It’s also important to note that Costa Coffee doesn’t own or manage the car park. What’s more, these fines are not council or police-enforced. If you receive letters stating you have a fine, it’s worth knowing they cannot legally force you to pay. So blaming them for parking fines just isn’t right at all.

Additionally, it’s not Costa’s responsibility to manage YOUR car—that’s on you. The signs are there, and taking notice of them is your responsibility. Passing the blame because you didn’t pay attention isn’t fair.

Let’s focus on what Costa does best: yummy coffee, great service, and a friendly atmosphere. They deserve recognition for that, not criticism for something outside...

Went for a coffee with a friend on a Sunday afternoon and did all the track and trace stuff and was asked how long we would be staying we said 1-2 hrs, however a few weeks ago i recieved a parking fine of £100, yep an expensive cup of coffee!!! I didnt see a tablet to register my car or even informed by staff about this and tbh i didnt see a parking notice. I think staff should make customers aware of this and think its pretty poor of them not to, no matter how busy they are, that Sunday was pretty quiet. Today i received a reminder to pay the fine or threatened with a solicitor, well bring it on cos i wont be paying it and won't be back to sit in for a coffee. Out of interest has anyone else paid...

If you park here for longer than an hour you will get a parking fine.

We had it cancelled by politely Tweeting @CostaCoffee (don't include personal details in your public Tweet). The threat of potential negative publicity will elicit the desired response.

All other attempts at having the fine cancelled were ignored (e.g. by contacting the Costa branch, appealing the fine etc), so don't waste your time, just Tweet @CostaCoffee.

The more people that do this, the more likely they are to stop using 'SmartParking'. Be prepared for the branch to attempt to shun responsibility by claiming, "it's not our fault, it's the landowners."

Hope this helps...