Driver cops $85 fine as Wilson car park set up around her vehicle during work

Despite parking at the same location for months with allegedly no parking signs in sight, one motorist says she returned to her car this week to find a $85 parking fine on her windscreen. She claims private company Wilson Parking set up a car park around her vehicle and issued the infringement notice while she was at work.

Josephine Williams left her car in a gravel clearing in Auckland on Monday, like many other drivers, and later found the "nasty surprise" once she returned.

"To my unfortunate surprise — and many others — I was greeted by an $85 parking ticket for a breach and a flyer from Wilson Parking saying paid parking had started that day," she told Stuff.

She questioned how she was at fault, claiming there was no signage or warning that a payment was required in order to park in the area.

"What breach exactly was made? How was I supposed to know paid parking started that day when there was nothing at all displayed anywhere in the car park?” she complained.

• The parking tickets Aussies can 'ignore' and not pay: 'Throw it in the bin

• RAM driver's 'passive aggressive' note to motorist parked outside home

• Aussie dad fumes over angry note left on car: 'My kid doesn't count?'

Driver's dashcam footage shows no signs in parking area

The driver's dashcam footage shows no parking signs or any indication Wilson Parking was present in the area, leading Williams to believe it had been set up once she was already parked. There was reportedly a large red and white sign erected at the entrance when she returned, reading "12 hours for $4".

"Wilson deliberately put their sign up some time after 9am and then took it upon themselves to fine every single car that was already parked there from the morning," Williams said.

Her fine was waived after she reportedly lodged a request but she is worried the other drivers won't do the same, and instead cop the fine. Williams said the penalty is a "lot of money" which would cover two week's worth of groceries for her.

"Wilson really don’t have any excuse. Even if they waive everyone’s fines, they’e wasted our time," she said. She estimates there were between 50 and 100 cars in the gravel clearing.

Wilson Parking reportedly said the car park was first set up on April 22 and several payments had been made between then and Monday, proving the signage at the site was "clear and effective".

However, due to the extra signs being erected on April 29 it made the decision to refund payments and waive breach notices issued up to that date.

Aussies bristle at Wilson Parking notices

Drivers across the ditch have previously groaned about incurring such parking fines as Wilson private car parks pop up around Australia.

James Clements from Sydney Criminal Lawyers previously told Yahoo News Australia that such infringement notices have a different status compared to a regular parking ticket from the state government.

When driving into a private car park like in a shopping centre, the driver is entering into a contract with the private entity, meaning they have to follow their terms and conditions. Going against the contract, such as parking in areas not reserved for customers or going over the time limit, may result in what's called a 'breach notice,' starting at a $65 penalty from Wilson.

"What they try and do is recover the debt for the loss incurred, effectively like a breach of contract," Clements said." But they're not fines — only a statutory body has the power to issue a fine."

Wilson Parking says it operates secure parking at more than 400 locations across Australia and more than 200 in New Zealand.

Do you have a story tip? Email: newsroomau@yahoonews.com.

You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Twitter and YouTube.