Customer put off going to Bedford gym over parking fine nightmare

Patrons of the gym in Caxton Road keep getting letters saying they’ve parked illegally – DESPITE registering their car details on a keypad in the entrance.

Although the facility is run by NRG GYM Bedford, the car park is operated by a company called Smart Parking.

But there appears to be no rhyme or reason behind these arbitrary fines, with one Bedford gym customer reportedly receiving 19 FINES.

What Smart Parking means by ‘illegal parking’ is that a customer has merely failed to enter their car reg, rather than exceeding any time limit or not putting money into a machine.

But one patron, a 19-year-old from Bedford, also received two fines – on for June 12 and another June 30 – despite saying she had correctly entered her car reg.

Her mum – who didn’t want to be named – said: "The letter said she’d have to pay £100 but if she paid within 14 days, it would be £60.”

When she confronted the gym, “they said it’s nothing to do with us.” And she added: “Now, my daughter doesn’t want to go to the gym anymore – she’s scared to go.”

And she’s not alone. When her daughter went to the gym to challenge the fine, another man was complaining he’d received 19 FINES despite entering his car reg details.

The mum said: “It’s all awful. It does take the mickey.”

Her daughter – who also didn’t want to be named – added: “The situation has put me off going to the gym as I cannot afford to pay fines when I am parked appropriately. I am a student and have signed up to the gym for the year which means I am tied into paying and am now wasting money.”

Many NRG GYM Bedford patrons have taken to social media to complain.

“Had a ticket come through this week. Went [to the] gym and they emailed the company requesting it’s cancelled. We also appealed it so it’s now [it’s] on hold. I think it’s ridiculous that it’s happening to so many people but I suggest you report it to the gym and appeal it too,” said one.

Another patron said: “Unfortunately I got another one through when I put my reg on the system. Something is going wrong. So I have appealed this one.”

While one more added: “Son and wife both had the same. Both adamant they logged in. Appealed and both reduced to £20. Manager is aware and no idea why it's not registering when putting in reg number.”

A spokesman for Smart Parking seemed to think the 19-year-old hadn’t enter her car reg details which she vehemently denies – and, that also doesn’t explain why other patrons have received fines.

“Smart Parking was brought in to manage the car park at NRG Gym, to stop parking abuse and ensure genuine customers can always find a space,” a spokesman told Bedford Today.

"The terms and conditions of use are clearly displayed on numerous signs around the car park and gym, and require visitors to register their vehicle using the on-site terminal. Most people visiting the gym follow these terms and have no issues.

"Smart Parking are proud members of the International Parking Community (IPC) and strictly follow its guidelines. As part of this we operate an IPC audited appeals process that allows motorists to provide supporting evidence. We will encourage any motorist to contact us directly if they feel there are mitigating circumstances in their cases.

“The vast majority of gym users do use the onsite terminal, so have no issues. However in the case of the highlighted motorist, she parked twice without entering her registration number into the on-site terminal so was correctly issued a charge. Subsequently she did use our appeals service and both charges have now been cancelled."

We’ve also approached NRG GYM Bedford for comment.