The Supermarket Strategy
Horizon Parking manages vast numbers of supermarket car parks (e.g., Asda, Tesco, Sainsbury's). This is their weakness.
The "Principal's Authority" Defense
Horizon is merely an agent for the supermarket. They enforce parking on behalf of the landowner. This creates a powerful defense:
Contact the supermarket directly (not Horizon) and ask them to:
- Cancel the PCN as a gesture of goodwill
- Confirm you are a regular customer
- Instruct Horizon to drop the charge
How to Contact Supermarkets
- Asda: Customer service or store manager
- Tesco: Customer service, mention your Clubcard history
- Sainsbury's: Customer relations team
What to Say
"I am a regular customer at your [location] store. I received a parking charge from Horizon Parking on [date]. I was shopping in your store and believe this charge is unfair. As the landowner, could you please ask Horizon to cancel this PCN?"
Why This Works
Supermarkets don't want to alienate regular customers over £100. They often instruct Horizon to cancel charges when asked politely. This bypasses the appeal process entirely.
If the Supermarket Won't Help
Fall back on standard defenses:
- Grace period violations
- Signage issues
- POFA Notice to Keeper errors
- Payment machine failures