⭐️
The food, quality, atmosphere and value for money were all excellent, and I was genuinely very happy with my experience at the restaurant.
Unfortunately, my experience with the car park was very disappointing.
There is only one electronic machine available for customers to register/pay for parking. On the day of my visit, I tried twice to use the machine and complete the required registration, but I was unable to do so. As there was only one machine and no obvious alternative way to register or pay, I had no other practical option.
I was a genuine customer of the restaurant that day and I have the receipt to prove my purchase. Despite this, I subsequently received a £60 parking charge from Horizon Parking. I appealed the charge and explained that I had made two genuine attempts to register, but my appeal was rejected. I eventually paid the reduced £15 charge simply to bring the matter to an end.
The Parking Charge Notice number is HP5236883.
To be clear, the £15 is not the issue for me. This is not about the money. What has disappointed me is the very poor customer experience and the way the parking system has been set up. A genuine customer who has spent money at the restaurant should not be put in a situation where, after making two genuine attempts to register using the only machine available, they end up receiving a parking charge and having to deal with unnecessary correspondence and appeals.
Unfortunately, this experience has changed my overall impression of the restaurant. I am therefore giving the restaurant one star, not because of the food, service, atmosphere or value for money, which I found excellent, but because of this very disappointing parking experience.
I will not be returning to the restaurant in the future, simply to avoid going through this kind of unnecessary hassle and correspondence again.