A consumer recently appeared in front of the Consumer Claims Tribunal, claiming compensation for damages caused to her car when it was parked in a car park where works were being done on drainage pipes. To remove the drainage stains from her car, the consumer had to pay €200.

During the tribunal’s sitting, the car park’s representative explained that in the car park there were signs that clearly stated that parking was at one’s risk.

The trader also said that there were warning signs informing customers not to park where the drainage works were being carried out.

The arbiter presiding over the sitting believed the consumer’s version of events but was not convinced that the necessary precautions were taken by the car park to prevent, causing damages on parked cars while the works were carried out.

The arbiter also said that putting up ‘parking at your own risk’ signs did not exempt traders from being liable to provide compensation when they negligently cause such damage. Hence, the tribunal ordered the owner of the car park to refund the €200 paid by the consumer to have her car cleaned from the drainage stains.