A 54-year-old woman received a parking ticket after collapsing in a supermarket car park and being brought back to life, an incident that prompted an apology from the parking company.
The woman suffered a cardiac arrest on July 26 in the car park of a New World supermarket in Orewa, on Auckland's Hibiscus Coast. Supermarket staff and a stranger provided assistance, with the stranger performing chest compressions until paramedics arrived. Her father, Keith Wilkinson, stated that paramedics later informed the family that her heart had stopped and she was "momentarily, she was technically dead."
Her vehicle remained in the car park for approximately five-and-a-half hours while she received emergency treatment at North Shore Hospital. Customers are typically allowed 90 minutes of parking.
Days after her medical emergency, the woman received an $80 (£35) breach notice from the parking operator, Smart Compliance Management. Despite her family explaining the circumstances and appealing the charge, the company initially upheld the ticket, reducing it to a $30 (£13) administration fee. An email from the company stated that the vehicle was parked for 341 minutes, exceeding the 90-minute limit, and that the notice was correctly issued.
Mr. Wilkinson described the demand as "offensive," given their family's history as loyal customers. The woman eventually paid the $30 fee to avoid further stress.
Staff at New World Orewa later intervened, refunding the money to the woman's account. Steve McClean, owner-operator of the supermarket, said they contacted Smart Compliance to request the withdrawal of the notice and a refund. He apologized for the additional stress and inconvenience caused to the customer and her family.
Smart Compliance Management subsequently apologized for its initial handling of the case, acknowledging that its response did not "appropriately take into account the circumstances of the case." The company stated that it has reinforced its processes and provided further guidance to its team to handle exceptional circumstances more effectively. Mr. McClean added that while the supermarket uses a third-party provider to ensure parking availability, it is important that rules are applied with "common sense."