Consumers are driven mad by unfair parking charges

Consumers consider charges for parking the most-loathed fee they have to fork out for, according to a survey.

Unreasonable parking charges topped the table of least-popular fees and charges, the poll by Direct Line showed.

The next most-hated charge was the ATM cash-withdrawal fee followed by debit/credit card surcharges for booking items such as air travel.

Fourth on the pet-hate list was the charge to use a public toilet, followed by compulsory tipping, booking fees on tickets and bank overdraft fees.

Fees for renewing or replacing a passport were the eighth-most loathed charge, with the top 10 completed by mobile phone roaming charges and charges for updating or amending an insurance policy.

Asked about their frustration with such charges, 48% said the items should be free, while 31% reckoned the fees were too high.

Direct Line’s motor director Gus Park said: “These types of fees and charges can be very frustrating because they tend to cover things that we either feel entitled to or think we have already paid for as part of another product or service.”