'We paid £300 for Zip World rides - but got a £100 fine for using the car park'

Angry visitors have complained after being hit with huge fines while their at a popular family attraction.

Guests at poured onto social media to tell how parties and celebrations were ruined by a shock £60 parking ticket, which rises to £100 if not paid quickly. All those who were fined said they could not spot any parking signs, and insisted they would have willingly have paid the £3-£6 fee. One man and his partner were hit with two £100 tickets after calling at Zip World in Betws-y-Coed, Wales to book for his 70th birthday.

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He said he was intending to "have another ride" but "will never use this company again" after being issued the fine, reports . Zip World, which operates four attractions in Wales - including one housing Europe's longest zip line - said parking fees were introduced so that the company could manage rising costs while investing in sites and services. The company said parking signs were displayed and parking fees were outlined in booking confirmations. Yet awareness among visitors appeared to be low. One woman described how she received a £100 fine, plus a £40 fine from her car rental company for administration costs.

Another saw the cost of her £300 day out rise to £400, labelling her parking fine an "absolute disgrace". She added: "Never have I ever paid over £300 for a fun day-out to be fined £100 for using their customer car park. Will not return... this is a disgraceful way to treat paying guests who have travelled miles to enjoy the experience."

Zip World enthusiast Robin Lane from Northwich, Cheshire, was twice fined the same day at Penrhyn Quarry once for taking his dog out for a ride while waiting for his partner. She been given a Red Letter Days experience to try out Penrhyn's Quarry Kart experience, leaving Robin in the cafe.

While waiting, he went back to the car to give their dog a quick drive on nearby roads to reintroduce fresh air to the car. He used the site's one-way entry and exit twice, meaning he ended up with two tickets. After contesting them, he received a letter from Zip World saying a clear sign was at the site's entry and several others within the car park.

Mr Lane, who is retired, said: "Half the people must be blind if we are to believe what Zip World says about the signage. Numerous other people have fallen foul of this. There aren't any 'have-you-paid-and-displayed' warnings, neither are staff alerting visitors. This 'experience" is one that has soured me so much that I will not be booking anymore. I cannot understand how losing my revenue and probably that of many others will help their business."

Having already reported the matter to Watchdog after his appeal was rejected, he has now called on fellow Zip World visitors to boycott the company's attractions until signage is improved. The new parking charges were introduced at Penrhyn and other sites this summer, and are managed by Smart Parking via APNR cameras.

Complaints have also flooded Zip World's pages on Tripadvisor and Trustpilot. A dad paid more that £230 on activities at Zip World Betws-y-Coed for his three young girls, only to receive a £60 parking fine. He said: "We have a caravan in the area and were looking forward to giving our kids some great experiences but this has changed all that. We will not be returning."

A regular cafe customer found himself penalised, so did a family who visit once a year to buy clothes and have a meal. A large family group who visited in two vehicles, spending "several hundred pounds", received two tickets. Another dad was also clobbered. He said: "Totally ruined my son's 21st birthday party."

Zip World said it had been listening to its customers. A spokesperson told NorthWalesLive: "At Zip World, customer experience and satisfaction are our top priorities, and feedback is important to us. We are in the process of enhancing parking signage across all our sites and provide parking charge information on our product pages and booking confirmations.

"In certain circumstances, we waive the fines if they have been issued due to a lack of signage. Customers are asked for their site location, date and time of arrival so that we can understand if there was sufficient parking signage on-site at the time.

"We'd also like to take this opportunity to remind local residents that they can benefit from a VIP card, which offers free parking at our North and South Wales sites, along with discounts on food, adventures, and accommodation. Residents can claim their VIP cards by visiting our sites with proof of address."