Drivers who have challenged parking fines issued by the parking contractor Traffic Monitoring Services (TMS) were told they needed to produce receipts in future to prove they were shopping in the centre.

Kaila Jeffcoat was fined last Friday for overstaying the limit but had her fine waived after she wrote an email stating everything she had done during the day to verify the amount of time she spent in the car park.

“It was quite stressful,” she said.

“I shouldn’t have to explain myself. I think they need a better system of judging when people come and go.”

She said having to produce receipts was an invasion of her privacy.

“I haven’t parked there since because I’m too afraid I’ll get another parking ticket,” she said.

A spokeswoman for the centre’s management Charter Hall said providing receipt proof of shopping in the centre was no guarantee fines would be waived with each case accessed independently.

“TMS have the control to work with customers in waiving infringements should a customer be wrongfully fined, a luxury the centre did not have with the previous contract,” she said.

“The new system is to deter all-day parkers and if customers have a legitimate reason for overstaying the three-hour daily limit, such as being caught in a queue, the beautician or sharing a vehicle with a family member they can appeal the infringement.”

Dollars & Cents manager Mandy Willox said customers had told her they were avoiding the car park because of the unfair daily parking limit.

Homeart manager Nikki Robinson was also concerned that shoppers were cutting their browsing time short to avoid a fine.

She has been stung four times with parking fines despite parking for less than three hours on three occasions.

“I’d like them to give a printout of the hours and prove that my car was there,” she said.

Charter Hall’s spokeswoman said the customers have always been able to challenge fines on the website or in writing.

But Ms Robinson said the website was “hopeless”.

Another elderly customer described the system as a joke after being fined while parking in a disabled parking space.

Rick Griffith from Engraving and More said he had his daughter’s parking fine waived after he demanded written evidence that her car had been checked by the monitors every hour as promised.

Council spokesman Nick Redmond said council was waiting on legal advice regarding the covenant on the car park’s land, which states that users of the car park are entitled to park for two-hours at any time.

Cr Chris Gryllis said he had receive complaints from customers and business owners.

“I’m very upset that a car park that’s meant to be ratepayer property is controlled by somebody else,” he said.

“I hope the management realises that by upsetting customers the effect will be enormous for the tenants.”

Cr Jeff Whitton said a free three-hour parking limit followed by paid parking would be a better option for the car park so drivers could avoid costly fines.

Despite the criticism, the Charter Hall spokeswoman said the parking limit had been successful in freeing up space for “genuine shoppers”.

“Centre traffic has slightly decreased due to the opening of another major supermarket in Orange, however this was occurring prior to the introduction of the new parking conditions,” she said.