Parking Fees in Spain
 

When we were in several towns in Andalucia and parked our car in public parking lots we were approached by men in plain clothes who obviously charged parking fees. In one case, there was a parking meter, but the guy wanted cash from us. In these situations, we always refused to pay so the guys got angry but nothing else happened.
Are they entitled to charge parking fees or is this just another form of attempted theft?

No, they are not entitled to charge. In fact, they don't ask for parking fees, just to "take care" of your car ..it's a way to ask for money, like the ones who ask at the churches, usually no theft, just if you make them too angry...they "don't take care" of the car :)

It depends on the situation. You don;t have to pay them. but if it's an area/rest stop with lots of theft you're better off tipping them than finding your car broken into.

If the parking area has no official fee - they're unoffical guards - and you should give a small tip.

Those guys used to drive me nuts when I finally started driving! Yes, it is optional, but they are sometimes so sketchy looking that you are afraid not to pay up. I used to give them 100 pts, but ain't no way I am going for a full Euro. Maybe 50 cents. . .

yea, claire. wait til you give a ukranian or libyan 50 cents.
they look at it as though you just released a pile of dog doo in their hand. depending on whether he actually "holds traffic" for me so i can park easier, or in a crowded plaace where it realy is HARD to tell where the next space is.. i do or do not give that 50 cents.

sometimes there is half a street of available parking and they wave you into a space as though you couldn't see it yourself.

the worst part is, they have been known to encourage people to park ILLEGALLY, and then cars have been towed away. they have tried to get me to park in illegal places more than once.
(solid or dotted yellow/white line along street next to curb)

so, beware.

These guys have been "legalized" in some areas. They give a small ticket after you've given a small amount of money.

Okay, it's not needed but this is the way they make their lives. We had two or three beggars which would pass our house each week. I say I use the word as "beggars" but these are just people who didn't have the same ability to pay their lively costs.

I would buy long-life milk on sale. Same about rice or other foods which Spanish use often. I lived in a fairly posh area and most of these beggars looked thought we were rich.

So, like the guy giving a few pesetas for checking your car, it's just an easy begging. It's kind of nice that it's a part of the Spanish (and Italian too)custom.

Blackduff

I forgot to mention but in Madrid you have parking guys outside of the restaurants. These guys will take your car and keep it doubled or triple parked until it can be slotted to a legal spot.

Again, you only had to pay a small amount but these are officially from the restaurant. And they give a pretty good service, depending the area you wanted to park.

Blackduff

it really is amazing how they deal with all those cars at those busy restaurants! valet parking without the lot!

lincasanova- I know! My host dad and I were trying to find beach parking and this guy was flagging us down and being really emphatic about getting us to a very obvious spot. We parked there and when we got out, he was waiting. Well, as we were off to the beach we had no cash whatsoever. So, he offered him a coke. The look he gave us was priceless.