Sainsbury's Pioneer Square

56 minutes to exit the top level car park, and still we need to get down to the main road! This is appalling car park design/management and really upsetting that no one has got extra staff to direct traffic for a smoother entrance/exit! Especially during busy times of the year (christmas). They seem to organise traffic at bicester village….!! Please look into this for next year before we loose all our shoppers in this town!! Su x

Agree with all the other comments, DO NOT use this car park if you want to stay longer than 3 hours. There is no clear signage when entering that it is absolutely limited to 3 hours and you can't pay for longer, and you will receive a large fine. Absolutely appalling.

I know it’s not Sainsbury’s fault but I have received a parking ticket from 16th may via post . It was dated 25th may . I’ve only just received it (10th June) I have no chance of paying the discounted price of £40 as it ran out on 30th may !!! Not happy at all.

No clear signs or directions on how to pay. Sainsburys staff unable to help. Spent 20 minutes walking carpark to find only pay machine & it wasn't working. No barrier or machine on exit. Now have £40 fine after very confusing parking experience! DON'T USE.

Do not use this car park. I was 3 minutes over and had to pay a £40.00 fine after being to the cinema. No clear signage in the car park and no one to speak to about the fine. Outrageous they are allowed to behave in this way.

Will never use this car park again. I got fined for 23 minutes over as I had mislaid my car keys. There was no attendant to be found and the fine stands no matter what the reason

Only 1 very slow working car charger almost continuously in use by Sainsbury staff. If you are coming in to Bicester for the evening use the Cattle Market car park - free from 6pm

Awful car park. Machine never works and doesn’t allow you to put in reg or scan cinema tickets. Then receive fines in the post. This needs to be sorted urgently. People should be able to enjoy a 3 hour film without worrying if they will get a fine.

My car recently broke down on the car park spilling diesel all over. Two young managers from Sainsburys Food Dept were very helpful. Brought us coffee and a seat for my wife and made the area safe. Great service many thanks for all your help.

Awful was parked for 2 hrs 10 mins went to pay machine said nothing was owed then I receive a fine in the post for over staying

I have been using this car park for years .. only realised today that you cannot park there over 3 hours or face a fine . Signage should be crystal clear not misleading . Also the phone number advertised on there official website is incorrect so you cannot speak to anyone ...

I use the car park on a regular basis so know the limits. On Friday I thought I was on the limit of the 2 hours so I went to pay station. I tried entering my registration but it was not accepting it so unable to check time or pay. When I got home I tried to phone horizon to pay but customer service closed due to covid. I wonder if the pay station were closed for same reason. I sent an email asking g what I could and have been told nothing they can do as fines will be sent out automatically. So even doing all I can to pay I could still get a fine.

The owners of the car park have no idea how dangerous it is when wet and the fact it is not cleaned it caused my to slip my foot on my clutch and crash i to a fellow shoppers car also watched a poor man fall flat on his back side as he walked out of the shoo what a danger and no care at all for there safety

Scumbags! We had a bite to eat followed by a film and then popped to Sainsbury’s for some bits, approximately 4hrs and upon exit I was subject to a sizeable fine. A family day out ruined! Thanks Bicester. We won’t be bothering with this town again.

On entry to the car par your registration number is scanned. We went to the Vue cinema and then did a quick shop at sainsburys - the sign said pay on exit and was free for cinema users. I assumed that you would pay or scan your ticket as you exited. On leaving there was no barrier and no payment option. I returned to the car park to pay, but the ticket office was closed, sainsburys couldn't help and the partking company were closed when I called them. Now expecting an extortionate fine to arrive for an honest mistake and for being just a few minutes over !!!With so many people complaining, it's not a case of being thick, the signage is misleading !!!! Won't be going back to Vue or Sainsburys !!!

We stayed over the 2hr stay by 9 mins we ate in Sainsbury cafe the service was terrible 15mins to get served. Left the car park unaware that we were over by 9 mins otherwise I would have bought a ticket for the third hour. We’re regular shoppers at Sainsbury’s but they don’t care and don’t give any grace over the 2 hrs. Result £80 fine because it was sent one week later we were on holiday so couldn’t pay early.

The amount of people winging about the 3 hour limit is laughable. This car park is a SHORT STAY car park. If you want to park for longer than the allowable time, then find a local LONG STAY car park - simple! To say that it is not clearly signed as a 3 hour time limit means you must be driving and walking around with your eyes closed - sign as you drive in from the street and signs as you exit on foot either by the lift, stairs or escalator.

People winging about not being able to stay over 3 hours and being fined for this!! This car park is a SHORT STAY car park. If you want to park for longer than 3 hours, how about you find a LONG STAY car park for this? There is clear signage about this time restriction as you drive in from the street and as you exit either by loft or escalator, but people just blindly walk past and then complain they didn’t see it.

Went to cinema and for some food afterwards. Scanned cinema ticket into machine as advised. Parking fine arrived today. BEWARE 3 hours maximum. Vue cinema should not allow customers to be duped like this. Some films are longer than 3 hours. Fine arrived bang on 14 day issue date. No choice but to pay 45 or else it is 80. Daylight robbery for hard working families.

Stayed in Travelodge and parked the car on the multi storey car park. Check out time was 12pm. After checking out and was about to pay for parking, machine told me I overtayed and will receive a letter by post for a fine (which I am still waiting for). Travelodge guests parking their car should be exempted from paying just like Vue cinema goers and for that I am seriously disgusted and appalled.

Use this carpark a lot. Never a problem. Good value. Always a space.

This is a trap. Barcode scanner for VUE cinema tickets was not working and ended up paying a fine... Never going to Bicester again...

Terrible experience, travelled to bicester from brackley to give the cinema a go. Never again.thought we would grab a bite to eat after cinema but went over 3 hours and got shafted with a fine. Will never use this car park again and this has deterred us from ever visiting the cinema again. The car park ruined what was up until then a nice family day out.Its not clear enough that you can't pay for more than 3hours.

Most of the time no problem in and out.. but went to pay today and the machine said that I couldn't pay and to expect a parking fine however I had only been parked for 2 hours and 45minutes so should have been able to pay the £1.70 for the 3rd hour.. so now I'm sitting here waiting for a fine to come through for being too long in a place when I wasn't. The machine said I had been there for 3 and a half hours. Sort out your AI technology.

Shit car park!!!! Watched movie, eat, and now paying fine!! Great thank you for a lovely stay at bicester, just coming from Oxford, never visit again bicester,!

Awful. Simply can't use the cinema, would get fined. Back to Oxford it is then.

I totally agree with all the previous comments (apart from Snowdrop). 1 star given begrudgingly , as you can't leave zero stars.Appalling that you can't pay for extra time. It's a trap. Something should be done. It reflects terribly on sainsburys and Bicester for allowing it.

If you overstay the 3 hours just cover up your number plate before driving out past the cameraNo fine/parking charge notice and no payment required either

How do you expect to get people into Bicester at night with a 3 hour restriction on parking in car park obviously used by cinema goers?Inadequate signage led to hefty fine last night. No more cinema in Bicester and definitely no more shopping at Sainsbury’s! Where is your community spirit? Get a grip and help Bicester town centre you meanies.

Sorry [snowdrop May 3, 2015], you are wrong.Only 2 hours free parking then £1.70 for 3rd hour and a massive fine after that!I used to be able to pay online but I can't find that now.

AVOID! I thought I could “pay on exit” but no charging machines on exit. Then thought, I’ll pay on-line as advertised but can’t do this either! Also, just realised that parked for too long....signage is inadequate....

No clear signage to say you could not park more than 3 hours and as I parked over 3 hours will not get a penalty. Was happy to pay for parking but machines would not let me. If Sainsbury’s penalise me then I can and will easily financially penalise them 100 times more than they charged me at my work.

Went to Vue yesterday and due to film length went over 3 hours. Say I may get a fine although had Vue tickets. Will not pay as they can only send a invoice and not a fine. Came up against this before and was advised by my son (senior policeman) that it’s not enforceable.

I think it's absolutely disgusting that you cannot pay for extra time and automaticly get a fine! The signs do not show this clearly. I will not be parking here again

What a rip off , small signage , lovely day Sainsbury’s shopping and a spot of lunch , which resulted in a few minutes late and now we look like we are going to a fine , always thought we could pay what we used , hadn’t clocked the small signage of the maximum stay (not at allClear until you are out of the car and down stairs ) - Banbury next time , Sainsbury’s need to sort their priorities out

Parked, ate and shopped at Sainsbury’s Bicester, due to shortage of staff at their cafe and tills I was 20 minutes over. The machine would not allow me to pay, instead forced me to agree to a parking fine. Signage isn’t clear. This is Sainsbury’s car park, Horizon manage it, Sainsbury profit from their customer fines! I won’t be shopping at Sainsbury’s again.

Overstay of one minute and I am being fined! For that one minute my car wasn't even in a car parking bay it was being driven out of the car park, received a letter showing pictures of my car entering and leaving the car park. A licence to rob. I won't shop at Sainsbury's again.

Watched the latest star wars movie, parked, went into cinema, watched movie and went directly to the payment machine and was informed I'd stayed over 3 hours and will be getting a fine in the post!! I did nothing other than go to the cinema, pretty much a scam.Avoid using this car park for the cinema at all costs!! Unless you're just going shopping its simply not worth the risk

You can park for a MAX 3 hours but you CAN'T pay for extra hours over and above the 3 hours. This afternoon it took us about 40 minutes to find a parking space and we were in Bicester for a family Christmas meal. Due to the parking delay we were left with 2 hours and 20 minutes before we overstayed. The restaurant was busy and we were 20 minutes over the 3 hours and it wouldnt let us pay at all. You can stay 3 hours with the first 2 hours being free then £1.70 for the 3rd hour or you can use a Vue cinema voucher. Since they fitted the new payment machines if you stay over the 3 hours it wont even let you pay at all and they say they will write to you as you have overstayed...I am now waiting for the letter from them which will no doubt include a fine.

The three hour limit makes a comfortable evening out difficult to organise if you want to include a meal before or after the cinema.

Just been charged £45 for seeing a movie. Do NOT use this car park

Just discovered that if you overstay the two hours and forget to pay before you leave, you can pay online within 24 hours. Brilliant!

Just realised that I forgot to pay! Was about 20 mins over the two hours! Good car park, though.

I have been fined for £60 for my family and a meal for the same. The signs are difficulties and are not prominent .Rest assured we will not be coming to Bicester again, it will be Banbury for its free evening parking .o

Was going to come over from Chipping Norton this evening have a meal and watch the 9.40 showing of a film but know we won't be able to do this in 3 hours but don't want to park away from cinema as we won't be out till nearly midnight and don't want to be walking the streets of bicester so late so meal not going to be happening.

please note the earlier review is not correct. You park for free for 2 hours. If you park for an additional hour you can pay at the machine before you leave (£1.70 I think), or if you have been to the cinema you can scan your ticket instead. Either way you cannot park for more than 3 hours, if you do this you will be fined. As long as you are aware of this it is a great and convenient place to park.

this is now a multi story car park called Pioneer square with a large Sainsbury s and walk through to the shops. you can park for free for up to three hours and pay for more time afterwards.