Parking at train stations

Tom Dunne

This is part rant, part observation, part despair.

As we all know, you now have to pay to park at a lot of IE car parks. The whole debate about the rights and wrongs of that are for another thread, but I am more observing how they don't make it easy.

Not only must you have to correct change, but you don't have any options for paying - no credit card, no laser card, no option to pay by mobile (despite the exact same machines allowing this feature in Dublin City center).

You don't have the option for a yearly parking ticket, so no hope of getting any kind of tax relief or general reduction of the cost.

I recently had a problem where I put the money into the machine and was not issued with a ticket, nobody could tell me what number to ring (since it wasn't displayed anywhere in the car park). Eventually after ringing three different car park companies, I got through to somebody.

A friend of mine who uses the same car park recently placed her ticket on the dashboard, it obviously fell on the ground as she closed the car door, and of course, she got clamped. Despite producing the ticket that evening to the person un-clamping, there was no negotiation, she had to pay the fine.

As much as I despise having to pay, the part that really grates me is how difficult they make it. No sense of customer care, no sense of us all being human and nothing but sheer and utter contempt for us, the public.

Flan45

A friend of mine who uses the same car park recently placed her ticket on the dashboard, it obviously fell on the ground as she closed the car door, and of course, she got clamped. Despite producing the ticket that evening to the person un-clamping, there was no negotiation, she had to pay the fine.

I've no sympathy for anyone who this happens to. It just takes a quick look before leaving the vehicle to ensure the ticket is visible. When I come along to clamp a car I have procedures to follow. If it's a genuine case there are methods of appeal available afterwards.

MargeS

I have to agree with you OP. While I don't use the train regularly now, I had to use the service for 4 months late last year. I used to have to drive a half hour to get to the nearest station and then, arrive as early as possible to gaurantee a parking space. Arrive any later and there would be no parking available. Use the parking machine which was positioned in an unlit area of the car park. No coins - no use! Then sit and wait in the car for the train.

I don't use the train now... way to much hassle. I drive the 2.5 hours instead and arrive 10-15 mins after the train. In fact, the time it takes to leave the station, que for a taxi and get into town works out the same as the car drive.

Tom Dunne

Flan45 wrote: »

I've no sympathy for anyone who this happens to. It just takes a quick look before leaving the vehicle to ensure the ticket is visible. When I come along to clamp a car I have procedures to follow. If it's a genuine case there are methods of appeal available afterwards.

Yeah, predictable as ever, somebody was sure to come up with this.

And no doubt we will have the "well if you don't have the exact change, tough, it's your problem".

What I am remarking on is the "tough sh!te" general attitude that you display, and appears to be the general consensus in IE also.

We are human, we make mistakes, things are not always perfect. A little compassion goes a long way.

Bluetonic

The problem is Tom that there are far too many people playing the 'we are are only human, we make mistakes' card when they are clearly trying to shaft the system.

A hard line has to be taken unfortunately.

dowlingm

Why don't the car parks provide a tag you can put on your car (with the licence plate on it) that you can buy monthly? Surely it would be worth it to the management company to reduce their cash handling?

Bluetonic

dowlingm wrote: »

Why don't the car parks provide a tag you can put on your car (with the licence plate on it) that you can buy monthly? Surely it would be worth it to the management company to reduce their cash handling?

It reduces revenue gained from clamping.

L1011

dowlingm wrote: »

Why don't the car parks provide a tag you can put on your car (with the licence plate on it) that you can buy monthly? Surely it would be worth it to the management company to reduce their cash handling?

Some, limited carparks let you use some eToll tags to pay for parking.

DWCommuter

Its all about money and making as much of it as possible. There is no customer service. You're not even a customer. You're a mechanism to making profits for a car park managment company. Im convinced their employees were all bullied in school.

Davy

MYOB wrote: »

Some, limited carparks let you use some eToll tags to pay for parking.

Ye QuickPark or Q-Park you can. I didnt think they managed train stations though

Carawaystick

luas carparks allow payment by credit card for 2 or 4 euros. I can't see any reasonable excuse for CIE not to have stipulated the same system.

Genghis

At Kildare station last Monday morning the ticket machine was accepting money but firing blanks (i.e. no tickets coming out). The number of people I saw putting money in, getting nothing and then going down to a second (and third) machine until they got a ticket was amazing. I went into the station, asked the guy there if I could put a note on the window - the machine being out of order, and me having lost money - and he advised not, that I'd certainly be clamped for that.

So I called the company, missed my train in the meantime, eventually got a ticket from the third machine I tried and yesterday received a parking voucher in the post.

Long story, but my point is that machines should not take money if they can't print tickets.

Rawr

The setup at Leixlip Lousia Bridge always perplexed me.

There are about 3-4 pay stations in, what is, a very new car park. However, every single one of them face into a parking space.

Thus, if you need to buy a ticket, and the space is occupied, you need to squeeze between the car and paystation to purchase your ticket :eek:

I haven't been around there for a while, but I can imagine what it's like during the rush with several people trying to squeeze in and pay!

Bluetonic

Rawr wrote: »

The setup at Leixlip Lousia Bridge always perplexed me.

There are about 3-4 pay stations in, what is, a very new car park. However, every single one of them face into a parking space.

Thus, if you need to buy a ticket, and the space is occupied, you need to squeeze between the car and paystation to purchase your ticket :eek:

I haven't been around there for a while, but I can imagine what it's like during the rush with several people trying to squeeze in and pay!

Can't imagine it would be a good idea to park the car there, imagine the amount of scratches on it :eek:

markpb

Tom Dunne wrote: »

What I am remarking on is the "tough sh!te" general attitude that you display, and appears to be the general consensus in IE also.

Irish Rail have washed their hands of any involvement by contacting it out to (I think) NCPS. Now they can legitimately say it's none of their business and there's nothing they can do to help. NCPS, on the other hand, don't care because people _must_ park there in order to commute so there's no incentive to spending money adding credit card facilities or even keeping the machines in order.

dowlingm

Genghis wrote: »

my point is that machines should not take money if they can't print tickets.

Indeed - seems to me that's of dubious legality, but who would be the place to complain to?

Carawaystick

dowlingm wrote: »

Indeed - seems to me that's of dubious legality, but who would be the place to complain to?

fraud squad, top of Harcourt St, D2.

Tom Dunne

Carawaystick wrote: »

fraud squad, top of Harcourt St, D2.

Ah, seriously.

Do you really think they are going to do anything about a parking ticket that won't print tickets? They are of course going to refer you to the Car Park Company, who aren't going to give a toss and tell you tough.