Dublin Bikes Theft - find out what happens next!!

BostonB

You asked why do people mention smart phones. I was just giving a reason.

What the OP did doesn't make any sense.

quagmired

Thanks folks for the constructive comments, its clear from the strong reaction and number of posts on this thread that the DB system is failing and is really only of use as a novelty.

We've been sold a lemon.

If you're in a hurry or hope to save time on your journey its a lottery. Unfortunately I can't bring my own bike on the train into Dublin and on the occaison the bike went missing the train was late and I took a chance on DB. See where that got me.

I reported the incident to the gardai and they reckon there is CCTV footage available there so waiting to hear back on that. Buyer beware in terms of DBs shoddy customer service. Also got advise that DB have no right to debit me the cost of the bike while the case is with the gardai. Hopefully they'll catch the little *** who stole it.

reprazant

Have you actually read the thread?

You do realise that the vast majority of people say that DB is fine, if somewhat too popular and that you were completely in the wrong?

Also, can you please confirm if you locked the bike and then left the key in it?

coolbeans

quagmired wrote: »

Thanks folks for the constructive comments, its clear from the strong reaction and number of posts on this thread that the DB system is failing and is really only of use as a novelty.

We've been sold a lemon.

If you're in a hurry or hope to save time on your journey its a lottery. Unfortunately I can't bring my own bike on the train into Dublin and on the occaison the bike went missing the train was late and I took a chance on DB. See where that got me.

I reported the incident to the gardai and they reckon there is CCTV footage available there so waiting to hear back on that. Buyer beware in terms of DBs shoddy customer service. Also got advise that DB have no right to debit me the cost of the bike while the case is with the gardai. Hopefully they'll catch the little *** who stole it.

DB isn't a lemon to be fair. I commuted to work from Percy Place to Molesworth street for a year and there was a lack of spaces at times but i just went to another station or tied the bike up and came back when there was a space.
If i had done what you have I would just kick myself for being stupid, pay the very, very reasonable fine and get on with my life. Your reluctance to take responsibility is quite annoying.
i have never once failed to save time using the system and that includes the times i have had to tie the bike up to bring it to a station at a later time. It's a great , almost free, service and should be appreciated.

Diarmuid

quagmired wrote: »

We've been sold a lemon.

BostonB

quagmired wrote: »

Thanks folks for the constructive comments, its clear from the strong reaction and number of posts on this thread that the DB system is failing and is really only of use as a novelty.

We've been sold a lemon.....

You've still not explained how you locked it to another bike.

The system works fine for me. Quick spin into town at lunchtime, or if I'm running for a train I check the nearest (to my destination) stands free on my phone then grab a bike and head to that stand. But without a phone you've no idea if the station you are walking to has a bike available, and usually if there's been a train in just before you, they've swiped all the bikes. If you have a phone you can check all this and adjust your route accordingly. But you can't expect an infinite supply of bikes and stand.

As for failing ...

..In November 2010, a major five-year expansion plan was adopted due to the huge success of the scheme thus far. The plan will see the number of bikes increase from 450 to 5,000 and the number of bike stations increase from 40 to 300....

...In the first ten months of the scheme, it was reported that there were over 37,000 users, over 828,000 journeys, no accidents, no vandalism, and only one bike missing (which was recovered)...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dublinbikes

"In Paris, 3,000 bikes were stolen in the first year, in Dublin we had two stolen and both of them were recovered.

http://www.independent.ie/national-news/one-million-trips-make-dublin-bikes-a-world-beater-2298680.html

So well done for being one of the few people who managed to lose a Dublin bike.

quagmired

An absolute lemon.

Whats worse is JCDeceux got a great load of free advertising now they can gradually reduce service levels on the scheme. We've been taken for mugs yet again.

Doctor Bob

That's it. Keep digging.

quagmired

PS BostonB and Diarmuid, assume the pair of ye are civil servants?

Undercover Elephant

quagmired wrote: »

Also got advise that DB have no right to debit me the cost of the bike while the case is with the gardai.

Then I would advise you to take advice from a better adviser.

Oh, hang on ...

C3PO

quagmired wrote: »

Thanks folks for the constructive comments, its clear from the strong reaction and number of posts on this thread that the DB system is failing and is really only of use as a novelty.

We've been sold a lemon.

You couldn't really have come to that conclusion from reading the replies to your OP ..... could you?

My reading was that the vast majority of the replies suggested that the system worked fine and that you behaved in an unreasonable manner!

monument

Dublin Bikes is one of those success stories which can be classed a victim of its own success.

With over 46,000 long-term subscribers, something like 32k three-day tickets, and up to 7,000 trips per day, the system has exceeded expectations. That's 84 subcribers per bike and up to 13 trips per day per bike.

The mini-expansion (a few more stations as well as extra bikes and stands at older stations) that happened a while back was not going to fix that much given the huge demand. The next phase of expansion should help more if/when it happens, but it too should drive some more demand (hopefully not at the current level of demand, with demand been so much higher than supply).

But there will always be some level of pressure and/or risk around heavy use times, and that means some areas or travel directions will not always be able to keep up with demand. That's the nature of the system. If you're taking the risk you have choices: just walk (or get a bus/tram/taxi/car/etc), or cycle and risk having to go to the next station or having to bring the bike with you and lock it up for a few hours. Or at some stage it might not be working at all so you get your own bike or use other transport.

quagmired wrote: »

An absolute lemon.

Whats worse is JCDeceux got a great load of free advertising now they can gradually reduce service levels on the scheme. We've been taken for mugs yet again.

What happened to your free key when you locked the bicycle?

JCDeceux did not get any free advertising, they got advertising spaces for 15 years in return for running Dublin Bikes and installing the tourist signs. If anything JCDeceux has lost a lot of what they expect to get because [a] the downturn has hurt the advertising market and outdoor advertising has been left largely unregulated and their competitors have caught up with them with providing new products and spaces.

They also are in a contract to keep service levels as they are.

reprazant

Ah ok, it would seem that since your actions have been shown up to be those of a fool, you have now decided that the best course of action of to make it look as if it was just a fun wum.

Normally, I would say that that's probably the best course of action but you don't really seem to be coming well out of that.

coolbeans

quagmired wrote: »

An absolute lemon.

We've been taken for mugs yet again.

...there's only one mug here. ;-)

quagmired

The geeks smell blood - go for it guys - and you're totally safe behind your keyboards!!

monument

quagmired wrote: »

The geeks smell blood - go for it guys - and you're totally safe behind your keyboards!!

A JCB won't dig you any deeper.

Diarmuid

quagmired wrote: »

PS BostonB and Diarmuid, assume the pair of ye are civil servants?

Wishbone Ash

quagmired wrote: »

The geeks smell blood - go for it guys - and you're totally safe behind your keyboards!!

Why do you keep avoiding the most pertinent question which was asked from very early on? It's your thread after all!

Lusk Doyle

I'm with quagmired. Giggiddy giggiddy goo.

Beasty

I think we'll leave it there

Thread closed