Provided chargers at shops

Black_Knight

unkel wrote: »

You would have stopped the charge when you came out of Decathlon and driven the 50m across the road to Ikea, to park there, would you?

If you answer yes, I don't believe you And if you really did, you'd be a right fool to do so, particularly when most of the chargers were empty...

I did of course hand the dongle back (to the security guy), but Decathlon are very foolish to have chosen a system like this. Why not have them free vend? This dongle setup is only going to cost them more and it is inefficient and not customer friendly.

Guess the lad on Facebook asking how to activate them when he was there "last night" (out of business hours I assume) is their reason. Can't just power them down when they lock up, if someone is plugged in they'd lock their cable in (though it would be obvious they're freeloadering if that's the case). Probably more prone to failure if they kill them regularly.

I wonder is there a charge point out there that suits this scenario. Kinda like getting a parking ticket to get in/charging, then validating (and scanning at the charge point) when you leave the business to stop the charge/release the cable. Not fool proof, but would work for offices, restaurants etc.

unkel

Nobody is going to charge there out of hours. At least not as long as the ESB slow chargers are free too. You either provide free charging to your customers (or whoever else is plugging in) 24/7, or you just don't bother. In my view.

Having to manage a dongle system is expensive and pointless. Having staff occupied with running around with dongles is even worse. Just fecking freevend them.

markpb

unkel wrote: »

Nobody is going to charge there out of hours. At least not as long as the ESB slow chargers are free too. You either provide free charging to your customers (or whoever else is plugging in) 24/7, or you just don't bother. In my view.

Having to manage a dongle system is expensive and pointless. Having staff occupied with running around with dongles is even worse. Just fecking freevend them.

I can only assume the dongles are there to stop all the EV spaces being taken by Ikea customers. There’s no good solution to this, it’s a pity Ikea are dragging their feet about installing their own.

Sheep Shagger

markpb wrote: »

I can only assume the dongles are there to stop all the EV spaces being taken by Ikea customers. There’s no good solution to this, it’s a pity Ikea are dragging their feet about installing their own.

The solution is for people not to bloody steal the fobs, it's not Ikeas fault for not having their own chargers.

Wonder if Decathalon have similar issues on the continent - probably not at a guess.

Gumbo

Sheep Shagger wrote: »

The solution is for people not to bloody steal the fobs, it's not Ikeas fault for not having their own chargers.

Wonder if Decathalon have similar issues on the continent - probably not at a guess.

I’d say people didn’t realise they were stealing the fobs.
The EasyGO fobs are just little pieces of plastic that you’d be forgiven for thinking are disposable or similar to those free key rings that businesses hand out.

Many may have just forgotten too.....hopefully.

unkel

Gumbo wrote: »

I’d say people didn’t realise they were stealing the fobs.
The EasyGO fobs are just little pieces of plastic that you’d be forgiven for thinking are disposable

This.

I'd put money on most dongles not being returned just from people who didn't realise they were supposed to return them.

A foolish setup, the people in Decathlon Ireland who thought this setup was a great idea, need to think again.

Vizzy

unkel wrote: »

This.

I'd put money on most dongles not being returned just from people who didn't realise they were supposed to return them.

A foolish setup, the people in Decathlon Ireland who thought this setup was a great idea, need to think again.

Yeah, shame on Decathlon for thinking that people who are being offered free charging would steal 80% of the fobs.

Can we report Decathlon to somebody ?

unkel

You also a bit naive, Vizzy? Like the management team in Decathlon deciding handing out fobs was the best solution?

People aren't stealing the fobs. Well some people probably are, some people steal anything like TVs and fridges from hotel rooms. Point is this setup was doomed to fail. Wasn't properly thought out. Cheaper to just have a free vend system. Costs less to Decathlon. Easier and quicker for the people using it. Win - win.

Sheep Shagger

Anyone know if this set up is how it works in say France?

KCross

Two options..

- free vend.... open to abuse by locals and IKEA users so i can understand why they didnt do that
- Some charge points have the ability to take a token. They should have implemented something like that.

Get your token(could even have a dispenser for that if you wanted to so no staff involved), pop it in to start your charge, no return necessary and no use robbing the token as it has no value outside Decathlon.

The tokens are relatively cheap to replace anyway and it stops local people absuing the charge point for free electricity. All the staff have to do is retrieve the tokens once a week.

Fobs was defo the wrong way to go if the plan is to hand them to members of the public.

Felexicon

KCross wrote: »

Two options..

- free vend.... open to abuse by locals and IKEA users so i can understand why they didnt do that
- Some charge points have the ability to take a token. They should have implemented something like that.

Get your token(could even have a dispenser for that if you wanted to so no staff involved), pop it in to start your charge, no return necessary and no use robbing the token as it has no value outside Decathlon.

The tokens are relatively cheap to replace anyway and it stops local people absuing the charge point for free electricity. All the staff have to do is retrieve the tokens once a week.

Fobs was defo the wrong way to go if the plan is to hand them to members of the public.

There is nowhere to insert a token on the chargers.

KCross

Felexicon wrote: »

There is nowhere to insert a token on the chargers.

I know, im saying they could have done it when they bought the charge points.... its an optional extra.

The horse has already bolted now. They're stuck with fobs.

AndyBoBandy

What about arriving, plugging in, and then activating the charge once inside the store. (Obviously works better when Covid queuing dissipates over time)?

So upon entering the store, you go straight to the information desk (if they have one), tell them you are plugged into charger #3, and they remotely activate the charger.

Fobs are dirty and another means of transferring germs etc from one to another....

Silent Running

KCross wrote: »

Two options..

- free vend.... open to abuse by locals and IKEA users so i can understand why they didnt do that
- Some charge points have the ability to take a token. They should have implemented something like that.

Get your token(could even have a dispenser for that if you wanted to so no staff involved), pop it in to start your charge, no return necessary and no use robbing the token as it has no value outside Decathlon.

The tokens are relatively cheap to replace anyway and it stops local people absuing the charge point for free electricity. All the staff have to do is retrieve the tokens once a week.

Fobs was defo the wrong way to go if the plan is to hand them to members of the public.

I don't think it's a huge leap to see Decathlon giving up on this model and the chargers reverting to the Easygo payment network.
I presume that would be possible.

AndyBoBandy

Silent Running wrote: »

I don't think it's a huge leap to see Decathlon giving up on this model and the chargers reverting to the Easygo payment network.
I presume that would be possible.

Especially if/when Ikea install some chargers of their own...

Silent Running

AndyBoBandy wrote: »

Especially if/when Ikea install some chargers of their own...

That's a huge if. In 2018 I went on a one man campaign to call Ikea Ireland out on the lack of chargers. In the UK there are rapids in some Ikea sites and many, many more with destination chargers provided. I thing there are chargers in Belfast. (open to correction).

They went through the hoops of contacting the person responsible for the decision, and while he agreed that it would be the right thing to do, here we are two years later and Ikea Dublin has no chargers.

AndyBoBandy

Mad not to considering Ikea regularly have folk travelling the length of the country to visit their store

Felexicon

KCross wrote: »

I know, im saying they could have done it when they bought the charge points.... its an optional extra.

The horse has already bolted now. They're stuck with fobs.

That is not available as an optional extra.

They could just demand a deposit for the fob which is returned when fob is handed back.

€20 would be enough to remind people to return them.

Gumbo

Felexicon wrote: »

That is not available as an optional extra.
.

I’ve seen coins on destination chargers before.

https://midsummer.ie/pdfs/rolec-tokenmaster-manual.pdf

Felexicon

Gumbo wrote: »

I’ve seen coins on destination chargers before.

https://midsummer.ie/pdfs/rolec-tokenmaster-manual.pdf

Sorry I was speaking about the specific model they had installed

Sheep Shagger

I don't buy that people 'forgot' to return them or thought they didn't have too.

It's not Ikeas fault for not having chargers either.

You take a token, you return it. Quite simple I would have thought or am I missing something?

Silent Running

Sheep Shagger wrote: »

I don't buy that people 'forgot' to return them or thought they didn't have too.

It's not Ikeas fault for not having chargers either.

You take a token, you return it. Quite simple I would have thought or am I missing something?

Could you explain the bolded part, please?

Gumbo

Felexicon wrote: »

Sorry I was speaking about the specific model they had installed

The previous poster stated that they should have installed the token chargers instead of the currents ones. He was well aware that the current ones capsule that be adapted and stated that in their post.

KCross

Felexicon wrote: »

That is not available as an optional extra.

Your missing the point of my post. Im saying that there are options/solutions to the problem instead of this stupid idea of handing a limited number of fobs out to strangers.

The charge points are in now so they probably cant retrospectively do it without significant cost involved.

Tokens are a simple, low cost solution to the problem.... thats all Im saying.

Felexicon wrote: »

They could just demand a deposit for the fob which is returned when fob is handed back.

€20 would be enough to remind people to return them.

That might work too. It still takes up staff time though.

I don't think it's a huge leap to see Decathlon giving up on this model and the chargers reverting to the Easygo payment network.

If it was possible to have the charge points administered via the likes of EasyGo that would have been a better idea as you dont have to go near any staff then. Just pull in and start the session with your EasyGo account.

Not sure if these charge points are setup for remote monitoring though.

Silent Running

KCross wrote: »

If it was possible to have the charge points administered via the likes of EasyGo that would have been a better idea as you dont have to go near any staff then. Just pull in and start the session with your EasyGo account.

Not sure if these charge points are setup for remote monitoring though.

I haven't seen the chargers (anyone got a picture?), but if they're the same Easygo chargers that are installed at Lidl stores it might just be a software thing to make them freevend as at Lidl, or indeed, charged to your Easygo account.

Sheep Shagger

Silent Running wrote: »

Could you explain the bolded part, please?

Reading some former posts would suggest the fobs
are in place to stop some ikea custoners who have travelled up from the country and who nesd a charge and that ikea should provide these people with a free charge.

Felexicon

KCross wrote: »

Your missing the point of my post. Im saying that there are options/solutions to the problem instead of this stupid idea of handing a limited number of fobs out to strangers.

The charge points are in now so they probably cant retrospectively do it without significant cost involved.

Tokens are a simple, low cost solution to the problem.... thats all Im saying.




That might work too. It still takes up staff time though.




If it was possible to have the charge points administered via the likes of EasyGo that would have been a better idea as you dont have to go near any staff then. Just pull in and start the session with your EasyGo account.

Not sure if these charge points are setup for remote monitoring though.

Sorry I thought you were talking about the specific model installed at Decathlon.

Gumbo

Silent Running wrote: »

I haven't seen the chargers (anyone got a picture?), but if they're the same Easygo chargers that are installed at Lidl stores it might just be a software thing to make them freevend as at Lidl, or indeed, charged to your Easygo account.

I didn’t photo them but they are a difference set up.
They are a more traditional charging unit on a pedestal rather than the big easygo logo block.

Silent Running

Sheep Shagger wrote: »

Reading some former posts would suggest the fobs
are in place to stop some ikea custoners who have travelled up from the country and who nesd a charge and that ikea should provide these people with a free charge.

Ikea should provide chargers at their site, as they do at the vast majority of their sites in Europe. I haven't checked, but Dublin might be the only European Ikea site without chargers. It wouldn't surprise me at all.

Ikea could provide them, they choose not to, so it is indeed their fault.

zg3409

See plugshare app for photos of chargers. I presume they didn't want IKEA Customers taking their free service.

According to easygo IKEA is planning chargers with their help but installation has not started yet. Some delays are due to them moving the location of the planned chargers. The more people ring IKEA Dublin and ask the better. If IKEA have simple free chargers then decathlon will probably go activation free.