I tried to park in a new pay bay in Knightsbridge this morning. I called the number and went through the voice machine, it hung up on me. I tried again and got to entering my credit card number and it hung up on me again, but I got a confirmation text. next I tried to input my phone and last 4 didgits it said no. Tried again, computer says noooo.
So I tried to talk to a real life person. I was put through eventually and spoke, he took all my details then after about 5 minutes on hold he said my card was declined. I thought that was a bit odd coz I only got paid yesterday so I tried again with another card. Put on hold again, so I popped to a cash point and withdrew 50 quid just to check. No problems there.
He comes back on after another 5 minutes and tells me that this card has not worked and that I had given him the wrong number. I gave it to him another THREE times, and every time the card that I just withdrew from was rejected andf that I WAS READING THE CARD WRONG like I’m some kind of idiot.
I dont have another card so I asked him what now? He said I dont know. I said lemme speak to your superiors. Eventually I spoke to some lass claiming to be the supervisor who instructed me to call my bank and see if the card was on stop. I told her I had literally just withdrawn 50 quid from it and she insisted theres nothing she can do, her computers are saying noooo, but its fine at her end so it MUST be a problem at my end. I was a bit pissed off by now as I had spent nearly 50 minutes trying to pay the bleedin 1.50.
We are at a bit of an impass here coz I’m asking why cant I pay, shes telling me my card is on stop, but its not, so I start asking questions about what I do if I get a ticket. She became quite gruff in the end so I told her to stick it and went and parked in a P&D around the corner. Guess what, the P&D was a card machine, my 2.50 payment went through no worries.
This is rediculous, even if you try to pay “Computer says noooo!”.
Anyone else had similar problems?
Stupid bike parking, the bay was not secure either.
Write and complain to the council and ask for the difference between what you were tryign to pay and what you had to pay as their systems were clearly able to accept your money. Copy to your MP and press.
If people don’t press their coplaints nothign will change.
(On a practical note, I paid for parking for the first time yesterday. I set my card and phone number up on the W’minster website half an hour before I went out, and paid by text. It worked fine for me. Might be an option for you?)
I would expect the best system to be used in London (one of the most important town in Europe)
It is also strange that you can pay only by phone, I hate bringing with me mobile phone
So if I really have to go to central London I will use my car
You would have thought that with the amount of money they are getting from us they could have got a decent voice to do the answer phone stuff, the way that the pitch jumps up and down makes it sound so 1970’s…
Which part of Knightsbridge are you parking in, as the otherside of Brompton Road is in Kensington Borough & parking is free, OK it’s not secure but have parked here for 5 years and never had a problem (apart from inconsiderate parking from others)
That’s completely sh1t - none of us have got the time or patience to deal with this crap - when you’ve got to get parked up and be in work by a certain time - they want to get their fingers out and get it sorted - otherwise I suggest everyone stop paying as a mass protest - see how quickly they get their arses in gear then.
Well this is just bullying by Westminster Council, hitting a soft target they know will never get much public support… Sorry to hear off these difficulties. I recommend you complain to your mp and try to get him/her to take up your cause and also of course you write to Westminster. I did this a month ago but no reply from them will try again shortly.
