Pre-paid parking - no spaces

[surveyor]

My local Yorkshire station is managed by a train operator who has their own parking app allowing you to book and prepay parking.

I duly booked and paid for a space for the weekend, and turned up to find no barrier control and no spaces. I eventually picked an EV space as the least worse option between electric / vs disabled.

Clearly not happy, and am now waiting to see if a ticket turns up.

I am less than clear how a company that cannot control the parking can allow pre-payment and booking of spaces. Has anyone come across similar situations?

[Mark V GTD]

Do their conditions of purchase guarantee you a space? If you purchase a space at a station car park through a third party app they can’t guarantee one but perhaps the car park owners direct booking system does?

[surveyor]

The car park is operated by the train operator. The app I used is their own branded parking app.

[zetec]

Buying a ticket in advance for a train doesn’t guarantee you a seat either….

[surveyor]

I can stand on a train. I did not expect to pay for parking which means I may have a parking space if I feel lucky.

[QuattroDave]

I wonder if they operate in a similar way to airlines by overselling the spaces on the expectation that a number of people won't turn up?

[Narcisus]

This is PH even though you are rightly p##### off and it sounds like a screw up by the operator stand by for posters telling you it’s all your fault and you are in the wrong …..

[bad company]

Narcisus said:

This is PH even though you are rightly p##### off and it sounds like a screw up by the operator stand by for posters telling you it’s all your fault and you are in the wrong …..

It’s the op’s fault and he’s in the wrong.

[QuattroDave]

bad company said:

Narcisus said:

This is PH even though you are rightly p##### off and it sounds like a screw up by the operator stand by for posters telling you it’s all your fault and you are in the wrong …..

It’s the op’s fault and he’s in the wrong.

Third reply covered that off, albeit more subtly!

[DavePanda]

I pre-paid for parking when i went on holiday last year, same procedure but clearly states a space isn't guaranteed and if no space available then your fee is refunded.

[98elise]

Unfortunately station car parks have little competition so can do what they want.

One of our local stations has a large number of season ticket spaces that never get used, yet claims you need to go on a waiting list to buy one. In the mean time the pay and display is full early on, and parking in a season bay gets you a huge fine. I guess that's the model that makes them most money.

At the other local station they will sell anyone a season ticket (or pay and display), but don't guarantee a space. It's simply first come first served.

[HantsRat]

Why didn't you just park elsewhere then contact the parking company for a refund stating no spaces were available?

[R4PID]

DavePanda said:

I pre-paid for parking when i went on holiday last year, same procedure but clearly states a space isn't guaranteed and if no space available then your fee is refunded.

What is the point of pre-paying then? It costs a bit less but you run the risk of not finding a space?

[surveyor]

HantsRat said:

Why didn't you just park elsewhere then contact the parking company for a refund stating no spaces were available?

Funnily enough, having a prebooked space paid for next to the station, I had not allowed loads of extra time. I saw the lack of space that I had paid for very much as their problem.

[blueg33]

If you have paid for a space there should be a space available. I dont think the Op did anything wrong at all.

[GasEngineer]

OP - when you say the app allowed you to "book" a space doesn't that mean the same as reserving a space.

Does the app give the impression that you are booking?

[surveyor]

GasEngineer said:

OP - when you say the app allowed you to "book" a space doesn't that mean the same as reserving a space.

Does the app give the impression that you are booking?

Very much so.

[Buster73]

Booked Durham station by app the other week , it mentioned scanning in a QR code when you got there , couldn’t find one and when I asked the staff they didn’t have a clue what I was on about .

The same station in December that the car park machine reckoned I’d been there nearly three weeks on leaving so I didn’t pay and emailed them about the error , it took them over two weeks to come back to me due to the obligatory C19 excuse.

[surveyor]

Very much the same company

[Mark V GTD]

I pre-pay using the Ringo app a few times a week for the local station car park. Not sure if it implies a space is booked or reserved, probably not - I think its just there to save the hassle of paying at the machine on site (which is the reason I use it as the machines are useless and often only one working).