How fair is this carpark?
How fair is this carpark?
Author
Discussion

HJG

Original Poster:

545 posts

123 months

Tuesday 10th June
quotequote all
Entered carpark at 17:30 on Friday.
Left at 18:30.
Charged £4.20 for one hour parking.
I can see how it's been calculated but it's a bit sneaky. Thoughts?!

Du1point8

22,134 posts

208 months

Tuesday 10th June
quotequote all
better than £5.50 which I would have expected instead.

HJG

Original Poster:

545 posts

123 months

Tuesday 10th June
quotequote all
Haha! OK, I left after 59 minutes.

98elise

30,056 posts

177 months

Tuesday 10th June
quotequote all
I would query that. I can see how its been calculated, but it makes no sense to do it that way.

You've been there 1 hour so should be charged for that. The fact they have different charging regime over night shouldn't mean you pay both tarrifs if it crosses 18:00.

It looks like a coding mistake to me as I can't see why that scenario would warrant a higher charge.

ChrisSMorris

207 posts

251 months

Tuesday 10th June
quotequote all
Woking Council needs to pay off the billions of debt somehow.

Geertsen

1,194 posts

75 months

Tuesday 10th June
quotequote all
Du1point8 said:
better than £5.50 which I would have expected instead.
How do you make £5.50?

ChocolateFrog

32,237 posts

189 months

Tuesday 10th June
quotequote all
Geertsen said:
Du1point8 said:
better than £5.50 which I would have expected instead.
How do you make £5.50?
1-3 hrs plus the £2 for it being after 6.


TimmyMallett

3,060 posts

128 months

Tuesday 10th June
quotequote all
I'm pretty sure loads of carparks operate like that, we have one locally that we just wait until after 18:00 (its a stick ticket one still) to avoid going back.

Mr Tidy

27,166 posts

143 months

Wednesday 11th June
quotequote all
Woking BC is skint - they'll take as much as possible!


soad

34,021 posts

192 months

Wednesday 11th June
quotequote all
One to avoid.

Alex_225

6,980 posts

217 months

Wednesday 11th June
quotequote all
I see your logic OP and agree, seems like a neat little money maker for them. That said Council run car parks can be a right muddle and inconsistent.

Had a weird scenario last year at a car park in Purley whereby the overnight cost (6pm-7pm) was £2 but I arrived at 6.30am and it would only let me pay the £2. At 7am the day rates came in which cost around £11 depending on emissions from your car as that changed the overall day cost. I had to get on the train, eagerly counting down until 7am when I'd pay for my day ticket. Which it then told me, "no returns" and to refer to the terms in the car park. By which point I was on my way to London Bridge.

Long story short, I rushed back to the car and left. Wrote a letter of complain to the council, thankfully didn't get fined but they eventually scrapped the overnight tariff (used to be free) and stuck with a day rate. Seemed their RingGo app couldn't handle the transition. But if it had, it would mean anyone arriving pre-7am would pay £2 whether it be 6.59am or 2am and then the day rate on top.

TwigtheWonderkid

46,561 posts

166 months

Wednesday 11th June
quotequote all
98elise said:
I would query that. I can see how its been calculated, but it makes no sense to do it that way.

You've been there 1 hour so should be charged for that. The fact they have different charging regime over night shouldn't mean you pay both tarrifs if it crosses 18:00.

It looks like a coding mistake to me as I can't see why that scenario would warrant a higher charge.
Looks perfectly fair to me, and I would expect to pay £4.20 for that. seems clear that all tariffs only run to 6pm, at which point it's £2 for any period after 6pm. So £2.20 for the pre 6pm period, and £2 for the post 6pm period.

QuattroDave

1,694 posts

144 months

Wednesday 11th June
quotequote all
Not sure why anyones saying it's fair when it's at complete odds.

Park between 6am and 4.59pm it's £2.20 for one hour
Park between 5pm and 5.59pm it's £4.20 for one hour
Park between 6pm and 5.59am it's £2.00

Hmm.

Pro rate would be fair. Enter at 5.30pm and you're charged 30 mins at £2.20hr and 30 mins at £2.00 an hour (in that example)

Tommo87

5,265 posts

129 months

Wednesday 11th June
quotequote all
Does the way that they have listed the menu as 0-1hr and not ‘simply 1hr’ make a legal difference.

Pica-Pica

15,304 posts

100 months

Wednesday 11th June
quotequote all
Better to have arrived after 18:00 then, just £2 until 05:59 next day.
It’s only ‘unfair’ if it’s not explained.

Agent57

2,146 posts

170 months

Wednesday 11th June
quotequote all
Should have the word PLUS between the two sections.

I would challenge it as any logical, reasonable person would expect it to be either /or not both.

Why would a car park charge MORE for evening parking?

Mark V GTD

2,684 posts

140 months

Wednesday 11th June
quotequote all
Agent57 said:
Should have the word PLUS between the two sections.
Exactly!

clive_candy

832 posts

181 months

Wednesday 11th June
quotequote all
A bit sneaky? It makes no sense at all.

Get the national press on to this.

vikingaero

11,959 posts

185 months

Wednesday 11th June
quotequote all
Most car parks have a strange transition pricing if you arrive in close to the switchover between normal and evening parking rates.

For a South East town the pricing, evening rate, £3.50 all day Sunday rate isn't that bad.

Agent57

2,146 posts

170 months

Thursday 12th June
quotequote all
Actually, to me that sign is quite clear and better than 95% or the car park signs I have seen.

They have just charged you the wrong amount.

Unless there is another sign out of shot with very small print and legal language on it which is what most car parks have.