Great Western Coffee Shop

I have split this topic off a discussion about Ringgo and the switch to Apcoa - this is a discussion that's worthy of carrying on in its own right , and (it turns out) deserves its own thread.   Original thread at http://www.firstgreatwestern.info/coffeeshop/index.php?topic=8524.0 - Graham


i have just read much of this thread

i have had problems with Apcoa Connect becuase, when asking it to remember my card details, the call fails - although they have taken my money and, because they know the car I drove last time I was there (fortunately the same as this time) they won't ticket it

But the concern expressed here did lead me to look up their website and register my car details.  I reviewed my parking history - an interesting experience.  Although the locations page suggests that a ticket for Kemble car park is ^2.80 for a day they have taken ^2.90 for today and the last 2 times i have paid (but ^2.80 before that).  the voice recording says the cost is ^2.80

The question is - have the charges gone up by 10p but nobody has either the Apcoa voice or website or have they nicked 10p each time?  I have asked the question.

Edit by Grahame to explain splitting of thread

Hi, Henry, and welcome to the forum.

For the specific extra charge of 10p on the last three occasions to you ... you really need to take it up with Apcoa. Where you say "I have asked the question", did you mean of them?

I've not seen any previous postings relating to a higher fee being charged than that which is advertised (though plenty of people thing that the advertised charges are often far too high  ;) ) so I would make an educated guess if I had to and suggest that it might be just a single-station glitch.   ... unless other members know otherwise.

If this topic "takes off", I'll split it into a separate thread - if it's more that an isolated incident, it's rather naughty!

Regarding the additional 10p charge, according to their website, if you have an SMS reminder of the parking session 10p is added to the cost of the parking. Is this possibly the reason for the charges being 10p higher than expected?

there have been 4 incidents - i asked for the SMS confirmation on just one

i have reported the problem through the Apcoa connect website on 2 occasions (Tuesday and yesterday) but received neither acknowledgement or reply.  Apcoa/FGW customer service is, in my view, so poor that communicating with them is a waste of time and effort.

My thought was trading standards on the basis of overcharge/theft of my money

Thoughts?

Hand fire for a while - I'm trying to get an answer from FGW.

Don't waste your time trying to communicate with APCOA- they seemingly have one standard response letter "your appeal has been unsuccessful" even if your correspondence has nothing to do with any sort of "appeal"

Henry, is there not a convenience charge with apcoa, as there was with ringgo, or have you factored this into it,

Ringo charged an additional 20p for the convenience of paying by debit card, on top of advertised charges for those paying by coins

Ringgo did not have a convenience charge in fgw car parks. The convenience charge of 20p was dropped about three years ago. Other car parks that use Ringgo such as Cornwall council have a convenience charge it is down to the operator of the car park.

Well whenever I parked at Hayes and Harlington I was charged a convenience fee of 20p..so it certainly wasn't dropped 3 years ago, either that or RingGo charged it anyway.

http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/NewsItem.aspx?id=482 (http://www.firstgreatwestern.co.uk/NewsItem.aspx?id=482)

The link above is the news article on the first great western website which states the convenience charge is dropped.

chris they were still charging it up to the end, regardless of what that article says

Before the phone system was changed I was using the Ringgo system three or four times a week in Cornish fgw car parks and was not charged a convenience charge. I am going to have to agree to disagree with your statement. On the Ringgo website there is a case study about first great western car parks and they state that there was no convenience charge.

I would be interested to hear from other users of the Ringgo system before it was changed and whether there was a convenience charge.

I used Ring-Go at least weekly at two different stations and irregularly at a third and fourth in W.Wiltshire over the past two or three years and was never once charged an extra 20p or anything resembling a convenience charge.

However, I invariably used a credit card and not a debit card (which richwarwicker specifically stated was the cause of the additional charge, up there somewhere)

Same here at Maidenhead.. I used a credit card and wasn't charged a convenience charge at all.. And I used to most days...  ;D

Just exactly who did this debated charge actually convenience? 

To me, the 30p I have to pay to use the toilets at most London Terminals would be the best description of a 'convenience' charge.  ;) :D ;D

No: that's just taking the p!ss.  ;)

i've still not had an acknowledgment or response from Apcoa

at Kemble the charge is ^3.20 if you pay at the meter but ^2.80 (according to the Ringgo voice message and the Apcoa website).   There is no mention of a convenience charge or the like

on that basis the cost is ^2.80 - they are not authorised to take ^2.90 but continue to do so.

My patience with this is wearing thin - it's only 10p but if it happens to everybody who pays to park at Kemble each time they pay then it adds up..................

Chris - did you get a response from FGW?  THey arent the best communicators either

I got a holding response, stating the FGW person with APCOA is on leave until next week. So hope to hear Monday / Tuesday

Why is that person dealing with a particular query always on leave? I've had that reply given too me twice in recent weeks by FGW for seperate queries. Once by Customer Services and once direct from Swindon. Coincidence hopefully. Cynic in me says otherwise......

Have FGW not heard of delegation?

Where you are dealing with contractors, it's usually down to one person, rather than a team.

Also, it's been holiday season everywhere, with all the public holidays, so no surprise really.

Delegate upwards then.

Chris, I would tend to be so much more sympathetic if there wasn't a pattern of outside-promised or similarly disappointingly delayed responses (e.g "we hope to let you know in a week" that takes four) at present.  I think a number of people heard "will ask on Tuesday" which was the next working day, and got the impression that they could expect to hear quite quickly. 

And if it's down to just one person, the question should be "is that right?".  Clearly, that's not considered to be that case operationally as you never hear "the 07:02 to Swidnon won't be running this week or next as the driver's just got married and is on honeymoon in Corfu".  I'm not answering the question - it may be right to wait for someone to come back from holiday rather than duplicate management - I'm just asking it.

Oh - (sorry about the third comment on this) - I always get slightly puzzled when people blame the holiday season.  I can recall issuing an invoice, on completion of a training course on 15th December with payment due (and order confirming acceptance) within 28 days.  A chaser call for an unpaid bill on about 20th January go the answer "but it's been the holiday season" to which I answered "so you didn't know about Christmas when you placed the order and accepted the 28 day terms then?".

Don't start me on unpaid bills. Had someone claim last week that I was chasing too early as there hadn't been 28 working days since invoice because of all the recent bank holidays.

That's probably a fair comment depending on your Terms.....

i've now sent a third complaint pointing out that i had made two prvious complaints and that i have had neither response nor acknowledgment

The bizarre thing is that a colleague parks in the same car park but is only charged ^2.80 - maybe I am being singled out?

Does anybody have a way of trying to contact Apcoa other than through their website?

Apcoa have, at last, responded - i am not sure to which of my 3 messages as there rather direct/blunt email doesnt refer to the date of my message.

Thank you for contacting APCOA Connect.
 
The additional 10p that has been charged is the text message reminder/confirmation fee.
If you do not wish to receive this then please log into your account and change your preferred settings.
 
Best regards
 
APCOA Parking Customer Service team
UK Head Office


As i have advised them i have never asked for or recieved a test message reminder/confirmation - as my account preferred settings continues to show.

it's still their move!!

I did notice today that after I'd entered 1 to say I want to park in my previous location that it asked me if I wanted a text or not... Option 1 is yes, option 4 is no (options 2 and 3 are something in between).. I noticed this one in the past but I'm sure it doesn't offer me those options every time.. Up till now I've just pressed 1 without really listening as 1 always used to be "pay with your stored payment card".. I do hope they're not getting extra money by doing this??  :o

You'll pay 10p if you say '1'(yes) to a text.....

Indeed I know.. But having changed it (in my opinion) to add this extra step in, it might be catching people out maybe? I imagine I've been caught out by it.. I should check. I always used to just press 1 without listening in bid to keep the phone call as short as possible since I'm paying for it...

Apologies for the slight thread resurrection but a couple of weeks ago, I was charged 10p extra for a parking confirmation SMS even though I didn't ask for it.

With that, the lack of a non-geographical number, and the general slowness of the system (even if you use SMS to park), I wish we still had RingGo.

I think that's fair comment, sorch. Must confess, I've stopped using cashless parking for the time being. I was a regular (2 or three times a week) Ringo user for most of the life of the system. I tried the new APCOA service a few times when it was introduced and fell foul of both the unexpected extra charge, a faulty (to non-existent) service and the mobile phone charge, and have ever since made a conscious effort to make sure I have cash available whenever I travel rather than pay variable unexpected amounts to use what's evidently an ill-thought out, shoddy and second rate service.

I agree.. I'm still waiting to hear back after I filled in Apcoa connects contact form about 3 weeks ago (when their system wasn't working for a while).. I'm thinking their customer service is as bad as their system.. I wish FGW would bring RingGo back...

I'm hearing that FGW have a contract wuith APCOA to run their car parks, and that includes payment methods. APCOA then contracted with RingGo for that service.

APCOA have now developed their own pay-by-phone service, which of course is cheaper to run than contracting out. FGW have no choice in who APCOA uses without terminating APCOAs complete contract.

i gave up on APCOA to respond sensibly to my emailed complaints (only one of 3 was even acknowledged) and called them

You get what you pay for (except with FGW where you should get at least 2 journeys per ticket) and i suspect APCOA dont overpay their staff but the net result was that the customer advisor didnt know why they were overchargin me and didnt seem overinclined to find out why.  But he did credit me the 40p

on another note i appealed against a ticket i was given in January and refused to pay up in spite of the Roxburghe and Graham White letters.  Just after the first Graham White letter (c4 months after the offence) i received a reply to the appeal and, unbeleivably, my appeal was upheld and the ticket quashed.  i wonder whether that would have happened had i paid up after one or more of the letters and, if it had, whether i would have got my money back.

Bottom line is that they will huff and puff but won't actually take you to court for non-payment so, if you are in the right, stand firm