Car parking with Ringgo / APCOA Connect

[whole diary]

[The RingGo Team]

We^re sorry but as instructed by Apcoa as from midnight of Sunday 13th March RingGo Customers will no longer be able to pay for their parking at First Great Western, Network Railway and APCOA^▸ (Car parking company used at GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) - controlled stations in the area) locations. Please contact First Great Western on 08457 000 125, Network Rail on 0845 711 4141, and APCOA on 0845 1652030 for further information. We would like to thank our customers for using RingGo, your messages of support and hope that you will continue to use our service at other RingGo locations.

[johoare]

Welcome to the Forum The RingGo Team...

And I'm sorry I can no longer use your services to park at Maidenhead... Incidentally if I call your number today it still offers me the chance to park my car at the station..

As for Apcoa.. They did have a man at the main car park (Shoppenhangers road) this morning to tell people..  Not sure if they would have had one at the car park I usually park in as it's not the main one. I will find out tomorrow..

[grahame]

As something of an outsider on this thread, I've been struck by all the positive words said about Ringgo by their users, so perhaps it would be appropriate to add a "Thank you for the service you have provided" to them. At the same time, the switch has now happened and we need to look forward, though I know some are apprehensive, to working with the Apcoa online system.  It sounds like they have a really customer friendly act to follow ...

[The RingGo Team]

Thank you johoare. Just to let you know that once you've confirmed your parked location and if its a FGW^▸ (First Great Western) location, e.g. Maidenhead Shoppenhangers road operated by Apcoa, RingGo will play you back a message informing you that we are no longer available as an option at that location and give the caller the FGW customer services number to call.

[Bristol Traveler]

So against my better judgement I used the Apcoa Connect system, here's my experience

The phone numbers on the new signs were taped over saying not yet in use so I ignored them (The tape that is not the number)!

I had to use an 0845 number and then use a text to give my reg. The confirmation text did not arrive for over an hour. It told me there was a problem so I retexted and got a confirmation that I could park.
So after an 0845 phone call, two text messages and almost two hours I managed to confirm I'd parked my car. So as I expected the change hasn't been an improvement for me... anyone else??

[ChrisB]

Day 1 teething troubles. THose existed with RingGO too, if my memory serves me.....

If it's the same by Friday, then it's a problem.

[Chris from Nailsea]

There were certainly 'day one' teething problems at Taunton early this morning.

At about 08:45, I found myself standing in the car park entrance, wearing a yellow high-viz vest, on completely unrelated business - but, as there was clearly confusion around the car park ticket machines, and there was no-one from officialdom present, I volunteered a bit of assistance.

The machines both had new vinyl signs on top of them, but the new 0845 number was still obscured with lengths of masking tape, containing handwritten notes saying 'live from 14 March'.  I therefore took it upon myself to peel off all that confusing masking tape, and explain to various puzzled car parkers that the new number does indeed go live today!

Discussions with those grateful users then led me to understand that none of them had seen anything previously about the change in the phone payment arrangements - and, apparently, the price had also gone up from 5.10 last week to ^6.10 today.  Please note, however, that I have no way of verifying these claims - I am not a frequent user of Taunton Station! 

By the way, I met with the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) station manager for Taunton, an hour later, and I passed on all of the above information.  I have to say, she was not surprised that there had been such confusion, as the local FGW staff themselves were not briefed fully, or given suitable leaflets to hand out, until late last week.

CfN. 

[Brucey]

Discussions with those grateful users then led me to understand that none of them had seen anything previously about the change in the phone payment arrangements - and, apparently, the price had also gone up from 5.10 last week to ^6.10 today.  Please note, however, that I have no way of verifying these claims - I am not a frequent user of Taunton Station! 

Information that I have suggests the price was ^6.10 on 4th March, so certainly not something that has changed in the last week.  In fact, I believe the price is actually ^5.50 when paying by APCOA^▸ (Car parking company used at GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) - controlled stations in the area) Connect.

[Timmer]

Gosh all this talk of parking charges. What good value some of the charges being quoted when Bath is ^10.10! Looking at the list on the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) website only Bristol TM^‡(resolve) is more expensive.

[ChrisB]

Supply & Demand.....the further from LOndon, the fewer people make the trip!

[Chris from Nailsea]

... apparently, the price had also gone up from 5.10 last week to ^6.10 today.

Information that I have suggests the price was ^6.10 on 4th March, so certainly not something that has changed in the last week.  In fact, I believe the price is actually ^5.50 when paying by APCOA^▸ (Car parking company used at GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) - controlled stations in the area) Connect.

As I said, I have no independent verification for what I was told by 'an aggrieved car park user' this morning - but there has clearly been some 'adjustment' to the charges displayed on the notice at Taunton recently:



Chris. 

[grahame]

Gosh all this talk of parking charges. What good value some of the charges being quoted when Bath is ^10.10! Looking at the list on the FGW^▸ (First Great Western) website only Bristol TM^‡(resolve) is more expensive.

Paddington - 18 pounds for up to 12 hours, 22 pounds for a full day. APCOA^▸ (Car parking company used at GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) - controlled stations in the area) but working for Network Rail rather than First, bearing in mind you can catch five different operator's trains at the station.

[willc]

At Oxford, it appears that the differential parking rate for rail users is continued, at least according to the signs at the car park exit for anyone heading towards the footbridge over Botley Road to the station which say to check the sign on the platform, as before.

[Bristol Traveler]

At least I was able to pay for my parking, there is one benefit to getting up with the sparrows

http://www.thisiswiltshire.co.uk/news/8908867.Rail_station_car_park_new_system_fails_on_first_day/

[IndustryInsider]

At Oxford, it appears that the differential parking rate for rail users is continued, at least according to the signs at the car park exit for anyone heading towards the footbridge over Botley Road to the station which say to check the sign on the platform, as before.

And there's a new display on the platform with the number on.  A much larger display than the previous one, so much so that a good pair of binoculars and non-rail users will be able to read the number from the Osney Lane bridge!