To find PayByPhone parking to be a bit rubbish?

[wildfellhall]

I started another thread about how hard it is to use this app where I live because the 4G is so weak in the town centre.

So it's always a gamble/risk as you cannot be certain that the payment is complete until you get an email or the green payment complete screen.

And then there is no earthly way to contact them just a low level bot which has zero options which cover this very specific problem:
How can I be certain I have paid when there is such poor internet provision?
Also why is there no messaging about this in the car parks or on the app?
They're taking your money and they have a monopoly, they don't have any genuine contact access - and it's all your fault if your payment fails? And I bet their fining system works brilliantly!

How can a local council buy into such a lame system?

We were nearly late for an event as an underground car park in Oxford uses this system but no signal

There have been so many scams with this I’ve stopped driving into town. I bus for £2 or cycle- that’s quicker than driving and no search for a space.

instead I get stuff delivered or go to city on train

its really changed my habits

Yes! And you have to pay an admin charge for the privilege of paying by phone using their damn app!

Aaaaaaaaaaaargghhhhhh (is all I have to say).

That’s v annoying. Most places I’ve seen have an alternative phone number you can call to make payment - though I’ve not had to use that for about 6 years or so, as reception has always been ok. TBH if my network didn’t work in the town centre I’d change network. I vastly, vastly prefer phone payment apps for car parking compared to all the older methods - it’s so so much more convenient. But I do think it should come alongside direct payment options too as not everyone has smartphones (generally much much older generation).

I’ve had this in a few car parks but I just take a photo of the sign to get the details, and do the payment when I’ve left the car park and have got signal again.

Utter bullshit. Tried to register to park, told me I'd already got an account, ok don't remember but fine, tried to enter reg of my car and it tells me that isn't the car they have registered for me. Hmmmmm, well it's the same fucking car I've had for 6 years but ok, I'll just change the car registered to the account, except nooooooo, can't possibly do that. Gave me the absolute rage.

This is true, but I would previously overpay with estimates of how long I’d want, or forget when my parking would be up so not rush back and then tip over into the next payment bracket. Or not have the right change and have to go to a shop to buy some polos or something. I do find it far far easier and more efficient and would never want to go back.

My DH has these problems and it’s because he doesn’t keep a record of his passwords and gets cross with the apps when it’s always him not doing it properly. Sorry.

I wouldn’t ring to try and pay. That’s even more backwards. The better places let you pay by card at the carpark. I agree I’m fed up with these apps and poor mobile signals.

I agree.

Changing my network may not help as the town has poor reception in the centre where all the car parks are.

You can pay with cash or card but the machines are sometimes not working.

I think a company making a lot of money via a local council needs to be contactable particularly given their dependence on the internet and also their powers to fine us when our ability to pay is vulnerable.

There should be a common method of car park payment everywhere, this would be a law that would have widespread support. Parking apps or relying on mobile phone coverage does not meet this.

If the means to pay is not there because of a fault, penalty charges should not be able to be levied.

Parking payment is the only war on the motorist, not the nonsense the friends of Jeremy Clarkson will tell you.

I got a fine from one of these because I accidentally typed my numberplate into the app with a 0 instead of an O. It took ages to resolve, I wouldn't have wasted their time and mine if I'd been able to just buy a ticket at the machine !

@LlynTegid has nailed it. If we must pay via an app rather than card/cash, we need a universal UK parking app.

People shouldn't be forced to share their data with all and sundry to park in different places, and at the moment we are leaving the door wide open for scammers sticking their fraudulent QR codes onto payment machines.

Yep we had to do this but took a while to figure out. We were trying to scrape the cash together but just gave up

How is that the same? I hadn't forgotten the password, it said the car registration wasn't the one they had-I've had the same car for 6 years. Pretty sure it was nothing like your husband's issues.