Bill my license plate. That is the UX I want.
Best hope nobody steals your car, then.
Cant you then declare your car stolen and you get notified your car is here ?
How do we pay for parking?
161–170 of 347 posts
Re: How do we pay for parking?
#162Re: How do we pay for parking?
#163We built a startup. You scan a QR code, that sends a text message. If you have a saved card, you pay in the text thread by replying 'pay now', if not you get a link to save a new card. No apps required. Hoping that with enough adoption, it will obviate the need for experiences as bad as this.
Scanning the QR code makes your device text the company? Or you scan it and enter in your phone number? What if I don’t have a saved card? Still seems just as bamboozling
It pre-fills a text message which you can send to authenticate yourself. If you don't have a saved card, you're prompted to enter one via a web url.
Re: How do we pay for parking?
#164I. Hate. Technology. I hate working in this field. I hate how unprofessional every company is, from the largest to the smallest. I hate how incompetent all the engineers are. I hate how no business I have ever worked for has ever trained its workers on anything but how to fill out a time sheet. I hate all the blog posts about inane technical details. I hate how people start building a solution to a problem they're no…
Yeah it’s funny. Same here. I just want simple things, maybe with an occasional link with my phone.
I don’t want 500 knobs, a touchscreen on everything. I don’t want your app, I don’t want an account.
The example of car parking.. the technology is there to make is 100% automatic. But then you can’t fine people
Re: How do we pay for parking?
#165Even worse, my Dad met us for brunch and overstayed his allotted time in one of these systems by 8 minutes. Would be ok if they billed him the same rate perhaps, but they "fined" him $80 for the "violation". All the while trying to look like the local police as much as possible. All these companies are scam artists.
Chargeback!
Most of these shitty apps pay over 10 dollars to the payment companies to process a chargeback. And if they get too many their rates increase or they get kicked out.
So chargebacks for bullshit "fines" is a great solution to teach them not to charge those.
Re: How do we pay for parking?
#166Earlier quoted context omitted.
In my city, in the rougher parts it used to be somewhat normal to pay someone to "look after your car", of course you were paying them not to vandalise it while you were away! Especially popular on football days when parking near the stadium. It was only a couple of pounds or so. I haven't been to these parts of town for years so I have no idea if this practice still goes on.
This is common all over the developing world. I always give them a little something, despite the feel of extortion it has to it. It’s marginally better than begging, and they will really watch the car, and often help with parking and leaving. Fair enough.
[deleted]
Re: How do we pay for parking?
#167We built a startup. You scan a QR code, that sends a text message. If you have a saved card, you pay in the text thread by replying 'pay now', if not you get a link to save a new card. No apps required. Hoping that with enough adoption, it will obviate the need for experiences as bad as this.
50-75% of the year I have service on my phone that only supports IP networking and does not support SMS or calls - a data only SIM.
Totally fair. It's entirely possible to have a fallback web url here though.
Re: How do we pay for parking?
#168seattle, of all places, should legislate that software built on public money must be publicly available and open for public contributions (with appropriate vetting ofc). literal thousands of engineers could do better, but may not, and are instead subjected to the profiteers.
Seattle could try (I don't think it would pass constitutional muster), but that wouldn't help here. The person is describing privately-owned parking lots. Paying for storing your private auto on the public street can still be done by hand at a machine.
Re: How do we pay for parking?
#169Earlier quoted context omitted.
In my city, in the rougher parts it used to be somewhat normal to pay someone to "look after your car", of course you were paying them not to vandalise it while you were away! Especially popular on football days when parking near the stadium. It was only a couple of pounds or so. I haven't been to these parts of town for years so I have no idea if this practice still goes on.
I'm aware, and have used, this practice in Oakland, CA, Los Angeles, SF, Boston, Philadelphia, Seattle and Portland OR. One reason I keep a small amount of cash around - just for the vig.
It's extortion. You're paying protection money.
Re: How do we pay for parking?
#170Modern parking lots always seem ripe for physical phishing, whats stopping someone from sticking up a couple of QR codes that link to a fraudulent payment page or some other malware? This is one of those things that tech really didn't "fix" and now I have to select from one of 20 apps instead of just paying with cash or even a credit card.
I have, on multiple occasions (in Austin, >10 years ago), paid for parking to an "attendant" at a lot I know is free. Those guys will just have your car towed — the whole scam just hangs together: the towing company charges you for the storage & processing, but not the nominal fee; the attendant gets cash. Win-win-lose.
What if you just send the police after them if they tow your car?