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How do we pay for parking?

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Re: How do we pay for parking?

#171

Post by klyrs »

GaggiX wrote: post #116
apricot wrote: post #6

I don't have a cell phone. What should I have done in this situation?

Without a cell phone I would be more concerned about other things than the parking lot, such as how people contact you when you are out?

1. Why do I want people to contact me while I'm out? It's almost always spam, and assuming it's not, it's almost always a them problem.

2. If I did want people to contact me, a flip phone would work fine for that.

Without a smart phone with a data plan, it is becoming harder and harder to navigate the world made for advertizers and cellular providers. And these parking companies don't want to make it easy for you to pay for parking. They'd much rather you have a frustrating experience, take the risk of not paying and getting impounded.

Re: How do we pay for parking?

#172

Post by liendolucas »

frollo wrote: post #151
liendolucas wrote: post #111

Oh yes, the world is enshittificating at an unbelievable pace. Here's one I have recently had to deal with. Sometime ago I failed my theory driving exam. The computers presented a series of 30 questions, to which you answer true or false. Fast forwarding to a few weeks ago, I found myself for round 2. The computers have all been changed. Shiny IBMs ThinkCentre with a small camera on top. The exam is supposed to start…

Italian government and enshittification, name a more iconic duo, I'll wait. They built (more correctly, paid) for the IO app for it to be the one touch point for interacting with the government, then started cutting off features from it in other apps. Now they want to aggregate everything again on CIE, which not everyone has yet. Then you have local governments (looking at you, Lombardia) which build random apps whic…

I don't know everyone else, but this is certainly not how I expected technology to evolve in general. A completely unnecessary over-engineered world. For me no technology has to negatively interfere with what you're supposed to do and more important, there always has to be a human back up alternative. Is infuriating to assume that every single human being is supposed to have a smart phone to pay for parking. I do really feel sorry for the elders the way they are being technologically-excluded.

Re: How do we pay for parking?

#173

Post by frollo »

Animats wrote: post #39

Can you pay for parking via a web page, rather than installing some intrusive "app"?

Are you seriously asking this question in 2023? Nobody makes web pages anymore, just make an app and require access to a ton of user data just to sell them for shady purposes.

Re: How do we pay for parking?

#174

Post by 13of40 »

burcs wrote: post #5

Modern 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.

What it's ripe for is for someone to put up a box that accepts cash and credit cards then works as a proxy to one of the other services.

Re: How do we pay for parking?

#175

Post by bluepnume »

dalmo3 wrote: post #105
bluepnume wrote: post #76

We 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.

I know text is still a thing in the US, but everywhere else, that's a huge no no. Phishy as hell. Good luck nonetheless.

Doesn't have to be hugely phishy if you have a saved contact card with a number you trust. That's often safer than some new app or web url that is imitating another.

Re: How do we pay for parking?

#177

Post by SenAnder »

utybo wrote: post #93

Why have parking lots not kept their usual parking payment station things? In France, all paid parking I've seen has both options of an app or just using the parking meter payment thing (with the smartphone option usually being better because you can pay exactly by the minute instead of paying 1 whole hour)

Legally requiring businesses accept cash would solve much of this: https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/austrian-leader-backs-f...

Re: How do we pay for parking?

#178

Post by Spooky23 »

kortilla wrote: post #31
thechao wrote: post #23

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

How can they have it towed if it’s free. That’s just theft.

Two things. Sometimes these venue areas have other central business district employers who don’t allow overnight or weekend parking for the public, but don’t enforce it. (But they are signed to allow towing) The fake parking guy probably has a relationship with the tow driver.

Also, tow operators are generally pretty shady. Because they operate in a second responder capacity, they have personal relationships with cops and sheriffs, repair garages, etc.

Re: How do we pay for parking?

#179

Post by pb7 »

rootusrootus wrote: post #148
throwawaaarrgh wrote: post #104

I. 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…

> I. Hate. Technology. I hate working in this field. Periodically I joke around with my family that when I retire (I'm 49 now, so it's not all that far away), I'm never touching another computer again. Ever. Each time I make that joke, it's a little less joke and a little more of an actual plan.

I’m sorry to say but you guys haven’t had a single hard day in your life if computers and technology are this traumatic to you. You would crumble under the weight of life just a hundred years ago.

You are an artist with a blank canvas that countless people in the world will pay you life changing amounts of money to draw on. If you choose to paint in a way that you hate, that’s on you.

Re: How do we pay for parking?

#180

Post by brianpan »

rvnx wrote: post #8

If you want to get to the point of the story, +/- summary : An old lady in Seattle couldn't understand how to pay for parking using confusing parking apps. The author helped her, but the process was complicated and not user-friendly. He guided her through scanning a QR code and using parking apps, eventually helping her pay with the Park Mobile app using her credit card.

I don't think a summary quite does it. It's not just a complicated flow, like redesigning an app would solve it.

It's: multiple competing apps, QR code scanners, advertisements, buggy apps, buggy payment taking.

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