I’ve Seen The Future And It’s ***

[Hymie]

Last week I was working at a client’s premises where they had limited parking spaces for staff and visitors. On Thursday they had a group of VIPs visiting, and instructed all staff and other visitors to park in a public car park nearby.

On arrival at the car park, the only way to pay for the parking was via the parking company’s app on a mobile phone. My works mobile has no payment method loaded, even if I did download the app. There was no phone number to ring to pay by bank/credit card, so despite having cash and bank/credit cards there was no way I could pay to park.

I would be interested in NJ view on this – if I was to park and not pay for the parking and the company took legal action to claim the penalty charges for not paying; would a court accept my excuse that they did not provide a reasonable method for me to pay for the parking?

If I were a judge in such a case, I would rule that it was unacceptable not to allow some other payment method (other than on their mobile app) – and dismiss the case.

[Hopkirk]

Some of the answerers here haven't quite got the point. It's not just cash that was being refused. You couldn't pay by card or tap your phone either.

Not a good road to go down.

[Zacs-Master]

You could ‘tap your phone’ if you downloaded the app. OK, hymie’s work phone didn’t accept payment. Maybe he should have had his personal phone with him as well.

[Tuvok]

Not everybody has a mobile.

I don’t.

[Hymie]

I suspect a larger number of people are being scammed out of money on their mobile than on PC/laptop.

The logic behind the above is that things are a lot clearer on a large PC/laptop display than a small phone screen, where it might be difficult to spot a fake website/URL.

I’m not one of those people you see who spend the whole day looking at their mobile – I only use mine for making/receiving calls (what else do you need a phone for).

[david small]

I do not possess a mobile phone, nor do I want one.

[Hymie]

It appears that I’m not the only luddite on AB.

[Maydup]

I have a smart phone and often choose to use an app to pay for parking but dislike being forced to. There are several car perks locally using the same app but for a one off with a different company its a complete pain. Cashless is acceptable but not to have a card payment option is not good for business.

[barry1010]

I much prefer it - often didn't have the right change for parking meters, trying to get change at 6am not always easy. Parking meters that don't give change annoy me.
I can extend the parking time on the app if I need to, so don't pay over the odds 'just in case' or have to go back to the car park to feed the meter.

What would a judge say if my defence was that I had enough money to pay for parking but couldn't get change for the meter?

[Zacs-Master]

A judge wouldn’t say anything in your defence for the reasons other ABers gave earlier.

[Khandro]

This started long ago & worsens exponentially each year. Way back in 1985 Kingsley Amis wrote a splendid article in The Spectator which I remember well, called Sodthe Public.
I just looked & found it in their archive.
http://archive.spectator.co.uk/article/19th-october-1985/9/sod-the-public-a-consumers-guide

[THECORBYLOON]

You need to be a subscriber to read the article.

[bhg481]

It let me read it.

[Peter Pedant]

// I would imagine a court would be sympathetic with my situation;//
this has happened elsewhere
exactly this - an old cdnt pay because he didnt have the app or the phone

his appeal was on the grounds that it was age-ist - the system as set up discriminated against olds

I cant remember what happened

[Atheist]

And me! Amis is really playing very well the part of a certain type of ABer who moans and groans about new things happening towards the end of his/her already frustrating life. At least Amis was being paid for his writing, unlike us here. :-)

[Peter Pedant]

olds fight back
oK whine back

https://www.express.co.uk/life-style/cars/1601139/parking-app-ringgo-elderly-drivers

[Khandro]

What a pity, sorry about that, The Spectator's lead to the article is ;

SOD THE PUBLIC: A CONSUMER'S GUIDE

Kingsley Amis rehearses an alphabet

of annoyances perpetrated on the public by those who should be serving us

ABOUT this A-Z: 'Sod the public' is the working slogan not only of government, service industry and retail trade, but also, as 'sod the customer', 'sod the audience' and other variants, that of interior designers, providers of culture, playwrights, composers and many more.'

I's a wonderful rant, I'll try to select something to past in.

[Khandro]

It is of course of the period, but after things like Coinage (decimalisation), Concorde, Counties (changing boundaries & borders of) comes Dentistry:

DENTISTRY: Once you sat in a chair, now you lie down on a sort of couch. Nastier for you, producing feelings of helplessness among the old and nervous, but nicer for him because he can sit down. A good textbook example of sod the patient.

:0)

[barry1010]

The more comfortable my dentist is whilst working in my mouth, the better for me.
I don't want my dentist flinching every time his back pings.

[Khandro]

Why bother?

[Peter Pedant]

swingy backy chairs have been around for 50 y chrissakes