Not In the Mood

[Pale Justice]

I thought I had heard it all, but I was surprised to get a call from one of my best employees from her home after her shift. A new approach to suckiness had almost caused her to walk off the job.

SC pulls up to the booth in our parking garage, hands the cashier her ticket, and is informed that her fee is $6.00. The response..."Well, I came to visit my mother in the hospital, and I stayed longer than I had anticipated, so I think I should only pay $3.00." Of course SC refuses to pay what she owes or to fill out the customer shortage form we use when someone is unable to pay and backs up the line at the only exit to the garage for several minutes. The cashier calls security who are useless at assisting her and then get an attitude with me the next day about not wanting to be involved in customer disputes (I manage two different locations, and was at the other which is a 15 minute drive away when this occurred).

I'm baffled by this one, and I've been in this business for 19 years. I think the next time I go to the gas station to fill my tank I'll tell them, "I had to take some unexpected trips this week so I think I should only pay for 12 gallons instead of 14." How fast do you think the cops will show?

[Gurndigarn]

Sad to say, but security is usually useless in most places. Except in the few that they are scarily willing to jump in-- in any situation.

Next time, tell your guy to call the cops first, since the rent-a-cops only got the "rent" part down.

[JustaCashier]

Ah yes! The wonderful world of parking garages! I've responded here a few times before, probably mostly to Arena Boy's posts, that I put in 15 years hard time in the parking business, until I left it 9 years ago.

People don't understand the justification of charging for parking. Many feel that because the patronize a business, or visit an office in the building, that they shouldn't have to pay at all, or at least not full rate. Especially when the building is named for the firm they are visiting. Some will say "I was visiting ABC Co. just bill it to them."

They just don't understand that it's up to that company to decide whose parking they will pay for, and to provide validation, as pre-arranged with the parking company.

To a customer, the parking space is something that is not tangible. They can't hold in their hand. They can't take it home with them. It's a service, but unlike many other services, there's not alot of sense of satisfaction in receiving it. (Unless parking was hard to come by, and they lucked out and found a spot!) A guy can go to a barber, get a haircut, and leave feeling satisfied. "I look and feel so much better!" Same for a woman going to a spa, or such.

A person can go to a bar, order a drink, and feel satisfied. "Man, that Jester pours one mighty fine drink! I'm going to leave him a huge tip!"

No, parking is, essentially, just paying to rent a slab of concrete (or dirt, gravel, or grass) to leave your car on for a certain amount of time. Sometimes the fee will seem exhorbinant. Now, the highest level I ever achieved in the business, was Location Manager, which I did at three different locations, in my last eleven years with the company, so I never got into the area of how much expenses are, and if anyone was really raking in the big bucks.

When I left there, most of the locations, as far as I was aware, were becoming management contracts, rather than leases, so I think it was the property owners, not the parking co. that was getting all the big bucks in that situation.

Anyway, PJ, I can certainly feel your, and the cashiers pain. All of the locations I worked were in office buildings. One location was office and fairly high-end stores. That place was pure Hell! Thankfully, I was only there for about seven months. I never did work a hospital location, and was thankful I didn't.

Back about that same time, I was a regular blood donor, and I would walk past a hospital parking garage on my way to the bus after donating. Each time, I'd feel bad for the employees there, having to deal with customers visiting loved ones that were sick or perhaps dying, and would maybe take out their frustrations on the cashier, from not only dealing with the emotional pain they were in, but the expense of paying for parking, especially day after day.

It's harder to get pissed at angry customers when they have a loved one sick or dying.

Mike

[Boozy]

"I ordered all this food, but I wasn't as hungry as I thought. I'll pay for the half I ate."

I've gotten this one as a waitress. But this story is actually worse. It's more akin to:

"I ordered all this food, and ate it all. But I had only intended to eat half. So that's what I'll pay for."

Incredible.

[Gabrielle Proctor]

SC pulls up to the booth in our parking garage, hands the cashier her ticket, and is informed that her fee is $6.00. The response..."Well, I came to visit my mother in the hospital, and I stayed longer than I had anticipated, so I think I should only pay $3.00."

Tough shit lady. The cops will say differently.

[powerboy]

Whenever I park in a parking garage, it doesn't bother me to pay. I already know that I am going to have to pay, when I drive in.

[aurelemsrealm]

I don't like having to pay for parking, but I don't like having to pay taxes either. I don't like having to buy groceries and do without fun money. I hate having to pay utility bills every month. The point is that if I want to park in that particular garage, I'm going to have to pay for the privilege. I don't want to pay for it, but I do any way. I don't make an ass out of myself, and take my frustrations out on the attendant. The attendant has a job to do, and is doing it. Life goes on.

[Ill_Used_Heroine]

I got that in the library once. This patron returned her books late and the fines came to something like seven dollars. She kept insisting that she shouldn't have to pay it at all because, "I thought about returning them on time." I was like, that's nice, buuuut you didn't return them on time, so ... that'll be seven dollars, please. I'm pretty sure she walked out without paying, which is fine, cause it'll just sit on her record till the end of time.