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Either the customer was sucky, the Parking office was sucky, or both were sucky
I have called the Parking office in the past when someone drove up to the booth window & asked if they had to pay since they were only dropping off supplies. When I called the Parking office to find out, I was told that the person had to pay for their parking. According to them, no matter how long your car is parked in the garage, the parking fee is $5.00.
"Kim Johnson", the director of Community Relations, called me to ask if her Chase Bank guest was on the event list.
*Other university employees have come down to the booth to ask me if their guest was on the event list for a certain day (sometimes the same day), & when I checked the Outlook calendar, there was no reservation for their guest. I told the university employee that, & they would get upset because the parking fee was already charged to the account used to pay for the guest's parking, & they already had a token to give to their guest. So I would tell them to go to the Parking office & let them know that.*
I told "Kim Johnson" that I did not see a reservation for her guest, but there were some non-reserved spots available. She told me that she would inform her guest that he would have to pay for his parking. Her guest arrived, but someone else was driving. Since "Kim Johnson" told me she would inform her guest that he would have to pay for his parking, I let them in.
Several minutes later the phone inside the booth rings. I look up, & there is a car at the exit gate. Here is what happened.
Me: "Visitor parking booth. How may I help you?"
female: "I dropped off the Chase Bank guy, & I need to exit."
Me: "I'm sorry, but "Kim Johnson" told me he would have to pay for his parking."
female: "But I do not have any money."
*I'm thinking to myself if "Kim Johnson" told the guy that he would have to pay for this parking, wouldn't he have given you some money or would have told you that you had to pay? Unless he thought that since you were only dropping him off, that you would not have to pay. The thing is this... according to the Parking office, there are 4 signs stating Visitor Parking is $5.00 plus a new sign stating Visitor Parking is $5.00 posted at the exit gate. Those signs are there to let everyone know that parking is not free.*
Me: "I'm sorry, but it is $5.00 to exit."
female: "But I do not have any money & the girl who let us in told me it was free."
Me: *Well... I'm going by what "Kim Johnson" told me & I never told you parking was free. I assumed "Kim Johnson" let the Chase Bank guy know about the parking fee*
"I'm sorry, but no one told you parking was free."
female: "But I do not have any money"
So I transfer the call to the Parking office. "Nancy" answers the phone, & I tell her why I was calling. I hang up the phone so she can deal with the customer. She calls me back & asks if there are any cars behind the female customer. At the point there weren't, & so I told her no. She told me that she told the female customer she would have to come to the Parking office. I saw the female customer back up, & I let "Nancy" know that.
Several minutes later she returns to the exit gate, but it was obvious that she did not have a token to exit because she just sat in her car at the exit gate. Since the Parking office had not called me to let me know to let her out, I call them to let them know what was happening. "Nancy" answered the phone, & she told me she would call campus police.
Campus police arrived, & they told her to go to the Parking office.
She exits several minutes later.
I have called the Parking office in the past when someone drove up to the booth window & asked if they had to pay since they were only dropping off supplies. When I called the Parking office to find out, I was told that the person had to pay for their parking. According to them, no matter how long your car is parked in the garage, the parking fee is $5.00.
"Kim Johnson", the director of Community Relations, called me to ask if her Chase Bank guest was on the event list.
*Other university employees have come down to the booth to ask me if their guest was on the event list for a certain day (sometimes the same day), & when I checked the Outlook calendar, there was no reservation for their guest. I told the university employee that, & they would get upset because the parking fee was already charged to the account used to pay for the guest's parking, & they already had a token to give to their guest. So I would tell them to go to the Parking office & let them know that.*
I told "Kim Johnson" that I did not see a reservation for her guest, but there were some non-reserved spots available. She told me that she would inform her guest that he would have to pay for his parking. Her guest arrived, but someone else was driving. Since "Kim Johnson" told me she would inform her guest that he would have to pay for his parking, I let them in.
Several minutes later the phone inside the booth rings. I look up, & there is a car at the exit gate. Here is what happened.
Me: "Visitor parking booth. How may I help you?"
female: "I dropped off the Chase Bank guy, & I need to exit."
Me: "I'm sorry, but "Kim Johnson" told me he would have to pay for his parking."
female: "But I do not have any money."
*I'm thinking to myself if "Kim Johnson" told the guy that he would have to pay for this parking, wouldn't he have given you some money or would have told you that you had to pay? Unless he thought that since you were only dropping him off, that you would not have to pay. The thing is this... according to the Parking office, there are 4 signs stating Visitor Parking is $5.00 plus a new sign stating Visitor Parking is $5.00 posted at the exit gate. Those signs are there to let everyone know that parking is not free.*
Me: "I'm sorry, but it is $5.00 to exit."
female: "But I do not have any money & the girl who let us in told me it was free."
Me: *Well... I'm going by what "Kim Johnson" told me & I never told you parking was free. I assumed "Kim Johnson" let the Chase Bank guy know about the parking fee*
"I'm sorry, but no one told you parking was free."
female: "But I do not have any money"
So I transfer the call to the Parking office. "Nancy" answers the phone, & I tell her why I was calling. I hang up the phone so she can deal with the customer. She calls me back & asks if there are any cars behind the female customer. At the point there weren't, & so I told her no. She told me that she told the female customer she would have to come to the Parking office. I saw the female customer back up, & I let "Nancy" know that.
Several minutes later she returns to the exit gate, but it was obvious that she did not have a token to exit because she just sat in her car at the exit gate. Since the Parking office had not called me to let me know to let her out, I call them to let them know what was happening. "Nancy" answered the phone, & she told me she would call campus police.
Campus police arrived, & they told her to go to the Parking office.
She exits several minutes later.
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