Part one of what it was like the first week of spring semester

[snugglegirl05]

Since this is a very long post, I decided to divide it up into 2 parts.

Part one

Parking office staff involved in the 2 posts:
Nancy *not her real name*: Parking office clerk
Andrea *not her real name*: Director of Parking & Transportation

Because my co-worker quit http://www.customerssuck.com/board/s...ad.php?t=73804I had to work from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday of the first week of spring semester & probably Monday through Wednesday of the second week of spring semester. My immediate supervisor at the parking company I work for told me on Thursday that someone may begin working the 2nd shift next Thursday, but he is not sure if someone can work the 2nd shift Monday through Wednesday.

Older student with a handicapped parking permit that was not issued by the university:
The university has an area at campus police where public transportation vehicles drop off handicapped customers. There is a wheelchair ramp outside campus police as well as an elevator lobby with a wheelchair ramp next to campus police. The student's husband was driving. He told me when he drove up to the Visitor Parking booth window that he was here to drop off his wife, who is handicapped. So I referred him to the area at campus police. He told me "I was told I could drop here off here, & I do not have to pay for my parking." So I asked him "how long will you be here?" He said "fifteen minutes" That means you will park in a handicapped spot. The university has handicapped parking spots inside Visitor Parking, but you have to pay the $5.00 to exit if you do not have a university issued handicapped parking permit. So I told him about the parking fee & the reason why I was suggesting that he go to the area at campus police...there is no charge to park there & there is a wheelchair ramp there. That was when his wife said "The parking office told me he can park here for free today." I was never informed of that by the Parking office, & so I called them. Nancy answers the phone, & I tell her exactly why I am calling. She told me "no one here told any handicapped customer that. What is her name?" I get that information from her husband, & I tell Nancy. She says "let me talk to her." I give the husband the phone, & he gives it to his wife. Here is what happened.

wife: "Hi, yes...I am handicapped, & I need to park in Visitor Parking just for today & not to pay. My husband is here to park."

*whatever Nancy tells her*

wife: "Yes...I understand that, but I am just aking to be able to park in Visitor Parking just for today & to not pay."

*whatever Nancy tells her*

wife: "You do realize that is for the public transportation vechicles."

*whatever Nancy tells her*

wife: "What is your name *Nancy tells her something* I am sure I spoke to you before."

*whatever Nancy tells her*

I could tell by the look on her face that Nancy told her no & that she had to go to the area at campus police.

I raise the gate for them to exit. They leave. They never returned after that.

Vendors here for the first 2 days of spring semester:
Several spots had to be reserved for vendors (banks, restaurants, & so on). On Tuesday one vendor pulled up to the faculty/staff garage, which is adjacent to Visitor Parking, instead of the the Visitor parking booth. There is a call box with a call button at that entrance gate. When you press the call button the call immediately goes to campus police. When he realized he was at the wrong garage, he walked up to the Visitor Parking booth window. The phone inside the Visitor parking booth rings. It was the parking office. Here is what happened.

Nancy: "Sungglegirl05, a vendor who needs to get into Visitor Parking was told he could not park?"

me: *I am looking at the guy standing at the window. This is the first time I have seen him* "Yes...there is someone standing at the window. I am guessing he is the one who needs to get into Visitor Parking, but it is the first time I have seen him."

Nancy *frustrated*: "Oh...ok...just let him in."

I let him know that he has to park in Visitor Parking. I turn around, & I see him walking back to the company van which was at the faculty/staff garage entrance gate. There were several cars behind the van. So I called the parking office to let them know what was happening. Andrea answers the phone. Here is what happened.

Andrea: "Parking office, how may I help you?"
me: "The vendor who needs to park in Visitor Parking is at the faculty/staff garage entrance gate, & there are cars behind them."
Andrea: *using a condescending tone of voice* "Snugglegirl05, you know he is supposed to park in Visitor Parking. Why did you send him to that garage?"
me: "He went there first. He did not come to me first."
Andrea: *frustrated* "Oh...ok...just let him in."

The driver pulls up the the Visitor Parking booth window. I let him know that the Parking office thought I turned him away. He told me he would let them know what happened.

End of part one.

[snugglegirl05]

Part two of what it was like the first week of spring semester

Part two

Guy who only had a credit card to pay for his parking:
He pressed the call button on the call box at the Visitor Parking exit gate. I answer the phone, but because there was interference at the call box, he kept on saying the call was breaking up. So I had to walk up to the exit gate. That was when the fun began. He asked me where he can pay for his parking. I tell him either at the Parking office or at the vending machine, & I give him directions. Then he tells me he only has a credit card. I tell him the procedure to pay with a credit card which is 1) pay at the cashier office & 2) take your receipt to the parking office, & they willl give you a token to exit. It's a sucky method. He tells me "there is a sign at the parking office stating they are not accepting credit card payments." I tell him that according to the parking office this is the procedure. He then tells me "I was told I could pay at the kiosk." The only "kiosk" is the Visitor parking booth. The university refers to the booth as a "kiosk." But I do not have tokens to sell to anyone, & as long as I have been working at the university *since March of 2006*, I have not received tokens to sell to anyone. So I tell the guy this. He says "are you sure?", & he repeats what he said about the sign at the parking office. I tell him that if he has any questions he can ask the parking office. He asks me again where he can pay with his credit card. So I tell him the procedure again. Again he says "are you sure?", & he repeats what he said about the sign at the parking office. He then says "I am just trying to find out where I can pay with my credit card. I was told I could pay at the kiosk." So I say "I do not have any tokens to sell to you, & so I cannot take payment. If you have any questions, you have to go to the parking office." At the point he gave up, & he began backing up, but there was a car behind him. I left to go back to the Visitor parking booth. The driver behind him walks up to him & tells him something. She backs up, & then he backs up. Luckily he did not press the call button again.

Night school:
The parking office sells parking permits for night school students. You get a parking permit & an access card, which is programmed to begin working at a certain time. You park in the faculty/staff garage. They used to let students having night school parking permits park in that garage beginning at 5:15 p.m. Monday through Thursday, but Andrea changed the time to 5:45 p.m. beginning spring semester of this year. Nancy came down to the Visitor parking booth with 2 laminated signs indicating the time change around 3:15 on Tuesday. She posted one inside the booth & the other on the faculty/staff garage entrance gate. She told me if any student has a question about the time change, that the time change was indicated on the universities website when they signed up for the permit. Some students were not happy with the time change when they arrived a little after 5 p.m. on Tuesday. So I let them know what Nancy said. One student told me on Tuesday that she had paperwork indicating that night school students can park in the faculty/staff garage beginning at 5:15 p.m. Monday through Thursday. She then asked me where she can park. Since the student parking lots are open to anyone the first 2 weeks of school *the parking permits are mailed to the students, & so since it might take a while for the students to receive them, enforcement does not begin until after the first 2 weeks of school*, I told her she could park there or at Visitor parking, but she has to pay the $5.00 fee to exit. I also told her to show that paperwork to the parking office. Then on Wednesday another night school student came at 5:02 p.m. She showed me her parking permit. I told her about the time change. She then mentioned the same paperwork that the first night school student told me about. So I told her she can park in Visitor parking, but it is $5.00 to exit, to pay at the parking office & to show them the paperwork. According to the parking office, any university parking permit is not valid for free at Visitor parking.

[flyingember]

this university has the most convoluted parking system ever. they're causing their own problems

not accepting payment at the exit is fine if there's a pay station near the exit that takes every type of payment known. which there doesn't appear to be