Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
Parking Permits - the new, even worse service!
I've just had the pleasure of interacting with our wonderful council parking service again, and thought others might find the tale a useful warning.
If you need visitor parking permits in a hurry - the system has changed (again!) and is now worse than ever:
- You can apply online, but that will take up to 13 days (according to the Council)
- You can visit the Customer Service Centre, but they can only sell you 8 permits.
Yes, you read that last bit right. The new, improved service allows you to stand in the long queues (see threads passim), only to discover you can only get 8 permits. You can order more for later delivery, but only get 8 on the day. This is apparently an edict from the Parking Service to "encourage usage of the online system".
For added hilarity, you don't have to pay there and then for the permits - oh no. That would be too simple, since you're there with a nice chip'n'pin terminal right in front of you. You have to give a phone number, and then apparently someone from the Parking Service will phone you to take payment for the permits. It's been a week since I visited, and no call so far. Maybe I won't have to pay after all.
Of course, you could use the online system. This is the one which starts by you emailing (!) someone to get an applicant ID (takes 3 days). You can then go to the website and order your vouchers and have them sent out (up to 10 days). Good luck if you have anyone visiting in the next two weeks.
Given the dog's breakfast that is the online system (thanks Civica!) I'm not surprised that people still choose to use the Customer Service Centre. So rather than improving the online system, the Parking Service has decided to break the existing system to make online look good in comparison. What a stroke of genius.
If it wasn't so sad, the Byzantine complexity achieved in a system for issuing visitor parking permits would be rather impressive.
Talking to the Customer Service staff, they're well aware the system sucks, but are powerless to effect change. So they end up dealing with disgruntled customers all day. I did suggest that the head of the parking service would like to spend some time on the front line, but the nice lady questioned my sanity for suggesting such an improbable event.
Tags for Forum Posts: bad, council, customer, parking, parking permits online, permits, service
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Clive Carter on
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In about 5/6ths of the last council financial year (i.e. to February,2012) Civica were paid £817,000 to produce this and similar kinds of information. It's all part of their service.
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Permalink Reply by CanadianMichael on
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I see -- so it's more of an agricultural kind of 'service' they are providing.
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CanadianMichael: Civica use [dot] NET Framework™ (in your example); I should have credited © Microsoft with their contribution to your experience. At the [dot] net Framework™ Development Centre (here) Microsoft © say:
The .NET Framework is Microsoft's comprehensive and consistent programming model for building applications that have visually stunning user experiences, seamless and secure communication, and the ability to model a range of business processes
The local council is wedded to proprietary solutions from single suppliers. The government is trying to encourage more competition in computing procurment; this article is worth reading:
Number 10 shuts wallet on closed-source IT projects
Meanwhile, our council has managed to find more than £3,000,000 for new PCs for themselves, without even a competitive tender, let alone considering other operating systems. Still, I'm sure they know best ...
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Permalink Reply by Paul Harvey on
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Appreciate that the parking office is a nightmare when you have to go in person, but I have to defend them a little bit as I applied online for some visitors permits on Monday and they arrived in the post today. All very painless...
I imagine they are going to make it more and more painful for people to go in person in order to force everyone to interact with them online... Is a brutal form of behaviour change.. More stick than carrot
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