Harringay, Haringey - So Good they Spelt it Twice!
New pay-by-phone parking in Haringey (but watch the sting in the tail)
Motorists in Haringey can now choose to pay by phone for Pay and Display parking.
To use this new service drivers must first register with PayByPhone, who have been subcontracted to provide the service.
However, when you register take a little care. There's a sting in the tail for the unwary here. The default options leave you liable to pay 10p or 20p in additional charges for each transaction. This covers the cost of a text confirmation and a text reminder telling you when your parking is about to expire. The full 20p is a whopping additional 17% on a low tariff hourly rate of £1.20 and an additional 7% on the £3.00 hourly tariff charged on Harringay's Green Lanes parking.
Some people will no doubt welcome these additional services, but I think they should be opt-in rather than opt out. Unless you're happy to pay for the texts, do make sure you uncheck these options.
I asked Haringey Council whether they were aware of the way their contractor's system worked and if they were happy with it.
Whilst they chose to make no comment on that, I was glad to see that they have changed their news story on the Council website to include a mild warning:
“For an extra 10p charge drivers can also get an alert telling them when their time is running out and their fees need topping up. Those who don't want this service can opt out of receiving this and other extras when they register”
A council spokesperson told Harringay Online, “The format is standard for PaybyPhone customers and it is used widely across London and the country.”
So, a good new service, but make sure you don’t end up accidentally paying fees you don’t want to pay.
To register go to the PayByPhone website or call 020 3362 1100.
Tags for Forum Posts: parking
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Stroud Green WI on
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This same service covers Islington, Hackney, Westminster & Barnet (amongst others) - and whether or not you get extra charges depends on the borough. Islington always adds an admin charge (I'm opted-out of paid-for texts, but still get an extra charge which is based on the length/cost of the parking session in question), Westminster & Barnet don't, and I can't remember re Hackney. Will try it in Haringey and see what happens!
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Permalink Reply by Hugh on
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Oh, that's interesting. I wonder if it's because they use different operators who have different systems or if because Haringey selected an option with their operator.
I don't mind the option, but it should certainly be an opt-in one.
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Permalink Reply by Neville Collins on
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I'm not a driver, but I would rather have the money raised by parking fines spent on something useful... like repairing existing ticket machines which have been out of order for months.
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Noticed on a meter today that the phone number given for Haringey is different from that used in Islington & Westminster, which is again different in Barnet. But they all go through to the same service, and what matters is the location code. So am mildly baffled!
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Permalink Reply by Joe Bailey on
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I agree with Neville; it's bound to be an excuse to leave ticket machines out of order for longer.
Hugh, several other boroughs that I've used have been opt-in for the overpriced alerting SMS messages which is the right way around (if they must charge for this additional service in this day and age).
I suspect Haringey chose that to default to opted in, and wonder what cut of the SMS fee the council gets? Could an FoI request get us the answers to these questions?
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I've noticed in Barnet - at least in East Finchley - that since the introduction of PBP, they have indeed left meters out of order as far as cash use goes.
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Footnote: There are three ways to use the PBP service - your phone's keypad ('by touchtone'), SMS or phone app.
Both 10p charges are applied to keypad and app use. Only text users get a free confirmation text. God alone knows how you're supposed to work that out from the sign-up options or the mobile app users' guide.
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Permalink Reply by Chris Setz on
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Be nice if Haringey let drivers text STOP when they returned to their car so they're only charged pay-as-you-go.
Some places allow Pay-By-Phone to provide this, some don't.
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Chris, you are under the assumption that Parking Services are there to provide a service to us.
They actually seem to be run in order to extract as much money from our pockets as possible, by hook, or in some cases, by crook!
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I think we get the parking service we deserve, Joe! If you think we can't get LBH to do anything good, where does that leave you?
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Chris, I beg to differ and believe it's a department which is run with the ethos of generating as much revenue as possible.
I have lived in the borough all of my life, and have seen far too many abuses of power from this department which include:
- Falsely issued tickets (time and time again) by wardens and camera operators
- Renewal notifications not sent out - with clamps or tow-aways quickly following permit expiry
- Permits sold to vehicles which are not eligible and not revoked for months despite involvement from councillors
- Trickery with wording of parking signs which can easily be classed as entrapment.
If you think we deserve this level of service and the higher than necessary parking charges, then your expectations of how we should be treated are lower than mine.
I shall tell you where I am with this; vowed to object to the council vocally and at the highest possible level, on each and every occasion that this affects me, my friends or my neighbours. On only one occasion over all the years have the council actually upheld anything they've tried to unfairly inflict, and I only let them get away with that as I simply did not have the time to take it further. I know when it's a fair cop, and all to frequently, it simply is not, and now they're even trying to dupe people into signing in to costly SMS notifications to prove the point!
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So you do want a better service Joe - I applaud you for sticking up for all of us the way you have - it's because of people like you that further abuses are prevented.
I still return to the question, if you know it's bad and cannot bring about change, where does that leave you? Where are your supporters? Do you believe in the political process?
It does us a lot of harm to think that we are being abused and are powerless to do anything other than bellow. Is that what you think?
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