MSE Poll: Have you used a parking app before?

MSE_Gavin

Poll started 12 September 2023

More UK car-park operators are now opting for 'app only' payments (using RingGo, JustPark, PayByPhone, and others). So we want to know if you've used them, and how you prefer to pay. Let us know…

Click here to vote in the poll.

Did you vote? Are you surprised at the results so far? Have your say below.
If you haven't already, join the forum to reply.

Thanks!

RozMac

We’ve been caught twice with parking fines when using app on one occasion and another talking to operator who took our payment and never advised the parking changed to residents parking during the period we paid for. Plenty of complaints on local car parking in our town where people seemingly incur parking fines without understanding where they have gone wrong. Will only use car park that takes cash and has clear signage advising parking rules. 

Kedge39

I have used a parking app and found it very handy. My local council set all their car parks to use one (Mobon).
It was free to use but now they are charging for its use. 

Rsuppards

I wonder how many forum members have noticed that paying via an app can incur a surcharge.  On a recent holiday to the New Forest I found that the council car park in Lyndhurst had their pay-by-card facility "out of order" on every machine in the car park.  Having insufficient cash, I was forced to pay via the app.  Only later did I discover that I'd been charged 40p more than the advertised charge.  The following day I made sure I had sufficient change to park on a visit to Lymington (same council).  Except the card facility worked there.
A few days later I needed to park in a Southend council car park to meet someone off a bus in the adjacent coach park.  Here the only facility working was pay-by-app (different app). Here the mark-up was 30p for an hour's stay.
Nowhere on the extensive notice boards in either local authority car parks could I find a reference to an additional charge for using the apps.
A rip-off worthy of a Martin investigation?

ginger_chocolate

I hate these things with a passion. Why does everything have to be a ****ing app these days? I don't want to have to  be surgically attached to my phone at all times in case I need to use it for something I used to be able to just put 50p in a slot for. Nor do I want to wave my phone around trying to catch a signal, use up data allowance, get my glasses out, then spend ten minutes trying to download and figure out how to use some stupid app that I have to add to the other billion useless apps I'm now required to have on my phone just to navigate through life.

Not all new tech is progress.

jogu

My preference is definitely to pay by app. But I've used the RingGo app and it's stunningly poorly implemented making the process slow, error prone and cumbersome. What should take under 30 seconds takes at best minutes.

baser999

Would prefer to use cash or card but on a couple of occasions have been forced to use an app and suffer a surcharge. Another downside in a local Sainsbury’s is that you can claim your first hours charge back against your shopping but obviously you can’t when paying by app as you don’t get a ticket. So not only paying a surcharge you can’t reclaim it.

Robin9

Caught out when needing to use RingGo App for Street Parking -  a long process when having to start from scratch

subjecttocontract

I've never used an app for anything, wouldn't know how. I've never been to a car park that doesn't accept cash or card. Most of the time I don't have a mobile phone with me. I do so hate modern life where you are expected to use a phone for everything. Stop the planet id like to get off its turning into a madhouse !

Marty788

I do not have a smartphone so cannot use apps, there are now place that I cannot park due to apps only payment so we just do not go there.

Archie_Duke

I use JustPark a lot for my county council run car parks. It used to frustrate the hell out of me scrabbling for cash to pay for parking. I worked for a while for the National Trust on car parks where we were forever dealing with issues with people not being able to complete paying for a stay via the Paybyphone app that all NT car parks are contracted to. Our location had very poor mobile phone network, so no wonder really. No Wi-Fi either, as there was no mains power. People hated being asked to pay using the app, but it’s better for the organisation - no cash handling expense; no emptying machines etc. The Paybyphone telephone system is awful, the app is MUCH better.