1 October 2010

Ripped off in a carpark, who cares

| The Naddiks
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To : Airport Management
Cc: Canberra Times
Bcc : The RiotAct
Bccc: Unsuspecting BBP carpark users

Bcccc: anyone who will listen to a grumpy, upset whinning guy who is an Aussie battler trying to make the next payment on his over-priced house and gets ripped off on a daily basis.

This afternoon (Friday 1/10/10) at about 5pm, after a long arduous day at work in one of your semi-functional buildings at Brindabella Business Park, I was informed by one of your staff, a very ‘symapthetic’ bald gentleman that the weekly ticket I had paid $22:50 for on Tuesday (a nice little rise of another $2:50 per week by your airport group not so long ago – thankyou for that one) was not valid to exit the carpark with because I had, in a panic, taken a new ticket on entry to the carpark when I couldn’t find my weekly ticket and had a line-up of impatient motorists building behind me also attempting to gain access to your wonderful facility.

He (the bald carpark attendant) explained in a monotone voice that I would need to purchase a new ticket for $5:50 so I could get OUT of the carpark as those were the terms and conditions of entry….? I asked him where these terms and conditions were actually highlighted so unsuspecting suckers/motorists such as myself would be aware of such all-encompassing regulations and he simply stared at me with one of those ‘I’m not going to even attempt to explain that one’ sort of expressions that occur upon employees of the calibre who can only gain employment in carparks.

I therefore paid the additional $5:50 to get out because I couldn’t be bothered arguing with a bald robotic paraphrasing person and continued – no thanks to you – on my way home. However, realising that I had been forced into paying additional funds for my release from your facility, when, in truth, I had done nothing wrong started to weigh heavily upon my sense of fair play and common decency. In fact, by the time I actually got home, I was really infuriated by the whole ridiculous affair and decided to write this letter in the naive hope that you would;

    a) Warn other drivers that they would incur a $5:50 fine for not using their weekly ticket.

    b) Stop hiring people who so nicely advise you that they’ve got you by the balls and there’s nothing you can do about it.

    c) Have some common courtesy towards your paying customers if they make a silly mistake like forgetting where they’ve put they’re weekly ticket, then found it again AFTER gaining access to your carpark – why not do something basically humane, like, give them a break and finally, just to re-inforce this one a little…

    d) Stop hiring people who so nicely advise you that they’ve got you by the balls and there’s nothing you can do about it…..ooh – don’t get me wrong, he was very professional and courteous – in fact, I think you should probably fast track his career to … well, wherever you can get to as a car park thingy…

Regards

The battler

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Clearly this person only known as “NADDIKS” has only his self to blame!!!!! you lost the ticket not the BALD guy lol.
‘if i lost my car keys then called a lock smith to come open my car cut me a new key’ then turn around and say to him,,,, opps sorry mate ive found my keys,,,, do you think the lock smith would reply “thats ok mate i wont charge you for this service” i dont think so!!!!
Your the Dumb Ass that misplaced the ticket its your responsibility to pay for another evan though you say you found it later?????????? C’mon bud wake up to your self your obviously an OVER PAID UNDER WORKED PUBE!!
Pay the $5.50 mate and get on with your daily bludge as im quite sure all you do in your office is flick through your emails glued to facebook and trying to condor up some excuse to finish early everyday. im guessing also alot of your so called ‘WORK TIME’ has gone into wasting your employers money and time by posting lame comments when you should be doing actual WORK!
P.s not all PUBES are like you thank god 🙂

There are a few carparks in Canberra which will issue a ticket to a person on a bicycle (presumably only a steel framed one) so carpark operators should be on the lookout for people who drive in, get bike out of car, ride via pedestrian access out of carpark to nearby office, do a hard day’s work, ride back in thru the vehicle access, get ticket and use that ticket to pay for parking and get out. These sneaky freeloaders avoid carparks where there is CCTV in case there is ever an investigation into why more vehicles came in than went out. It is frustrating that people can so easily rort the system and thus raise costs and congestion for the rest of us.

Mike Bessenger5:54 pm 14 Oct 10

You’re not a real battler. A real battler would be riding a bike to work.

An aussie battler with a mortgage you can’t afford!

Was that meant to garner sympathy? Did you buy a house you couldn’t afford and are now thinking that $5 would save you from the stress of it all?

You got ripped off parking at an airport? That’s outrageous!!

Get on to a tabloid TV program immediately, they’ll pick it up. But make sure your face is blocked out and voice altered, you don’t want to end up in the hold of plane bound for dubbo or somewhere equally awful

vg said :

Yeah you should of taken it further to of avoided paying the 5.50. You had already payed the weekly price. Whoever owns that carpark is probably already making a KILLING and $5.50 times a few hundred people making that mistake adds up to a nice little free bonus.

Should HAVE
SHOULD HAVE

Christ almighty, is English a 2nd or 3rd language to some people

Yes.

creative_canberran2:42 pm 08 Oct 10

busgirl said :

creative_canberran said :

Wraith said :

So, does that mean if I trip over in my new pair of high heels and hurt my ankle that I can sue the shoe company for making shoes with heels so high that it’s unsafe to walk in them? …or is it my fault for just not being a bit more careful in my new shoes?

The height of the heel would be clear to you, so too the hazards that come with that so no, the company would not be liable unless a material defect (material that softens over time to create added instability perhaps) is present.

Temperature of a beverage in an insulated cup with a lid would not be evident. Therein lies the hazard.

Yeah you should of taken it further to of avoided paying the 5.50. You had already payed the weekly price. Whoever owns that carpark is probably already making a KILLING and $5.50 times a few hundred people making that mistake adds up to a nice little free bonus.

Should HAVE
SHOULD HAVE

Christ almighty, is English a 2nd or 3rd language to some people

troll-sniffer10:28 am 05 Oct 10

One thing that has not surfaced in any of these posts (that I could find anyway) is the likelihood that the attendant does not have any leeway in such situations. A lot of businesses such as carparks deliberately remove the ability to make value judgements from their employees, because in a lot of cases situations as presented by our friend Mr Naddicccccks are attempts to commit fraud.

Mr Naddiccccccks should have simply taken up the situation with the management of the carpark. It’s quite possible they had never considered this situation might occur and have not had cause to put a procedure in place to deal with it. Chances are they would have issued a credit or refund, looked at the problem, re-programmed the software or issued new procedures to the attendants. If after such an approach the management had said “suck it up princess that’s life”, Mr Nadicccccks would probably have been given a modicum of respect here, rather than the richly-deserved derision he has had to endure.

creative_canberran said :

Wraith said :

As for the hot cup of coffee, that’s a myth that she won simply because it was hot. If you read about the case, you would realise that the key point wasn’t hot or not, but how hot. Of course most coffee is hot, but most coffee is heated to only 45 to 65 degrees. McDonalds though found that most people who purchase their coffee would drink it elsewhere like when they get to work, so they were heating it to over 85 degrees. A normal coffee at 65 degrees won’t do much harm if you spill it on you. At 85 degrees though, that can do serious damage and is not typical for coffee. The excessive temperature is why she won and companies have now started putting that warning on as a result of that.

Should she have just been a bit more careful with her hot coffee?

So, does that mean if I trip over in my new pair of high heels and hurt my ankle that I can sue the shoe company for making shoes with heels so high that it’s unsafe to walk in them? …or is it my fault for just not being a bit more careful in my new shoes?

creative_canberran1:33 pm 04 Oct 10

Wraith said :

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses;

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

When has the church ever not being a business? How was the Chruch of yesteryear, dispensing remedies and going on crucades any different from big pharma and Halliburton? It’s always being a business, struggling for market share.

As for the hot cup of coffee, that’s a myth that she won simply because it was hot. If you read about the case, you would realise that the key point wasn’t hot or not, but how hot. Of course most coffee is hot, but most coffee is heated to only 45 to 65 degrees. McDonalds though found that most people who purchase their coffee would drink it elsewhere like when they get to work, so they were heating it to over 85 degrees. A normal coffee at 65 degrees won’t do much harm if you spill it on you. At 85 degrees though, that can do serious damage and is not typical for coffee. The excessive temperature is why she won and companies have now started putting that warning on as a result of that.

Gerry-Built said :

willy said :

I would hate to read the bullsh!t you would post if you got a speeding ticket.

this is a different situation to a Speeding Fine. This is ‘fee for service’, not a fine for stoopidity. The Naddiks had the ticket, just couldn’t produce it to validate it *on entry*, but had it on exit. Just ’cause the machine didn’t validate the card on entry, it couldn’t allow exit. Even taking in to account the conditions of entry (at least those published above), the ticket should have been accepted/acceptable. In addition, the management has the authority to overwrite the ‘authority’ of the machinery – and bloody well should have. Nobody reads those T&Cs, because they expect a “fair go” (this is parking cars FFS, not borrowing money from a bank). You know, “Parking cars – what else does one do in a carpark?”.

IMHO – The situation is far more akin to going into a coffee shop, buying a coffee, then remembering you had your *loyalty* card, and asking them to stamp the bugger. Most coffee shops would do that, because they know your a (at least semi-) regular… It’s called customer service… some people might remember that concept. It was quite clear that The Naddiks was a regular (as says the card in their possession). The pricks just know they have you by the short and curlies; ’cause where else are you gunna go at BOP/Snowtown?

I’ll bet not a single poster here has read the T&Cs posted at a carpark prior to entry (at least, not while waiting at the entry for the ticket to pop out) – because you all have the reasonable expectation that you’ll receive a fair go…

Fair call, however my point was more aimed at the $5.50 he had to shell out verse say $300+ for a speeding fine rather than the action that actually got you in that situation.

bogan_filth = self_proclaimed_battler + rants_about_inconsequentia + loves_his_cars;

I might add, I hat posting on my Ipod, pain in the arse for spelling/ grammer.

The Naddiks said :

KB1971 said :

Your right – I do love my car, I just can’t help it….Don’t Canberran motorists scare you guys on your pushies?

Nup, cos to get from Russell to the Airport I/he doesn’t have to ride on any roads other than to cross them.

Contrary to Riotact belief most ACT motorists are quite couteous on the roads, it is really only the minority that ignorant, arrogant pricks. The majority of that minority seem to post here…….

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years.

No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
– Knowing when to come in out of the rain;
– Why the early bird gets the worm
– Life isn’t always fair
– and maybe it was my fault..

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies

(don’t spend more than you can earn)

and reliable strategies

(adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but overbearing regulations were set in place –

Reports of a 6-year-old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate;

teens suspended from school for using mouthwash after lunch;

and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student, only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children.

It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer sun lotion or an aspirin to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.

Common Sense took a beating when you couldn’t defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live, after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death,

by his parents, Truth and Trust,

by his wife, Discretion,

by his daughter, Responsibility,

and by his son, Reason.

He is survived by his 4 stepbrothers;
I Know My Rights
I Want It Now
Someone Else Is To Blame
I’m A Victim

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone

If you still remember him, pass this on.If not, join the majority and do nothing. An Obituary printed in the New York Times-

willy said :

I would hate to read the bullsh!t you would post if you got a speeding ticket.

this is a different situation to a Speeding Fine. This is ‘fee for service’, not a fine for stoopidity. The Naddiks had the ticket, just couldn’t produce it to validate it *on entry*, but had it on exit. Just ’cause the machine didn’t validate the card on entry, it couldn’t allow exit. Even taking in to account the conditions of entry (at least those published above), the ticket should have been accepted/acceptable. In addition, the management has the authority to overwrite the ‘authority’ of the machinery – and bloody well should have. Nobody reads those T&Cs, because they expect a “fair go” (this is parking cars FFS, not borrowing money from a bank). You know, “Parking cars – what else does one do in a carpark?”.

IMHO – The situation is far more akin to going into a coffee shop, buying a coffee, then remembering you had your *loyalty* card, and asking them to stamp the bugger. Most coffee shops would do that, because they know your a (at least semi-) regular… It’s called customer service… some people might remember that concept. It was quite clear that The Naddiks was a regular (as says the card in their possession). The pricks just know they have you by the short and curlies; ’cause where else are you gunna go at BOP/Snowtown?

I’ll bet not a single poster here has read the T&Cs posted at a carpark prior to entry (at least, not while waiting at the entry for the ticket to pop out) – because you all have the reasonable expectation that you’ll receive a fair go…

Well, I suppose this thread is now truly dead. It was an interesting weekend and chat with a wide range of very interesting people, some of you got quite emotional, just like I did on Friday and it was all over nothing really….yes – it’s all my fault! I suppose I got what I deserved, some good and some not so good feedback. Yes I admit, on the surface it all looked pathetic and a total waste of time(‘just another Latte’), and, in hindsight, I have to say I was wrong to have had a go at the parking attendant – for that, I do apologise, he was just doing his job. Some of you told me I was stupid, small minded, a princess, pathetic and non-cognisant(shite that word makes me laugh)… but some of you also told me I was right, that we shouldn’t get ripped off and just take it up the kazoo no matter what the $$$s, as it’s about principle.
What I did truly learn is that there will always be people who just accept another slap on the face, especially if it comes from a big corporation and think it is ok, there are even some who like to laugh at the person who cops it. But on the brighter side, there are many who will stand up for their rights and who support others who have been punched yet again, good on you and before this becomes a presential speach I would say to each and every one of you: If it’s a Friday and somebody seems to be trying to ruin your day, just take it on the chin and smile…….no – BUGGER that!

Dude, I cant believe you have just spent the whole weekend on this site championing your crusade. If a $5.50 ticket gets you this worked up I would hate to read the bullsh!t you would post if you got a speeding ticket.

I suppose you were after a barrage of I’ve been ripped off too hi-fives to make the world right again and when they did not come as hard and as fast as you would have liked, you kept going like a true little battler.

“you don’t happen to work in a carpark and have no hair ….?”

I don’t know, but you type on the internet and have no brain so call yourselves square

grunge_hippy said :

the fact that you felt the need to reply to nearly everyone who disagreed with you show how much of a whingy miser you really are.

While I agree, the parking attendant could have shown some sympathy, he was doing his job. A job I’m sure he is THRILLED with as a career choice. He probably puts up with 100’s of people like you on a weekly basis who try and get out of paying somehow. You may have had a valid claim, but how many people don’t? Would he lose his job by letting the odd one slide now and then? Who knows.

You put your rant on here, expect to get torn apart. Especially when it is as facetious as this.

you don’t happen to work in a carpark and have no hair ….?

Gerry-Built said :

beautiful piece of writing…

I think you are quite right to be a little agitated about the situation. You had the correct ticket when you wanted to leave, but because the machine didn’t validate it in the AM, they made you pay for a day of parking – that’s bloody rotten. Surely their machines are not beyond working this one out – even if the staff (obviously) are. Where’d the customer service go? A lot more than $5.50 damage has just been done to Brindabella Office Park on this site – a bit of customer service would have avoided it…

Interesting to see if terms and conditions are made more readily available as a result… although it is unlikely anyone will ever read them before entry (so situation ‘normal’).

Thanks mate – we’re on the same wavelength – service is important, not big corporations with hidden rules/contract and agendas…I can’t wait to get outta that place !

I-filed said :

Naddiks you should have written a nice letter to management asking them for a refund of the $5.50 under the circumstances. I’m sure they would have done so in keeping with standard customer care. Your classist rant at and insult for the poor parking attendant I’m afraid makes you “in the wrong” rather than “wronged” no matter what the ins and outs of the problem.

classism? wronged? Yes, I take your point, but I’ve been a brickies labourer and an office worker, and it never stopped me from giving another person a break if they admitted to a simple mistake. Yes it was a rant on my behalf, but I feel a whole lot better now :]

Anna Key said :

The Naddiks said :

gtim108 said :

CONDITIONS OF ENTRY & LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY

http://www.brindabellabusinesspark.com.au/bbp-toandfrom/images/BBP_termsweb.pdf

2. Entry to this car park is only available via:
(a) a casual ticket received prior to entry;
(b) a pre-paid ticket; or
(c) a pass card issued to you by Canberra Airport.

3. Any exit without a valid and paid ticket or pass card may result in additional parking and administration fees being levied against you.

10. You agree to:
(a) produce and display when requested by us, your valid parking ticket or pass card as proof of payment of the parking fee;
(b) not to cause any obstruction;
(c) not to park anywhere that we designate as a no parking area; and
(d) not to use this car park other than in accordance with instructions that an authorised officer may give.

Wow: notice the quote you gave was via an internet url – I didn’t have my laptop on me at the time of entry and read these terms and conditions – nor was this on the back of my ticket – so thanks for proving my point

Wouldn’t producing the weekly parking ticket satisfy clause 10. It doesn’t say it has to be the same ticket

I thought the same thing. I can’t see anything in that quote that prohibits him from using his weekly ticket to exit the carpark.

Yebbut Skid, he’s a self-proclaimed ‘battler’, so it couldn’t possibly be anyone’s fault except…someone else. Perspective be damned.

And ’cause he’s a ‘battler’ that also makes insulting the parking guy and his occupation totally OK.

respective?
Perspective.

The Naddiks said :

gtim108 said :

CONDITIONS OF ENTRY & LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY

http://www.brindabellabusinesspark.com.au/bbp-toandfrom/images/BBP_termsweb.pdf

2. Entry to this car park is only available via:
(a) a casual ticket received prior to entry;
(b) a pre-paid ticket; or
(c) a pass card issued to you by Canberra Airport.

3. Any exit without a valid and paid ticket or pass card may result in additional parking and administration fees being levied against you.

10. You agree to:
(a) produce and display when requested by us, your valid parking ticket or pass card as proof of payment of the parking fee;
(b) not to cause any obstruction;
(c) not to park anywhere that we designate as a no parking area; and
(d) not to use this car park other than in accordance with instructions that an authorised officer may give.

Wow: notice the quote you gave was via an internet url – I didn’t have my laptop on me at the time of entry and read these terms and conditions – nor was this on the back of my ticket – so thanks for proving my point

Wouldn’t producing the weekly parking ticket satisfy clause 10. It doesn’t say it has to be the same ticket

But thanks for the High Court reference. Is this the same scenario as the government IT systems that tell you not to log on unless you agree to the IT security policy, which can be found on the intranet?

The Naddiks said :

I didn’t have my laptop on me at the time of entry and read these terms and conditions – nor was this on the back of my ticket – so thanks for proving my point

Its a direct copy of the wall of text you drove past without reading.
Remember the big white sign, next to the entry of every private car park, and also next to the ticket machines?
Think of it as being similar to the software End User License Agreement that everybody skips through but nobody reads.

You don’t like the contract, you can either not agree to it, or find the escape clauses and exercise them.

PS: “I once paid extra money to park my own car, conveniently close to my upper-middle class workplace, next to an airport, which is only 30 minutes from my own home” is very much a first world problem, and a trivial one at that.
Maybe you could just take a deep breath, relax a bit, and get some respective?

Naddiks you should have written a nice letter to management asking them for a refund of the $5.50 under the circumstances. I’m sure they would have done so in keeping with standard customer care. Your classist rant at and insult for the poor parking attendant I’m afraid makes you “in the wrong” rather than “wronged” no matter what the ins and outs of the problem.

KB1971 said :

Rather pay for Mr Snow to get more rich & stop you from gettin “ripped off” you could ride your pushy to work.

If that is past you ability, park at Russell or Campbell for free & ride to Snowtown.

You & your body will feel better for it. Before you say “oh I can’t do that because…..blah, blah” really think about it, thousands of other people like myself do it every day all over the country, even the Premier of NSW does it.

I refuse to pay for parking at Snowtow since they stopped people doing pick ups at the terminal, I use the in & put in a few minutes I stead.

People really are married to their cars….

Your right – I do love my car, I just can’t help it….Don’t Canberran motorists scare you guys on your pushies?

Mulberry said :

Woody Mann-Caruso said :

You can live in this world:

“Sorry mate, couldn’t find my pass this morning. Here it is.”
“Oh. I see you’ve paid for parking for the week. These things happen. Enjoy your evening.”
“Thanks mate, see you next week.”

Or you can live in the world of the sad little f*ckers posting here tonight – small minds with small ideas just perfect for a career in a small booth pushing small buttons. That goes triple for you, arescarti42, you special, special waste of oxygen. Quick, run home and tell all your friends you pointed out a typo on the internet.

…Oh. Well, you know you’re awesome, and that’s what counts. I bet we all think twice about posting online now that we know you’re watching.

Brilliant post!!
Paid parking sucks – but there is nothing much any of us can do about that! But to have paid for parking and then have made such a small human error such as misplacing your ticket and then having someone who has absolutley no empathy – no sence of humanity, what a load of BS! I’d be whinging too!! Paid parking is a frigging joke – and alot of us struggle to afford such “small” things believe it or not!! What ever happened to a bit of understanding between people!!

Obviousley the car-park employee who was “doing his job” was just over it or case-hardened and thats what sucks, he’s probably been ripped off that many times that he doesnt give a stuff when someone genuine is apon him….

who’s to blame? IMO our stupid greedy government!

Good on you – yes I have to agree the carparking attendant probably hates his job and me even more, paid parking in Sydney is getting cheaper than paid parking in Canberra – The Bush Capital, it is a joke. Again, this was more to do with getting trapped into a situation where you feel like you just got ripped, doesn’t matter for $1 or for $1000, I think it was icing on the cake for the week… better week coming up now that I am ‘cognisant with how a contract works’ :]

troll-sniffer said :

Hmmmm. Even at the minimum wage Naddicks series of replies must have well and truly used up $5.50 of his time, and I suspect there’ll be even more to come.

I suspect Mr Naddicks will be a little more cognisant of the need to keep track of said parking ticket in future.

If Mr Naddickws was truly a battler he’d be cycling to Brindabella, so as far as I’m concerned his whole story has no credibility anyway.

cyclists are the tru enemy of all Canberrans on the road, and that’s Naddiks without the c

ConanOfCooma said :

FFS Naddiks, combine your replies…

Conan is still one of my all time heroes. Sorry, I’m just some incompetent, idiot, wanker according to the at least a third of the participants here – I will have to learn about combining my replies…

BigDave said :

Isn’t it totally hilarious and typical of today’s society when, like in this case, the OP is the one in the wrong but wants to blame everyone else but themselves! They’ve even got the audacity to think that they should be done a favour! WTF?
SUCK IT UP IDIOT!

are you hitting on me ?

gtim108 said :

CONDITIONS OF ENTRY & LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY

http://www.brindabellabusinesspark.com.au/bbp-toandfrom/images/BBP_termsweb.pdf

2. Entry to this car park is only available via:
(a) a casual ticket received prior to entry;
(b) a pre-paid ticket; or
(c) a pass card issued to you by Canberra Airport.

3. Any exit without a valid and paid ticket or pass card may result in additional parking and administration fees being levied against you.

10. You agree to:
(a) produce and display when requested by us, your valid parking ticket or pass card as proof of payment of the parking fee;
(b) not to cause any obstruction;
(c) not to park anywhere that we designate as a no parking area; and
(d) not to use this car park other than in accordance with instructions that an authorised officer may give.

Wow: notice the quote you gave was via an internet url – I didn’t have my laptop on me at the time of entry and read these terms and conditions – nor was this on the back of my ticket – so thanks for proving my point

astrojax said :

can we have a prize for most posts to one’s own story? naddicks totally rocks on this!

while i agree, the man with the big corporate pockets is someone to fight and loathe, mebbe, but $5.50 is a relatively cheap lesson in ensuring you know where your towel is, hoopy frood.

still, eight post nutbag is surely a record?

HeHe – you caught me – let’s go for the ton!

creative_canberran said :

The Naddiks said :

ok – I understand what you are saying, but let me invite you over to my place for a beer ok…. but there just might be a binding contract for conditions of entry stuck to the inside of my front door in clear view of anyone exiting – it will state that I have the right to reach into your pocket, pull out your wallet and take whatever I see fit for your having enjoyed my company – I’m certain you will be ok with this having read your diatribe, VB ok with you? (ps – nobody ‘PUT’ a contract infront of me – for such an intelligent person you really are pre-programmed aren’t you?)

You don’t seem to be cognisant of how contract works in even the most basic sense.
Inviting someone to your home is not going to create a contract unless you do something to create an agreement, such as handing them a ticket stating T&C apply, in which case they would have the opportunity to opt out. even if they don’t, any terms you create could not be unlawful or unreasonable, such as theft from someone.
Furthermore, you owe someone entering your property certain protections under Torts to protect them from harm, which again is something which applies whenever we go anywhere and is not something we think about. But if we spill a drink and someone slips on it at the shops because the centre didn’t clean it up, that is why we can get compensation.

With regards to knowledge of the conditions, the law does not require you be aware of the conditions for them to be binding on you.
Indeed this would be impossible given that for all the express conditions the carpark could list, there are implied terms from legislation such as the Trade Practices Act which may apply as well even if not listed in the carpark’s T&C.

Your comment about being “pre-programmed” indicates that you have no respect for almost two centuries of contract law or really society itself. Rather, it’s all about looking out for number one.

cognisant ? I was just about to call you that

BerraBoy68 said :

Naddiks,

We’re nt all brainwashed, we just accept how society works and do our best to fit in. Please spend some time googling what a contract is and how it can and cannot be enacted in law. Then you may realise that your expectations of society and its processes are a tad too high. No-one ever said life was fair or that you should actually ever get what you feel you deserve. But then again, just a little bit of information can gie you something to act on and ensure you aren’t ever again left with the feeling you’re being robbed on a daily basis.

Here’s a general tip, any time you have to pay somewhere to get in, there will be terms and conditions attached. You can either accept this or choose not to pay. You can even make a counter offer of a lower price, which the people who own the venue may or may not accept.

From what you’re saying you’re doing it tough and I can understand the frustration of loosing cash you may not be able to afford, but you still have a responsibility to understand your own rights. If there’s any ‘corporate trickery’ going on its that the big end of town know play on the fact that people simply don’t understand the law. Once you have this knowledge, however, you’ll have it all over them. Sorry but trite examples won’t win your case for you. If you seriously believe you have an issue with the owners of the carpark, then please take it further. That’s how laws get changed!

Mate – it simply doesn’t work this way, most of the time, when your caught in a situation, do you sit back and begin to negotiate the in’s and out’s of the contract you did or did not agree to enter into – no.
You are right about standing u for your rights though and I have beaten ACER by going thru Fair Trades and finally the threat of court action because they were in breach of statuatory warranty. Understanding contracts is NOT how the average person should have to lead their life…being ready to argue the validity of the legal rights of the consumer was the last thing on my mind last Friday afternoon when all I wanted to do was get home…

Rather pay for Mr Snow to get more rich & stop you from gettin “ripped off” you could ride your pushy to work.

If that is past you ability, park at Russell or Campbell for free & ride to Snowtown.

You & your body will feel better for it. Before you say “oh I can’t do that because…..blah, blah” really think about it, thousands of other people like myself do it every day all over the country, even the Premier of NSW does it.

I refuse to pay for parking at Snowtow since they stopped people doing pick ups at the terminal, I use the in & put in a few minutes I stead.

People really are married to their cars….

beautiful piece of writing…

I think you are quite right to be a little agitated about the situation. You had the correct ticket when you wanted to leave, but because the machine didn’t validate it in the AM, they made you pay for a day of parking – that’s bloody rotten. Surely their machines are not beyond working this one out – even if the staff (obviously) are. Where’d the customer service go? A lot more than $5.50 damage has just been done to Brindabella Office Park on this site – a bit of customer service would have avoided it…

Interesting to see if terms and conditions are made more readily available as a result… although it is unlikely anyone will ever read them before entry (so situation ‘normal’).

Ian said :

I’m with #14 WMC on this one. It wouldn’t have hurt the carpark guy to use a bit of commonsense in the interests of looking after a customer.

Clearly many posters work in those government departments where strict adherence to rules is valued more highly than results.

results – respect and decency (as an ex public servant of many yrs, I feel I have the right to admit this!!)

Woody Mann-Caruso said :

You can live in this world:

“Sorry mate, couldn’t find my pass this morning. Here it is.”
“Oh. I see you’ve paid for parking for the week. These things happen. Enjoy your evening.”
“Thanks mate, see you next week.”

Or you can live in the world of the sad little f*ckers posting here tonight – small minds with small ideas just perfect for a career in a small booth pushing small buttons. That goes triple for you, arescarti42, you special, special waste of oxygen. Quick, run home and tell all your friends you pointed out a typo on the internet.

…Oh. Well, you know you’re awesome, and that’s what counts. I bet we all think twice about posting online now that we know you’re watching.

Brilliant post!!
Paid parking sucks – but there is nothing much any of us can do about that! But to have paid for parking and then have made such a small human error such as misplacing your ticket and then having someone who has absolutley no empathy – no sence of humanity, what a load of BS! I’d be whinging too!! Paid parking is a frigging joke – and alot of us struggle to afford such “small” things believe it or not!! What ever happened to a bit of understanding between people!!

Obviousley the car-park employee who was “doing his job” was just over it or case-hardened and thats what sucks, he’s probably been ripped off that many times that he doesnt give a stuff when someone genuine is apon him….

who’s to blame? IMO our stupid greedy government!

troll-sniffer12:17 am 03 Oct 10

Hmmmm. Even at the minimum wage Naddicks series of replies must have well and truly used up $5.50 of his time, and I suspect there’ll be even more to come.

I suspect Mr Naddicks will be a little more cognisant of the need to keep track of said parking ticket in future.

If Mr Naddickws was truly a battler he’d be cycling to Brindabella, so as far as I’m concerned his whole story has no credibility anyway.

Isn’t it totally hilarious and typical of today’s society when, like in this case, the OP is the one in the wrong but wants to blame everyone else but themselves! They’ve even got the audacity to think that they should be done a favour! WTF?
SUCK IT UP IDIOT!

ConanOfCooma8:37 pm 02 Oct 10

FFS Naddiks, combine your replies…

Naddiks – i feel your pain. Like WMC pointed out I think it would have been pretty reasonable to accept that you’d already paid.
I’m not saying this was good behavior but I once had a situation in a Sydney carpark (2 hours free) where I put my ticket in the centre console of the dash. Sadly the ticket slipped between two panels and was lodged somewhere behind my dashboard. When exiting after 30 mins they wanted to charge me for a lost ticket (full day) to which my response was its not lost its just behind my dash and I’d rather not disassemble it but was willing to if they insisted. The queue of cars behind me helped them not be so concerned.
They (like brindabella) would probably have been in their rights, but would not be in their right mind to enforce them. Thankfully they extended some grace to me which I thought pretty reasonable.

creative_canberran8:03 pm 02 Oct 10

The Naddiks said :

ok – I understand what you are saying, but let me invite you over to my place for a beer ok…. but there just might be a binding contract for conditions of entry stuck to the inside of my front door in clear view of anyone exiting – it will state that I have the right to reach into your pocket, pull out your wallet and take whatever I see fit for your having enjoyed my company – I’m certain you will be ok with this having read your diatribe, VB ok with you? (ps – nobody ‘PUT’ a contract infront of me – for such an intelligent person you really are pre-programmed aren’t you?)

You don’t seem to be cognisant of how contract works in even the most basic sense.
Inviting someone to your home is not going to create a contract unless you do something to create an agreement, such as handing them a ticket stating T&C apply, in which case they would have the opportunity to opt out. even if they don’t, any terms you create could not be unlawful or unreasonable, such as theft from someone.
Furthermore, you owe someone entering your property certain protections under Torts to protect them from harm, which again is something which applies whenever we go anywhere and is not something we think about. But if we spill a drink and someone slips on it at the shops because the centre didn’t clean it up, that is why we can get compensation.

With regards to knowledge of the conditions, the law does not require you be aware of the conditions for them to be binding on you.
Indeed this would be impossible given that for all the express conditions the carpark could list, there are implied terms from legislation such as the Trade Practices Act which may apply as well even if not listed in the carpark’s T&C.

Your comment about being “pre-programmed” indicates that you have no respect for almost two centuries of contract law or really society itself. Rather, it’s all about looking out for number one.

CONDITIONS OF ENTRY & LIMITATIONS OF LIABILITY

http://www.brindabellabusinesspark.com.au/bbp-toandfrom/images/BBP_termsweb.pdf

2. Entry to this car park is only available via:
(a) a casual ticket received prior to entry;
(b) a pre-paid ticket; or
(c) a pass card issued to you by Canberra Airport.

3. Any exit without a valid and paid ticket or pass card may result in additional parking and administration fees being levied against you.

10. You agree to:
(a) produce and display when requested by us, your valid parking ticket or pass card as proof of payment of the parking fee;
(b) not to cause any obstruction;
(c) not to park anywhere that we designate as a no parking area; and
(d) not to use this car park other than in accordance with instructions that an authorised officer may give.

creative_canberran said :

Actually, High Court precedent regarding automated parking stations allows someone to take the ticket and leave immediately if they do not choose to accept the terms of the parking station. This is because unlike situations where a ticket is manually dispatched, there is no opportunity to reject the ticket where it is automated. The law recognises this and allows you to leave without penalty so long as it is without delay.

And this is how one can pick up people from Canberra airport without having to pay the mandatory parking fee that has been imposed due to their security restrictions banning curbside pickups.

can we have a prize for most posts to one’s own story? naddicks totally rocks on this!

while i agree, the man with the big corporate pockets is someone to fight and loathe, mebbe, but $5.50 is a relatively cheap lesson in ensuring you know where your towel is, hoopy frood.

still, eight post nutbag is surely a record?

Naddiks,

We’re nt all brainwashed, we just accept how society works and do our best to fit in. Please spend some time googling what a contract is and how it can and cannot be enacted in law. Then you may realise that your expectations of society and its processes are a tad too high. No-one ever said life was fair or that you should actually ever get what you feel you deserve. But then again, just a little bit of information can gie you something to act on and ensure you aren’t ever again left with the feeling you’re being robbed on a daily basis. Here’s a general tip, any time you have to pay somewhere to get in, there will be terms and conditions attached. You can either accept this or choose not to pay. You can even make a counter offer of a lower price, which the people who own the venue may or may not accept. From what you’re saying you’re doing it tough and I can understand the frustration of loosing cash you may not be able to afford, but you still have a responsibility to understand your own rights. If there’s any ‘corporate trickery’ going on its that the big end of town know play on the fact that people simply don’t understand the law. Once you have this knowledge, however, you’ll have it all over them. Sorry but trite examples won’t win your case for you. If you seriously believe you have an issue with the owners of the carpark, then please take it further. That’s how laws get changed!

BerraBoy68 said :

The Naddiks said :

BerraBoy68 said :

Interesting thread.

Sad as it is, tt seems to me that you entered into a contract with the carpark’s owners and they enforced their rights under the contract. I’m not saying the attendant couldn’t have been more understanding, it does sound like he could have been, but the point is people generally aren’t getting ripped off by big corporations as you sem to beleive.

What is actually happening is that people simply fail to understand that they enter multiple contracts with big corporations on a daily basis. The onus to understand the Terms and Conditions of these contracts falls on both parties. However, when people don’t understand they’ve entered a contract they feel hard done by when things don’t work out as they intended, whereas the big corporations know their stuff and are simply enforcing their legal rights. Not everyone can be a lawyer and understand this stuff (I’m no lawyer but I do work in the contracting world and always read the small print) but it’s an ever increasing fact of life. Lesson is, if you read the small print in future you may be able to argue your way out of these things with a fact-based argument rather than emotion (as hard as that is to do at the time).

Good luck!

and your ok with these daily enforced laws/contracts – do you read the small print (if it is visible anywhere) which alludes to more small print which then points to a three page contract every time you enter and leave a carpark? P L E A S E….

but I do take your point and that is precisely my point – where are our rights ending up.. $2 atm fees, intentionally miscalculated bank fees, rip-off carparks especially in places where they have a ‘captive audience’… but thanks for the tread :]

In most cases, it’s just life. Every time you buy something at the shops, e.g. including newspaper, chewing gum, etc. you enter a contract. Am I OK with this? I certainly am, it’s life in the 21st century. If you’re not OK with it then you are in serious trouble as a life full of major disappointment awaits you. Do you seriously think Banks and other big corporations sit around thinking of ways to rip us off with scams every time we choose to spend our money? I don’t. If you do, then your simple complaint about a specific car-parking issue has now escalated to the point where you’re starting to sound like a ‘conspiracy theorist’, and good luck with that.

As for right’s you have loads of them, in fact probably more than the big corporations. What you might like to do is research them,I think you’d feel reassured that you can make choices. For example, you can choose not to enter any contract someone puts in front of you, you could stop using car parks, grow your own food, keep your money under the mattress, etc. You can be an informed customer or remain uninformed and keep feeling as if you are being ripped off, the choice is actually yours.

Oh, and while I do read the small print when entering an important contract (house, car, phone bills, internet, etc.) I don’t always read it when entering a car park, buying food etc, but if something goes wrong with this I know enough about my rights to know what action I can and can’t take. Seriously, if you’re a battler, and I have no reason to think you’re not, see someone about getting legal aid and seek redress. In fact, get in touch with A Current Affair, they love helping people take on the big corporations.

ok – I understand what you are saying, but let me invite you over to my place for a beer ok…. but there just might be a binding contract for conditions of entry stuck to the inside of my front door in clear view of anyone exiting – it will state that I have the right to reach into your pocket, pull out your wallet and take whatever I see fit for your having enjoyed my company – I’m certain you will be ok with this having read your diatribe, VB ok with you? (ps – nobody ‘PUT’ a contract infront of me – for such an intelligent person you really are pre-programmed aren’t you?)

Freddyp said :

The Naddiks said :

Freddyp said :

I’m sympathetic to any poor bastard who has to work at the abomination that is Snowtown but, in this case, you forgot your ticket and you paid the price. Stiff.

misplaced my ticket Freddy, explainned it Freddy, then got stiffed Freddy – but thanks for the sympathetic comment…

You’re right – I apologise.

At least they should have offered you a refund if you presented your misplaced ticket.

it’s cool Freddy – we’re all in this at some stage – just beware entering into a binding contract when you enter a seemingly innocent and simplistic place such as a carpark :]

The Naddiks said :

BerraBoy68 said :

Interesting thread.

Sad as it is, tt seems to me that you entered into a contract with the carpark’s owners and they enforced their rights under the contract. I’m not saying the attendant couldn’t have been more understanding, it does sound like he could have been, but the point is people generally aren’t getting ripped off by big corporations as you sem to beleive.

What is actually happening is that people simply fail to understand that they enter multiple contracts with big corporations on a daily basis. The onus to understand the Terms and Conditions of these contracts falls on both parties. However, when people don’t understand they’ve entered a contract they feel hard done by when things don’t work out as they intended, whereas the big corporations know their stuff and are simply enforcing their legal rights. Not everyone can be a lawyer and understand this stuff (I’m no lawyer but I do work in the contracting world and always read the small print) but it’s an ever increasing fact of life. Lesson is, if you read the small print in future you may be able to argue your way out of these things with a fact-based argument rather than emotion (as hard as that is to do at the time).

Good luck!

and your ok with these daily enforced laws/contracts – do you read the small print (if it is visible anywhere) which alludes to more small print which then points to a three page contract every time you enter and leave a carpark? P L E A S E….

but I do take your point and that is precisely my point – where are our rights ending up.. $2 atm fees, intentionally miscalculated bank fees, rip-off carparks especially in places where they have a ‘captive audience’… but thanks for the tread :]

In most cases, it’s just life. Every time you buy something at the shops, e.g. including newspaper, chewing gum, etc. you enter a contract. Am I OK with this? I certainly am, it’s life in the 21st century. If you’re not OK with it then you are in serious trouble as a life full of major disappointment awaits you. Do you seriously think Banks and other big corporations sit around thinking of ways to rip us off with scams every time we choose to spend our money? I don’t. If you do, then your simple complaint about a specific car-parking issue has now escalated to the point where you’re starting to sound like a ‘conspiracy theorist’, and good luck with that.

As for right’s you have loads of them, in fact probably more than the big corporations. What you might like to do is research them,I think you’d feel reassured that you can make choices. For example, you can choose not to enter any contract someone puts in front of you, you could stop using car parks, grow your own food, keep your money under the mattress, etc. You can be an informed customer or remain uninformed and keep feeling as if you are being ripped off, the choice is actually yours.

Oh, and while I do read the small print when entering an important contract (house, car, phone bills, internet, etc.) I don’t always read it when entering a car park, buying food etc, but if something goes wrong with this I know enough about my rights to know what action I can and can’t take. Seriously, if you’re a battler, and I have no reason to think you’re not, see someone about getting legal aid and seek redress. In fact, get in touch with A Current Affair, they love helping people take on the big corporations.

creative_canberran3:20 pm 02 Oct 10

I couldn’t remember the case name but the original poster’s predicament did remind me of a case:

Balmain New Ferry Co Ltd v Robertson (1906) 4 CLR 379

grumpyrhonda said :

arescarti42 said :

c)

Have some common courtesy towards your paying customers if they make a silly mistake like forgetting where they’ve put they’re weekly ticket, then found it again AFTER gaining access to your carpark

First thing, my apologies but I couldn’t let this one go. The word you are looking for is “their”, not “they’re”.

Second thing, if you’re working at Brindabella Business Park and are NOT the car park guy, then I can almost guarantee you are not a “battler”.

The people who genuinely do it tough in this city (and Australia in general) are a tiny fraction of the population. The people who get all the media attention are self proclaimed battlers, who are actually middle class white collar employees making above average income, but insist on living above their means and view expensive homes and consumer goods as necessities rather than luxuries.

Granted, I know very little of your situation, I could be very wrong, but I suspect that if the most pressing thing you can find to bitch about in your life is having to pay an additional $5.50 in the car park, then your situation can’t be that bad.

Okay, I know this guy and I can well and trul assure you, he IS a battler. Many circumstances not of his own doing have made life very tough for him in the last few years. All the lousy comments about sucking is up princess, etc are a bit harsh.

Even if I didn’t know the guy, I still would be pissed off at having to pay to get OUT of the car park.

AMEN !

BerraBoy68 said :

Interesting thread.

Sad as it is, tt seems to me that you entered into a contract with the carpark’s owners and they enforced their rights under the contract. I’m not saying the attendant couldn’t have been more understanding, it does sound like he could have been, but the point is people generally aren’t getting ripped off by big corporations as you sem to beleive.

What is actually happening is that people simply fail to understand that they enter multiple contracts with big corporations on a daily basis. The onus to understand the Terms and Conditions of these contracts falls on both parties. However, when people don’t understand they’ve entered a contract they feel hard done by when things don’t work out as they intended, whereas the big corporations know their stuff and are simply enforcing their legal rights. Not everyone can be a lawyer and understand this stuff (I’m no lawyer but I do work in the contracting world and always read the small print) but it’s an ever increasing fact of life. Lesson is, if you read the small print in future you may be able to argue your way out of these things with a fact-based argument rather than emotion (as hard as that is to do at the time).

Good luck!

and your ok with these daily enforced laws/contracts – do you read the small print (if it is visible anywhere) which alludes to more small print which then points to a three page contract every time you enter and leave a carpark? P L E A S E…. but I do take your point and that is precisely my point – where are our rights ending up.. $2 atm fees, intentionally miscalculated bank fees, rip-off carparks especially in places where they have a ‘captive audience’… but thanks for the tread :]

grunge_hippy1:34 pm 02 Oct 10

the fact that you felt the need to reply to nearly everyone who disagreed with you show how much of a whingy miser you really are.

While I agree, the parking attendant could have shown some sympathy, he was doing his job. A job I’m sure he is THRILLED with as a career choice. He probably puts up with 100’s of people like you on a weekly basis who try and get out of paying somehow. You may have had a valid claim, but how many people don’t? Would he lose his job by letting the odd one slide now and then? Who knows.

You put your rant on here, expect to get torn apart. Especially when it is as facetious as this.

The Naddiks said :

Freddyp said :

I’m sympathetic to any poor bastard who has to work at the abomination that is Snowtown but, in this case, you forgot your ticket and you paid the price. Stiff.

misplaced my ticket Freddy, explainned it Freddy, then got stiffed Freddy – but thanks for the sympathetic comment…

You’re right – I apologise.

At least they should have offered you a refund if you presented your misplaced ticket.

Interesting thread.

Sad as it is, tt seems to me that you entered into a contract with the carpark’s owners and they enforced their rights under the contract. I’m not saying the attendant couldn’t have been more understanding, it does sound like he could have been, but the point is people generally aren’t getting ripped off by big corporations as you sem to beleive.

What is actually happening is that people simply fail to understand that they enter multiple contracts with big corporations on a daily basis. The onus to understand the Terms and Conditions of these contracts falls on both parties. However, when people don’t understand they’ve entered a contract they feel hard done by when things don’t work out as they intended, whereas the big corporations know their stuff and are simply enforcing their legal rights. Not everyone can be a lawyer and understand this stuff (I’m no lawyer but I do work in the contracting world and always read the small print) but it’s an ever increasing fact of life. Lesson is, if you read the small print in future you may be able to argue your way out of these things with a fact-based argument rather than emotion (as hard as that is to do at the time).

Good luck!

creative_canberran11:03 am 02 Oct 10

The Naddiks said :

they may be in they’re rights, but it’s your right to know they’re in they’re rights…right? This isn’t displayed anywhere.

Further to this point, where you do not examine the terms and conditions, the law does require that the conditions are not excessively detrimental to you. So the T&C can’t be a free for all for the parking station. If they charge you such a fee which you didn’t know about because you didn’t examine the conditions, you could challenge it as being unreasonably detrimental. I don’t think any right minded person though would deem $20 unreasonably detrimental though.

grumpyrhonda10:52 am 02 Oct 10

arescarti42 said :

c)

Have some common courtesy towards your paying customers if they make a silly mistake like forgetting where they’ve put they’re weekly ticket, then found it again AFTER gaining access to your carpark

First thing, my apologies but I couldn’t let this one go. The word you are looking for is “their”, not “they’re”.

Second thing, if you’re working at Brindabella Business Park and are NOT the car park guy, then I can almost guarantee you are not a “battler”.

The people who genuinely do it tough in this city (and Australia in general) are a tiny fraction of the population. The people who get all the media attention are self proclaimed battlers, who are actually middle class white collar employees making above average income, but insist on living above their means and view expensive homes and consumer goods as necessities rather than luxuries.

Granted, I know very little of your situation, I could be very wrong, but I suspect that if the most pressing thing you can find to bitch about in your life is having to pay an additional $5.50 in the car park, then your situation can’t be that bad.

Okay, I know this guy and I can well and trul assure you, he IS a battler. Many circumstances not of his own doing have made life very tough for him in the last few years. All the lousy comments about sucking is up princess, etc are a bit harsh.

Even if I didn’t know the guy, I still would be pissed off at having to pay to get OUT of the car park.

H1NG0 said :

I’m confused, lets make this clear. The guy was bald right?

God I wish we could rate comments. Gold.

creative_canberran10:41 am 02 Oct 10

Anna Key said :

Next time you park, stop at the boom gate on the way in, get out of your car and carefully read the terms and conditions. Press the intercom thingy and tell them you don’t agree and therefore do not wish to enter, but there are now 5 cars banked up behind so you can’t reverse out either.

Actually, High Court precedent regarding automated parking stations allows someone to take the ticket and leave immediately if they do not choose to accept the terms of the parking station. This is because unlike situations where a ticket is manually dispatched, there is no opportunity to reject the ticket where it is automated. The law recognises this and allows you to leave without penalty so long as it is without delay.

The Naddiks said :

they may be in they’re rights, but it’s your right to know they’re in they’re rights…right? This isn’t displayed anywhere.

Actually, that is a common mistake. The carpark need only inform you that there are terms and conditions associated with parking there. You are not required to know what those rights are for them to be binding on you. So long as the carpark has drawn your attention to their existence via a notice on the ticket, their duty to you is complete. You do indeed have a right to know what those terms and conditions are, but should you choose not to examine them, your liability under law is unaltered.

MrPC would your method work at the Canberra Centre carpark???

Ian said :

I’m with #14 WMC on this one. It wouldn’t have hurt the carpark guy to use a bit of commonsense in the interests of looking after a customer.

Clearly many posters work in those government departments where strict adherence to rules is valued more highly than results.

cheers Ian, yes I did a stupid thing, but then I explainned I did a stupid thing and provided the fully paid for valid ticket…but no, there was no fine print or any warning that a new full days parking would be charged just to get out – it’s not about 5 bucks, it’s about getting ripped off day in day out, if not by the banks, then by a lousy carpark…

amaroovian said :

While agree there is a frustrating level of stupidity, lack of common sense and only a passing acquaintance with manners among many employees at Snowtown (mind you who can blame them being grumpy if Snow treats his staff the way he treats his tenants) you do have to admit the parking out there is convenient, cheap and easy to access in comparison to Civic. I worked out there for almost 4 years and the cheap parking was about the ONLY going for Snowtown.

But the one thing the OP tells me is that they must have fixed the computer glitch that let those “in the know” to park for free. Weekly paper tickets didn’t actually expire, so you could take a new daily one to get you into the carpark in the mornings and then use your (nominally expired) weekly ticket to get out at night – never paying for the useless daily ticket you took. I know many people who saved hundreds this way, and since it seems it doesn’t work anymore I guess there is no harm in sharing the secret (and the little bit of glee many must have gotten cheating Snow out of a little bit of profit).

Haha – yeah I heard of that one too *wink* hope it cost them big time

The Naddiks said :

arescarti42 said :

c)

Have some common courtesy towards your paying customers if they make a silly mistake like forgetting where they’ve put they’re weekly ticket, then found it again AFTER gaining access to your carpark

First thing, my apologies but I couldn’t let this one go. The word you are looking for is “their”, not “they’re”.

Second thing, if you’re working at Brindabella Business Park and are NOT the car park guy, then I can almost guarantee you are not a “battler”.

The people who genuinely do it tough in this city (and Australia in general) are a tiny fraction of the population. The people who get all the media attention are self proclaimed battlers, who are actually middle class white collar employees making above average income, but insist on living above their means and view expensive homes and consumer goods as necessities rather than luxuries.

Granted, I know very little of your situation, I could be very wrong, but I suspect that if the most pressing thing you can find to bitch about in your life is having to pay an additional $5.50 in the car park, then your situation can’t be that bad.

u said it, ‘you know very little’

Funky Claude said :

Who is at fault here, the incompetent fool who lost a parking ticket or the parking attendant doing his job, and more than likely not getting paid anywhere near enough to listen to your egotistical rant on a Friday afternoon.

But wait, Naddiks is that obtuse not to realise that this situation was occasioned by his own actions IE you and nobody else losing your weekly pass. He then insults the parking attendants appearance and intelligences (but I bet he worked out how to get out of the car park just fine without buying another ticket) like he is worthless. We can not all be as enlightened and intelligent as yourself.

You can be very proud of yourself tonight.

Thanks Funky – I am – your obviously not happy with me – by the way, I never insulted the looks of the carpark guy, I just made an observation. So, by your standard, anyone who misplaces anything is an ‘incompetent fool’ ? So, the question begs to be asked, have YOU ever misplaced anything?

arescarti42 said :

c)

Have some common courtesy towards your paying customers if they make a silly mistake like forgetting where they’ve put they’re weekly ticket, then found it again AFTER gaining access to your carpark

First thing, my apologies but I couldn’t let this one go. The word you are looking for is “their”, not “they’re”.

Second thing, if you’re working at Brindabella Business Park and are NOT the car park guy, then I can almost guarantee you are not a “battler”.

The people who genuinely do it tough in this city (and Australia in general) are a tiny fraction of the population. The people who get all the media attention are self proclaimed battlers, who are actually middle class white collar employees making above average income, but insist on living above their means and view expensive homes and consumer goods as necessities rather than luxuries.

Granted, I know very little of your situation, I could be very wrong, but I suspect that if the most pressing thing you can find to bitch about in your life is having to pay an additional $5.50 in the car park, then your situation can’t be that bad.

u said, ‘you know very little’

I’m with #14 WMC on this one. It wouldn’t have hurt the carpark guy to use a bit of commonsense in the interests of looking after a customer.

Clearly many posters work in those government departments where strict adherence to rules is valued more highly than results.

H1NG0 said :

I’m confused, lets make this clear. The guy was bald right?

yep – like he had just done a full spit-n-polish

thy_dungeonman said :

cool story bro.

thanks mate :]

uninformed jackass said :

You must be kidding.

Putting aside the fact that there is no doubt some fine print somewhere (on the back of the weekly ticket, perhaps?), what do you expect them to do? YOU misplaced your ticket.

If you don’t validate it on the way in, and they let you out anyway, whats to stop you from passing it to your 10 friends in the carpark throghout the day and letting all of them out for free?

It sounds like the guy could have been nicer about it, but that’s not the main problem you seem to be having with the situation. Honestly, take some personal bloody responsibility. You won’t make that mistake twice, consider it a learning experience.

what? the whole thing was about there not being any rules/regs/fine print – can’t you ready buddy?

Woody Mann-Caruso said :

You can live in this world:

“Sorry mate, couldn’t find my pass this morning. Here it is.”
“Oh. I see you’ve paid for parking for the week. These things happen. Enjoy your evening.”
“Thanks mate, see you next week.”

Or you can live in the world of the sad little f*ckers posting here tonight – small minds with small ideas just perfect for a career in a small booth pushing small buttons. That goes triple for you, arescarti42, you special, special waste of oxygen. Quick, run home and tell all your friends you pointed out a typo on the internet.

…Oh. Well, you know you’re awesome, and that’s what counts. I bet we all think twice about posting online now that we know you’re watching.

Mate – you just made it to the top of the food-chain! Excellent post – why didn’t I think of that, you need your smarts on everyday in this world of rip-offs, looks like your a survivor, not like half the poor automatoms who posted here and only thought about the price and convenience of parking rather than being ripped off (doesn’t matter by how much) by the big boys…

grunge_hippy said :

wow. $5.50. now you wont be able to buy a latte on Tuesday.

suck it up princess.

it’s not about $5:50, don’t you understand? It’s about you and me getting ripped off by big corporations who don’t post they’re rules and regs until you make a dumb mistake but then try and do the right thing, it’s about people being programmed that this is ok, like you.. princess?? – oh I get it, you like to wear dresses too :]

p1 said :

Could you not go back to the entrance on foot and put your weekly ticket. Through the machine? Leaving your car blocking the exit of course….

No –

Pork Hunt said :

Nads, I’m on your side but others seem to think that although sympathy is in the dictionary that it lies somewhere between shit and syphilis…

HeHe – thanks bro, but I’m not after sympathy – most of the comments are about convenience of parking and the low cost – the article wasn’t about that – it was about big corporations doing as they please, and then telling you the ‘rules’ after they’ve got you by the balls. Yeah – who cares that some poor mentally unbalanced sap got ripped off, I don’t need a hug, but I must say I am surprised at just how many people said that the carpark was in the right – just goes to show how many people are programmed to get ripped off….

Freddyp said :

I’m sympathetic to any poor bastard who has to work at the abomination that is Snowtown but, in this case, you forgot your ticket and you paid the price. Stiff.

misplaced my ticket Freddy, explainned it Freddy, then got stiffed Freddy – but thanks for the sympathetic comment…

cross said :

$22.50 aweek thats cheap most city workers are paying double that. That said Brindabella is purpose built offices and I think parking should free,but we can,t have the slaves expecting anything for free.

creative_canberran said :

Suck it up, the carpark are perfectly within their right under law to do this. If you lack the mental capacity to keep the weekly ticket in the centre console of your car in easy reach, you deserve to pay a dumb-tax.

they may be in they’re rights, but it’s your right to know they’re in they’re rights…right? This isn’t displayed anywhere.

I’m sympathetic to any poor bastard who has to work at the abomination that is Snowtown but, in this case, you forgot your ticket and you paid the price. Stiff.

Next time you park, stop at the boom gate on the way in, get out of your car and carefully read the terms and conditions. Press the intercom thingy and tell them you don’t agree and therefore do not wish to enter, but there are now 5 cars banked up behind so you can’t reverse out either.

Woody Mann-Caruso11:20 pm 01 Oct 10

You can live in this world:

“Sorry mate, couldn’t find my pass this morning. Here it is.”
“Oh. I see you’ve paid for parking for the week. These things happen. Enjoy your evening.”
“Thanks mate, see you next week.”

Or you can live in the world of the sad little f*ckers posting here tonight – small minds with small ideas just perfect for a career in a small booth pushing small buttons. That goes triple for you, arescarti42, you special, special waste of oxygen. Quick, run home and tell all your friends you pointed out a typo on the internet.

…Oh. Well, you know you’re awesome, and that’s what counts. I bet we all think twice about posting online now that we know you’re watching.

Funky Claude10:14 pm 01 Oct 10

Who is at fault here, the incompetent fool who lost a parking ticket or the parking attendant doing his job, and more than likely not getting paid anywhere near enough to listen to your egotistical rant on a Friday afternoon.

But wait, Naddiks is that obtuse not to realise that this situation was occasioned by his own actions IE you and nobody else losing your weekly pass. He then insults the parking attendants appearance and intelligences (but I bet he worked out how to get out of the car park just fine without buying another ticket) like he is worthless. We can not all be as enlightened and intelligent as yourself.

You can be very proud of yourself tonight.

It’s spring, it’s a long weekend, we’ve got two grand finals in one weekend (and we get to see the AFL final twice), our dams are almost 80% full, the grass is green, the trees are looking lush, ummm anything else… and all you can think of is “boo hoo, someone said mean words to me and I didn’t even do anything wrong. I’m going to complain to the internet.”

BFW.

Wake up to yourself princess!

creative_canberran9:45 pm 01 Oct 10

Suck it up, the carpark are perfectly within their right under law to do this. If you lack the mental capacity to keep the weekly ticket in the centre console of your car in easy reach, you deserve to pay a dumb-tax.

Grab a (steel) can, such as a can of baked beans. Put it on the ground over the induction loop at the car park entrance. The green button at the entrance will light up. Press the button. Get a new ticket. Walk to your car. Drive straight out. It lets you out for free in the first few minutes. Or if you do pay, it’s less than a buck.

Any steel signature that’s over the induction loop at the entrance will cause the unit to light up. I’m not sure if steel capped boots will suffice, but a tin of food or a tool box would normally suffice.

Just be sure to smile for the CCTV at most of the entrances.

While agree there is a frustrating level of stupidity, lack of common sense and only a passing acquaintance with manners among many employees at Snowtown (mind you who can blame them being grumpy if Snow treats his staff the way he treats his tenants) you do have to admit the parking out there is convenient, cheap and easy to access in comparison to Civic. I worked out there for almost 4 years and the cheap parking was about the ONLY going for Snowtown.

But the one thing the OP tells me is that they must have fixed the computer glitch that let those “in the know” to park for free. Weekly paper tickets didn’t actually expire, so you could take a new daily one to get you into the carpark in the mornings and then use your (nominally expired) weekly ticket to get out at night – never paying for the useless daily ticket you took. I know many people who saved hundreds this way, and since it seems it doesn’t work anymore I guess there is no harm in sharing the secret (and the little bit of glee many must have gotten cheating Snow out of a little bit of profit).

c) Have some common courtesy towards your paying customers if they make a silly mistake like forgetting where they’ve put they’re weekly ticket, then found it again AFTER gaining access to your carpark

First thing, my apologies but I couldn’t let this one go. The word you are looking for is “their”, not “they’re”.

Second thing, if you’re working at Brindabella Business Park and are NOT the car park guy, then I can almost guarantee you are not a “battler”.

The people who genuinely do it tough in this city (and Australia in general) are a tiny fraction of the population. The people who get all the media attention are self proclaimed battlers, who are actually middle class white collar employees making above average income, but insist on living above their means and view expensive homes and consumer goods as necessities rather than luxuries.

Granted, I know very little of your situation, I could be very wrong, but I suspect that if the most pressing thing you can find to bitch about in your life is having to pay an additional $5.50 in the car park, then your situation can’t be that bad.

Nads, I’m on your side but others seem to think that although sympathy is in the dictionary that it lies somewhere between shit and syphilis…

I’m confused, lets make this clear. The guy was bald right?

thy_dungeonman7:50 pm 01 Oct 10

cool story bro.

uninformed jackass7:49 pm 01 Oct 10

You must be kidding.

Putting aside the fact that there is no doubt some fine print somewhere (on the back of the weekly ticket, perhaps?), what do you expect them to do? YOU misplaced your ticket.

If you don’t validate it on the way in, and they let you out anyway, whats to stop you from passing it to your 10 friends in the carpark throghout the day and letting all of them out for free?

It sounds like the guy could have been nicer about it, but that’s not the main problem you seem to be having with the situation. Honestly, take some personal bloody responsibility. You won’t make that mistake twice, consider it a learning experience.

grunge_hippy7:40 pm 01 Oct 10

wow. $5.50. now you wont be able to buy a latte on Tuesday.

suck it up princess.

Could you not go back to the entrance on foot and put your weekly ticket. Through the machine? Leaving your car blocking the exit of course….

$22.50 aweek thats cheap most city workers are paying double that. That said Brindabella is purpose built offices and I think parking should free,but we can,t have the slaves expecting anything for free.

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