Car parking with Ringgo / APCOA Connect

[whole diary]

[andynel]

If you use Ringgo to pay for parking guess you may be interested in this http://theyellowlines.wordpress.com/2011/02/28/first-great-western-rumour/ .  Looks like comments welcome.

[ChrisB]

APCOA^▸ (Car parking company used at GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) - controlled stations in the area) are launching a pay-by-mobile.....

[JayMac]

So if the rumour is correct then it is merely a case of APCOA^▸ (Car parking company used at GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) - controlled stations in the area) bringing the pay-by-mobile service in house is it? Whilst the rumour posted on the link may turn out to be true it should be pointed out that it is on a weblog sponsored by RingGo.

By the way, thank you for the link andynel, and a very warm welcome to the Coffee Shop Forum. 

[LiskeardRich]

i use the ringgo service a lot, but one observation i've made is that it says on all the signs that the convenience charge is 20p, yet they always charge 40p convenience charge

[Ollie]

It's true, anyone who is currently using will need to re-register details with http://www.apcoaconnect.com/ - this website will also show the new location codes as that is changing too.

[andynel]

Hi Rich - why not ask ringgo about it on the website - they seem to be answering queries there?

[ChrisB]

They charge 20p for 'convenience' and I believe, another 20p to send an acknowledgement text.

[Phil]

RingGo are brilliant at answering queries via Twitter as well. I have to say, I've been dealing with them since the week they launched their service (initially you spoker to an actual person when you rang to confirm your parking!) and they have been unfailingly helpful and efficient throughout, including helping to overturn tickets given to me in the early days when car park staff at various locations were a bit over-zealous.

Apcoa are going to really have to go some to match RingGo's customer service standards.

[miniman]

Here's the message from RingGo:


We are here to help you park quickly and easily.  We take pride in making sure you don^t get parking tickets that you don^t deserve.  Behind the scenes we keep all your data secure and encrypted and store your credit and debit card details in vaults operated in line with the highest levels of accreditation on the planet.
APCOA^▸ (Car parking company used at GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) - controlled stations in the area), the parking enforcement company that is engaged to collect money in the car parks of both First Great Western and NetworkRail, has asked us to withdraw RingGo at all of the stations of both companies from the Sunday after next. 
That^s in about ten days' time.
Our lawyers are keen we say nothing more.  We feel compelled however to let you know that RingGo is not in contractual breach, or even alleged breach, of any issue of quality or data integrity.  This is about something else.
Because we cannot comment please do not get in touch with us.
If you do want to do something about this, there is a web site which lets you have your say.  Click here to find it ^ The Yellow Lines.  We don^t own or manage this site, although we do now help sponsor it.  It was set up by a RingGo fan, who is excited about just how simple and joined-up the process of parking could be in the UK^▸ (United Kingdom). 


I've signed up with Apcoa Connect - why must it be over complicated? Instead of "1d" for "1 day" I must now remember "801" 

[johoare]

I wonder why they've had a falling out with RingGo or why they don't want to use them anymore.. Maybe we'll never know.. I liked RingGo though.. I know all the 3 car park codes at Maidenhead and they know my car (and my sisters)..

Will see what the new system holds I think.. Strangely enough though, this is the only place I've heard that it is changing from RingGo..Will a lot of people be very surprised on March 14th when they try and pay the usual way?

[Phil]

According to the nice person from RingGo on Twitter that I got chatting to offline, RingGo themselves aren't entirely sure what the hell's going on either. They've been given 2 weeks notice to vacate with no reason whatsoever and are understandably considering legal action over the decision.

[ChrisB]

Do First have shares in APCOA^▸ (Car parking company used at GWR^▸ (Great Western Railway) - controlled stations in the area)

[johoare]

I've just been thinking about this again.. Unless they put up some very prominent signs.. if other people are like me, I abandon my car (I'm usually short of time) and then phone up to pay, usually from the train or shortly after I arrive in London.. So on Monday 14th obviously I won't do that without checking, but many many will.. How will they then pay for their parking if RingGo really is going?

[Ollie]

RingGo shouldn't be accepting the payment from that date, so people who call from then should get told it's not possible.

[johoare]

And for those people already on the train when they find this fact out? (assuming it's not advertised between now and then?)