Staff member would not take no for an answer

[snugglegirl05]

This happened Wednesday

Long post

Visitor parking was reserved for 2 events. The main event did not begin until 10 a.m. The full sign was on when I got to work at 7 a.m., & so I placed the big white sign stating Visitor parking is closed for a special event in front of the Visitor parking booth. The faculty/staff garage is adjacent to the Visitor parking garage, & so any staff member parking in that garage can see the empty spots in the garage.

Staff member pulls up to the Visitor parking booth around 9:15 a.m. Here is what happened.

staff member: "I need to park in Visitor parking. The faculty/staff garage is full, & I was told by the Parking office that I could park in Visitor parking when that garage is full."
me: "I'm sorry, but the garage is closed for events, & I have no available spots."
staff member: "You have no available spots?"
me: "Correct"
staff member: "But I see many open spots in Visitor parking. I was told by the parking office I could park in Visitor parking when the faculty/staff garage is full. & it is full."
me: "I will have to call the parking office to see about that."

I get his full name, & I call the parking office. "Nancy" answers the phone, & I tell her why I am calling & the staff members name. She says "well...if the garage is reserved then he cannot park." I said "I told the staff member the garage is reserved for an event, but he said that the parking office told him he could park in Visitor parking when the faculty/staff garage is full, & according to him, it is full." She tells me he cannot park.

So I tell him the bad news.

me: "I'm sorry, but the parking office told me that Visitor parking is reserved for an event & that I cannot let you park."
staff member: "But I was told by the parking office that whenever the staff garage is full, I can park in Visitor parking. I will pay."

So I call the parking office again. "Nancy" answers the phone. I tell her why I am calling & what he said. She says no.

So I tell him the bad news.

me: "They said no."
staff member: "Whyyyy?"
me: "Because the garage is reserved"
staff member: "But I was told by the parking office I could park there when the faculty/staff garage is full, & it is full."
me: "I am not allowed to overrule their authority."
staff member: "Can you call LB at dispatch for me?"

I call the parking office again. "Nancy" answers the phone, & I tell her why I am calling & what he said. She speaks to the staff member.

staff member: "Hi, I was told by the parking office that when the faculty/staff garage is full, & it is, that I can park in Visitor parking."

At this point there is a line of traffic behind him.

"Nancy": whatever she said
staff member: "So the garage is full & there are no available spots??? But I see many open spots, & I was told by the parking office that when the faculty/staff garage is full, & it is, that I can park in Visitor parking."
"Nancy": whatever she said
staff member: "So the situation changes?? I will pay."
Nancy: whatever she said

The person in the car behind him walks up to his car. He looks at her, but he says nothing.

staff member: "But I will pay"

He gives me the phone, & "Nancy" tells me to let him park. He then says to me "where do I pay at?" I tell him to pay at the parking office. He can complain there, & they can deal with him.

Several minutes later "Nancy" calls me & asks me to do a space count at 11:30 a.m., & the parking office staff will decide at that time whether or not to release the reserved spots.

Later that day the parking office staff had a meeting at campus police. Hmm...I wonder what the meeting was about.

[bainsidhe]

Didn't you mention before that events not only reserve spots, but they have to pay for them? Which means all of those "available" parking spots have been both reserved and paid for.

Once he didn't like the perfectly reasonable phrase of "no available spots", I'd just re-explain, saying that all parking had been reserved & paid for prior to the event and that no spots would be released until 3pm/late afternoon/evening/whatever is reasonable.

And since he kept tossing the "but the parking office told me, waaaahhhh" in your face, I'd agree with him. "Yes sir, that's usually correct if someone else hasn't reserved them. The spots have been prepaid and we cannot release them until after the event." I've had luck with the matter-of-fact approach, though I'll admit it won't work for every SC (otherwise we wouldn't have this website!).

Something else to add: If you automatically suggest that any decision-making power resides only with the parking office, the SCs realize you have no authority and will demand you call the parking office again and again and again... Take the power back, be firm and good luck.

[PepperElf]

yeah i love how these people always want to take a parking spot that's already been pre-paid for, or reserved.... as if the people who paid for them won't care.

cos you know, if it were reversed, and these SCs were the ones who reserved the spots, they'd be having a bitch-fest if someone did that to them.