No, I cannot just let you exit for free

[snugglegirl05]

2 incidents last week involved 2 guys wanting me to let them out for free

First incident

Guy drove up to the Visitor Parking booth. There were 3 guys in the car. 2 in the front seat & the other in the back seat. Looked like all 3 could be students from another campus within the university system. He told me he was here to get information on how to enroll at our campus. If the visitor has a valid parking permit from another campus within the university system, they can park at the student parking lots at our campus & take the shuttle bus to the main bldg. Guy was informed of the $5.00 parking fee. I also asked him if he had a valid parking permit from another campus within the univeristy system. He said yes, & so I let him know about our student lots & the shuttle bus. I also repeated the fact that Visitor Parking is $5.00 to exit. Guy chose to park in Visitor Parking.

Several hours later the guy who was sitting in the back seat came up to the Visitor Parking booth window. Here is what happened.

guy: "Hi, we are at the exit gate. Can you let us out?"
me: *thinking the driver might have dropped the token he purchased to exit the garage or the token just did not work*: "I'm sorry, but you have to pay the $5.00 parking fee to exit. I have no way raising the exit gate for anyone wanting out for free."
guy: "So you cannot just let us out?"
me: "I have no way of letting anyone out for free. You have to pay for your parking, & it is $5.00 to exit."
guy: "You cannot just let us out?"
me: "There are several signs stating Visitor Parking is $5.00, & I have no way of letting anyone out for free."
guy: "So you mean you cannot let us out?"
me: *Get a clue. No, there is no free parking*: "You have to go to the Parking office if you want free parking."

Guy looks at me like I gave him poor customer service. The parking office never called me to let them out for free. The driver had to pay the $5.00 parking fee to exit. The driver exited several minutes later.

I had the feeling that the driver told him to try to convice me to let them out for free after they parked in Visitor Parking.

Second incident

Guy drives up to the Visitor Parking booth window & tells me he is going to the Admissions dept. for open house. I tell him to ask that dept. for a token to exit, but if he does not get one, he has to pay the $5.00 parking fee at the parking office.

The phone inside the Visitor parking booth rings. Here is what happened.

me: "How may I help you?"
guy: "I was open house, & I did not get a token to exit. Can you let me out?"
me: "I'm sorry, but you have to ask the Admissions dept. for a token to exit. I have no way of letting anyone out for free. You have to pay for your parking either at the parking office on the 3rd floor or at the vending machine on the garage level. "

I give him directions to the vending machine & to the parking office. I hang up the phone. Guy does not back up. He presses the call box again. Here is what happened.

me: *Get a clue. I will not let you out for free.*: "How may I help you?"
guy: "The Admissions dept. did not give me a token to exit."
me: "I'm sorry, but I have no way of letting anyone out for free. You have to talk to the parking office about that."

I give him directions to the parking office. The parking office does not call me to let him out for free. He had to pay for his parking. He exited several minutes later.

[bankworking]

You know, I went to a company event held at a university. They gave out passes as we left to pay for parking and I forgot to get one. So... I high-tailed it right back inside (which was a pain because 400+ people leaving an event at the same time lends to a LONG line to get out, and I didn't realize I'd forgotten my pass until I was close to the gate out) and found someone left who could give me a pass. Wouldn't even have occurred to me to try to talk my way into getting out for free. But then, I read the sign stating what the parking fee would be without a pass.

Stupid SCs.

[TonyDonuts]

But then, I read the sign stating what the parking fee would be without a pass.

Stupid SCs.

And you understood, without any additional explanations, that the words on the sign applied to everybody.

And that "everybody" includes you.

Isn't the world a simple place when you just follow the posted directions?

Now if we could just get our stinkin' customers to understand that.

[earl colby pottinger]

Budgets

And as budgets get tighter and tighter, there will be fewer and fewer things that the parking office will let people out for free.

I bet a decade or two ago lots of people got out for free when they complained.

SCs who want to be cheap don't seem to realize that others want to save on expenses too.

[flyingember]

the parking office needs to put a pay station at the exit.

[Tama]

That's how it worked at the parking garage next to this children's hospital my brother would go to.

You either had a ticket from inside, or you had to buy one then and there to get out.