Paying for car parking

I guess in saying 'vandalise' the machines the OP means to get at the cash? Machines that will take cards only can still get trashed - on one near me, they installed one of the sort where you enter your Reg and you could pay with cash or card - but someone decided to pour some sort of glue over the keyboard - so the machines monitor worked but you could not follow the instructions!
Was a bit surprised by gillybob - thought she of all posters would be aware that the private companies cannot 'fine' you; only the council or the police can do that. Otherwise they are just sending you an invoice.
As for the middle-class vandals at the resovoirs - I bet they still expect the area to look 'nice' for them but guess thay are happy for someone else to pay that bill...

Frankly I am outraged at this pay by card/phone/app mullarkey. There is nothing more convenient for me than good old fashioned cash. I don't trust internet banking. And I will now crawl proudly back into my cave.

Thankfully, parking is free where I live, but I wonder for how much longer.

If there’s money kept in it, sadly, someone will want to steal it. A FB friend posted cctv footage of a lad stealing £2.75 from a locked, secured money box in an egg shed 2 miles from our house. He even paused to stick a middle finger up at the cctv camera before exiting!

Charleygirl5 I consider myself usually capable but in Oxford carparks with phone payments it's a nightmare! Luckily my friend finds it the same so that gives me moral support!

By the time you've added up the charge for the texts telling you how much longer you've got left to park, it adds up to a bit more than what you've had originally paid to park. I avoid using those parks where the credit/debit card system is in operation. Somebody somewhere is making money out of it.

Not everyone does. My friend in his 70s only uses cash, no cheques or cards. If a cheque is needed his wife pays.

suttonj
May I join you?
?

I am surprised so many people mention they have free parking. I haven't seen free parking anywhere for many years.

Broadland District Council in Norfolk has free car parking, but go over the border into North Norfolk and you have to pay.

Yes where we live in Sweden you cant use your card anywhere when parking, its a text message system which takes for ever to do, first register your car registration with the firm having charge of that particular parking area, then twirling around the time on an APP, you can prolong the time by phone of course, also they remind you a quarter of an hour before the time expires, if you want to renew or get back to the car in time! The pay stations wih MONEY were so much easier, och dear, technology can create problems.

suttonj, may I join you too?

No wonder so many people shop online
That sounds like a nightmare Nanny41 (what happens if you don't have one of those smart phones?)

Nothing is vandal proof. Even the card machine can be damaged. By using card, it just limits the chance of vandalism as those taking apart are normally after the money in the machines themselves.

As for people not having cards, it's more likely that they just don't use them but that has to change. Many branches are closing and more and more car parks are becoming digital payment.

I know my In laws struggle at times to understand this, but it is the way banking and paying is going.

Using a card is becoming more simple and as for not knowing your number plate, unless it's a car you've recently bought, then that is information you should know!

suttonj I partly agree except there have been several occasions when I have not had the right coins to pay the exact amount - and of course, the machines don't give change..