Hi Cash Lovers,
TELL ME YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH CASHLESS PARKING:
email: Jason@cashwelcome.org
Cashless parking apps are coming under fire all around Australia.
To simply park a vehicle, a motorist is expected to give up their email address, phone number, license plate and link their bank account.
Instead of inserting a few gold coins to pay for parking, motorists can face card surcharges, late fees, overdraft fees. Plus your location and personal information have been logged, simply because you left your car on a public street or carpark.
Motorists are taking councils and other parking providers to court, complaining about the complexity, fees and information involved in paying for parking via new cashless parking apps.
A business must be upfront about surcharges says the ACCC, but many motorists are finding cashless parking apps are anything but easy and upfront about their costs.
Dandenong Council faces opposition to new cashless parking plans.
Adelaide City Council requires an email address and license plate before a driver can park their car.
PayStay app has come under criticism from Sydney motorists for being complicated.
And plenty of Aussies are finding out the hard way, don't try to pay for parking with cash, because you will be fined.
North Sydney Nightmare
North Sydney council has received a mountain of complaints about its new parking app.
The North Sydney parking experience is now copping plenty of media criticism.
Today I received this email from Leah:
Dear Jason,
I regularly park in the North Sydney area. The cashless metres are a nightmare. You need to give your details, register a credit card and create an account and they then require you to keep a minimum balance in their account. I have written to North Sydney council 3 times and the first response I had was that it was going to create a better experience or some rubbish like that. I told them the meters are discriminatory as someone like my dad who is 80 and has no knowledge of apps and cannot register an account, cannot pay for parking. I never heard back after my last 2 complaints. They have since introduced more credit card machines but originally they were hardly any around.
A friend of mine who works in telecommunications and understands IT was late to a meeting at the end of last year after she spent almost 20 minutes trying to register her credit card. The system would not accept it because the credit card was linked already to her husband's account. Nightmare. She was late, teary and terribly embarrassed. She also sent a complaint to North Sydney council.
We need the option to pay by cash. It's unacceptable wht these councils are doing and discriminatory towards those members of our community who do not have access to a phone, or a credit card or a good knowledge of how to use apps.
Shame on North Sydney Council!
Kind regards
Leah
TELL ME YOUR EXPERIENCE WITH CASHLESS PARKING: email: Jason@cashwelcome.org
Law student goes to court over parking app
Law student Oliver Griffith is going to court to fight parking fines he has received since the University of Wollongong introduced a new cashless parking app.
The University's parking app is an account based system that takes out all charges at the end of the month.
"I linked it to my transaction account, thinking it would come out that day, but once I paid for everything through the month, it deducted like $40," Oliver told Yahoo Finance, "but there wasn't $40 in my account at the time."
A simple transaction that could be made with a few gold coins has ended up with Oliver being penalised by his bank for not having a large enough balance later in the month.
Oliver said the $40 deduction led to the bank putting a restriction on his debit card.
He wants to be able to pay with the few dollars in coins which he normally carries.
Plenty of Australians are confused by or resistant to giving up their personal information and bank account to a new app, simply to park their car.
Last week, I had received a message from Lisa B in Melbourne:
"I have been to court a few times over cashless parking," said Lisa.
"I tell the magistrate, I can't download an app but I'm more than willing to pay for parking. I have been let off two fines recently."
Plenty of Australians are complaining to their council and even trying to fight their fines in court.
Have you had trouble with cashless parking systems?
Please send us an email telling us your story to jason@cashwelcome.org
Please help me keep fighting against their cashless society. Our Cash Welcome campaign provides a voice for all of us who trust and rely on cash.
I get donations from people and businesses to my gofundme account to help keep this backlash against their cashless agenda alive.
Or make a deposit at Commonwealth Bank
Cash Welcome
BSB 062-692
AC 4954 6502
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Please share our petition calling for mandated cash acceptance by supermarkets and mandated cash access in all suburbs and towns:
https://www.change.org/BankingAndCashGuarantee
Yours sincerely,
Jason Bryce
jason@cashwelcome.org