Hyde Park Corner-Parking from HELL

1. ***, 2. ***, 3. ***, 4. *** Hyde Park Corner: Serious Problems with Parking System and Customer Service I am extremely disappointed with the ongoing problems with the parking card system at Hyde Park Corner. On several occasions, my parking card allowed me to enter the centre, but when I attempted to leave, the system incorrectly indicated that R10 was owing, despite sufficient funds being available. On two occasions last Saturday, the card had sufficient funds loaded onto it, yet I was refused exit. The situation became even more unacceptable on Saturday evening at approximately 20:34, when the parking card was swallowed by the exit machine. I was then told by the security officer in the control room that he could not leave his post to assist me because he was the only person stationed there. I was effectively left stranded at the exit. At the same time, a bakkie crashed through the boom gate and nearly struck my vehicle. This raises serious concerns about both the reliability of the parking system and the safety of the current exit-control arrangements. What is particularly concerning is that security personnel themselves indicated that the parking-card problem is an ongoing issue. If management is aware of a recurring problem, why has it not been properly resolved? Hyde Park Corner positions itself as a premium shopping centre. Customers should therefore be able to expect a reliable, effectively managed, and safe parking system. Instead, customers are being inconvenienced, delayed and, in some cases, effectively trapped at the exits. I am requesting that management: 1. Locate and return my parking card. 2. Confirm and restore the balance that was on the card. 3. Investigate why the system incorrectly indicates that money is owing. 4. Investigate why customers cannot exit when these system failures occur. 5. Investigate the incident involving the bakkie that crashed through the boom gate at approximately 20:34. 6. Explain what measures will be implemented to prevent these problems from recurring. Most importantly, I would like an explanation as to why an issue that security personnel apparently recognise as ongoing has been allowed to continue. This is not the standard of customer service or operational management one would expect from a centre of Hyde Park Corner's standing. I expect an urgent response and a satisfactory resolution. Customers should not be expected to simply tolerate repeated failures of a parking system that is supposed to provide safe and efficient access to and from the centre. Hyde Park Corner management needs to address this problem before a much more serious incident occurs. Georg Knoke