Dear Department of University Safety – Parking Services unit,
When it comes to broken Pay and Display machines, why won’t you reimburse lost cash or refund money back to student cards and credit cards?
One Saturday in mid-August, I drove to campus to work out and parked near the athletics building in lot P10. Everything seemed to be in order until it was time for the machine to print my pass. Despite making the usual noise that signals printing in progress, no pass came out of the machine. Thinking it was a fluke, or a problem with my credit card, I tried again, this time using my student card, but still no luck.
I immediately called the phone number, which a note on the machine instructed me to call in case of malfunction. It was the weekend, so no one picked up, but I left a detailed message explaining what had happened and asked to be called back as soon as possible.
I could’ve left it at that, but I’ll admit I have a history of getting parking tickets on campus and I made a promise to myself — and to my bank account — that I’d stop risking it. I figured I’d be safer finding a working machine than praying for good fortune (i.e. no ticket) or appealing a ticket once I got one. I moved my car to the nearest neighbouring lot, P3, where the machine worked, and got my pass.
A week later, I still hadn’t heard back about a refund. It was also time for me to pick up my annual parking pass from parking services. The customer service representative Heather Murray informed me that if I brought in my statements I could get my money back in the form of a replacement parking pass, but they were not allowed to actually reimburse me with cash or refund my cards.
Since I just spent close to $300 on an annual parking pass, which is in effect from now until April, I have no need for a weekend pass. I’m also not the only one for whom this system makes no sense. For instance, take someone visiting the school for a one-time campus tour or for a conference. If the meter fails, Parking Services is at fault, not the driver. They should be more accommodating to the driver.
While some of you may think this letter is nitpicky, it’s really not about getting my $4 back. It’s the principle: institutions need to take responsibility for mistakes — no matter how small — and stop ripping off struggling students.
Ilana Belfer
Fourth-year journalism
