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Let Them Out! Free of Charge! from Page 75


help is hard to find. To catch this problem, we are placing a col-


ored decal on the access card to designate that it is not a monthly access card, and we are using a range of numbers. All cards in the 3,000 series are “value (debit) cards” in case the decal is removed. We also are running an automatic “alarm”


message report every 24 hours on all card num- bers in the designated series. Any alarm message has to be counter-signed-off by the manager to indicate that the account was properly charged. In addition, we are running an automatic


report once every 24 hours to show “denied” cred- it card transactions that management would have to review. If a value card account shows up, the duty


manager will attempt to do a “manual” charge against the balance or credit card on file. The man- ager now initials all new account setups in the sys- tem done by clerks or duty managers to ensure that the access cards were correctly programmed and activated. As is always the case, all of these tools were


available. With employee turnover, it was simply a matter of better training. We have now written a standard operating procedure (SOP), specific to the facility, showing photos of the various forms


and screens that should be used in the event there is, say, a language issue or reading impairment. I also found out, on review, several things on cred-


it cards: The manager was not showing credit card refunds on


the daily report, thus we were refunding 100% of the charge, but netted only the parking fees less any tax. Now the man- ager must note any refunds so the operator can adjust that month’s tax payment accordingly. With an 18.375% tax, a $410/monthly fee is $346.36 for parking and $63.64 in tax. If the manager found an error and did a refund, and the


customer also realized there was an “unauthorized” charge, the customer would request a “credit” from the bank. Since the facility owner also “owns” the credit card account, the garage was either not notified of the contested charge; was notified but after the response time permitted; or was informed in time and the manager simply said, “Oh, I refunded the account.” The manager on duty did not realize that he had refund-


ed the money and that the bank was reversing the charge as well. This provided a double credit to the customer. These are all problems when you move the accounting


and payments away from a central/regional office. They also are easy to resolve with an SOP and communications between the parties involved. So here we had a situation where nearly $7,500 was lost


and there was no theft, just an equipment failure. But since the system was completely automated, there was no backup to catch the problem or fix it. Now, however, with an SOP in place, the error will be


caught and proper charges made. Woof!


See us at the PIE booth #303 76 PT Parking Today www.parkingtoday.com


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