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A READER RESPONDS: Sometimes a Good Investment By Mark S. Miller


Last month in “PT the Auditor” the outspoken pooch took off on grace periods. This month, an avid PT reader takes a different view. Editor


PT Auditor’s April 2012 article “Grace


Periods – They Can Cost Big Bucks” left me with the impression that “continuous grace periods” are essentially artifacts of an earlier era when parking revenue machines were less sophisticated at tracking time parked. That may be a less than complete picture. Granted, if you operate modern, gated parking facilities you may not need or want a continuous grace period. One measure to consider is the type of feedback you receive from your customers. A lack of complaints or calls questioning parking fees could indicate that providing a grace period creates an unnecessary expense. When operators receive a lot of complaints, overall discontent with the cost of parking may be the underlying issue more than the accuracy of the fee charges. Informing callers that they received all


the time they purchased, plus a few extra minutes projects a message that even if they feel that the price of parking is high, you have taken steps to ensure that rates are fairly applied. Temporary grace periods may also be useful in boosting customer satisfaction. In most revenue control systems, grace periods are easily set and removed. Parking managers may find using them can be a partial fix if your facility will be providing parking for a special event. Everyone tends to leave athletic events, festivals, and theater performances at the same time. A parking facility that easily accommodates normal customer demand may prove very slow to evacuate when 1,500 vehicles decide to leave


within the same 30 minute period. For your customers, idling


for 10 minutes in a parking garage exit queue or waiting in a long line for the privilege to pay “outrageous prices” at a machine can add insult to injury.


You can’t magically add more pay machines or whip up extra Continued on Page 65


Grace Periods –


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• mobile app parking • central parking management system • digital permits • event parking • real-time enforcement • integration of on and off-street parking


See us at the IPI booth #142 64 Parking Today www.parkingtoday.com


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