Motorist stunned NCP charges him £312 extra for 12 hours parking
Motorist stunned after IT glitch charges him £312 extra for 12 hours parking after NCP mistakenly bill him for 42 DAYS
- Gareth Price usually pays £7.90 to park in Cardiff city centre for the day
- Have YOU been caught out by an NCP glitch? Email your experience to [email protected]
A Cardiff commuter was mistakenly charged £320 to park at an NCP in the city centre.
Gareth Price commutes from Neath to the Welsh capital once a week and usually pays £7.90, but last Thursday he was forced to foot the bill for 42 days worth of parking.
Mr Price became aware of the extortionate charge when a notification from NCP’s app pinged on his phone. He said he ‘felt sick’ as he watched the money leave his account.
The IT consultant spent four hours on the phone to NCP attempting to rectify the error, which the company has said it is investigating.
‘They passed it on to the discount team … so from looking at the website I thought I wouldn’t get my money for 14 days.
Gareth Price, from Neath, said he felt ‘sick’ when the bill of £320 for 12 hours parking came through
NCP’s Greyfriars Road in Cardiff city centre where Mr Price was charged for 42 days worth of parking
‘It’s a lot of money and, like anyone, I’ve got bills to pay,’ he told the BBC.
As an IT expert himself Mr Price described NCP’s system as ‘a bit of a joke’ and said he had spoken to others who had also had similar issues.
The situation could have been much worse as the original bill charged to his account last Thursday was £1,201.85, but due to his work discount this was reduced to £320.35.
Mr Price’s discount code is applied automatically via the app. It uses an autopay system connected to the cameras which identify registration numbers coming in and out of the car park.
The original bill charged to Mr Price’s account last Thursday was £1,201.85, but due to his work discount this was reduced to £320.35
In addition to a full refund, NCP has apologised to Mr Price and offered a week’s free parking as a ‘gesture’ to acknowledge the inconvenience.
A computer error is said to be the cause of the glitch.
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