I'm a local CEO (Civil Enforcement Officer - parking attendant in lay-mans terms), and would be willing to listen to you all your questions and queries about parking in West Berkshire. I will try to provide sensible, factually correct answers.. My presence here is not officialy sanctioned, so I may be limited in terms of the answers I am able to give.
If i get abuse from anyone, I will just not participate. We all have a job to do, and would rather do this job than scrounge from the State.
Welcome to the site greenmeanie it will be interesting to get your perspective. Think you are a braver man than me to raise your head above the parapet, hope you have a tough skin too.
We're a civilised part of the country (sort of) but have any of the team been physically abused or spat at? (You hear about it in other areas where parking is done by CEOs rather than the police but assume that it's a step too far around here) Do you carry DNA kits in case being spat at...? (That is, to collect DNA as evidence AFTER you've rammed your pocket book up the little scrote's alimentary canal)
Personally, as I've argued on this board numerous times, without the CEOs, without parking restrictions, without a means to move people on or prosecute them when they block parking spaces all day long, any town would quickly grind to a halt. Nobody likes getting a ticket and will always try to wriggle out of it when they DO get one, but parking measures are here to stay and they serve a purpose. And my relatives living in the Westfields area where permit parking is in place think it's great now, as the police traffic warden hardly ever used to visit or ticket 'over-stayers'
I'm a local CEO (Civil Enforcement Officer - parking attendant in lay-mans terms), and would be willing to listen to you all your questions and queries about parking in West Berkshire. I will try to provide sensible, factually correct answers.. My presence here is not officialy sanctioned, so I may be limited in terms of the answers I am able to give.
If i get abuse from anyone, I will just not participate. We all have a job to do, and would rather do this job than scrounge from the State.
So, who is going to start?
If I get abuse I won't participate. Is that like the signs firms who are useless at customer service asking you not to abuse the staff!!! In other words, we are so badly managed we can't take the knocks.
If I get abuse I won't participate. Is that like the signs firms who are useless at customer service asking you not to abuse the staff!!! In other words, we are so badly managed we can't take the knocks.
No it is not like that at all; it is just common courtesy. No one is under any obligation to be here. If you just want to spoil it for everyone, carry on being rude, but this person could possibly give us some useful information and help us understand things better!
If I get abuse I won't participate. Is that like the signs firms who are useless at customer service asking you not to abuse the staff!!! In other words, we are so badly managed we can't take the knocks.
Isn't it more common courtesy that one doesn't swear at, spit at or assault the staff of a service you are using.
Surely you must agree that it's not "bad management" if an organisation requests that you refrain from doing so?
We're a civilised part of the country (sort of) but have any of the team been physically abused or spat at? (You hear about it in other areas where parking is done by CEOs rather than the police but assume that it's a step too far around here) Do you carry DNA kits in case being spat at...? (That is, to collect DNA as evidence AFTER you've rammed your pocket book up the little scrote's alimentary canal)
I have noticed your staunch defence of us Spartcus, thank you!!
To be honest, we rarely experience physical abuse. Most of the time, its low level verbal abuse, which is usually water off a ducks back. However, the things people say to us sometimes are totally disgusting.
We can understand why people get upset, a parking ticket isn't a nice thing to receive, but unfortunatly, if you break the rules, then you have to expect the possiblilty of getting one, and equally, we have to expect the possibilty of a bit of abuse. Most of the time, its all to do with how WE handle the situation which dictates how abusive the customer gets. We have had a couple of incidents of physical abuse, including having drivers attepmt to run us over, but the Police have been involved in these situations
Perhaps I'll rephrase my first post. Its not that I wont participate, I won't respond to silly/abusive questions etc, but I can take a bit of abuse...one can't do this job if that sort of thing bothers you We are managed well, with generally consistant enforcement across the board. There will always be bad apples in any job, but generally, the team of CEO's are very professional and helpful. We are very aware of the fact that we are providing a service to the public. # and, NO, i'm not Martyn Baker in disguise!!
One of the problems, and I can't think of a workable alternative, is the fines. To some it is a huge amount of money, if it is a genuine mistake; to others, it is loose change for a deliberate infringement.
One of the problems, and I can't think of a workable alternative, is the fines. To some it is a huge amount of money, if it is a genuine mistake; to others, it is loose change for a deliberate infringement.
I understand your point, £25 or £35 can make the difference of someone on a small budget. The fines are set by central government, namely the Department of Transport, and West Berkshire Council have adopted the lower end scale of fines..
The thing is, the fines are obviously meant to be the deterrant, but people always like to chance it...
Plus, if you dont have much money, then one could argue that one should pay even more attention to the rules. Its just like Blockbuster...if one can't afford to pay the late fine, then return it on time!
To reiterate: it is a lot of money for someone hard-up, who has made a genuine mistake (you can't make a deliberate mistake), but it can be loose change for someone who is well off, who doesn't care much about the rules.
I'm not saying Newbury is worse, or different, but it is one reason people are resentfull.
To reiterate: it is a lot of money for someone hard-up, who has made a genuine mistake (you can't make a deliberate mistake), but it can be loose change for someone who is well off, who doesn't care much about the rules.
I'm not saying Newbury is worse, or different, but it is one reason people are resentfull.
Isn't it more common courtesy that one doesn't swear at, spit at or assault the staff of a service you are using.
Surely you must agree that it's not "bad management" if an organisation requests that you refrain from doing so?
I'm afraid I think its appauling management. Just like Call Centres who 'can't put you through to our Manager'. The vast majority of people don't get angry when things go as they should - if they do its a one off and very rare. Where they do get frustrated is when they are up against insitutionalised incompetence, petty bureacracy, or incompetent processes. Where there is no process for staff to put things to right - that boils over into anger.
I have yet to encounter an organisation where staff don't have some opportunity to report issues back to management. Regrettably I also know too many who don't do anything about them.
So where an organisation has had to resort to spending money to install such signs it does signify bad management. I know for fact that that contention is shared by staffs working for the Railways, Post Office, some Banks, Local and National Government departments.
Internationally we have a poor reputation for grumbling and simply accepting poor service. So it takes a pretty rotten experience to make the average Brit explode - so those signs really do signify bad management.
No it is not like that at all; it is just common courtesy. No one is under any obligation to be here. If you just want to spoil it for everyone, carry on being rude, but this person could possibly give us some useful information and help us understand things better!
I don't see this as being rude. In fact I found the original comment boorish - for reasons I've also outlined. The comment didn't need to be made - that is common courtesy.
I don't see this as being rude. In fact I found the original comment boorish - for reasons I've also outlined. The comment didn't need to be made - that is common courtesy.
I simply didn't see the comment in the same light as you, nor did I see your analogy as suitable. I would imagine the poster is simply referring to the occasional ignorance and rudeness of on this and other forums of its ilk.
"If I get abuse from anyone, I will just not participate." Hardly boorish, is it?
I'm afraid I think its appauling management. Just like Call Centres who 'can't put you through to our Manager'. The vast majority of people don't get angry when things go as they should - if they do its a one off and very rare. Where they do get frustrated is when they are up against insitutionalised incompetence, petty bureacracy, or incompetent processes. Where there is no process for staff to put things to right - that boils over into anger.
I have yet to encounter an organisation where staff don't have some opportunity to report issues back to management. Regrettably I also know too many who don't do anything about them.
So where an organisation has had to resort to spending money to install such signs it does signify bad management. I know for fact that that contention is shared by staffs working for the Railways, Post Office, some Banks, Local and National Government departments.
Internationally we have a poor reputation for grumbling and simply accepting poor service. So it takes a pretty rotten experience to make the average Brit explode - so those signs really do signify bad management.
So if you assault for example a Post Office employee that's the fault of bad management of the Post Office? Back on topic, would you spit at or hit a "meanie" and blame it on bad management too?
Utterly bizarre one of the worst examples of shirking personal responsibility I've ever heard of, which is something far too prevalent in today's society.
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