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Give the people what they want

#mobile #mcommerce #AppsAreCrap #AppsAreWebPagesSkinnedInEnoughIPToFelonizeMods #privacy #AccountFatigue #AppFatigue

#mobile #privacy #mcommerce #appsarecrap #appsarewebpagesskinnedinenoughiptofelonizemods #accountfatigue #appfatigue

Craig Nicol reshared this.

in reply to Cory Doctorow

ipsquiggle
ipsquiggle
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I love that parking, of all things, seems to have taken the biggest about-face here.
in reply to ipsquiggle

Tony Wells
Tony Wells
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@ipsquiggle
(UK) Car park companies managed to build shittified apps right from the start. We even had situations of needing to download yet another app for a different parking company, but finding the mobile data signal was so weak in the car park, it wouldn't finish the download or complete a transaction. Many are reverting to no app contactless card payment.
@ipsquiggle
in reply to Tony Wells

Dan Aukes
Dan Aukes
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@TonyJWells @ipsquiggle
oh man, just got back from the UK... To add to it, try using a foreign credit card that needs the extra verification step...in the rain.
@Tony Wells @ipsquiggle
in reply to Dan Aukes

Tony Wells
Tony Wells
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@danaukes @ipsquiggle
The inability of my rainy country to provide even the basic shelter at places you begrudgingly need to stand around still shocks me.
@Dan Aukes @ipsquiggle
in reply to Tony Wells

mrFred489
mrFred489
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@TonyJWells @danaukes @ipsquiggle to be fair, if you are paying for car parking you could just sit in the car.
@Tony Wells @Dan Aukes @ipsquiggle
in reply to Tony Wells

jaark
jaark
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@TonyJWells @ipsquiggle
It's not like the pay machines weren't already shit. Last two times I tried to use a NCP pay machine it wouldn't give me a receipt, and their customer support doesn't respond.
Tried their app the other week. It let me into and out of the car park, no receipt but it hasn't actually charged me and there's no record of me ever being their in the app either.
@Tony Wells @ipsquiggle
in reply to jaark

Tony Wells
Tony Wells
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@jaark @ipsquiggle
Pay machines have always been a bit dodgy and it's an industry with a poor record of customer service, and confusing rules, but dogged determination to pursue people for 'fines'(not actually fines), and use debt collectors and courts, which can turn a small payment into a very big one.
@ipsquiggle @jaark
in reply to Tony Wells

Hamish M
Hamish M
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@TonyJWells @ipsquiggle you're lucky to still have the contactless card option. We have places in Melbourne where the choice is app or coins. And of course there's at least 3 different apps in use across the city's public parking due to different local governments.
@Tony Wells @ipsquiggle
in reply to Hamish M

Tony Wells
Tony Wells
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@hmoffatt @ipsquiggle
We have potentially 30 different parking apps as local councils and businesses contracted out the work across the country, it's a big business with big profits.

https://www.rac.co.uk/drive/news/motoring-news/majority-of-drivers-want-to-see-the-end-of-parking-apps/


Majority of drivers want to see the end of parking apps | RAC Drive

A new survey has revealed that more than four-in-five drivers dislike using the many parking apps available in the UK.
www.rac.co.uk
@Hamish M @ipsquiggle
in reply to Tony Wells

kurtseifried (he/him)
kurtseifried (he/him)
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@TonyJWells @hmoffatt @ipsquiggle Edmonton is in the process of changing parking apps. There will be a gap, where you can scan a QR code to pay or something, it’s not clear. also people with balances under a certain amount will have their account balances wiped (oops I’m sure). Also the new company is apparently kind of a bit shit. https://www.reddit.com/r/Edmonton/comments/1bvwk16/edmonton_switches_parking_payments_to_hotspot/
@Tony Wells @Hamish M @ipsquiggle
in reply to Cory Doctorow

DecaturNature
DecaturNature
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I recently came across street parking that was app-only. It really bugged me. I need to write to my city council about that.

Cory Doctorow reshared this.

in reply to Cory Doctorow

M1ke
M1ke
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so much frustration over the years trying to do something simple like pay for a one time product. Restraunt ordering, parking payments, buying entry to somewhere. Install this app, now sign up, set a password, type this SMS verification, WHATS YOUR FIRST PET'S MOTHER'S MAIDEN NAME?!

Just give me a qr code or let me type some unique identifier, take my card details, take my money and move on

Cory Doctorow reshared this.

in reply to Cory Doctorow

HalJor :propride:
HalJor :propride:
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What if you don't have a (smart) phone? I miss coins.
in reply to HalJor :propride:

Nick Dunlavey
Nick Dunlavey
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@haljor
Yep 😕
My elderly mother lives an easy drive from a beach she used to love. They changed payment for parking there to phone only, so she can now only go there when I go with her. So sad.
@HalJor :propride:
This entry was edited (3 weeks ago)
in reply to Cory Doctorow

Invader, from space.
Invader, from space.
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I’ve made a shocking number of decisions based solely on “Do I need a new app? Do I need a new account?”

If it’s no to both there’s a good chance I’ll say yes.

Cory Doctorow reshared this.

in reply to Cory Doctorow

akiran_n
akiran_n
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is not a problem in Italy, we just found out we can use the phone for anything other than social networks, pay the parking with it is becoming a thing now.
in reply to Cory Doctorow

Ian Hecht
Ian Hecht
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That would be amazing! Saskatoon, a city of around 250,000, has *four* different parking apps for depending on where in the city you park. It's infuriating...

Cory Doctorow reshared this.

in reply to Ian Hecht

rabble
rabble
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@ianhecht Wellington is the same, 4 apps. And they strongly push you to keep a balance on each one, changing extra if you just pay for what you need each time you park. Do they make their money on the float like Starbucks does?
@Ian Hecht
in reply to rabble

Dubi is here :Dambo8:
Dubi is here :Dambo8:
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@rabble @ianhecht Toronto's Green P app has a mininum load of $20 to its wallet, and you can't pay directly
@rabble @Ian Hecht
in reply to Dubi is here :Dambo8:

Jon Steege
Jon Steege
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@Dubikan @rabble @ianhecht hey it's like the HOV system in Denver! Want to use it for free for actual HOV purpose? You have to buy a $35 dongle and then keep more than $25 in your account all the time! Even if you never use normal toll ever!
@rabble @Dubi is here :Dambo8: @Ian Hecht
in reply to Cory Doctorow

djsf
djsf
• •

i live in Northern Virginia and Parkmobile is the app here.

They did this fun little thing where they bought up a bunch of spots in the area and raised prices by about 400%, but did no enforcement for 2 years.

Once they owned a huge portion of the spots in the area, they started cracking down HARD -- they now send several spotter cars every day to figure out many tow trucks they need to call.

In case anyone was wondering: the app sucks

Cory Doctorow reshared this.

in reply to Cory Doctorow

Ian Z
Ian Z
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good to see the car slaves finally have what public transit has had for a decade.

Cory Doctorow reshared this.

in reply to Cory Doctorow

Jeremy
Jeremy
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there’s a place downtown where I often park and there’s a machine which I use, except it was broken for like 6 months. The parking people told me to use the app (which charges an extra fee each time). I just told them I don’t have space on my phone for the app and I’m not paying the extra fee lol.
in reply to Cory Doctorow

Nick Dunlavey
Nick Dunlavey
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What [older] people want is no exclusionary technology barring them from their independence
in reply to Cory Doctorow

Kat Kimbriel
Kat Kimbriel
• •

@haljor @pluralistic

I've been offered a half dozen ways to use my phone to pay for things. I am not interested in learning a half-dozen new ways to buy things.

A new study on radio this morning mentioned that these phone/wallet payments cause us to spend more money, and that 11 seconds in savings in time may mean less thought, more purchases.

Sheesh. The things we didn't micro-mention in our SF....

@Cory Doctorow @HalJor :propride:
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