Forum Topic

Ealing Pay Online. Be careful

Last year my daughter was charged 150.00 for her Zone M parking permit. I thought is was a bit steep and queried it. Got an email saying they'd refunded 50.00 on to her card. No explanation or apology. On hindsght I think even 100.00 was too much. Last night she went online to renew her permit again and was asked to pay 200.00. I wonder how many people, when paying Ealing online, just pay up and dont question.

Stephen Gould ● 2196d4 Comments

Have you checked on line.  I think you need to do that and them armed with the proper figures have a word with Ealing.  I agree neither of those figures sounds right.

Maggie Dodge ● 2195d

"...have a word with Ealing"How easy is that to do ? I am getting very fed up with public bodies and utilities that ask you to do something via their website, then you try and it doesn't work, or you succeed and then the expected outcome doesn't happen, so then you try and ring them and have a lengthy wait on the phone with a repetitive message saying that if you don't want to hang on the line you could try doing whatever it is you want via their website.....if only they could add an option to the "press 1 if you want to do whatever" that says "Press 9 if you have tried using our website and found it not fit for purpose and need to speak to a human being". In the last couple of weeks I have had such experiences with a mobile phone company and an electricity supplier - with the former I eventually got through to what sounded like an Indian call centre, explained the problem and was told he would put me through to a different department....after a lengthy silence I hung up and called again, explained the problem and was cut off. I have now cancelled my direct debit to them. With the latter I had to wait twenty minutes until I got through to someone who apologised for the non-response to the meter readings I had entered on their website a fortnight earlier and quickly dealt with the matter.And that was this morning's rant.......

Richard Greenhough ● 2194d

Was o.k on-line until they started the Apps, Lots of people don't buy enough data to keep downloading Apps, would think they would make things easier if they want payment on time.

Janice Evans ● 2194d

For the second time in just over a week, I have received an e-mail from Thames Water asking me to log onto their website for the latest bill. The first one was an estimated bill relating to April, as I found out when, after getting an error message on their website, I spent a long time waiting on the phone listening to a message telling me it would be much quicker to use the website. They then e-mailed me the bill in question as they couldn't say when their website would be working properly. Today, guess what, their website is STILL not working properly, and after another long wait on the phone listening to the annoying voice telling me it would be quicker on the website, I was advised that they had now issued an estimated bill for October. As it happens, the last time they read the meter was in October 2018, the usage has increased considerably since then, and they had promised that this time round they would definitely read the meter, having missed the scheduled read in April due to the pandemic. Not being of a trusting nature, I had the meter read (not very easy as they put it in the highway a few feet out from the kerb, so to access it involves someone standing guard to prevent the reader being run over) so after finally getting through I was able to give them an actual reading, and now await a revised bill. Why oh why  can these organisations not provide a decent service, either by having a properly-functioning website or by making arrangements to answer customer's calls when they know their website isn't working - and then switch off the infuriating recorded message that tells the waiting customer they would be quicker to use the website?And that was this evening's rant......

Richard Greenhough ● 2194d