If you were NCP, how'd you explain its Olympic price doubling?
NCP has increased the price of parking in 38 of its 104 London car parks, and in some case prices are as much as doubling (see the NCP car park Olympics hike MSE News story).
While this is aggravating and expensive, it’s a business decision that it has decided to undertake, obviously believing it can get away with it and still have business. Yet what really gets my goat is this quote:
All of the above are being done to improve customer service and ensure that we are providing the best possible efficient, safe environment for our visitors. It should be noted these are temporary increases to allow us to increase service levels in line with anticipated increase in demand for parking."
I hate it when companies try to use "improve customer service" as an excuse for price hikes which self-evidentally have very little to do with service – such as self-service car parking!
So I decided to try and write my own quote, pretending I worked for the company, trying to present it in a good light but keeping it straightforward and honest.
This is a simple case of supply and demand. The Olympics are on, we expect huge demand for parking in London, and as a business we are able to charge higher prices temporarily. The increase in price will also reduce the inflow of cars to our car parks, making it a more manageable experience for those who do decide to park there during this busy time."
What do you think? Which of these do you find better as a consumer? And what would you’ve said if you ran its PR?
