I recently had my car clamped by APCOA at Connolly Station and was forced to pay €125 to have the clamp removed, despite holding a valid CIÉ staff parking permit registered on the APCOA staff portal.
Before parking, I checked the portal to ensure my permit and vehicle details were correct. However, the portal does not clearly list which stations are included or excluded under the staff permit, nor does it indicate that Connolly Station is not covered.
I have since been told that signs were erected stating the car park is privately owned, but every APCOA sign looks the same as those used in other Irish Rail stations where staff parking is permitted, such as Heuston. Because of this, the signage was not obvious and easily goes unnoticed.
The payment and release process was also extremely frustrating. The notice instructs you to call APCOA, but when I called the automated system (IVR), it did not recognise the clamp notice number, which caused additional delays while trying to resolve the situation.
The entire process took far longer than it should have and resulted in me missing a planned engagement I had that evening because of the delay caused by trying to get the clamp removed.
Overall, the whole experience felt very poorly designed and not in the interest of the customer. Between the lack of clear information on the permit portal, confusing signage and a payment system that doesn’t even recognise the clamp notice number, the process comes across as more about generating fees than helping people resolve issues quickly.
Very disappointing experience.
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APCOA Parking AG is Europe's longest-established full service parking management company.
