According to Marc and Berend, if you are going out for a night in Amsterdam, it is better not to park in the garage on Nicolaas Maesstraat in Zuid. The elevator that takes the cars down breaks down all the time. Only when Marc and Berend have been stuck for hours do they see the reviews on Google, the texts chalked on the wall out of frustration, and the (probably) beaten-up ‘P’ sign in front of the entrance.
Berend goes to a performance in the Concertgebouw on December 12 and parks his car in Parking Museum Quarter. Once back from a nice outing, the evening turns out to be slightly different than expected. His car can no longer leave the parking garage because the car lift is defective. “I understand that an elevator can break down,” he says afterwards. “But then sort it out.”
‘Even one star is too many’
When Marc looks at Google Reviews, he feels bad, because a large part of the reviews are very negative. One response reads: “Even one star is still too many. Together with thirty other victims, we had to wait hours for the elevator to be repaired.” Another wrote that she could only pick up her car after three days. Yet another talks about the manager’s poor communication. “A technician was said to be on his way. In the end, there was no technician to be seen. The owner of the parking garage did not hear from him.”
As written in the last review, this is also how it went on December 12. “We were told that a technician would come,” says Berend. “After waiting 1.5 hours, that turned out not to be the case. If your parking garage is open 24/7, make sure there is 24/7 service.” In the end there were five people waiting for a technician who did not come.
Taxi from 220 euros
Marc and Berend did not know each other, but together they took a taxi back to the Utrecht region for the sweet sum of 220 euros, an amount that – if all goes well – will be reimbursed by the owner of the garage. The next day they were able to pick up their car. The two especially hope to warn other motorists and want the owner to take responsibility next time.
The owner of the garage is BAR Parking, which has the parking space managed by APCOA Parking. They are responsible for solving malfunctions. The company has been asked to respond to the complaints, but there has been no response.