I parked there for dinner on Saturday night. When I tried to leave, the machine that takes your credit card said it was "inactive" and it wouldn't kake my card, but the bar was still down, so I was trapped. I tried the "press for help" button, but that didn't do anything. I tried calling the number posted on the booth, but it got an after hours answering machine. Several people behind me in the line to get out tried helping, and even looked at the machinery behind the bar, hoping for a reset button or a release option so the bar would go up, but nothing. Ended up calling the police. They said it wasn't their machine, they get a lot of complaints about it, and they would try to find the after hours repairman.
If you have an unmanned bar blocking the exit, you really need to have a method of reaching someone that can help if things aren't working. What should we do in a situation like this? read more