C'mon Seth, why the Shipping charge on Parking?

[Arlette]

I understand that when buying tickets you charge $3.25 for Will Call; that fee helps support the box office expenses.  Makes sense.  But do you also need the $3.25 to support the parking operation?  
 
 I just bought a parking pass:
 
 $10.00 parking
 $ 2.00 service fee
 $ 3.25 shipping
 ----------
 $15.25 total
 
 I also understand the $2.00 service fee, that's tickets.com fee, for which you may or may not get a rebate (if you're not, you should be).  
 
 But do you really need to charge the $3.25?  
 
 Isn't $15.25 for parking a bit excessive?

[ggw]

Hookers and blow aren't cheap.

[godsshoeshine]

or you could just park in the alley like everyone else

[TEM]

Those parking passes are heavy.

[sonickteam2]

for $15.25, I would expect Valet.

[sonickteam2]

well, it beats parking at the New Carrollton metro station. holy god!
 
   we went for the Nationals game, and normally i go to Greenbelt, but i figured, I'll drive 2 more miles or so to be ON the Orange line and save Metro time.
 
   so, no signs in the parking lot of any parking charge, but when we leave there are! after the game, the sign said  "you must have Smart Trip Card to avoid the $7.50 non-rider charge."  and if you had the card is was $3.50.  
 
   so we get to the gate and they say "you have to have a smart-trip card" and i say "we dont, we have the $7.50 though"  
 
   "you have to have a smart trip card"
 
   (then why the $7.50 if you DONT if you CANT NOT have one???)
 
  so we go back into the metro station and find out the Card itself costs $5.00!!!! THEN you have to put money on it.
 
   so we put $10 (5 for the card, plus the $3.50 to get out) cool, right?   WRONG
 
   we get to back to the gate and they are saying i owe $12.50!!!!!!
 
   and the dude has long since stopped speaking english.  so i reached in the booth and flipped the gate up, and left.
 
  Metro for 2 people 2 Nats game and back = $8.20
  Surprise parking fees at Metro pkg lot = $12.50
 
  coming back to Baltimore knowing you are walking to the Orioles game the next night = Priceless!
 
 
    sorry, i had to tell that story.

[MaLo]

Originally posted by sonickteam4:
  well, it beats parking at the New Carrollton metro station. holy god!
 
   we went for the Nationals game, and normally i go to Greenbelt, but i figured, I'll drive 2 more miles or so to be ON the Orange line and save Metro time.
 
   so, no signs in the parking lot of any parking charge, but when we leave there are! after the game, the sign said  "you must have Smart Trip Card to avoid the $7.50 non-rider charge."  and if you had the card is was $3.50.  
 
   so we get to the gate and they say "you have to have a smart-trip card" and i say "we dont, we have the $7.50 though"  
 
   "you have to have a smart trip card"
 
   (then why the $7.50 if you DONT if you CANT NOT have one???)
 
  so we go back into the metro station and find out the Card itself costs $5.00!!!! THEN you have to put money on it.
 
   so we put $10 (5 for the card, plus the $3.50 to get out) cool, right?   WRONG
 
   we get to back to the gate and they are saying i owe $12.50!!!!!!
 
   and the dude has long since stopped speaking english.  so i reached in the booth and flipped the gate up, and left.
 
  Metro for 2 people 2 Nats game and back = $8.20
  Surprise parking fees at Metro pkg lot = $12.50
 
  coming back to Baltimore knowing you are walking to the Orioles game the next night = Priceless!
 
 
    sorry, i had to tell that story.

i had THE best metro ride to the Nats game last night..as i'm walking into the station, this girl gives me her Day Pass (she was done using it)..and then on the way home, the gates for the parking lot were open, so i got out with out having to pay
 
 excellent
 
 too bad the Nationals lost, but woohoo for free transportation

[Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer]

Bigyawwwwwn.
 
 Thanks for the story, but we DC people already know how the Metro parking system works.
 
 

Originally posted by sonickteam4:
  well, it beats parking at the New Carrollton metro station. holy god!
 
   we went for the Nationals game, and normally i go to Greenbelt, but i figured, I'll drive 2 more miles or so to be ON the Orange line and save Metro time.
 
   so, no signs in the parking lot of any parking charge, but when we leave there are! after the game, the sign said  "you must have Smart Trip Card to avoid the $7.50 non-rider charge."  and if you had the card is was $3.50.  
 
   so we get to the gate and they say "you have to have a smart-trip card" and i say "we dont, we have the $7.50 though"  
 
   "you have to have a smart trip card"
 
   (then why the $7.50 if you DONT if you CANT NOT have one???)
 
  so we go back into the metro station and find out the Card itself costs $5.00!!!! THEN you have to put money on it.
 
   so we put $10 (5 for the card, plus the $3.50 to get out) cool, right?   WRONG
 
   we get to back to the gate and they are saying i owe $12.50!!!!!!
 
   and the dude has long since stopped speaking english.  so i reached in the booth and flipped the gate up, and left.
 
  Metro for 2 people 2 Nats game and back = $8.20
  Surprise parking fees at Metro pkg lot = $12.50
 
  coming back to Baltimore knowing you are walking to the Orioles game the next night = Priceless!
 
 
    sorry, i had to tell that story.

[HoyaSaxa03]

Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer:
  Bigyawwwwwn.
 
 Thanks for the story, but we DC people already know how the Metro parking system works.
 
 

i don't have a car or drive, and even i know that you need a smartrip to park there

[godsshoeshine]

go easy on sonik. he's clearly used to baltimore's superior parking at their underground transportation facilities

[sonickteam2]

Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer:
  Bigyawwwwwn.
 
 Thanks for the story, but we DC people already know how the Metro parking system works.
 

is it that way in every Metro stop now?
 
 because i remember parking for free all the time at the Greenbelt metro station.
 
    either way, unless we decide to renew our hockey tickets when they play again in 2015, it was one of my last trips to DC.

[kosmo vinyl]

Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer:
  Bigyawwwwwn.
 
 Thanks for the story, but we DC people already know how the Metro parking system works.
 
   

[/QB][/QUOTE]
 
 
 Actually this is the first I've heard of a non-rider parking charge, sounds like the WMATA is screwing unsuspecting tourists out of more money to cover thier lack of oversight in the past.  The New Carrollton station is so poorly laid out, it's a pain to get into and out from the Beltway.   You  would probably gotten hit with the same non-rider charge in Greenbelt, but the parking fees are better posted there and required smartcard purchase is well indicated.
 
 If you wait until midnight parking is free at least in Greenbelt.  
 
 My funny Metro parking story involves the Multi-day spots set aside at Greenbelt.  When I arrived they were full. And obviously not wanting to risk a ticket I asked the station manager where i could park if there were full, and his answer was he didn't know having never been asked that question.  Didn't get a ticket but then again it was over a weekend...

[Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer]

But no doubt your girlfriend was paying, since it was your birthday, right? So no biggie?
 
 How are we all supposed to meet you if you never come to DC?
 
 
 

Originally posted by sonickteam4:
   

Originally posted by Charlie Nakatestes, Japanese Golfer:
  Bigyawwwwwn.
 
 Thanks for the story, but we DC people already know how the Metro parking system works.
 

is it that way in every Metro stop now?
 
 because i remember parking for free all the time at the Greenbelt metro station.
 
    either way, unless we decide to renew our hockey tickets when they play again in 2015, it was one of my last trips to DC. [/b]

[sonickteam2]

Originally posted by god's shoeshine:
  go easy on sonik. he's clearly used to baltimore's superior parking at their underground transportation facilities

since New Carrollton is not in DC , then i think we can qualify the Light rail and the Baltimore Metro as the same.  Taking you from the suburbs to downtown and back.  
 
   there is no charge to park in any of the Metro or light rail lots around Baltimore.
 
    Since i live in the city, I do not have to worry about this here, but since i DONT live in DC , i tried to take advantage of it.

[Bombay Chutney]

The New Carrollton lot is weird, because there's an Amtrak station there too.  It used to be that in order to get the Metro parking rate you had to provide a transfer ticket, proving you took the Metro.  Otherwise, you had to pay the Amtrak parking fare, which is much higher.  That's my guess as to what happened.
 
 But the whole SmartCard thing is true for every station.  You have to have that card to pay for parking.  They don't take cash.  And you pay until the station closes, which is something like midnight.  Weekends are still free.