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Ha, I was in Italy last year and literally tried to get a parking ticket from one of those machines for 10 minutes, without success. The only instructions were

by lqet 4y ago

Ha, I was in Italy last year and literally tried to get a parking ticket from one of those machines for 10 minutes, without success. The only instructions were some words in Italian, which I vaguely translated as "enter the number". The number of the parking space? Nope. Maybe the number of hours? Nope. Maybe the time until I want the space? Nope. Maybe the amount of cash it should take from my credit card? Nope. Maybe it was stuck in a previous transaction and the "number" was the PIN? Maybe the machine was in some kind of admin maintenance mode and was expecting a password? Nope, the next machine asked for the same "number". Maybe all the machines were broken? Nope, there were cars with a ticket behind the front window. I talked to another group of tourists with exactly the same problem, but 7 people were not enough brainpower to figure the machine out. While I finally walked back to car to tell the family in shame that I was, indeed, not able to use a ticket machine successfully, it suddenly hit me: the machine expects the license plate number!

hackflip 4y ago
In Calgary I've used a parking machine that asked for a lot number. That is on a sign as you enter the parking lot. As if this machine could not be programmed to already know which lot of was permanently installed in.
flemhans 4y ago
That was my first thought when I read your comment. That "number" referred to the license plate. (In my language, license plates are called number plates.)
mdp2021 4y ago
I believe that the second button in the bottom row, "flags icons", should be the language. But honestly, after reading the post I thought I would just glance at the picture and see clear indications for "change language" instructions, the same way a proofreader takes moments to find what the writer will just not see until pointed. Instead, it did take me an unexpected amount of time, and I still feel that option as well concealed.

by lqet 4y ago

hackflip 4y ago

In Calgary I've used a parking machine that asked for a lot number. That is on a sign as you enter the parking lot. As if this machine could not be programmed to already know which lot of was permanently installed in.

flemhans 4y ago

That was my first thought when I read your comment. That "number" referred to the license plate. (In my language, license plates are called number plates.)

mdp2021 4y ago

I believe that the second button in the bottom row, "flags icons", should be the language. But honestly, after reading the post I thought I would just glance at the picture and see clear indications for "change language" instructions, the same way a proofreader takes moments to find what the writer will just not see until pointed. Instead, it did take me an unexpected amount of time, and I still feel that option as well concealed.