serioustraveler

Citation needed, but really this entire thread just screams promoting your company.



Sure, you say this isn't just about promoting SmartPark JFK, and that you want to help REDUCE travelers costs. I'll remember this.


Sure as heck smells like business to me, given that you're working with predetermined "discounts" you're "authorized" to give us.


Unless you have some empirical data to back this, you just come off as a salesman pitching that YOUR product is superior to your competitors.

You're really not making a good case for why there should be a Frequent Parker section, you're mainly just pitching us why your program is better.

Instead of bashing your competitors you should have come here to talk about how the forum needs a section for talking about Frequent Parker programs, but alas you're clearly promoting only ONE Frequent Parker Program.

Er what, you said earlier that it's not just about your program.

I'm not a moderator, heck I'm not even close to being a voice of authority when it comes to the travel forums, but at the end of the day each of your posts just reek of a company plugging for business.

Don't try to thinly veil your motives behind the idea of helping customers save money and then later say you don't want to send people to your "competitors" even though they might save money that way.

If you're REALLY posting this on your own time and not as a company plug and even if it's being posted on company time you should have no problem talking about your competitors and letting THEIR product stand or fall on it's own.

If your company really is better than others then you don't need to attack THEIR product in order to make yours look better.

Sales 101: Customers know when you're being insincere.

SmartParkJFK

You have clearly made up your mind on my intentions. Unfortunate.

Sometimes... someone... just wants to "do right" and help people in some small way (few bucks, few free days, etc) THATS ME!

Quite simply - if ANYONE needs JFK parking and wants free days - I am the go to guy. Thats all, nothing more. Being offended by having a "inside connection" for lack of a better term is something I cannot control.

EVERYONE has the choice to go to another facility.

If there is any way that I can earn your trust I am open to suggestions?

Sincerely - HAVE A GREAT DAY! I WILL

Oz (that guy)

lo2e

Unfortunate also that you ignored JDiver's post HERE which asked for some specific information to gauge the level of interest of your proposed forum. Either you missed it or chose not to answer, but either way it would go a LONG way toward you making a case for the forum. As of now, I would agree with previous comments that you've done little more than advertise your product, which does not constitute creating a forum by itself.

Well, I guess for starters you should make your services known in the New York forum since that's where your business is located. Posting in the Talkboard forum about parking deals at JFK doesn't do anything if we're not close to JFK! @:-) And yes, I know you've posted once in there, but surely there must be other people longing for parking information, or else you wouldn't have suggested a forum, right?

One other thing to consider, in addition to the questions in the post I linked to above, might be to delineate exactly how putting nationwide/worldwide parking information in one forum might be better than putting it in area-specific forums. Are there any nationwide (or at least multi-airport) frequent parking programs?

FlyinHawaiian

The Parking Spot comes to mind, but it's hard for me to fathom any traveller who would use airport parking in locations other than where they live with any great regularity (I did this once when it was cheaper to park my rental car overnight than to book two seperate rentals, but it was an exceptional circumstance).

I think parking threads are best served in the regional forums and not a consolidated one for all of the US, let alone other countries.

tom911

I agree. We frequently discuss SFO parking options in the San Francisco forum. No need to move that discussion out of there into some specialized parking forum.

tom911

That option is currently available to you in the New York City forum. You can help every poster that asks about parking at JFK right there.

goalie

And I agree as well on both points

gkbiiii

Why does Park'N Fly not have its own forum??
They are nationwide and the largest in their industry??

tom911

Well, for one, because no one has ever asked for a Park N Fly forum, let alone provide justification (list of existing threads on that topic) to show that one is merited. Should certain vendors be allowed to have their own forums? Don't think the Talk Board has ruled on that one yet.

CPRich

How would an Park N Fly forum differ from a Avis forum, a United forum, a Hilton forum, etc.? Those all seem to be dedicated to one company.

I track two Parking programs in my AwardWallet account, and have had to guess on how/if/what regarding redemption in the past. So being raised by a company rep doesn't automatically brand it as a horrible scam that at least one person thinks it is.

How 'bout this:

I, as a FT member and user of frequent parker programs, with absolutely no business affiliation with any parking company, propose the creation of frequent parking program-related forum(s).

lo2e

I think the big difference for me is that for many airlines, hotels, and even rental cars, you accumulate miles/points/etc by either consuming the actual airline/hotel/rental product or by some other means (an associated credit card, shopping through a portal, partner offers, etc). You are also able to spend those miles/points/etc either on future travel plans or sometimes other products.

It looks like the two frequent parking companies that have now been mentioned in this thread seem to have one way to earn rewards (by using their parking lot frequently), and one way to spend such rewards (free/discounted/more convenient parking). Neither has a credit card associated with it, and neither allows you to redeem your "rewards" for anything that I could find other than parking-related services.

There doesn't seem to be quite the level of complication with frequent parking companies that there does with the frequent flyer/stayer/renter programs, and trust me, I wish that all programs were as simple as the parking companies seem to make it! ^ But because it is so simple, it just doesn't seem to me to warrant a complete forum for it, especially since, as mentioned before, there probably aren't a lot of people that would frequently use parking services at more than one airport.

Perhaps you could answer the questions in JDiver's post, which might give the Talkboard a better chance at understanding the need for such a forum.

SkiAdcock

I actually had the same thought. If one exists for other corps like Hilton etc, then perhaps a case could be made for a frequent parker program.

Having said that, I think for the most part the need is met already in regional forums. So it will take some convincing to get me to vote for one.

Having said that, if you'd like TB to consider such a forum, then I would recommend either the OP or CPRich answering the following, which helps Talkboard when considering new forums.

The following are qualitative criteria that the TalkBoard believes are useful to consider when evaluating proposals to create, close, split, or move forums. Whenever a forum change is discussed on the TalkBoard Topics, the TalkBoard encourages posters to fully address these criteria in addition to any other reasons supporting or opposing the change.

1. Will the forum be (or is it now) beneficial to FlyerTalk?

2. Will the new forum benefit a relationship with FlyerTalk? E.g., does the forum provide value for FT members, such as a friendly ear highly placed in the company

3. Is FT the best place to discuss this subject?

4. Is there a passionate following? This is essential in order to provide dedicated expert helpers to get questions answered.

5. Is a critical mass of posts and readers anticipated or existing? We need adequate traffic to keep everyone visiting frequently. One living forum is more valuable than two mostly dead ones.

6. Is this the best place on FlyerTalk for this subject? This is the classification issue. The answer depends primarily on achieving and maintaining critical mass. It also depends on whether or where the discussion might (or does) occur in the absence of the forum.

7. For proposals to split a forum, is the split expected to improve the signal to noise ratio? Why?



Cheers.

tom911

I see your point but every forum you've listed falls within a master forum topic (i.e. hotels, airlines, rental cars). We do not have a "Parking" master forum topic to drop Park N Fly into. Without that, you would end up creating a vendor forum just for one single vendor and that would be something new here. You could end up with Airlines, Hotels, and Park N Fly. If that's what the Talk Board votes for, I'd be fine with it, but it would be something new here.

Are that that many national parking chains to give them a forum of their own? We have some independent ones I can think of around SFO (Burlingame Airport Parking, Anza, Park SFO). What would you do with them?

SmartParkJFK

I assure you Sir I did not ignore it. I did miss it.

At this point, I see the posts and that a forum is not something that is desired and I am ok with that.

If anyone needs anything JFK parking related just let me know - simple!



I thank you and will do as you suggested. Appreciate it!

Canarsie

I would certainly support the formation of the suggested forum in question.

There are a number of airport parking facilities — some of them national in the United States — which offer loyalty programs.