Are there no more free Blink stations?

This was a surprise to me:
Duration : 12:41:32
Total Fee : 30.48

This station was free when I used it on Sep 8th. I've been using it for 8 months. It's in United Airlines employee parking, via a long bus ride, so you really can't go move your car.

The email from Blink said NOTHING about formerly free stations becoming paid. They just talked about HOW they billed. I guess they said it in not so many words? But customer 'service' told me that the host person had to re-opt to make it free, and *BLINK* decided if they hadn't heard from the host, they would make it a pay location.

Plus, Come on: email me on the 2nd, no reminder email, and go from free to a $30 bill in 9 days?

Further:
The location is in airport employee parking, which is a 20 minute trip via bus, out through security, etc. NO ONE is going to skip their lunch break to eat on the bus to go move their car. Also, pilots and flight attendants can be gone 11 days in some cases.

I'm glad I was only gone this long.

Blink didn't care. Customer service was rude. And yes, I was upset because it makes no sense.

It was a good deal on their end: they've turned a paying subscriber into a hater for only $30.

Most companies would kill to turn a customer's attitude that far round for only $30. Unless your goal is to IMPROVE customer loyalty.

Blink sent out an email about charging per kWH.

beachfitrob said:

This was a surprise to me:
Duration : 12:41:32
Total Fee : 30.48

This station was free when I used it on Sep 8th. I've been using it for 8 months. It's in United Airlines employee parking, via a long bus ride, so you really can't go move your car.

Click to expand...

Blink has communicated their price hikes and there has been much discussion of it here. They're short sighted in giving up the PHEV market by pricing their service significantly higher than gasoline. And in locations like the one you used it's hard to imagine any scenario in which someone could reasonably use the station.

But if it makes you feel just a little better having to pay $30 your first time after the price hikes... had you instead filled up an SUV with gas it could have topped $100.

walterbays said:

beachfitrob said:

This was a surprise to me:
Duration : 12:41:32
Total Fee : 30.48

This station was free when I used it on Sep 8th. I've been using it for 8 months. It's in United Airlines employee parking, via a long bus ride, so you really can't go move your car.

Click to expand...

Blink has communicated their price hikes and there has been much discussion of it here. They're short sighted in giving up the PHEV market by pricing their service significantly higher than gasoline. And in locations like the one you used it's hard to imagine any scenario in which someone could reasonably use the station.

But if it makes you feel just a little better having to pay $30 your first time after the price hikes... had you instead filled up an SUV with gas it could have topped $100.

Click to expand...

Well, you got me once, Blink. I wonder who will own them next?

I have to be honest... The concept of someone tieing up an EVSE for 11 days irks me...

The Blink does let you know what the fee is when you tap your card to charge... You also have to click a "Confirm" button...

$30 for 8 months of charging doesnt seem excessive.
take the long view and a deep breath.
of course, the station now is useless to anyone who uses that lot in your situation.

It probably had to do with the agreement between your company and CarCharging. All stations cost, and as you mentioned, the owner can elect to pay for the price of the charge versus pushing the cost onto the user. I know my work had to resign their current contracts when CarCharging took over. It could be that your company just hasn't done that, or may elected not to cover the cost (I am sure CarCharging is now billing those companies the more higher rate, which they may elect not to cover anymore because of the greater expense).

I WILL say some places need free charging to make it worth their while, like at airports. Even the quickest trip is an entire day usually. And to pay CarCharging's horribly expensive cost for an entire day is pretty insane - and the "incentive" to move your car when its done doesn't apply because---your gone! Remove lots such as the OP's follow that same line of thought, especially when many of the employees can be gone for days.

The only thing you can do is go to your company's people (whom takes care of that stuff I don't know) and ask about the free charging station use and it switch to the current cost now.

TomT said:

I have to be honest... The concept of someone tieing up an EVSE for 11 days irks me...

Click to expand...

this is a problem for airport chargers, there is a need to implement some sort of valet charging for long term parking

apvbguy said:

TomT said:

I have to be honest... The concept of someone tieing up an EVSE for 11 days irks me...

Click to expand...

this is a problem for airport chargers, there is a need to implement some sort of valet charging for long term parking

Click to expand...

Or provide lots and lots of 120v 8 amp low cost no network EVSEs. Or just an outlet for that matter.
Just charge an extra $1 per day at the plug-in section.

Pipcecil said:

I WILL say some places need free charging to make it worth their while, like at airports. Even the quickest trip is an entire day usually.

Click to expand...

Solution there is to use the by-kWh billing rate instead of the by-time billing rate.

smkettner said:

Or provide lots and lots of 120v 8 amp low cost no network EVSEs. Or just an outlet for that matter.
Just charge an extra $1 per day at the plug-in section.

Click to expand...

I like the low-power EVSE solution - though I don't see any reason to go lower than 12A. Anything less can be just about useless. For the same amount of wire, better to go 208/240V and double the charging power, even if just 12A.

Outlets - not too crazy about leaving my EVSE unattended for a long period of time unless airport security is good.

8a allows two on a 20a 120v circuit. 400a panel could have 80 low power EVSEs(maybe more) or 10 mid power 16 amp 240v.
Sometimes efficient means everyone gets a spot without a valet.

The very last option would be anything BLINK.

The Denver airport actually has a pretty good selection of EV chargers at the airport. They are all L1 and would work perfectly. Sometimes I see Volts, Teslas, Leafs and once a PiP (not for sale in Colorado, so a rarer find). Only problem is that there are only 11 spots, 6 in 1 parking garage and 5 in the other garage. And once you decide to go to a garage, you get a ticket and the minimum exit fee is $3 (1 hour of parking) even if only there for 5 minutes.

So if you go in and find all spots in use and want to go to the other garage, you have to exit the garage by paying $3, drive to exit the airport, loop around, and back in the other garage with a new ticket. Hopefully to find one open. No way to reserve them, no way to check on them online.

It is a step in the right direction, just not there yet. Since I can't get my Leaf there and back without charging, the last thing I want is the hassle of finding a charge spot before a flight. I just drive the Prius or RX450h and park right next to the EV spots in the hybrid spots and not worry about it. I hope that one day they put a whole row of EV charging in.

Just FYI for 2k1Toaster, look into Canopy at DEN. They have multiple charging options including an L3 station and are very EV aware.

Not all free Blinks have changed. I used the ones at Qualcomm last Wed. and they were still free. I'd check with Blink and the site owner. It's between the two of them whether charging is free or not.