Eastland offers free valet parking after weeks of teething issues at Ringwood shopping centre

A SHOPPING centre in Melbourne’s outer east will offer free valet parking for a week, as frustrated customers and staff struggle to deal with a new paid parking system.

Eastland valet captain Mike Purves with shopper Bianca Gordon. Picture: Lawrence Pinder

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EASTLAND will offer free valet services to shoppers for a week, as frustrated customers and staff struggle to deal with the new paid parking system.

People have continually complained about long waits when leaving the centre and glitches with the ticketless system, with hundreds taking to Facebook in recent months to air concerns.

General manager Steve Edgerton said the centre was accommodating more than 10,000 cars a day and despite some settling-in-issues, things had calmed down in recent weeks.

One staff member disputed there had been any improvements, saying it took her 20 minutes to leave Eastland last Saturday afternoon, with others continuing to experience problems with the payment system.

But Mr Edgerton assured people changes to where staff parked, introduced on July 26, had helped ease traffic woes for shoppers and staff.

He said plans were also afoot to cope with the Christmas period, with even more parking options to become available in coming weeks.

Shoppers leave Eastland through the new boom gates. Picture: Steve Tanner

“There were previously 600 staff car spaces nested in the southern end of the centre, and an extra 300 spaces have now been provided to the north end,” he said.

“Feedback has died down a bit now and we’re seeing people able to get in and out of the centre more easily.”

Shoppers will also be offered a chance to experience valet parking for free, with passes available from August 9 to 15.

Those wanting to experience the service, usually costing $10, can visit the guest services hub, located on level B1, and collect a pass (valid Monday to Friday until September 30, single use only, one per registered vehicle).

People will still be required to pay for parking over three hours.

Mr Edgerton also encouraged shoppers to try out his secret tip for finding a good park — spruiking entrance 7 on Warrandyte Rd as the best entrance to use.

“Customer habits mean most people were still using old entrances at Ringwood St but we want to change that and get them to try the new areas,” Mr Edgerton said.

Guest services manager Michelle Symss said the team strived to go “above and beyond” for customers and often personalised visits specifically for each guest.