Unfortunately this was not an invitation to see Machel wine in Miami for their Carnival or to Wine and Art in the Art Deco District. It was the ticket I got for parking without putting a few dollar bills into an electronic mouth. Long story short, it cost 18 of Uncle Sam’s version of the dollar. And I paid it online. No fuss no buss.
When will we in Trinidad and Tobago be able to pay for stuff like this online or at a kiosk in the mall? Of course this will mean we need less people doing what they are currently doing. Are we going down this road? And if yes, are we moving fast enough?
Payment Confirmation
Your payment has been confirmed and authorized.
Your confirmation number is 10663-652539.
Date: 9/29/2011 8:33:15 AM
Receipt Details:
| Product |
Unit Price |
Quantity |
Amount |
| Parking-Citation-61964952 |
$18.00 |
1 |
$18.00 |
|
Total: |
$18.00 |
||
Thank you for using Miami-Dade Clerk’s Web Site.
29 September, 2011, 3:50 pm
Convenience.
That is one of the major roles of the internet and by extension companies/organizations utilizing e-commerce facilities. The internet is not simply for Facebook-ing and gossiping and watching porn – it’s about moving progressively into the next step of technological advancement. The United States and many other European countries around the world don’t sit back and wait for things to catch up to them – they sit down, analyze, strategize and “go to market” with simple things – such as the ability to pay for your parking tickets online.
We, however, are accustomed to going by the court house (I think – never got a parking ticket) and standing in line to pay $200.00 and reaching to work late (hoping our pay doesn’t get cut).
Simplicity.
Many companies in Trinidad are scared to go the route of e-commerce and the biggest culprit is State offices. Apart from not spending the money to make things easier and less mistakes by making use of technology, it will mean that Public Servants can’t protest for more money whilst sitting down and doing almost nothing all day. A fully integrated system will allow for check backs, databases that synchronize and better monitoring.
So altogether hope that your vehicle doesn’t get wrecked in POS because you won’t be sitting in front of a computer to pay your fine – you’ll be with the “working” class crowd in the line ahead of you!
30 September, 2011, 3:21 pm
One day we will get there…. It is almost as though they don’t realise the internet is here to stay. If local businesses do not realize that the Internet is as important as Brick and Mortar and start allocating resources accordingly to develop and support their technology strategies, all will be lost. Because as they say, the first man to the top of the hill usually gets to plant the flag.
E-Commerce payment/fulfillment methods employed/accepted in the USA may not always be easy to implement in all countries. For example, countries like China, Japan and Germany have all developed their own variations to make paying and receiving items from the internet compliant with their financial/business laws and more acceptable to their people.
However, I daresay the crux of the matter probably lies with their Back-End systems. I recently visited Trinidad and accompanied some of my relatives to their jobs. The operating systems I saw in some of the country’s leading establishments were years/versions behind. I bet many of these systems are simply not compatible with modern payment types.