Vancouver Park Board swimming registration glitches frustrates parents again
New on-line system fails in debut, parents vent on Twitter
Keen parents wanting to score a coveted swimming lesson spot for their child were left with a sinking feeling -- and a sense of deja vu -- when Vancouver's new on-line registration system failed just minutes into its launch Monday morning.
The entire system was shut down soon after its 9 a.m. debut due to what Vancouver Park Board's general manager Malcolm Bromley called a "business interruption with the credit card payment system."
"I do apologize," said Bromley in a phone interview. "Regardless of the technical reason why, I do realize we inconvenienced people."
The new system took two years to design and replaces an old system with a long and inglorious history of glitches and failures.
Frustrated residents took to Twitter to express their frustration.
<a href="https://twitter.com/ParkBoard">@ParkBoard</a> I lost the spot for my son at Hillcrest because of this! Now every class is full. How can you botch this every single time?!
—@danceswithpucks<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ParkBoardNewReg?src=hash">#ParkBoardNewReg</a> Not able to pay for classes. Keep getting "failure to obtain authorization for given credit card" for mulitple cards
—@rebbsvanNOT easy! MT <a href="https://twitter.com/ParkBoard">@parkboard</a>: Never registered online for <a href="https://twitter.com/ParkBoard">@ParkBoard</a> classes before? It’s easy! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/parkboardnewreg?src=hash">#parkboardnewreg</a> <a href="http://t.co/S8XWeXnLbH">pic.twitter.com/S8XWeXnLbH</a>
—@meliss604<a href="https://twitter.com/ParkBoard">@ParkBoard</a> Where is your IT or Customer Service Dept - don't give us a hashtag and then not respond to it <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ParkBoardNewReg?src=hash">#ParkBoardNewReg</a>
—@JasonTeetaertSurvived <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ParkBoardNewReg?src=hash">#ParkBoardNewReg</a> - Lots to contemplate as a service designer when public reg for swim lessons feels like scoring a concert ticket.
—@gordonrThe system was reopened again successfully at noon.
Bromley estimates swimming lesson at Vancouver community pools run at 95-percent capacity and says demand often outstrips supply.