[Hedley Wright]

Now can access my account after clicking the reset password link, at:-

https://account.swarcoeconnect.org/

Many thanks to JC on the CPS twitter page for a fantastically fast response.

Yes, their support via Twitter has been exemplary. Long may it continue.

 

[jmacneil]

Just to confirm what some above have said: if the charger is a "free to use" and goes out of comms, you can start a charge with any RFID card e.g. I used my Staff Card yesterday morning to start/stop a charge session.

 

[farmergiles]

Just to confirm what some above have said: if the charger is a "free to use" and goes out of comms, you can start a charge with any RFID card e.g. I used my Staff Card yesterday morning to start/stop a charge session.

Thanks for confirming - wasn't 100% sure that would work.

 

[jmacneil]

Thanks for confirming - wasn't 100% sure that would work.

I believe it might only work for those chargers which are still free at point of use. At least that was the implication I would take from the conversation I had with the support line yesterday morning.

 

[SCA1972]

I used a free CPS rapid in Biggar this morning and started the charge with my Be.EV RFID card. Initially tried the app, which I got from the Play store before it was removed and got a “not valid RFID card” error when I tried to start a charge.

 

[Sandy]

Oh how we wished CYC had been on the ball like Swarco!

Just spotted your comment. Your aware SWARCO were contracted for hardware support for some time now. So not so much on the ball as just doing their job as contracted. Hopefully they'll fix the software/activation/customer side in their new contract.

 

[farmergiles]

Just spotted your comment. Your aware SWARCO were contracted for hardware support for some time now. So not so much on the ball as just doing their job as contracted. Hopefully they'll fix the software/activation/customer side in their new contract.

That's irrelevant.

CYC were running the show ( or not). They provided no effective fault reporting or repair notification to the hosts, poor helpline, no email support and no social media presence.

Swarco can hardly be blamed given they were reliant on CYC giving them the support tickets.

They are getting to grips with the migration but I am almost tempted to think that CYC have sabotaged some of the charger data or why have some chargers mysteriously changed location, even into the middle of the North Sea & Russia?

As has already been said, some poor sods will be manually editing a very large spreadsheet of charger locations, make & model of charger, current availability, fees, etc.

They have already started showing the actual max charging rate rather than classing all rapids as 50kw, so some are 44kw and other 51. Also, some charger IDs include a prefix indicating the make, eg APT.

They've still much to do such as the overstay penalties not being visible and chargers missing from locations with multiple posts.

 

[MrMajika]

Successfully charging just now using the play store app on Android that was available earlier in the week.

I was hoping that the RFID card may have arrived this morning in the post, but no joy yet.

 

[SCA1972]

Successfully charging just now using the play store app on Android that was available earlier in the week.

I was hoping that the RFID card may have arrived this morning in the post, but no joy yet.

Good to hear. I’m up here for a few days, so I’ll give the app another try on some other chargers. Maybe the one in Biggar had lost contact with the mothership.

I ended up getting way more charge than I needed while helping a confused iPace driver struggling with the other rapid on the site.

 

[Sandy]

Swarco can hardly be blamed given they were reliant on CYC giving them the support tickets.

Swarco sat on their hands waiting on support tickets? Nah they were plenty busy, so someone was logging tickets for them.

sabotaged some of the charger data or why have some chargers mysteriously changed location, even into the middle of the North Sea & Russia?

You can download the data from NCR, its got plenty of errors, that down to chargepoint owners, If I recall there is even data showing one post in Australia. No reason that SWARCO could have downloaded this data weeks ago and cleansed it.

 

[freddym]

Yes, their support via Twitter has been exemplary. Long may it continue.

Just to report that JC at CPS via Twitter was ever so helpful and that's my account up and running. Will do multiple site testing tomorrow in conjunction with some trips I need to make.

 

[MDF]

Kirkcudbright charger showing as available on the CPS map so looking good for you.

Excellent - thanks for letting me know!

 

[freddym]

Just spotted your comment. Your aware SWARCO were contracted for hardware support for some time now. So not so much on the ball as just doing their job as contracted. Hopefully they'll fix the software/activation/customer side in their new contract.

I suspect that Swarco Evolt were only ever contracted to do hardware repairs on the units manufactured by OEMS that had a UK distribution deal with Swarco.

So that excludes ABB units ( quite rare, maintained by ABB themselves), EFACEC units, ( maintained by Siemens ????), any if the BP CHARGEMASTER branded stuff. That still leaves all the Circontrol chargers branded as Evolt or APT ( which Swarco purchased lock stock and barrel).

 

[glasgow sheep]

Quick couple of questions.
I got a RFID card as soon as I got my EV a couple of months ago only to discover the provider was changing.....£20 well spent.
Anyway been charging with no problems since the change but have no record on my account of any charging sessions, and at least one of those should have cost me money.
I've asked CPS about this on twitter repeatedly and got no answer.
The other day I tried using the app but it said I had no valid card so couldn't charge using it.
I emailed CPS and finally got a reply this morning:

I have reviewed your account and I can see that your account has migrated and is live within the new system, however, I can't see an active ChargePlace Scotland ID number. This would indicate why the app is advising that there is no valid RFID card, and therefore it will not work. We would request that you please order a new access card via the new website. There is one-off cost of £10 for a new access card.

I thought you didn't need a RFID card with the new provider, and in any case the old card seems to be working.
Anyone any idea what is going on?

 

[freddym]

Quick couple of questions.
I got a RFID card as soon as I got my EV a couple of months ago only to discover the provider was changing.....£20 well spent.
Anyway been charging with no problems since the change but have no record on my account of any charging sessions, and at least one of those should have cost me money.
I've asked CPS about this on twitter repeatedly and got no answer.
The other day I tried using the app but it said I had no valid card so couldn't charge using it.
I emailed CPS and finally got a reply this morning:


I thought you didn't need a RFID card with the new provider, and in any case the old card seems to be working.
Anyone any idea what is going on?

Short answer is it's a CF.

How much of your life have you got to get up to speed on the change of back office provider, spend some time with the search on this forum and you find plenty of threads.

 

[MrMajika]

I thought you didn't need a RFID card with the new provider, and in any case the old card seems to be working.
Anyone any idea what is going on?

As it stands, any RFID card can operate the charger points. This is a temporary measure because the changeover is a mess. People are charging successfully using Tesco Clubcard just now. At some point in the future that will stop.

Your account and existing card should have been migrated. It looks like your problem is that your existing account has migrated but your RFID card has not. You're the first case of that scenario that I've heard of, however, there's a host of problems with the changeover, so it's entirely believable.

It's poor that they haven't offered to note your existing card details and add this to your existing account, rather than making you pay for a new card. This is what I would be pushing for.

SWARCO, despite their assurances, have royally f****d up this migration and their customer service to date has been appalling, so you might have a fight on your hands. Either way, I'd try and sort things now before they flip the switch which stops all the non valid RFID cards from working.

 

[glasgow sheep]

Short answer is it's a CF.

How much of your life have you got to get up to speed on the change of back office provider, spend some time with the search on this forum and you find plenty of threads.

Thanks, I searched for Chargeplace Scotland and this was the first thread that appeared, since then already spent too much time flicking through other threads.

As it stands, any RFID card can operate the charger points. This is a temporary measure because the changeover is a mess. People are charging successfully using Tesco Clubcard just now. At some point in the future that will stop.

Your account and existing card should have been migrated. It looks like your problem is that your existing account has migrated but your RFID card has not. You're the first case of that scenario that I've heard of, however, there's a host of problems with the changeover, so it's entirely believable.

It's poor that they haven't offered to note your existing card details and add this to your existing account, rather than making you pay for a new card. This is what I would be pushing for.

SWARCO, despite their assurances, have royally f****d up this migration and their customer service to date has been appalling, so you might have a fight on your hands. Either way, I'd try and sort things now before they flip the switch which stops all the non valid RFID cards from working.

Thanks, flicking through other threads that's what I was thinking. Have already replied querying their response and will see what they come back with but will certainly ask that they add my existing card to my account.
So by the sounds of it at some unannounced point my current card will stop working (I guess it only works due the fact any old card works currently) and I'll be stuck unless I either buy a new card or they migrate it for me.

 

[farmergiles]

Thanks, I searched for Chargeplace Scotland and this was the first thread that appeared, since then already spent too much time flicking through other threads.



Thanks, flicking through other threads that's what I was thinking. Have already replied querying their response and will see what they come back with but will certainly ask that they add my existing card to my account.
So by the sounds of it at some unannounced point my current card will stop working (I guess it only works due the fact any old card works currently) and I'll be stuck unless I either buy a new card or they migrate it for me.

They said they can't migrate CYC branded cards. if its a CPS branded one then they said they can, otherwise it's £10 for one.

So if your card is CPS branded give them the number off it and get them to add it to your account.

I had the same message when I tried to use the app even though they migrated my account, although there is no card shown in it, and therefore no charge history.
I'm emailing them shortly to get my card added.

I'm not paying for another card because the clearly stated that existing CPS card's would be transferred over.

Just used their contact form to request them to add my existing card so we''ll see if and when a reply is received.

 

[freddym]

Thanks, I searched for Chargeplace Scotland and this was the first thread that appeared, since then already spent too much time flicking through other threads.



Thanks, flicking through other threads that's what I was thinking. Have already replied querying their response and will see what they come back with but will certainly ask that they add my existing card to my account.
So by the sounds of it at some unannounced point my current card will stop working (I guess it only works due the fact any old card works currently) and I'll be stuck unless I either buy a new card or they migrate it for me.

You will see from other threads that recommended course of action is to write to your MSP stating your problems, the round around you are getting from SWARCI etc.

 

[farmergiles]

The main thread:

Issues CPS Post Swarco Handover

I'll be up in Stirling next week. I'll try for a cheeky free vend at Forthview rapids but if that fails the Osprey at the Highland Gate is plan B and the new Gridserve rapids at Pirnhall plan C

www.speakev.com

The press coverage thread:

CPS Swarco Website -App -Ontheground - Incorrect...

Just come back from a week in Scotland. 5 free rapid charges due to SWARCO's incompetence. Thanks SWARCO!

www.speakev.com

There are several complaint options but as Freddy said, your MSP may be best - worked for me when I contacted her over Aryll & Bute faulty chargers (sone are faulty again apparently)
The others are: Transport Scotland, the Transport Select committe when it sits again, Scottish press.