Storage in automatic lockers is most often used by people at airports and train stations. This is a very convenient way if you need to leave your things and go away on business. But like any service, it has its own rules, which will not be out of place to know.
What are luggage rooms for?
Storage in automatic lockers is resorted to in various situations, for example, when you need to vacate a hotel room, and an airplane or train only after a few hours. This also includes the situation when you need to go to the train immediately after an important event, and there is simply no time to call for a suitcase.
We have already said above that storage in automatic left-luggage offices is suitable for those who do not want to carry bags with them, if traveling with transfers or just want to take a walk around the area before they leave. The same goes for parents who go on a trip with their children. In this case, it is simply impossible to keep track of both the kids and the suitcases.
What it is
Storage in automatic lockers is not as complicated as it seems. In fact, a left-luggage office is a cell that has a door. The latter has a lock, which can be either electronic or mechanical. Cameras also differ in size, so you need to clearly correlate the dimensions of your luggage and the volume of the cell.
The nuances of using
The cell operator has access to the cell, but after you put something inside and dialed the code, he no longer knows how to open it. If the cells are modern, then after the payment is made, they will be given a key in their hands, which will provide access to the camera. Old cell patterns involve opening with physical force, and only then a personal access code is set. All these manipulations are due to concern for the safety and security of the contents of the cameras.
It is important to remember that the card from the automatic left-luggage office at the station or at the airport must be used no later than ten minutes after receipt. If this is not done, then the key will cease to work, and you will need to purchase a new one.
How much is the service
Automatic luggage storage at the station or at the airport is about the same. Prices will be as follows:
- Storage in a small cell in an hour will cost one hundred rubles. If time increases, then each hour is additionally paid fifty rubles. For the day you will need to give only two hundred and twenty rubles.
- The average camera will already cost two hundred and ten rubles for the first hour and eighty for each subsequent hour. Storage during the day will cost four hundred and fifty rubles.
- A large cell costs 150 rubles, and for the next hours you will have to pay 80 rubles. If you rent a camera for 24 hours, then you will need to pay 360 rubles.
- The largest camera will cost two hundred rubles per hour, each next 60 minutes will be paid a hundred rubles. A day will have to pay 500 rubles.
If you come across a left-luggage office in which time is not determined, then you will pay only one hundred and fifty rubles, regardless of what cell size of the automatic left-luggage office you choose.
Do not think that the cost of the service is fixed. Each organization has its own, therefore it is better to specify directly on the spot.
A day is counted from twelve o'clock in the morning until the same time, but already the next day. That is, if you checked in at ten in the evening, then in two hours you will have to pay for the second day of using the camera. This is due to the fact that at twelve o'clock a new countdown begins.
When paying for a left-luggage office, a ticket is not needed, just a passport is enough.
If you forgot things
Many people avoid using cells because they don’t understand how automatic lockers work if they forget things. This moment is regulated by the Civil Code of our country, more precisely, 784 articles. Forgotten luggage is stored in the cell for a month, after which things are sold.
It is important to remember that if more than five days have passed since the rental of the cell, and the payment has not been extended, then the luggage will be opened. This is done in order to be able to compile an inventory of things.
After the items from the luggage have been sold, the money from the sale is returned to the owner of the things. The only thing that is retained is the amount due to the airport or train station for organizing the sale and expired storage time.
Mode of operation
Before you learn how to use an automatic storage camera, you need to understand the operating mode. Most often, cameras work as long as the airport or train station is open. That is, if the station building is closed at night, then the cameras cannot be used.
Automatic lockers may not be available at times when the operator has a break. This also needs to be considered before handing over things.
As for hand-held cameras, they work only at that time, which provides for the operating mode of the window. Therefore, you also need to calculate breaks so that it does not happen that you need to go, but there is no access to luggage.
Important points
We already said above that to use the camera you need to provide a passport. This is not a whim of the organization’s leadership. This is done in order to keep things safe both for the owners themselves and for people around them.
Left-luggage offices need to be looked for in a waiting room or in the basement. If there are difficulties with the search, it is better to ask for help from an employee of the airport or train station.
Terms of use
Everyone at least once saw how they use lockers in supermarkets or did it themselves. The principle is similar, so there is nothing complicated to use. In this case, the principle of self-service also works, but we will still tell you more. So how to use an automatic storage camera?
After you have drawn up a cell and paid for it, you will be given an electronic key, which is a plastic card. We have already said that you need to use it in the first ten minutes after payment.
So, after the camera was opened and the luggage was placed in it, you need to dial the code on the inside of the lock. It should consist of letters of the Russian alphabet and four numbers. When the code is entered, you must lower the token into the coin mechanism and close the door. From now on, only you know the code. In order to pick up luggage it will be enough to enter the code and open the door.
After a person has received things, he must pass a token. The operator checks the number of the latter with a duplicate and notes in his documents that the use of the automatic left-luggage office has ended.
In what cases things are not accepted for storage
Although the service is very convenient, not everyone can use it. For example, pets will not be accepted for storage in an automatic left-luggage office at the airport or train station. They also will not take explosives or firearms. Do not leave foul-smelling, dirty objects or narcotic substances in cells. The list of prohibited items for storage is established by the Rules for the carriage of passengers, cargo, luggage by rail and air.
Psychotropic substances and products with a short shelf life can also not be tried to leave in a cell. That is, the products can be taken, but no one will answer if they go bad. The passenger knew that the food was not stored for long, which means that all responsibility is on him.
Many people care about the question of whether it is possible to deposit money, valuables or important documents into the cell of an automatic left-luggage office. This is permissible only in cases where special cameras are provided at the station or at the airport for this purpose.
If the passenger cannot open the camera
There are situations when storing things in automatic left-luggage offices becomes difficult. For example, a person forgot a password or lost a key. Yes, it’s unpleasant, but not so complicated. You will certainly return the luggage, but first you will have to go through a certain procedure and pay a fine for losing the key to the cell.
In such a situation, they turn to the head of the left-luggage office, if there is none, the representative of the airport or train station management will do. You will write a statement stating the list of things stored in the cell and its number.
If you have lost a token or receipt, then the statement will need to be accompanied by evidence that the thing belongs to you. Only after this you will receive luggage in the presence of the police and witnesses.
When things are gone
The premises where the automatic left-luggage offices are located are, of course, guarded, but this does not mean that luggage cannot be stolen.
If this situation occurs, then you need to write a statement. It is necessary to indicate in it the things that were stored in the cell, the time and date when the camera was occupied, the code from it and the number of coins dropped at the time of closing. Everything else you need to remember to write whether the cell was reused.
The application is recorded in the account book of wanted items.
Next, the head of the station or airport issues an order that appoints a commission. The latter is required to check the condition of the locks on the cell and the number of coins that were lowered at closing. All this is done in the presence of an electrician, police and the client who wrote the application.
Who serves the cameras
Manufacturers of automatic lockers design a device so that special people do not have to service them. In order to repair the camera, just invite an electrician. Any malfunctions are recorded in the log of inspection and repair of cells. The document is kept by the duty officer at the station or airport, but the appointment of a responsible person is possible.
If the camera is faulty, then it is immediately blocked. When sections of the left-luggage offices are disconnected from the power, they are hung with signs notifying them of this.
How luggage rooms are accepted and handed over
The operator of the left-luggage office, who accepts or surrenders duty, is obliged to compile an inventory of things handed over to the cell, indicate the cell number and how the packaging looks. He should also reflect in the act the integrity of the packaging, the presence of things that are stored for more than a month.
All results must be recorded in the baggage record book. It is also necessary to indicate the numbers of tokens that are attached to things in the cells, and the number of things in the chamber. If the packaging of a thing has a malfunction, then this should also be reflected in the journal.
If the disappearance of baggage is detected, the operator must immediately report this to the head of the cameras. Then draw up an act of loss.
Work control
The operation of the cameras is controlled by the administration of the station or airport. Representatives of public organizations can also exercise control.
The shift supervisors and senior tellers supervise the work daily; they are part of a special group, which, in turn, has a work schedule. The same goes for public supervisors.
Any comments or shortcomings are recorded in the appropriate journal. If there is an employee who overlooked, then they make an oral comment. This applies to minor violations, in case of detection of major problems, an explanatory note from the guilty employee must be provided with the act. The latter takes punitive measures depending on the severity of the violation.
The manager, in turn, must conduct an investigation, the results of which will be reported to the head of the unit. If necessary, an order is issued to punish the perpetrators.
Who is responsible
We have already said above that things can be ruined, an abyss or undergo other actions. The punishment for this does not depend on the size of the automatic left-luggage office or the value of the missing baggage. So, if the enterprise (station or airport) has lost the client’s belongings, then it bears material liability to the latter. The company must return the value of things, but not beyond that. During the day, the station or airport must pay the victim an amount equal to the lost property. If baggage is found, the client is obliged to accept it and return material compensation.
If the passenger himself has lost things, then the company that provided the left-luggage office does not bear any responsibility to him.
When things in the cell were damaged or partially lost, the owner will have to prove that this happened through the fault of the storage cells. Otherwise, there will be no compensation, and the company will not be held liable.
Spoiled products with expiration dates are not grounds for seeking compensation. This must be understood and not required from the enterprise of what the passenger is to blame for.
If the customer is inadequate
I would like to note that if a passenger is in a state of drug or alcohol intoxication and tries to write a statement regarding the forced opening of the cell, his request will not be satisfied.
And also it is worth warning the administration of the enterprise if you cannot pick up your luggage for good reason. This must be done before the expiration of the one-month storage period.
Conclusion
As you can see, using cameras is easy if you follow the rules. For those who do not bother with such nuances, storage of things can end very unpleasantly.
Of course, there are situations when the representatives of the enterprise are wrong, but still there are much fewer of them than the reverse. Most often, it is passengers who, not paying attention to storage rules, begin to resent that their rights are being violated. This is actually not the case. One has only to calm down a little, and you yourself will understand that the employee of the station and the airport simply cannot accept animals or cargo from you, which will cause inconvenience to people around.
In the end, we all live in society, which means we must think not only about ourselves, but also about the convenience of others. After all, if we want to live in a civilized state, then we need to start changing something. And as you know, you always need to start with yourself, although this is the most difficult.
Read the rules, carefully study the regulatory framework of our country, and then there will be no awkward situations, and only pleasant impressions will be left from the use of left-luggage offices.