I wanted to make my way out of the carpark but, upon reaching the exit, the barrier did not lift up. Thinking that the EPS had failed to register my exit, I reversed slightly and inched forward again. This time, the barrier rose.

However, as I drove out, the barrier suddenly came down before I could make a full exit, causing two deep dents and scratches on my car bonnet. I was shocked as I could have been injured if the barrier had landed on my windshield.

I alerted the management to find out if the EPS was faulty. They couldn't provide a reasonable explanation at the time as they needed their engineers to investigate the matter.

After two months of relentless follow-ups, the management finally reverted on Jan 26. According to their engineers, I had fallen out of the 'safety sensor range' when I rolled backwards and, thus, activated the 'closing loop sensor'. They also said that the EPS was designed for 'safety' as well as to prevent other cars from bypassing the exit without paying their parking fee.

I found the latter explanation ridiculous as the carpark exit at Gleneagles is very narrow and it would have been impossible for other drivers to manoeuvre and bypass the exit without damaging their cars. It is also ironic that the EPS, purportedly designed for 'safety', caused damage to my car.

Isn't the EPS at Gleneagles evidently flawed and unsafe? If not, shouldn't the management place at least a sign at the carpark exit to clearly indicate the parameters of the 'safety sensor range' and also warn drivers about the consequences of rolling backwards and activating the 'closing loop sensor'?

If I had known about that safety sensor range, under no circumstances would I have reversed backwards. It is also extremely unfair for the management to exclude all liability caused by flaws in the EPS to carpark users without putting up clear and obvious signs warning us of the consequences of reversing our cars.

I also wonder if the same system at Gleneagles is adopted by all other carparks? If so, how can drivers be assured of a safe parking facility? Perhaps the engineers should relook the design of the EPS to avoid further mishaps.

Lucas Desmond Kelly Yong