| Recurring |
one_organization, multiple_organization |
(a) The software failure incident related to the parking machine glitch happened again at the same organization, Armtrac Security Services. The incident occurred at both Sennen Cove and Rockpool beach, where a single rogue pay and display machine asked customers to enter only the last three characters of their number plate instead of the full seven characters required by the company's other machines. This led to customers being wrongly fined despite following the instructions provided by the machine [129608].
(b) The software failure incident also occurred at other locations, as visitors to Rockpool beach near Hayle reported similar issues with the parking machines. One visitor mentioned that the machine at Rockpool beach was "playing up" and only allowed input of three digits, resulting in unfair Penalty Charge Notices (PCNs) being issued. Despite complaints raised by pub staff, the issue persisted without resolution from Armtrac Security Services [129608]. |
| Phase (Design/Operation) |
design |
(a) The software failure incident in the articles can be attributed to the design phase. The incident occurred due to a glitch in the pay and display machines at beaches in Cornwall, where a single rogue machine asked motorists to enter only the last three characters of their number plate, while the company's other machines required all seven characters. This discrepancy in the instructions led to customers being wrongly fined despite following the given instructions [129608]. The incorrect payment instructions were left on the machine during installation, indicating a design flaw in the system that caused confusion and resulted in fines being issued unfairly to customers. |
| Boundary (Internal/External) |
within_system |
(a) The software failure incident described in the articles is primarily within_system. The failure occurred due to a glitch in the pay and display machines at Sennen Cove and Rockpool beach, where a single rogue machine asked motorists to enter only the last three characters of their number plate, while the company's other machines required all seven characters [129608]. This discrepancy within the system led to customers being wrongly fined despite following the instructions provided by the faulty machines. The issue originated from the incorrect payment instructions left on the machine during installation, which was acknowledged as an honest mistake by the landowner and not intentional [129608]. |
| Nature (Human/Non-human) |
non-human_actions, human_actions |
(a) The software failure incident in the articles was primarily due to non-human actions. The glitch in the pay and display machines at Sennen Cove and Rockpool beach asked motorists to enter only the last three characters of their number plate, contrary to the company's other machines that require all seven characters. This discrepancy led to customers being wrongly fined despite following the instructions given by the machine [129608].
(b) Human actions also played a role in the software failure incident. The parking contractor, Armtrac Security Services, rejected appeals from customers who received fines, citing their terms and conditions that drivers must display their whole number plate. This decision by the contractor to enforce the full number plate requirement contributed to customers being unfairly fined [129608]. |
| Dimension (Hardware/Software) |
hardware |
(a) The software failure incident reported in the articles is primarily related to a hardware issue. The glitch occurred because of incorrect payment instructions left on the pay and display machines when they were installed at Mayon Green in Sennen Cove and Rockpool beach. The machines asked visitors to enter only the last three characters of their number plate, while the company's other machines require all seven characters. This discrepancy led to visitors being wrongly fined despite following the instructions given by the machines [129608].
(b) The software failure incident is not directly attributed to software issues but rather to incorrect payment instructions left on the machines during installation, which falls under hardware-related factors. |
| Objective (Malicious/Non-malicious) |
non-malicious |
(a) The software failure incident described in the articles does not appear to be malicious. It was a non-malicious failure caused by a glitch in the pay and display machines at the parking locations in Cornwall. The glitch led to customers being wrongly fined for not entering the full number plate details as required by the company's machines. The failure was attributed to incorrect payment instructions left on the machines when they were installed, which was described as an honest mistake by the landowner and not intentional [129608]. |
| Intent (Poor/Accidental Decisions) |
accidental_decisions |
(a) The intent of the software failure incident:
The software failure incident in this case seems to be more related to accidental_decisions rather than poor_decisions. The incident occurred due to a mistake in the payment instructions left on the machine when it was installed, leading to customers being wrongly fined for not entering the full number plate as required. Armtrac Security Services acknowledged the mistake and apologized for the confusion caused by the incorrect instructions on the machine [129608]. |
| Capability (Incompetence/Accidental) |
development_incompetence |
(a) The software failure incident in the articles can be attributed to development incompetence. The glitch in the pay and display machines at Sennen Cove and Rockpool beach was caused by incorrect payment instructions left on the machine during installation, leading to confusion among visitors. The machines asked users to enter only the last three characters of their number plate, while the company's other machines required all seven characters. This discrepancy led to hundreds of visitors being wrongly fined despite following the instructions provided by the faulty machines [129608].
(b) The accidental aspect of the software failure incident is evident in the statement made by Armtrac Security Services, the parking contractor responsible for the machines. They apologized for the "honest mistake" regarding the incorrect payment instructions left on the machine during installation at Mayon Green (Sennen Cove). The company acknowledged that the error was unintentional and attributed it to an oversight by the landowner. Armtrac also mentioned that the machines did not belong to them, indicating that the mistake was not intentional but rather a result of accidental miscommunication or oversight during the installation process [129608]. |
| Duration |
temporary |
The software failure incident described in the articles can be categorized as a temporary failure. The incident was caused by a specific glitch in the pay and display machines at Sennen Cove and Rockpool beach, where a single rogue machine asked users to enter only the last three characters of their number plate instead of the full seven characters required by the company's other machines [129608]. This specific glitch led to customers being wrongly fined despite following the instructions provided by the machine. The issue was identified and attributed to incorrect payment instructions left on the machine during installation, which was later rectified by updating the signage and removing the incorrect details from the machine [129608]. |
| Behaviour |
crash, omission, value, other |
(a) crash: The software failure incident in the articles can be categorized as a crash. The pay and display machines at Sennen Cove and Rockpool beach experienced a glitch where a single rogue machine asked motorists to enter only the last three characters of their number plate, while the company's other machines required all seven characters. This discrepancy led to fines being issued incorrectly to customers who followed the instructions provided by the faulty machine [129608].
(b) omission: The software failure incident can also be categorized as an omission. The machines omitted to perform their intended functions correctly by not providing consistent instructions to users regarding the number plate entry requirements. This omission resulted in customers being fined despite paying for parking and following the instructions displayed on the faulty machines [129608].
(c) timing: There is no indication in the articles that the software failure incident was related to timing issues.
(d) value: The software failure incident can be categorized as a value failure. The machines performed their intended functions incorrectly by asking users to enter only the last three characters of their number plate, which contradicted the company's requirement of entering the full seven characters. This incorrect behavior led to fines being issued erroneously to customers who complied with the instructions provided by the faulty machines [129608].
(e) byzantine: There is no indication in the articles that the software failure incident exhibited byzantine behavior.
(f) other: The other behavior exhibited by the software failure incident is inconsistency in the instructions provided to users. While some machines asked for only the last three characters of the number plate, other machines required the full seven characters. This inconsistency in the system's behavior led to confusion among customers and resulted in fines being wrongly issued [129608]. |