Horrible and ridiculous...there appears to be a pattern here PPA. And nothing but one star reviews, it's not a great pattern to have.
Taking away the meters was a huge thing. Then putting in those new computerized stations throughout the city was an OK thing, but maybe you should have put some better lighting around those things. I mean I'm a bit leery walking to one of them in the dark and paying in the dark. I'm also a bit leery of how honest these machines want you to think they are. No slip to make sure you parked unless you print out a receipt.
And how about the rates? $3/hour, $.25/five minutes in the downtown area. That surely has deterred me from visiting some places that don't stay open later than when you continue to monitor the meters. And to park in a garage downtown is as equally gouging. It hurts. On the Southside it's $1/hour. May I make a suggestion in some of these areas? Have a convenience spot or something like that, 15 minute free parking for people like me that just want to run in to a store/office, pick up my item, then run back out. Paying $1 for one minute of parking was a bit ridiculous.
Maybe you can take a page from San Francisco's book and fluctuate the rates for parking downtown depending on the time of day. They've got it figured out, even have an app to let you know when a spot opens up. That would be great here, especially how wonky the streets are downtown.