We have only two protected spot and we charge for them (inner city). So we have a few that gladly pay to know their car is protected. My observations...
There are those who wait and hope I will offer it for free (I don't)
There are those who hope I will save them a free spot on the street (I don't)
There are those who can't manage to read the signs at all. (Yes, they are in French and may be difficult, but seriously, it's the North American red slashed P with the hours of 15H - 23H on it. You would think that military time is rocket science.)
There are those who won't read the signs at all. Park in front in an illegal zone and then look at me and say it's parked legally. (With a minority asking me if it is, rather than telling me.)
There are those who blame me for the street signs.
And there are those who are just happy enough to let us explain the signs and then go and find a free parking spot. (We sometimes even get into the car with them to help them find a spot. Of course, when you finally do and walk back, often someone has just moved their car and there is a spot maybe 25m from the house! Ugh!)
One thing that I have learnt, I never mention the paid parking spots to those who didn't reserve them ahead of time. I have mentioned them enough time that if they wanted it, they would have reserved it. They think that I'm just trying to be "grubby" with them. It's all fine, I have no problem with those who want to park for free, just as long as they remember it's the inner city, everyone wants to park for free
There are those who reserve a spot, find a free spot and then expect me to take it off the bill. Sorry, but that's not an option. I have to turn others down when you ask for it. It's yours and available, if and when you want it.
The one exception... if we sell out the spots and someone asks for it, we will try to put our car in a spot that they can then use, free. But only if they asked specifically to reserve one of the two paid spots. It's a courtesy we extend to those who do plan ahead.
Oh... and of course there are the suburbanites who want to take their car everywhere. If they are in the paid spots, no problem, it's there when they want it. (But they soon learn to regret it, at $6 an hour to park almost anywhere in town). But the ones who park on the street and move their car.... they really learn their lesson when they come back and spend more time just trying to find a spot. The next time, they figure out that there is a reason why they have legs
We help finding a spot once, but not repeatedly... you shouldn't have moved the car in the first place!
We live in the inner city, we WALK, bike or take public transport. It's cheaper to take public transport than to pay for parking. Heck, sometimes it's cheaper to take a taxi than to pay for parking. It is the inner city after all.
Honestly, at times, I think instructions and signs are simply a discount for those who read and think.