Driver blasts ‘extortion’ after paying to park – ‘clerical error’ in-app landed her $160 towing fee on top

A DRIVER posted an angry tirade after her car was towed, forcing her to pay $160.

In a Facebook post, the driver said she paid her parking meter – but an app-based issue sent tow trucks after her car .

Getty

Getty

The driver said she went to her neighborhood downtown in February.

After dutifully paying the parking meter through the newly adopted parking app, she went about the rest of her day.

But the trip, which started as a routine trek, quickly turned into controversy around a newly implemented parking system overhaul.

The city had recently handed off its parking enforcement to a private company, the Facebook user said.

The switch outsourced both meter payments and surveillance to the private parking company.

The driver claims that despite paying the meter through the app, she was caught in a towing dispute with what she described as a “troll of a gatekeeper” working for the company.

The Facebook user spoke out against the company, saying they allegedly “extorted” money.

The driver said the app had a “clerical error” but didn’t elaborate on the issue.

Her car was towed and the truck operator asked the driver to fork over $160, she said.

The U.S. Sun contacted the driver for comment on this story, but they didn’t immediately respond.

Several drivers hopped into the comments section, saying something similar happened to them.

“I paid to park last night [and] they still towed my car,” another driver claimed.

“I showed proof, and they came up with some excuse.”

Another driver reported having a “run-in” with another employee.

Several people said they hoped the city would end the contract with the private company.

How to fight a parking ticket

You can avoid being ticketed by following all posted laws and ordinances, but sometimes mistakes are made

Like any form of citation, parking tickets are preventable by reading and obeying posted signage. However, when visiting a new city, or state, or in a hurry, things can be missed and mistakes are made.

Suddenly there’s a ticket you weren’t prepared to pay for. If the ticket is a surprise to you, there are a few things you can do to help your case when appealing a parking ticket.

• Carefully read the ticket. Look for errors like incorrect street names, license plate numbers, vehicle make and model, time and date, etc. Errors would then make the ticket invalid.
• Take photos. Of the vehicle in the parking space, lack of signage, or other vehicles that weren’t cited for performing the same parking job. If the ticket involves parking too close to something like a fire hydrant, a photo showing a reasonable distance would help your case. Make sure metadata with the time and date are accessible. Signs that are obstructed by trees, or are on bent posts, or aren’t “obvious” are great things to photograph, too.
• Make sure the statute that was violated is listed on the ticket. If not listed, the ticket is not valid.
• Promptly follow the appeal instructions on the ticket. All legitimate tickets will have directions for appeal. Waiting until the very last moment weakens your argument and can result in late fees.
• When in court, avoid these phrases as they reduce your credibility and weaken your argument:
  • “I didn’t know the law.”
  • “I was on my way to move my car.”
  • “I can’t afford this ticket.”
  • “I’ve been doing this for years.”
  • “I checked with the parking officer, who said it was OK.”
• Contact a lawyer. If you’re running into roadblocks and feel stuck, it may be best to reach out to a traffic lawyer in your area. Many have free case consultations.

Source: Reader’s Digest

Several cities across the US have switched to private parking companies for surveillance.

For example, Chicago has a 75-year lease with a private company to run its digital street-side spots.

While the privatization sheds responsibility away from city police officers, drivers in the city complained that money from tickets goes to wealthy private equity owners.

Some drivers said they received years-old tickets in the mail after not paying their fines to the company.

“To suddenly have all these tickets show up that I’d never seen before, I thought it was offensive,” Gwendolyn Druyor, a former Chicago resident, told the Chicago Tribune in 2017 after finding a $200 parking ticket in the mail.

“It’s just too ridiculous to be believed.”