Can a fight a privite parking ticket?

[coopdog]

I went out for dinner with my swim team in downtown Salt Lake City. I parked in one of those privately owned pay parking lots. I put in the $4 for 2 hours. I didn't want 12 hours for $7. How long does dinner take?! Even though we had a reservation they gave our table away for no reason! I was there at 6pm! So we had to wait an hour for dinner then dinner was an hour and 20 min. I go out to my car and I have a $25 ticket on it from Diamond Parking inc. Wow 20 min late! Great! They don't make it easy to add time on to the parking slip, I'm not going to pay another $4 for 20 min.

In the ticket it says that if I don't pay for it in 15 days it will go from $25 to $50.


And if I don't pay for it at all they will give it to a collection agency.

So do I have to pay a parking ticket to a private company? It's not like it's a city ticket.

Does Diamond Parking Inc. Have any right fine me?

The way the ticket is worded it seems like they can't can do jack about getting the money out of me. And it doesn’t say anywhere that they will report it to the city, well they can't, it's a private matter. So I figure ill call them up and say, I'm not on your property now, I'm not trespassing, so if you wanted to do something you should have towed my car. I mean, I might as well buy some lot downtown charge money for people to park on it, then if they go over I charge them $25. I don't have any right or way to hold them to the $25 ticket.

And they don't even pay for the ****ing postage!

What should I do? Pay it or not?

[sethypoo]

First, I'd call them to negotiate, I've actally gotten out of private tickets just my explaining (politely) my situation.

If they won't budge, just chalk it up to experience and pay it. Collection agencies are a$$holes.

[Kwyjibo]

yeah, imagine when they call you at work about not paying a $50 parking ticket, they force kind of by embarassment, or your parents find out and get pissed

[Sun Baked]

Since you're renting space, and contracted for a given amount of time -- it doesn't matter if you're 1 minute over.

Though these tickets are probably a money making scheme by the private lot, and they're hoping you won't pay.

If it's $50 for a collection agency it's rather cheap, though I'd almost say that's the amount of the fine (with a discount for paying quick) and that collections will raise the amount to some real money real quick like $150-$250.

With any further collections efforts, like small claims, handled by a close-knit legal buddy at outrageous prices.

Plus the costs of filing with small claims, having a lawyer show up, and the the legal costs associated with collecting on the judgement.

I'd say you may be looking at $750-1500 after fighting any judgment. ;)

---

Probably cheapest to pay it quick...

[coopdog]

Originally posted by Sun Baked
Since you're renting space, and contracted for a given amount of time -- it doesn't matter if you're 1 minute over.

Though these tickets are probably a money making scheme by the private lot, and they're hoping you won't pay.

If it's $50 for a collection agency it's rather cheap, though I'd almost say that's the amount of the fine (with a discount for paying quick) and that collections will raise the amount to some real money real quick like $150-$250.

With any further collections efforts, like small claims, handled by a close-knit legal buddy at outrageous prices.

Plus the costs of filing with small claims, having a lawyer show up, and the the legal costs associated with collecting on the judgement.

I'd say you may be looking at $750-1500 after fighting any judgment. ;)

---

Probably cheapest to pay it quick...

My dad's not angry he got a ticket in one of thoes places a bit ago. So he will pay it. I wish I was rich or had money to waste so I could fight it and find some random legal loophole just for the heck of it.

I was hoping that it was known that they have no legal action against parking violators or something like that.
Ill just pay and investigate later.

Thanks for the replies!

[Roger1]

Chalk it up t experience. If you don't like the customer service, take your business elswhere.

[virividox]

bite the bullet and pay up, its not worth the hassle or the time to litigate. painfull lesson on the pocket but hey you live and learn

[evoluzione]

just pay the $25 and be done with it. they own the property, they've probably every right to fine you for going over.

count yourself lucky, a ticket in NYC is now $115 and a lot of the time it's for some dodgy decision that you should not have received a ticket for, but you try and fight it, chances are, you won't win.

[downwithdiamond]

[iJon]

umm ok. what was that all about.

iJon

[patrick0brien]

-coopdog

Take it as lesson learned and pay. You don't want BS like this on your Credit Record.

[Sun Baked]

>downwithdiamond

Wow, it almost looks like you caught coopdog's post during your googlequest to post this message wherever somebody has posted about Diamond Parking.

The only thing you lack right now is a blog/website based on your seething anger.

I'd almost be willing to bet you'd never even notice if your post was deleted and this thread was sent back down to the cold thread files, but it's still hard to make those penny ante bets.

[Kwyjibo]

this isn't so bad, since its been dragged back up

one of my friends drove to downtown chicago, and there were a list of stores that qualified for the parking, the one store the kid went to wasn't on thel ist ... he didn't look at the sign and boom they booted his car, he had to pay $125 right there to get the boot off , much worse than $25

[blackfox]

this isn't so bad, since its been dragged back up

one of my friends drove to downtown chicago, and there were a list of stores that qualified for the parking, the one store the kid went to wasn't on thel ist ... he didn't look at the sign and boom they booted his car, he had to pay $125 right there to get the boot off , much worse than $25
Speaking of boots (on cars), many years ago, there was a jurisdictional issue with the "boot" companies and their right to "boot" your car. They would demand that you sign something accepting liability/giving them jurisdiction over charging you for the infraction before they would release your car. It was, however, (at the time) perfectly legal to refuse to sign anything and demand they release your car. They would complain and hassle you, but would always comply. Then you would drive off...w/o a ticket. I cannot comment if these companies all operate w/ dubious legality, if time has made them more legitimate, or if it varie depending on the contracts signed between them and the city or private institution(s) they are servicing...

Moral of the story...always check the fine print and always do your research...you'd be surprised what you find...(my stories are from Madison, just up the way from Chicago...about 10-12 years back)

[leftbanke7]

I went out for dinner with my swim team in downtown Salt Lake City. I parked in one of those privately owned pay parking lots. I put in the $4 for 2 hours. I didn't want 12 hours for $7. How long does dinner take?! Even though we had a reservation they gave our table away for no reason! I was there at 6pm! So we had to wait an hour for dinner then dinner was an hour and 20 min. I go out to my car and I have a $25 ticket on it from Diamond Parking inc. Wow 20 min late! Great! They don't make it easy to add time on to the parking slip, I'm not going to pay another $4 for 20 min.

In the ticket it says that if I don't pay for it in 15 days it will go from $25 to $50.


And if I don't pay for it at all they will give it to a collection agency.

So do I have to pay a parking ticket to a private company? It's not like it's a city ticket.

Does Diamond Parking Inc. Have any right fine me?

The way the ticket is worded it seems like they can't can do jack about getting the money out of me. And it doesn’t say anywhere that they will report it to the city, well they can't, it's a private matter. So I figure ill call them up and say, I'm not on your property now, I'm not trespassing, so if you wanted to do something you should have towed my car. I mean, I might as well buy some lot downtown charge money for people to park on it, then if they go over I charge them $25. I don't have any right or way to hold them to the $25 ticket.

And they don't even pay for the ****ing postage!

What should I do? Pay it or not?

When did you go downtown? If it was on a weekend, it is free to park on the meters. If it was during the week, I believe that after 6 or 7 the meters are free. Just a heads up the next time you are downtown and need to park. Well, that or just take the TRAX. Park at a TRAX lot and pay 2.70 for an all-day pass. That is cheaper than the 4 dollars to park, the drama of driving downtown, and, in your case, the 25 dollar kick in the pants.

[jimsowden]

DON"T PAY. The fuzz isn't all to keen on following up on non-moving traffic violations.

[Chip NoVaMac]

Now I understand the wasteland area.

[saabmp3]

DON"T PAY. The fuzz isn't all to keen on following up on non-moving traffic violations.

Very funny, I went away to college and didn't pay a parking ticket on my car from downtown boston for about 7 months. The car was registered under my mothers name and she was quite unhappy when she got a warrant for her arrest in the mail! The ticket ended up costing me around 500 dollars. Just pay the damn thing and get it over with. In some cities, 25 bucks for 4 hours of parking is a bargain.

BEN

[seamuskrat]

A private lot, university, movie theater, mall, etc. CAN submit a violation to local and state authorities. You still have to pay the private company, but if its in collection, you cannot register your car, etc.

Its a tricky plan. They have a means to enforce it by default, and you have no easy way to protest or contest.

[Vlade]

You act like you didn't do anything wrong, regardless of how overpriced it is, you stayed to long, and you are obligated to pay their fee. Just pay the 25 dollars, and next time remember that just because you don't like the rules, if you park there you are obligated to follow them

[Lyle]

Wow, it almost looks like you caught coopdog's post during your googlequest to post this message wherever somebody has posted about Diamond Parking.

The only thing you lack right now is a blog/website based on your seething anger.I just checked a WHOIS server; if he hurries, the "diamondparkingsucks.com" domain name is still available. ;)

[downwithdiamond]

[Sun Baked]

The above mentioned parking company is a CRIMINAL RACKET,
that goes around writing bogus tickets,
and extorting the money from people who parked correctly and
paid the correct fee and left before it expired.
WHAT DO YOU EXPECT. Machiavelli said that people are less willing
to forgive the un-lawful taking of property, than they are to forgive
the un-lawful murder of their own family. YOU STEAL, PEOPLE GET MAD.

DOES ANYONE HAVE ANYTHING CONSTRUCTIVE TO SAY
ABOUT HOW TO STICK THE ENEMY IN SOME WAY IN ORDER
TO ACHIEVE SOME SMALL MEASURE OF JUSTICE?Yes...

It's called ban the troll.

BTW... This isn't the way to get justice around here.

Since you've now turned is into a debated about justice and religion -- an alternative would be to move the thread to the Political Forum.

[Doctor Q]

It's called ban the troll. ... Since you've now turned is into a debated about justice and religion -- an alternative would be to move the thread to the Political Forum.downwithdiamond has a strong opinion, which isn't automatically an offense. There's no "debate" unless/until somebody else responds to those claims to disagree. In any case, further posts that shout and fail to add useful information may simply be deleted.

coopdog, you might want to read the back of the parking tag you got when you parked (or get another one since you probably threw it away). On the back will be lots of tiny print, and that's the agreement you implicitly agreed to by using their business. If it was me, I would pay the fine and feel I got my revenge by badmouthing them here. But you might feel otherwise.

[Sun Baked]

downwithdiamond has a strong opinion, which isn't automatically an offense. There's no "debate" unless/until somebody else responds to those claims to disagree. In any case, further posts that shout and fail to add useful information may simply be deleted.It was just the two posts with... Jesus Christ said: "fear Him who has the power to destroy both body and soul in Hell".

DIAMOND PARKING IS OPPOSED TO AMERICA, FREEDOM, AND GOD,
AND CAN NOT PREVAIL ! ! !

&

AGAINST GOD AND AMERICANot the usual method to gain sympathy anywhere but in the Political Forum -- of course it wouldn't fly there either.

But if he is running around playing these games, he can probably land himself a nice Cease & Desist order.

Since these are not the usual things to say to keep people in a Mormon town happy with him.

[downwithdiamond]

I apologize to brother Sun

[Sun Baked]

I apologize to brother SunNo problem with somebody fighting, just keep a level headed approach to the problem -- a full blown RANT can get you in trouble.

If you think they are sleazy and writing the tickets before the time expires, try to run a sting operation on them and fight them in civil court -- or criminal court if you can prove they are really ripping off big dollars from a large number of people.

Without a lot of proof it's real easy for a company to light fire under your tail for what you say in forums.