A Consumer Story with an Happy Ending
I'm very happy to share a consumer rights story today with an happy ending!
On Sunday, a parking garage overcharged me. I parked at South Station for 27 minutes, they charged me for 32 minutes, and so they demanded $7 instead of the $2 owed. As I left the garage, I politely explained to the attendant the problem, and he'd have none of it. He pointed at the table of prices, and said it wasn't his fault their clocks were wrong. I asked if he could just charge me the $2, perhaps after we both went to look at the entrance clock, just a hundred yards away. Nope. There was obviously no way to continue this conversation politely.
So, I paid by credit card and got a receipt. Do this whenever you're anxious about a transaction, or paying in duress like I was; it creates as many records as possible and gives you additional recourse. Of course it took seven minutes to pay and leave that way. I don't think the attendant liked me much.
Sunday evening, I considered my options. From the top of my head, they were:
Man, did I get a funny phone call today. The director called me back, and he was furious. The garage wouldn't cooperate with the inspectors when they arrived. The director then went in person, and did an inspection himself. He found a worse discrepancy than I had found: he found six minutes, I'd found five. When he tried to phone the management company, noone answered his calls, noone would respond to him at all.
So, he sent a detail to close the entrance to the garage.
Half an hour later, it was fixed and everyone was happy.
And, best of all, weights & measures has passed along my contact information, and suggested to Central Parking that they give me my $5 back. I'm looking forward to cashing the check! I'm glad about everything that went right here, and I'm happy about how I addressed it. Weights and measures was obviously the right lever to pull, and I can't imagine anyone else could have served me as well.
Thanks, City of Boston! Imagine: Three hundred and eighty nine years of keeping us safe from unscrupulous parking operators.
On Sunday, a parking garage overcharged me. I parked at South Station for 27 minutes, they charged me for 32 minutes, and so they demanded $7 instead of the $2 owed. As I left the garage, I politely explained to the attendant the problem, and he'd have none of it. He pointed at the table of prices, and said it wasn't his fault their clocks were wrong. I asked if he could just charge me the $2, perhaps after we both went to look at the entrance clock, just a hundred yards away. Nope. There was obviously no way to continue this conversation politely.
So, I paid by credit card and got a receipt. Do this whenever you're anxious about a transaction, or paying in duress like I was; it creates as many records as possible and gives you additional recourse. Of course it took seven minutes to pay and leave that way. I don't think the attendant liked me much.
Sunday evening, I considered my options. From the top of my head, they were:
- Contact the parking company directly to speak about it.
- Contact the owner of the land the parking lot was in (the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority).
- Contact my credit card company for a chargeback.
- Contact the weights and measures department of the city of Boston.
- Send a 93A demand letter, which entitles me to treble damages, plus attorneys fees plus filing fees if they don't respond properly, should we end up in court
- Tell the world how crappy the Central Parking System administration is of the South Station Garage.
Man, did I get a funny phone call today. The director called me back, and he was furious. The garage wouldn't cooperate with the inspectors when they arrived. The director then went in person, and did an inspection himself. He found a worse discrepancy than I had found: he found six minutes, I'd found five. When he tried to phone the management company, noone answered his calls, noone would respond to him at all.
So, he sent a detail to close the entrance to the garage.
Half an hour later, it was fixed and everyone was happy.
And, best of all, weights & measures has passed along my contact information, and suggested to Central Parking that they give me my $5 back. I'm looking forward to cashing the check! I'm glad about everything that went right here, and I'm happy about how I addressed it. Weights and measures was obviously the right lever to pull, and I can't imagine anyone else could have served me as well.
Thanks, City of Boston! Imagine: Three hundred and eighty nine years of keeping us safe from unscrupulous parking operators.