'I called their bluff': Parking company threatens lawsuit over $10 ticket loophole, driver says "go ahead"

Author image for Brad Dickson
Brad Dickson • Managing Editor
Oct 30, 2023 9:00 AM EDT

Parking cartels usually utilize a clever mix of feigned incompetence, actual incompetence, and diffused and dispersed responsibility in their organizations to ensure that no one ever has any idea what's actually going on or what their job is. So, when ticketed people come to dispute their tickets, they never really get anywhere because it's apparently nobody's actual job to help them with their dispute.

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  • So, this leaves the ticketed party to just pay the darn thing (which is what the parking enforcement agency is counting on), costing them an annoying but petty amount of cash or using their own time and resources to pursue other avenues of remediation.

    When this driver found themselves the target of an $80 parking ticket at a private lot, they noticed a loophole in the lot's terms and conditions, taking advantage of it in order to pay $10 less than they otherwise would have. This prompted retaliation from the provoked parking agency, who came calling after their $10, threatening a lawsuit when the driver wouldn't pay. The driver called them on their bluff and told them to go ahead, prompting the dismissal of the entire ticket sometime soon after.

    As the author of the original post notes: When it comes to things like this, it's all about the principle of the matter.

  • 01
    World - "I called their bluff...! PENALT HE NOTICE WAH REMOVAL OR UNAUTHORISED INTERFERENCE WITH IN NOTICE IS AN OFFENCE MADE FROM DEGRADABLE PAPER wwwssssssswwwwww. W
    via Samuel Regan-Asante
  • 02
    Font - Posted by u/ItsPronounced Tribe How I complied my way out of a parking ticket M OC A few years ago, I parked in a paid parking lot, but forgot to buy a parking ticket. When I came back a few minutes later, I discovered an $80 ticket on my dash. While I was frustrated about my own forgetfulness, the ticket itself was fair. However, I came to discover that the amount they had charged me was not.
    via u/ItsPronouncedTribe
  • 03
    Font - Before leaving the lot, I noticed a small detail on the terms and conditions sign at the entrance of the lot. It said that a failure to pay for a parking ticket would result in a $70 ticket, not the $80 that I was charged. While I'm no lawyer, I do know that those signs essentially create an implicit contract upon entering the lot, therefore the company was technically violating their own contract by charging me extra.
    via u/ItsPronouncedTribe
  • 04
    Font - I appealed the ticket, stating that I would be happy to pay the agreed-upon $70, but it was rejected. I then reached out directly to customer service, explaining the same situation. They rejected my request to pay the valid $70, because their "ticket amounts are non-negotiable". Cue the malicious compliance.
    via u/ItsPronouncedTribe
  • 05
    Font - I realized that by their own words, they are the ones attempting to negotiate the price by charging me an extra $10, so I called up the supervisor of their claims department. She was already aware of this dispute, and immediately attempted to shut me down, saying "the signage is not up for discussion". I reminded her that their company's policy states that "ticket amounts are non- negotiable", and that given what the terms on
    via u/ItsPronouncedTribe
  • 06
    Font - the sign stated, they were trying to negotiate a higher price. Once again, she shut me down stating the signage is not up to discussion. The rest of the conversation went something like this: Me: "So where can I escalate this from here?" Her: "There is no more escalation, next stage is court."
    via u/ItsPronouncedTribe
  • 07
    Font - ====Cue more malicious compliance==== Me: "Seems silly to go to court over $10, don't you think?" Her: "Yeah, it does." Me: "Ok, well I'll begin the small claims court process over the non-negotiable price issue then." Her: "Ok." I was having fun at this point, and was fully ready to start taking legal steps over this $10 on a matter of principle (and knowing that if I
    via u/ItsPronouncedTribe
  • 08
    Font - did the company would immediately cave). Before doing that however, I sent one final email to the Vice President of the company. I explained the whole dispute, explaining the signage, their "non-negotiable" policy, and how the appeals supervisor told me my next step was to take it to court. I offered them the opportunity to resolve this civilly before going onto that stage.
    via u/ItsPronouncedTribe
  • 09
    Font - Not even 3 hours later, I got an email back, stating that my ticket had been fully cleared as a courtesy. I called their bluff, maliciously complying to the contract and the "take it to court" attitude, and it worked! As an added bit of pettiness, I replied thanking them, and CC'ed the appeals supervisor. I then directly addressed her, telling her that this is how easy it could have been resolved if she would have actually addressed the signage issue.
    via u/ItsPronouncedTribe
  • 10
    Font - The moral of this story: Push back against parking lot companies. They use shady practices, and try to scare people into paying unjustly. Often a simple, but credible legal threat will make any issue disappear :)
    via u/ItsPronouncedTribe
  • 11
    Font - As some have pointed out, yes, these parking tickets aren't usually enforceable. That being said, if I ever wanted to use this lot again (which is the only one in the area) then I would have to get it resolved lest I get towed. Also, I can't recall exactly how the appeals woman brought up court, but I don't think she implied that I should sue. I think it was more of a veiled "we will sue you" statement, which was of course a bluff. Regardless, and as many pointed out, her mentioning court
    via u/ItsPronouncedTribe
  • 12
    Font - IsThat DaveByChance Gotta love it when the VP is involved as they knew the amount they would lose just to CALL their lawyer is more than the fine. Smart business decision for all. 1.3k Reply Share 520 ●●● draeden11 The time wasted by having the vp involved was more than the fine. Reply Share ●●●
    via u/ItsPronouncedTribe
  • 13
    Font - Prof1959 Whenever someone has told me to take it to court, I do. $14 fee to file in small claims court. Collect the appropriate documentation for the judge. Take one day off of work. Watch as the defendant begs me to settle. Even in the courtroom hallway.
    via u/ItsPronouncedTribe
  • 14
    Font - Enjoy knowing that the defendant spent thousands, win or lose, to argue with me. And I am undefeated in court, 4-0. No lawyers. One would think that landlords would be terrified to give me a lease by now, but nope. Reply Share 504 ●●●
    via u/ItsPronouncedTribe
  • 15
    Font - newhunter18 There are very few employees at any company who are authorized to tell a customer to "go ahead and take us to court." I ran a $40 million business line once and had total carte blanche to handle any customer issues by waiving fees, refunding money, etc.
    via u/ItsPronouncedTribe
  • 16
    Font - But if I ever told a customer to just sue us, I'd have been given a very strict "talking to." If a customer had said, what's the next step from here, I would have said "there's nothing. I'm it." But I would never had suggested going to court. 96 Reply Share
    via u/ItsPronouncedTribe
  • 17
    Font - CoderJoe1 Terms and conditions may apply, or they may not. 66 Reply Share 86 ●●● cnoiogthesecond I'm waiting for the day someone publishes a phone call recording in a two-party consent state, but the call has that "This call may be recorded for quality assurance" and the person says "That gave me consent to record the call!" Reply Share
    via u/ItsPronouncedTribe
  • 18
    Font - Fruguy01 You handled the situation in the finest manner available. 123 Reply Share I-love-flamingos I see what you did there. 18 Reply Share ●●●
    via u/ItsPronouncedTribe
  • 19
    Font - H2O_life Well done! It's the principle of the matter. Did you notice if they changed the sign to $80? 40 Reply Share
    via u/ItsPronouncedTribe
  • 20
    Font - Creepy-Relation-2608 I love seeing pettiness, man. Just amazing to read MC, especially when it's basically pushing back against other businesses or the government itself. 23 Reply Share ●●●
    via u/ItsPronouncedTribe
  • 21
    Font - thecuriousiguana There is one massive reason they canceled your ticket rather than letting you pay $70 or test it in court... If they had done either of those things, every $80 they had ever issued would be void. 17 Reply Share ●●●
    via u/ItsPronouncedTribe
  • 22
    Font - djtx1234 Love it! I worked with a woman who had her car towed at work and fought back against the tow company in small claims court and won double what they'd charged her to get her car returned. Then I lived in a mobile home park years ago when I was younger and woke up one day to find my car
    via u/ItsPronouncedTribe
  • 23
    Font - missing. When I called the police to report it stolen I was informed it had been towed. I fought with the park office and tow company on the phone all day. The tow company claimed I was partially parked on the grass, which wasn't allowed. However, the reason why was because the pavement was crumbling and deteriorating, so if
    via u/ItsPronouncedTribe
  • 24
    Font - you had two cars parked side by side one car HAD to be slightly on the grass because of the poor condition of the driveway. So I then called city code enforcement and got them to come out and they found that the drive did not meet code, which was so many feet wide by so many feet deep. The inspector then went to the office to
    via u/ItsPronouncedTribe
  • 25
    Font - inform them AND that they'd be doing an inspection of the entire park and that they'd have to bring every driveway up to code, which meant they were going to be on the hook for thousands of dollars in repairs. I got my car back from the tow company at the end of the day without having to pay any fees. Reply Share 9
    via u/ItsPronouncedTribe
  • 26
    Font - Chaff5 Her mistake was telling you that court was your only next option. You never, ever, tell anyone to sue. Reply Share 8
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  • 27
    Font - NoFuqsTaken69 Not a parking lot, but a city. I'm not gonna name the city because I don't wanna dox myself further than I already do, but a well-known medium-sized college city in the US has a law on their books which states that all parking tickets given by city police officers are non refundable, even when it is provable that the ticket was given under false pretenses.
    via u/ItsPronouncedTribe
  • 28
    Font - That is to say, you can pay the meter, park fully within the line, not overstay, but because a police officer made a mistake (or they knew exactly what they were doing), you now have to pay a parking ticket. Non negotiable, non refundable, cannot be cleared, cannot be contested, you cannot go to court over it. It's the law. 31 Reply Share ●●●
    via u/ItsPronouncedTribe
  • 29
    Font - zeroingenuity I mean, you can always go to court over it. It's just that you'll be in court for non-payment, rather than to contest it. At which time you could, potentially, contest it. You might also be able to attempt to recover your costs from the city in small claims court, because a trial is a constitutional right. Reply Share 26
    via u/ItsPronouncedTribe
  • 30
    Font - Dienowwww I don't think a parking company has a right to give you a ticket like that AND force you to pay. If you want to come back, they can kick you out for not paying, but otherwise, they can't force you to pay Reply Share 4 Crimson Flash Correct. Private lot, private ticket. No legal obligation to pay. 2 Reply Share
    via u/ItsPronouncedTribe
  • 31
    Font - Contrantier "The price is not up for discussion." "Yes it is. By negotiating a higher price, you are opening it for discussion." I love how easily you outsmarted that idiot. She shouldn't be supervising a department if she doesn't know how said department works. 5 Reply Share
    via u/ItsPronouncedTribe
  • 32
    Font - ouzo84 Push back against police fines as well. A lot of the time, they don't follow proper procedures or gather evidence legally, so their case will collapse in court. I'm aware that one PD that just routinely drops case if they go to court. Their thinking is, if we issued. 50 fixed penalties and have to drop 2 as they were challenged, we'll we still issued 48 penalties and hit our targets. ↑ 11 ↓ Reply Share ●●●
    via u/ItsPronouncedTribe
  • 33
    Font - EnvironmentalWar It's also legal and encouraged to destroy parking lot armbars when the machine won't accept your ticket and the call button is not working btw (in my head it is, there's a parking ramp near me that constantly has an issue accepting tickets and the call button never works so the exit armbar is constantly demolished lol) 7 ↓ Reply Share
    via u/ItsPronouncedTribe

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pro revenge parking space parking lot malicious compliance parking ticket revenge parking drama parking stories petty revenge speeding ticket no parking ticket
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