Impark Loss Prevention Specialist

[gwill]

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You know what else is illegal?

Trespassing.

Oh right this is about the man shitting on the little guy. Carry on.

when they prevented him from driving away and forced an option for him to pay to leave it became extortion. The police would take this very serious. The parking company broke a law but your concern is with the guy who parked on private property??

It's a game of cat and mouse between parking companies and those who know their rights when it comes to parking. We all know a private land owner can't force someone to pay for parking and he can't force people to pay their tickets. You also can't extort people into paying...

Land owners have few reliable options for them to deal with parking issues. They should officially legalize booting and the problem would be solved.

Until then parking companies are fully aware of the laws they must follow.

[sexualbanana]

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They aren't doing shit to you. You can walk away.

You are on private property, they can move and put things anywhere they want.

How is it different then having a barrier arm that prevents you from leaving if you haven't paid?

^ That.

Their shady business practices aside, you're parked on private property and didn't pay the owner at various times.

Now, if you paid for that time and they're trying to get you on past incidences; then you might have a case - albeit, a very thin one.

[know1edge]

.

[ExtraSlow]

So if impark blocks you in, just call the cops? Wonder how fast CPS responds to that call?

[gwill]

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So if impark blocks you in, just call the cops? Wonder how fast CPS responds to that call?

imagine getting to your car on the streets where you see a tow truck that was about to hook up your car. He demands cash not to tow it.... that's the closest comparable to the ops story. It's illegal. They can't do that. They would have to let you go.

So yes call the police. Parking companies have zero rights to force someone to pay and can't hold you hostage while extorting you for money. Now if they happen to tow you before you get to your car? That's too bad...

Even then I've seen people debating that a tow company can not keep your car.. if you called police theyd have to give it back. I'm genuinely curious about this aspect if true.

[AndyL]

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imagine getting to your car on the streets where you see a tow truck that was about to hook up your car. He demands cash not to tow it.... that's the closest comparable to the ops story. It's illegal. They can't do that. They would have to let you go.

Actually the rules on that one are quite clear, on municipal tows, it's full legal hook + moved 16' - at that point the tow operator owns your vehicle, impound or pay for tow.

Doesn't mean the operator might not push it, try to make something for his time. I never found it worthwhile, some did.

Edit - reading comprehension before 2nd cup of coffee >me. Yeah if he's not hooked - he's fucked

[Cash Money Hoes]

I'll state the obvious, Impark, West Park, Vinci, etc. do not own these lots. They act as the administrator of the lots.

you may find insteresting the arrangements that these companies have with the owners of the real estate.

In the case of Westpark the agreement in place with the owner of the lot sees the owner paying Westpark a fee to act as the parking monitor (this may be large, small or negligible depending on the lot in question). All parking fees generated at the property go to the the owner of the lot. Parking lot revenue can be surprisingly huge and provides a significant hurdle rate to the alternative of developing the property.

Any revenue generated through the payment of tickets issued by Westpark goes to solely to Westpark. Westpark makes the majority of their money from ticket revenue.

This aligns the interests of the owner with Westpark as ticket volume should increase with lot monitoring frequency. Higher monitoring frequency sends the message to paying and non paying customers that payment is required and should result in increased income to the owner.

The parking administrator therefore has an interest in putting as much pressure as possible on people that have received tickets using measures up to and including towing the vehicles of repeat parking pirates.

I personally don't pay the parking tickets. That said, I do make an effort to pay for parking at lots that I frequently use, or lots that are administered by companies that administer lots that I do use regularly.

The big hammer these guys hold over me is the risk of being flagged as a parking pirate and massive inconvenience of being towed and not having my vehicle when I need it.

The risk of towing to parking pirates should increase with the widespread adoption of ticketing equipment that checks in real time how many outstanding parking infractions you have with a given parking administrator. There is no more reliance on humans to recognize a habitual parking fee pirate.

[speedog]

If they start putting in license plate recognition and logging systems then habitual non-payers would be screwed very quickly. They wouldn't even have to have access to registries, just a record of plates and a system that tallies the naughty ones would work.

[killramos]

I would lol if they start connecting problem plates to VINs.

6+ tickets, next time your plate gets flaggged operator takes down your VIN.

Would ruin the plate loophole pretty quick for serial offenders.

[rage2]

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I would lol if they start connecting problem plates to VINs.

6+ tickets, next time your plate gets flaggged operator takes down your VIN.

Would ruin the plate loophole pretty quick for serial offenders.

Their staff already recognizes serial offenders even when changing plates regularly. I know someone who takes advantage of this, but his car was recognized and towed first ticket on the new plate.

[shakalaka]

Or you can just be like me and not only change plates often but also the car....

[rage2]

That's an expensive way to not pay for parking and tickets.

[killramos]

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Or you can just be like me and not only change plates often but also the car....

I guarantee paying for parking is cheaper lol

[msommers]

Don't forget to change your phone at the same time as changing your car.

[sexualbanana]

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not a lawyer, but really interested in this case. my interpretation

-not paying for parking is neither stealing/theft, or illegal and at most would fall under civil law of trespassing. i think the difference between this situation and the barrier arms is that any lot with an arm preventing you from leaving, will also have one preventing you from entering, which immediately removes any implied permission to enter.

I would argue that you're not being forced to park in the lot either. When you enter, for example, an Impark parking lot you've implicitly consented to the terms of use of the lot. In this case it's: use the parking spot and pay for its use. Lots have like a million signs that remind you that a) you're entering a pay lot, b) you're on private property and c) you need to pay for your parking spot.

As for Cash Money's point: Just because Impark/Vinci and other companies don't own the land doesn't mean they can't administer and enforce the rules of the property, in fact that's what they're there for. If someone trespasses on a tenant's property, the tenant can still claim trespassing. It doesn't have to be the landlord/owner doing it.

[Buster]

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I would argue that you're not being forced to park in the lot either. When you enter, for example, an Impark parking lot you've implicitly consented to the terms of use of the lot. In this case it's: use the parking spot and pay for its use. Lots have like a million signs that remind you that a) you're entering a pay lot, b) you're on private property and c) you need to pay for your parking spot.

As for Cash Money's point: Just because Impark/Vinci and other companies don't own the land doesn't mean they can't administer and enforce the rules of the property, in fact that's what they're there for. If someone trespasses on a tenant's property, the tenant can still claim trespassing. It doesn't have to be the landlord/owner doing it.

well done. stuck the landing.

[ReflexFX]

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I would argue that you're not being forced to park in the lot either. When you enter, for example, an Impark parking lot you've implicitly consented to the terms of use of the lot. In this case it's: use the parking spot and pay for its use. Lots have like a million signs that remind you that a) you're entering a pay lot, b) you're on private property and c) you need to pay for your parking spot.

As for Cash Money's point: Just because Impark/Vinci and other companies don't own the land doesn't mean they can't administer and enforce the rules of the property, in fact that's what they're there for. If someone trespasses on a tenant's property, the tenant can still claim trespassing. It doesn't have to be the landlord/owner doing it.

What's your point? Just because there are signs doesn't mean they have any legal bearing. I can throw a bunch of signs on private property that say that the parking fee is a case of beer. It doesn't mean shit.

[ickyflex]

I mean I was just generally curious about the manner, wasn't complaining that it happened was just legitimately wondering. Wasn't expecting it to be such a shit show. Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I'd argue 99% of people are no less guilty or "stealing" from a corporation in some form. Whether it be streaming or vpns or "US Netflix" or torrenting or Microsoft Office licenses. Everyone is so quick to make judgement but justifies their own behavior. Throwing out entitlement, yet not realizing each one of you have their own sense of entitlement on another issue, but whatever makes you feel like you are all role models.

Update:
- Calgary Parking Authority & Impark was waiting at my car right up until expiry of my "paid" parking yesterday.
- Calgary Parking Authority followed me until I was out of downtown yesterday (stopping twice behind me when i picked up friends on the way out of the core)
- Same Calgary Parking Authority & Impark about 20 minutes left on my parking are there right now waiting to see if I move (literally just standing there, which I can see from the meeting room i'm in)

Boy are they going to be sad that I'm gone for the next two weeks out of town

[ExtraSlow]

Interesting that CPA is involved.

[ickyflex]

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Interesting that CPA is involved.

CPA needs to ticket for trespassing before they can tow your vehicle.

Each Impark attendant has a CPA guy on speed dial