Collecting on a Parking Ticket Issued by a Private Company

My question involves collection proceedings in the State of: Washington

I parked my car for 5 days in a lot owned by Ampco Systems Parking in Spokane, WA. The posted rate is $4 per day. I put $20 in the collection box, payment for all 5 days as I was going to be out of town. This is at the Amtrak train station I would imagine most people do this and assumed they had a good system to keep track of multi-day payments. I unfortunately paid in cash so no way for me to prove I paid the full amount. On the 5th day I got a parking ticket alleging I did not pay for parking. The ticket is for $4 parking fee plus $20 penalty, plus a $20 late fee if not paid in 14 days.

From the ticket is appears they have my license plate, state, make and color of my vehicle. The ticket states its an attempt to collect a debt and any information will be used for that purpose. It sates they have my license info and will refer unpaid accounts to collections. It also states I can appeal the ticket in writing within 14 days to them.

Call it a gut feeling but I don't think they would cancel my ticket if I appeal I think its more of a ruse to get your name and address to give the collection agency so I don't think I want to try to appeal the ticket.

I have a few assumptions I want to see if anyone can confirm:

1) The state of Washington will not release my name or address for the vehicle registration on request of them as a private company

2) Their only recouse for collecting the ticket is a collections agency or me just voluntarily paying for it

3) No collections agency can do anything to collect it without my name or address, or anything.

Thus I assume I can safely just ignore the ticket since it was issued by a private company and not by the city or anything. Thanks for your help.

How are yo counting days - five days and four nights, or five overnights? If it's the latter, odds are they are counting each day as midnight to midnight.

The trains come and go in the middle of the night, I was counting literal 24 hours periods I got there around 1am and I counted 5 24 hour periods from then, even if it is midnight to midnight that stills means I could have been covered at the time the ticket was issued. I would have just not been covered for that last hour I was parked.

Maybe I am just over-reacting and it is a simple error that they will fix after reviewing their collection log if I appeal but idk if I can trust them to do the right thing, I have heard stories online about how they will send someone a picture of the collection box proving it was paid for example and still claim it was not. So idk if appealing is worth it since then if they do not do the right thing they have my contact information to pass on to the collection agency.

There will be signs posted at the lot describing how days are counted. It may be that your assumption about how days were counted is incorrect, and that the correct method of counting days will be posted on the sign.

If you share the actual location of the lot, it may even be possible to see the terms listed on the sign through Google Street View.

When you park at a lot with no attendant, they have no way of knowing if you arrive at 1 AM or 11 PM. I expect you'll find that this comes down to their counting a "day" as a period of time ending at midnight.

Quote:

---

Quoting mrdoe

---

I have a few assumptions I want to see if anyone can confirm:

1) The state of Washington will not release my name or address for the vehicle registration on request of them as a private company

2) Their only recouse for collecting the ticket is a collections agency or me just voluntarily paying for it

3) No collections agency can do anything to collect it without my name or address, or anything.

Thus I assume I can safely just ignore the ticket since it was issued by a private company and not by the city or anything. Thanks for your help.

---

#1 -- thats public record, anyone can get it

#2, #3 .. they can try to use a collection company and if not resolved, a lawsuit

As I mentioned even midnight to midnight I would have been fine.

So, just as an example: You entered the lot on Monday and paid $20 and were issued a ticket on Friday?

Yes so I arrive on Monday at 1am, and the ticket issued 8am on Friday. Even on a midnight to midnight timing I would have been paid though Friday at 11:59pm.

Hmmm...I doubt there was anyone there to verify when you arrived. I'm betting they are assuming you arrived the previous night. That is the downside to parking somewhere that doesn't issue a time-stamped ticket. Did you return to your vehicle on Friday and find the ticket?

I'm really not sure what your odds are here if you fight it. If you ignore it, it will come back and bite you.

Quote:

---

Quoting mrdoe

---

The trains come and go in the middle of the night, I was counting literal 24 hours periods I got there around 1am and I counted 5 24 hour periods from then, even if it is midnight to midnight that stills means I could have been covered at the time the ticket was issued.

---

If you in fact parked @1 AM, and picked up the car was ticketed on Friday morning, I expect that you will find that the parking lot shows you as having been in the lot prior to midnight on Monday morning, such that they charged you for Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday - and then considered Friday to be unpaid. How could this happen? One possibility would be that the person who was supposed to empty out the cash box no later than midnight every night got there late, and fudged the paperwork so that his bosses wouldn't know. "I'm only an hour late, what are the odds that somebody parked here at this time of night?"

I see lots of Diamond Parking lots around the station; the nearest Ampco facility I see is a structure several blocks away.

There is a lot right at the station http://map.parkme.com/lot/113341/

Interestingly enough according to this the max park time is 24 hours. Wonder if that has anything to due with this. I can't see the signs clearly enough for street view on google maps to see if they mention any such maximum time.

I have answered on of my questions. It seems per RCW 46.12.635 (http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=46.12.635) the state will release my information upon a written request from them. Therefore I will proceed with appealing the ticket with them since it doesn't compromise my privacy since they can get my info anyway.

That said do they have any other recourse for collecting this besides a collection agency?