CLEVELAND — A refund is on the way to a woman who turned to News 5 Investigators after a $15-an-hour parking spot became a $102 bill.
And that’s not the only good news.
Laura Plas’ reaction was simple: “That's amazing.”
She parked in a lot on West 9th Street in Downtown Cleveland’s Warehouse District after driving her daughter and her daughter’s friends to a birthday celebration.
Drivers use QR codes to pay LAZ Parking, but Parking Revenue Recovery Services sends violation notices.
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Plas said as she left the lot that night, she got a text saying her credit card was declined, and she tried to pay up then.
She later got a non-compliance notice in the mail for $102, which she was able to knock down to $82 after disputing the notice.
Weeks later, her daughter pulled into the same lot in the same car and also received a $102 notice in the mail.
LAZ parking responded to News 5 Investigators, saying the second notice was sent because Plas’ daughter stayed in the lot without paying longer than the 15-minute grace period.
LAZ Parking says Plas will get her money back and her daughter’s fee notice will be dismissed.
In a statement, LAZ said:
“We appreciate Ms. Plas bringing this to our attention and are sorry for the frustration she experienced. Regarding Ms. Plas’ situation, her credit card payment unfortunately declined. We sent her a message to contact our local team; unfortunately, we cannot locate a record of it. For the other two transactions in both situations, her daughter stayed in the lot without payment longer than the 15-minute grace period. The system correctly provided a notice of violation, which is always subject to review. We understand that, as a courtesy, PRRS resolved the matter directly with the customer. LAZ is always looking for ways to improve the consumer experience with our payment systems and is evaluating this case to identify future improvements to messaging and interactions."
