Colonial Parking Inc.

Dear *** ***:
Roman">
We are in receipt of Revdex.com Complaint #***We have
completed our investigation; the results are below
1.
“Parked on *** *** ***, street
parking in NE DC near shops and restaurantsMetered parking.”
RESPONSE: Parking on *** *** *** is on
*** *** a privately owned street with metered parkingSee photo
attached
2.
“I have handicapped tags assigned to
my vanAccording to DC Disability Parking Laws, I am allowed to park ANYWHERE
IN WASHINGTON DC up to double the allotted meter time on a meter WITHOUT
PAYMENT.”
RESPONSE: Our understanding of CDCR 18-
is that application of the ordinance is limited only to “on-street parking
spaces” on public streets
3.
“Was parked about minutes on this
street (not garage) when I received a ticket from COLONIAL PARKING for $
dollars for not feeding the meter… This was street parking using the same DC
meters located all over the city.”
RESPONSE: The ticket in question was issued
in an area that is clearly denoted “Private Property” with red-letter signage
See photos attached
CONCLUSION: Although the ticket was issued legally by
contract with, and under the direction of, the owner of the property, we are
nevertheless agreeable to cancelling the July ticket, with the understanding
that we will be unable to allow *** *** to park free at the same location in
the future. Additionally, we will be
unable to forgive any tickets issued for future violations
We value *** *** as a parking customer and sincerely hope
she will continue to park at *** *** *** in the future
Sincerely,
Margaret E***

Dear *** ***:
We have reviewed *** ***’s rejection of our response
to Revdex.com Complaint ##***In *** ***’s rejection, she mentions a “disability
placard” that was not in her original complaint
Our understanding of CDCR 18-is that application of the
ordinance is limited only to “on-street parking spaces” on public
streetsThe ticket in question was issued in an area that is clearly denoted “Private
Property.” See the photos attachedThe citation was issued legally by Colonial
Parking under the direction of, and through a binding contract with, the
property owner
We are nevertheless agreeable to cancelling the June 14,
2014, ticket, with the understanding that we will be unable to allow *** *** to park free at the subject location in the future. Additionally, we will be unable to forgive
any tickets issued for future violations
Sincerely,
Margaret E***

Dear *** ***:
Roman">
We are in receipt of *** *** ***’s RevDex.com Complaint #*** submitted on 6/18/We have completed our
investigation of the issue and list our findings and resolution below
1.
“I received a parking fine on 05/21/in error
at the *** *** shopping centerThe parking lot allows hours of free
parking while shopping at *** *** stores, contingent on pressing a
"Free Time" button on the meters in the lotI pressed this buttonI
shopped for

*** ***, we thought we had already responded to this complaintOur apologiesColonial Parking, Inc(“Colonial”) has received the RevDex.com complaint #*** from *** ***After investigating **
***’s complaint, we have made
the following adjustments to his account:
1.
*** ***’s account was corrected and a
credit card refund posted for the requested amounts
2.
*** ***’s account now has a $balance
and is officially closed
When Colonial Parking’s monthly parking account holders
first sign up for a monthly account, they agree to return all credentials (keycard
and unused parking permits) to Colonial when closing their accountsIf a
customer retains parking credentials, it gives him or her the ability to
continue to park even if we have been notified to close the accountThe return
of the credentials is what actually closes the account
When *** ***’s keycard and unused parking permits for December
were not returned, his account remained open, and the system prompted the next
month’s charge based on the credit card information *** *** provided
*** ***’s telephone call prompted the Project Manager
for this garage to initiate an electronic check of *** ***’s keycard
activity in the parking equipment at his garage to substantiate that there was
no parking during the time for which *** *** requested the refundDuring
the time this request was being processed, our system prompted the next month’s
charges because without the returned credentials, *** ***’s account remained
openOnce we received confirmation that there was no parking since November
30, 2014, we manually closed his account
We fully understand and regret *** ***’s
frustration with the length of time it took to correct this matterWe value
him as a parking customer and sincerely hope he will continue to park in
Colonial Parking’s garages throughout the greater Washington, D.CareaSincerely, Margaret E***

Dear *** ***:
We are in receipt of Revdex.com Complaint
#*** from *** ** **We have reviewed our records and following is our
response:
"text-indent: -0.25in">
Our online Monthly Parking Application shows
that *** ** did indeed sign up for a monthly parking account on December 5,
He indicated a “Desired Start Date” of December 5, Please see copy
of *** **’s online applicationAs part of the online application process, the
customer is advised (on the Colonial Parking website) that “Parking services
may begin only after application approval and once the proper parking permit
and access device is received.” The customer is also advised that they should “allow
up to business days for delivery” [of the credentials] if the customer selects
this method of delivery (U.SPostal Service), which *** ** did selectHe also
had the option to pick up the credentials at our corporate office on the day of
processing or to have the credentials sent to him by Federal Express 2-business
daysIn addition, the application advises the customer that “Accounts that
become active after the 15th of the month will be charged 50% of the
posted monthly rate.” By not choosing a start date after the 15th, a
full month’s charge for December was appropriate
2. *** ** received an auto-generated e-mail acknowledging
his online application and its approval with a start date of December 8, as
this was the day the application was verified and space in the facility was
confirmedPlease see the attached copy*** ** was advised that his parking
credentials (keycard and any parking permits) would be mailed, at his option,
to the address in his online applicationThe appropriate credentials were
mailed by U.SPostal Service to the address *** ** provided
3. Invoices for the next calendar month are automatically
issued in advance of the month’s first dayIf the customer signed up for
Auto-Pay, the monthly charge would have been charged on the first day of the
new month automatically to the credit card the customer provided in his/her
online applicationThe Auto-Pay charge on January was for the month of
JanuaryAny charges in December would have been for the month of December and
processed on the credit card supplied by the customer as indicated on the top
of the applicationWe believe *** ** had all the necessary credentials to be
able to use the parking garage, and we were not informed of any problems until
December was endedHowever, we understand his frustration with how the
situation turned out, and we would like to make one of the following offers to him:
Either --
Please provide us with the daily parking
receipts for the month of December and we will be happy to reimburse him that
amount
OR
2. 2. We will credit him for 50% of December’s charge
(credit refund)*** ** will need to let us know which offer he would like to
receiveWe value *** ** as a parking customer and hope he will continue to park in Colonial Parking garages throughout the greater Washington, D.CareaSincerely,
Margaret E***

Dear Mr. [redacted]:
 
We are in receipt of Better Business Complaint #[redacted]
(8/23/15). After a thorough review of the complaint and the parking garage
located at [redacted] N.W.,...

Washington, D.C., please see our
response below.
 
1.      
“The lack of an elevator is in striking
violation of the ADA.”
RESPONSE: There is a fully
operational elevator at the entrance of the garage on the right side, next to
the garage office. Please see attached picture of the elevator at this garage.
2.      
“The garage is in a very unsafe and unsanitary
condition. Namely, there was loose insulation hanging out of multiple parts of
the ceiling, presenting a safety hazard to my vehicle and a health hazard to my
lungs.”
RESPONSE: Please see the attached
picture of the loose, hanging insulation. The damage was caused when a water
pipe/sprinkler burst, resulting in weakened ceiling tiles. Colonial brought
this to the attention of the Property Manager as soon as it occurred, after
which the Property Manager began fixing the sprinkler and the tiles. The
Property Manager anticipates the repair to be completed by the end of this week
(on or about September 5, 2015).
 
There are no facts to support Mr. [redacted]’s complaints
regarding the “unsafe and unsanitary conditions” of the parking garage at [redacted], N.W., Washington, D.C., nor its violation of any laws. However,
in the interest of good customer service, Colonial Parking, Inc. will issue Mr.
[redacted] a refund check in the amount of $16.00, per his request. The check will be sent tomorrow to the address on Mr. [redacted]'s complaint.
 
Sincerely,
Colonial Parking, Inc.

[redacted]
We are in receipt of Revdex.com Complaint #[redacted]. Colonial Parking, Inc. is agreeable to refunding the daily parking that [redacted] paid. We have reached out to him at the e-mail address provided in his original complaint and requested that he provide us with scanned...

copies of his receipts. As of this date, we have not received the copies. When we receive the receipt copies, we will be happy to generate a refund.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
[redacted]

[redacted], we will need a copy of the customer's credit card receipt and the address of the parking garage (or the posted garage number) in order to investigate this claim. Please ask the customer to provide these items.
[redacted]

[A default letter is provided here which indicates your acceptance of the business's response.  If you wish, you may update it before sending...

it.]
Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.  From: [redacted] <[redacted]>Date: Wed, Jan 28, 2015 at 3:21 PMSubject: Re: My E-mail AddressTo: [redacted] <[redacted]@myRevdex.com.org>Hi [redacted], below is my response to accept.Complaint #: [redacted]Colonial Parking has agreed to pay for the repairs to my vehicle.  There was no discussion regarding my suggestions regarding the parking attendants being more courteous to the vehicle owners, ,however I hope they take it into consideration.
 
Regards,
[redacted]

From: [redacted] <[redacted]@ecolonial.com>Date: Thu, Jul 23, 2015 at 1:20 PMSubject: FW: You have a new message from the Revdex.com of Metro Washington DC & Eastern Pennsylvania complaint #[redacted].To: [redacted] <[redacted]@myRevdex.com.org>Revdex.com Complaint #...

[redacted]Date of Incident: 7/5/2015 [redacted], upon further investigation, Colonial has determined to pay [redacted]’s claim. Sincerely,Margaret E[redacted]Contracts and Records ManagerColonial Parking, Inc.1050 Thomas Jefferson St NW #100Washington DC 20007

Good Evening, while I'm thankful for the response, I'm rejecting it because 1) the MPD informed me that although the area is private, they don't have jurisdiction to issue Citations & 2) the disability placard was clearly displayed in my window which allows me to park for 2 hrs free. Thank you so much!
 Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
Regards,
[redacted]

Dear [redacted]:
We are in receipt of Revdex.com Complaint #[redacted]. Please be advised that Colonial Parking, Inc. is paying the amount requested in this complaint in full. We will forward a check to the address listed in [redacted]'s complaint.
Let us know if you...

have any questions.
Sincerely,
Colonial Parking, Inc.

I parked at the colonial parking garage on Jennifer st NW while visiting an office in the building that validates for two hours. This happened today Wednesday, January 3, 2018. The problem is they print off the ticket and give you and put a stub on your car window instead of
you getting the ticket yourself. So he prints off a ticket for 8 :00 am and I get there at 8:40, I have valid proof when I arrive at the office and check in.I leave about 10:19 am and he is more than pleased to tell me I went over the 2 hours and would need to pay. I tell him I'm not paying anything because I know when I arrived. And he goes to show me his machine that prints the ticket. Needless to say he knows what game he was playing and I wasn't having none of it. I told him to check what ever cameras he needed to check to confirm my arrival and I was on my way. They need to get a machine that people can print off themselves to avoid the unnecessary confusion or wasted energy. It's like he does this on a regular basis and ready to argue. I remained calm until he said I'd have to pay when he knew I didn't. I'm not sure what happened on his behalf but his mistake is in no way my problem.

Review: We parked at a Colonial Parking garage, in [redacted], on Memorial Day, because we saw a sign that said $8 parking. The fine print said $8 after 4 pm weekdays and all day on weekends. We were charged $19 after several hours of parking. This is a DECEPTIVE advertising practice, because the sign led one to believe that one could park all day for $8, and it was Memorial day, a federal holiday. This is an unfair business practice, because, had the price been fairly represented, we would have parked elsewhere.Desired Settlement: I think Colonial Parking should refund my card the $11 difference between their apparently stated price of $8, and what I was charged $19.

Business

Response:

[redacted], we will need a copy of the customer's credit card receipt and the address of the parking garage (or the posted garage number) in order to investigate this claim. Please ask the customer to provide these items.[redacted]

Review: I received a parking fine on 05/21/14 in error at the [redacted] shopping center. The parking lot allows 2 hours of free parking while shopping at [redacted] stores, contingent on pressing a "Free Time" button on the meters in the lot. I pressed this button. I shopped for <30min and returned to my car with a ticket. I approached the meter maid and explained I didn't park in violation of the time restrictions or participating stores. He told me to file a dispute. I did so online the following day, explaining the malfunctioning meter and ticket received in error. Colonial Parking declined my dispute saying the button is currently working, despite my claim it was not working the day I used it.

If the $15 fine is paid within 2weeks, the fine is reduced to $5. Given the unethical nature of the ticket from a company I had never heard of before, I refused to pay the fine online divulging my credit card information or mail a personal check with my routing and accounting numbers. I elected to pay the $5 fine via cashiers check (I have receipts to verify amount and date) mailed in with the original parking notice on 05/29/14.

When I checked the status of the fine online on 06/11/14, it remained "unpaid". Therefore, I called Colonial Parking to verify they had received my payment (I called on 06/11/14 at 11:51am) and they said their syste** were down and they cannot check my account.

As of today (06/18/14), the fine status remains "unpaid" online.Desired Settlement: I would like them to accept the $5 fine I have already paid which was unethical in the first place. I do not want to spend any more time calling them or checking the status of a fine I did not deserve and already paid.

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted]:

Review: Gallery Place Parking engaged In A Deceptive Business Practice By Concealing The Terms Of The Discounted Parking Rate With A Parking Validation From [redacted] I Was Charged $11 For Parking In their Garage 1 Hour And 15 Minutes. There Are No Signs Posted In The Garage About Discounted rates, And No Visible Signs Informing The Public That They Will Be Charged Such An Exorbitant Amount If They Shop For 1 Hour And 15 Minutes. I Parked In The Garage On March 28, 2013 From 12:07 To 1:24 Pm.Desired Settlement: I Would Like A Refund Of The $11 I Was Charged By Gallery Place Parking.

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted]:

We are in receipt of Revdex.com's Complaint # [redacted]. We have completed our review of this complaint, and have the following response.

The parking rates for the Gallery Place Parking Garage

are posted in several visible locations. They state the charges for transient parkers

who patronize the various tenants, vendors, theaters and restaurants in Gallery

Place. The posted signs at the entrance and on the ticket booth clearly state

the rate for the first hour of parking is $11.00; for 2 hours, $18; for 3 hours,

$20; for 4 hours, $23; with a daily maximum of $25. Other posted rates are for “before

9:00 a.m.” and “after 5:30 p.m. event parking.”

Review: Parked on [redacted], street parking in NE DC near shops and restaurants. Metered parking. I have handicapped tags assigned to my van. According to DC Disability Parking Laws, I am allowed to park ANYWHERE IN WASHINGTON DC up to double the allotted meter time on a meter WITHOUT PAYMENT. Was parked about 20 minutes on this street (not garage) when I received a ticket from COLONIAL PARKING for $28 dollars for not feeding the meter. Called company and left a message disputing the ticket. A return call and message was left saying street is private property(?) and ticket was valid. Returned call and questioned Colonial Parking's Disability practices in light of Washington DC's Disability Laws. No return call from Company. This was street parking using the same DC meters located all over the city.Desired Settlement: ticket cancelled

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted]:

Review: On May 24, 2013, at about 6:30 pm I pulled into Colonial Parking lot Station 701. As I approached the entrance the gate arm was open. I stopped and pushed the button to get a ticket. The machine would not print a ticket. I pushed the button several times and still no ticket printed. I pulled forward, found a parking spot and immediately approached the Colonial employee working in the exit booth. I explained that the machine didn't print me a ticket and I asked if he could print one for me. He said that he couldn't and that I would have to pay for a lost ticket. I explained that I didn't lose the ticket because the machine didn't print a ticket for me in the first place. He gave me a Colonial number to call, which I did and I left a vm for the project manager and I called the number several more times and still have not received a call back. I exited the parking lot and paid the $38 lost ticket fee even though it was the faulty equipment that didn't give me a ticket. I feel like the Colonial worker should have investigated the incident rather than just automatically charging the lost ticket fee. Colonial Parking ripped me off.Desired Settlement: I would like Colonial Parking to refund me the $38 that I had to pay because their machine failed to print a ticket upon my entry into their parking lot.

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted]:

I park my car in the Colonial facility at 1140 Connecticut Avenue, NW. At this location valet parking is the only option. This past winter as my car was waiting to be parked, it slid down a ramp in the garage into the wall. There was about $15,000 in damage and I was without my car for over 2 months. Dealing with Colonial during this ordeal was not easy. One thing they committed to do in addition to paying to fix my car was to provide me with some number of months of free parking as compensation. They have refused to do that and don't take or return my calls to discuss. Really poor customer service.
I would not recommend parking at this facility when there are so many others nearby.

Review: Including me, every single person I know who has canceled their parking accounts after moving out of one of one of Colonial Parking's garages has continued to be billed for several months by the company - even after completing and submitting all the necessary paperwork. I work at the [redacted], which has its own garage, but with limited free parking and a waitlist. Before moving to the [redacted] garage, I spent a year parking at a Colonial Garage nearby. I have seen dozens of coworkers do the same thing. Without fail, in every case where a person canceled their Colonial accounts to move to the free [redacted] garage upon moving to the end of the waitlist, Colonial continued to bill the person for several months after, then attributed the discrepancy to an error or mistake on their end.

It is a known business practice that they will continue to charge people who have canceled their accounts for several months. They do it intentionally. They do it on purpose. I bet they train their employees to do it. I know it isn't incompetence or accidental - I know they do it on purpose. I know dozens of people this has happened to and I have yet to find a case where someone canceled their account and this did not happen to them. Even for DC standards, these guys are super shady. Revdex.com has got to start coming down hard on them. Colonial owns the property, they have the garages. They aren't going away. They think they can continue to get away with this. It is despicable. This company is slimy as hell.

Colonial will eventual pay the money back, but only after causing a lot of aggravation. Their intention is to keep charging ex-customers as long as they can and without reimbursement of the overcharges as long as they can. They do not participate in business in good faith. They try to steal their customer's money.Desired Settlement: Stop stealing their ex-customers money;

Business

Response:

Dear [redacted]:

We are in receipt of [redacted]'s Revdex.com complaint #[redacted]. We have completed our investigation and these are our findings.

1. **. [redacted] states that "every single person I know who has cancelled their parking accounts after moving out of one of Colonial Parking's garages has continued to be billed for several months by the company - even after completing and submitting all the necessary paperwork."

RESPONSE: Although **. [redacted]'s account was closed at his request on December 5, 2012, we have just now heard from him on this issue in an e-mail to Customer Care dated June 26, 2013. The director of Customer Care responded to him the same day, expressing her desire to look into his account and speak with him. She provided her direct telephone line but did not hear back from him. We have not billed **. [redacted] nor have we received any payments from him since his account was closed on December 5, 2012.

2. **. [redacted] states that "I work at the [redacted], which has its own garage, but with limited free parking and a waitlist. Before moving to the [redacted] garage, I

spent a year parking at a Colonial Garage nearby. I have seen dozens of

coworkers do the same thing. Without fail, in every case where a person

canceled their Colonial accounts to move to the free [redacted] garage upon

moving to the end of the waitlist, Colonial continued to bill the person for

several months after, then attributed the discrepancy to an error or mistake on

their end. It is a known business practice that they will continue to charge

people who have canceled their accounts for several months. They do it

intentionally. They do it on purpose. I bet they train their employees to do

it. I know it isn't incompetence or accidental - I know they do it on purpose.

I know dozens of people this has happened to and I have yet to find a case

where someone canceled their account and this did not happen to them. Even for

DC standards, these guys are super shady. Revdex.com has got to start coming down hard

on them."

RESPONSE: The free parking **. [redacted] describes is a [redacted] of [redacted] ([redacted]) garage that many parkers who work at the [redacted] move to when the [redacted] gives them parking. These customers park at the Colonial garage until space becomes available at the [redacted] garage. At the time the parking customers make that move, they close out their Colonial account and return their access keycards. We are unaware of the dozens of people who work at the [redacted] whose accounts have been billed "for several months" after terminating their parking privileges at this Colonial Parking garage. Although **. [redacted] closed his account on December 5, 2012, as of this date, he has not returned his access card. **. [redacted] signed up for auto-bill-pay which was terminated on December 5, 2012; Colonial has not billed and **. [redacted] has not paid on this account since it was closed on December 5, 2012.

3. **. [redacted] states that "Colonial

owns the property, they have the garages. Colonial

owns the property, they have the garages. They

aren't going away. They think they can continue to get away with this. It is

despicable. This company is slimy as hell. Colonial will eventual pay the money

back, but only after causing a lot of aggravation. Their intention is to keep

charging ex-customers as long as they can and without reimbursement of the

overcharges as long as they can. They do not participate in business in good

faith. They try to steal their customer's money.They

aren't going away. They think they can continue to get away with this. It is

despicable. This company is slimy as hell. Colonial will eventual pay the money

back, but only after causing a lot of aggravation. Their intention is to keep

charging ex-customers as long as they can and without reimbursement of the

overcharges as long as they can. They do not participate in business in good

faith. They try to steal their customer's money."

RESPONSE: Colonial Parking does not own the property. We are contracted to manage parking facilities. In addition, please see the attached document. The back of every invoice clearly states the conditions under which a customer may purchase a monthly account permit and the rules for its continued use, including returning the access keycard when an account is closed.

We are sorry **. [redacted] is unhappy with Colonial's company policy, but he was given monthly invoices with the terms every month he parked in the [redacted] garage. The terms of the continued use of our parking permits are clearly stated. The monthly parking charge for **. [redacted]'s account was $150 per month. We hope **. [redacted] will understand that we cannot agree to any refund as he failed to return his parking permit access card unused by the 5th of the month (December 5, 2012) per the terms of our agreement with him when he signed up for the account. Our policy, as provided to **. [redacted] every month on the back of his invoice (attached), is not to prorate for terminations.

Sincerely,