Laz Parking

January *, 2020
LAZ Parking
***
To Whom It May Concern:

When I made plans recently to go to New York City via Metro North for Christmas, from Monday, December , to Thursday, December , I was concerned about long-term parking in Beacon. I live in Kingston, and when I travel frequently to New York for work or to visit my family, I usually take Amtrak from Rhinecliff or Metro North from Poughkeepsie, since both of those train stations are closer and provide long-term parking.

However, on this occasion, since I was dropping off my dog in the Town of Shawangunk, I decided that Beacon would be more convenient. However, I was unfamiliar with the Beacon train station, so I called LAZ’s customer service department on December *** to check on my options.

After several tries, I finally got through to the customer service representative and explained my situation. I told her that if it wasn’t possible for me to park at the Beacon train station for those four days, I’d happily go to Poughkeepsie instead, but Beacon seemed easier. She did not provide her name or position but she assured me that yes, there is long-term parking in Beacon. She told me to pay for the “maximum stay of four days”—and that the parking tickets machine would automatically deduct one day from the total since parking on Christmas Day, December , would be free. She also advised me to pay using my license plate number, not the parking space number. I asked if I should leave the ticket on my dashboard and she said no. “You’ll be in the system,” she assured me.

So, on Monday, December , I parked in space 926 at the very far end of the parking lot at Beacon station at 3:00pm and lugged my bags and Christmas presents over to the entrance. But when I tried to pay for parking, I had problems with the machine. I tried to pay using my license plate number (***) as well as the parking space number, but in neither case was I offered a long-term parking payment option. I also tried to use a cash option but that didn’t work either. I was puzzled and also concerned about missing my train. I tried calling LAZ’s customer service department several times, finally someone picked up and told me to pay three separate times, to cover three days, since Christmas Day was free. “Do I need to leave the tickets on my dashboard?” I asked again. “No,” the once-again unidentified person said, “you’re using your license plate so you’ll be in the system.”

I therefore purchased three tickets, each covering one day at $3.50 each for a total of $10.50:
*** at 3:29pm, *** at 3:31pm, and *** at 3:32pm. I retained copies of these tickets. However, I was still nervous about leaving my car, and when some regular commuters walked past I asked them if they had any experience with long-term parking. They assured me that buying three daily tickets and using my license plate number would work. “That’s what everyone does,” they said. But they also advised me to keep my receipts in case of problems, which I did.

When I returned to Beacon on the train on the afternoon of Thursday, December , I was shocked to receive two parking citations--#*** issued 12//19 at 12:50pm for $15.00, and #*** issued 12//19 at 2:43pm for $35.00—the second one with a note that the fee had been increased because of “frequent violations.” Payments for these citations are due on January and *, and if they are not paid on time, the fees go up to $.00 and $45.00, respectively.

On January *, I went online and filled out a complaint form on LAZ Parking’s website, hoping to be able to have the citations waived (a copy of this was retained). At 10:45AM, I received an email response from Katina G in LAZ Parking’s collection department (***), who wrote:

Susan,

Could you send me proof of payment ?

I immediately sent photos of the tickets purchased as well as the citations. When no response came, I wrote again and asked if any progress had been made. At 1:01PM I received the following badly composed response:

Susan,

At Beacon station you can't park for more than 16 hours at a time, As you can tell by your receipt. They're signs at the station that will explain this also. Please next time, call Lazparking @***nd we can help you. These citation's cannot be waived.

Sincerely

This was the first time that anyone associated with LAZ Parking told me you can’t park for more than 16 hours at Beacon—in fact, the other representatives said the opposite. Why was I previously told there was long-term parking, when apparently there isn’t? And why did Katina G even bother to ask for proof of payment if this is the case? I also don’t understand why Ms. G told me that “next time” I should call LAZ and they “can help” me, when I already did call them and was given the wrong information.

Apparently, although I did the right thing and paid for three days parking in good faith and as I was instructed, I was not “in the system” at all. This is unfair and outrageous. Needless to say, I do not plan to park at the Beacon station again, and I do not see, on principle, why I should have to pay these unfair fees when I did what I was told was correct.

In addition, LAZ Parking’s customer service is terrible. The staff are either untrained and uncaring or else shameless liars. When I wrote back to Ms. G and told her that I was going to file a complaint with the NY State Attorney General, she didn’t bother to respond. Even if she did not wish to offer restitution, she could have done something for me, a regular customer of Metro North. She could have offered to investigate or compromise, but instead she did nothing and was unfriendly and flippant as well.

Parking at the facility for over a year now and have made a few errors of paying for the wrong space which have been voided, 2 times to be exact. This time the parking facility refuse to void $60 fee or refund the $4 paid for the wrong space. There are no posted sign in or around the facility about penalties for paying for the wrong space nor is it listed on the website. Each time I have proof of payment and the collections supervisor response to the dispute is “common knowledge would tell me to pay for the correct space” as she also tried to compare paying for a space to a parking meter outside which is totally different as the meter prints out a ticket you display in your windshield. Not only was she insulting and unprofessional but she does not allow you to speak as she constantly talks over you, very poor customer service. I will also be reaching out to express my experience at the parking facility with the metro north. Below is their website parking notice that does not explain what the penalty is for paying for the wrong space.

Parking notice fines
1st Offense 2nd Offense Subsequent Offense

Partial or non-Payment of parking fee $15.00 $35.00 $60.00
Parking in improper space $15.00 $35.00 $60.00
Parking in two spaces $15.00 $35.00 $60.00
Parking in time regulated space $15.00 $35.00 $60.00
Parking in permit space without proper permit $20.00 $35.00 $60.00
Parking in permit space without permit $20.00 $35.00 $60.00
Parking in designated snow area $50 $50 $50
Parking in handicapped space without proper ada permit $75 $75 $75
Parked in reserved electric charging space with non electric powered vehicle

I have been parking at New Hamburg train station for over 17 years
On September *** 2019 I paid the wrong spot in the parking lot that LAZ manages I sent the receipt and the last 4 digits of my card number for proof I paid to their address *** I recieved a letter stating that there not dismissing ticket because this happened to me before Sometimes the numbers stick and your in such a rush you don’t realize the wrong number was pushed Most of time I park in same spot but once in while I have to park 1 spot away and punch number in spot I usually use by accident
I have been parking in this lot for 17 years and when a mistake happened all you had to do is call number on ticket they collect your info look up on their computer see u paid and dismiss ticket right away no problem
Now u mail in info that u paid they send u a letter your fine double in 2 weeks and then once in a while they will dismiss the ticket other times you’re fine already doubled and tripled before you even get response for you fighting the ticket
All I want is the ticket dismissed I mailed them proof I paid the day in question I have a picture of my receipt and the ticked I recieved
My license plate number is *** The citation number is ***
Thanks for your time and consideration

On 6/*/19 car was damaged in parking garage owned by LAZ Parking. Complaint was filed with business, claim number #*** was issued, I was contacted by Rasha H Claims Rep Manager to bring car for repair at their authorized repair shop, Viper Collision. Brought car in the collision shop but they are unable to perform repairs unless authorized by LAZ Parking. We are still waiting for authorization from LAZ Parking. Our calls/emails are going unanswered.

I parked the car in this parking garage on 8//2019 and left the key in the car, when I pick up the car, they told me there was no key, I told them if no key, even they can still drive but will get warning, and I am sure I left the key in the car. they asked me to leave my info and will check. next day, they email me said I have no proof that I left the key in the car, so will not be responsible for the lost key

I received a Citation for $35.00 on 06//2019 at 8:38 AM. I parked my car on the first level parking lot because it was raining this morning and I did not want to park outside. I choose to park in the space 1235. When I tried to pay for the parking spot at 5 AM using the Passport Parking Mobile App I kept getting an error message and I was not successful in my attempts. I then went upstairs to use the Electronic Meter Kiosks and it kept giving me an error message as well. I was told that you cannot pay for the first floor parking before 8:30 AM but, I thought it was confusing because you can pay for the third floor parking at 5 AM using both parking app and the kiosk. I then kept trying to use the app while on the Metro North train and when I got to work. After my many attempts I was able to pay for parking. When I returned to my car later in the evening. I saw a ticket on my car and when I saw the time of the ticket I was baffled. I then called Laz parking on 6//19 and spoke with someone and they said to send an email to *** which is the email address that is listed on the back of the citation. They said someone will get back to you on getting this ticket resolved and they also heard from other riders of MNR that the machines and app was down on 6//19. I then called back on 7/*/19 to check the status of my email and the hone call and I was told that they are working on getting back to me. I called again on 7/*/19 to check the status of my ticket and I was told that I was sending the email to the wrong email address and the actual was ***. I asked why was I not told that after speaking with the first customer care and they could not answer that question. I then asked why was the email address on the back of the citation not updated and the response I was given was that they have tons of citations and they are trying to get through the ones they have already in stock. I was then told I would get a response in 7-10 days & I was told 24 hrs before

I parked my car on 5//2019 I did not have any scratches on it...when I picked it up 5//2019 it had a scratch on the back with red paint. The attendants were very rude when I pointed it out an said I bought the car there like that. You can clearly see the red paint on the car from the beams in the garage. I took pictures of the scratch and of the beams. I contacted Daniel G and he said he would contact the insurance department. The insurance dept. said they were not going to fix my car.

I am trying to cancel a monthly parking space. I emailed and called several times saying I wanted to cancel and I did not authorize any further charges to my credit card. No one got back to me until the next month when the card was already charged.

They say I needed to cancel 30 days in advance. No one ever told me this, and it wouldn’t have been possible anyway since no one was getting back to me.

Hi I gave in my vehicle to be parked in 1 this companies Parking lots in Manhattan on April *** 2019, the actual address of the lot is *** when I got my vehicle back I noticed a scratch and dent right away and asked the attendant about it but he denied doing it, since I was 100% sure this damage happened while they had my vehicle I called the cops which showed up and advised that since its in private property I would have the file the claim within the company which actually has a claim form for damages like this so I filled out the form and before completing it the attendant reached out to the regional manger which arrived to the location a hour after I was about to leave so he was not there at all while this all happened and he added a note on the claim stating that this damage was preexisting -which is completely false-and he added that the damage was marked on the ticket when I parked,and they advised it will be reviewed by their claims department and I will be contacted so nerveless I got a phone call 4 days later with the rep on the phone telling me that the damage was marked on the ticket at the time I parked so they are denying the claim I argued that that info is false and if indeed it was marked on the ticket and if there is a ticket at all why wasn't I given a copy and even more as many times as I asked to see the ticket my request was never answered so the rep. on the phone said they will look through the cameras on the scene and get back to me a day later I got a email stating the following
"Our investigation has shown proof that the damage to your vehicle occurred prior to your entry into our facility and was documented as pre-existing on April ***, 2019 when you entered the garage. In view of the above circumstances, we have no alternative but to deny legal liability for the claim you reported." so I replied asking for the proof but now the reply was "we have witnesses who have corroborated that the attendant attempted to point the damage out to you while you were walking away from the vehicle the morning that the claim was filed" this is another complete false statement and I am shocked how they are coming up with one excuse after another which none of them are true no one pointed out any damage to me or try to I was given a ticket and calmly walked out had someone try to show me of course I would look and sign it off.

the bottom line is they refuse to take responsibility for this damage which is unacceptable.

I pay annually for a parking space near my job. After getting a new vehicle I placed my old parking sticker in the window of my new car as I waited for my new permit to come. My car was towed. I tried desperately to explain the extenuating circumstance to numerous representatives to no avail. In the end I accepted that my new car was not yet technically authorized to be parked in the space and I paid the towing fee and went about my business.

Interestingly, I had tried to get in contact with consumer service representatives to report when an unauthorized vehicle was parked in my spot and had never been able to reach someone who could help prior to this incident.

I registered my new vehicle, providing:
-Car make
-car model
-car color
-vin number
-photo of my registration
All of which are required by the company

On 2//2019, I came to the parking lot to find my car had once again been towed from my space. It turns out that the parking permit was sent with two of the numbers transposed.

Yes...that's right...after I accepted the first tow as my fault...my car was towed AGAIN after sending all of the necessary documents and full description of the car down to the VIN number.

Of course I called the towing company (All boro towing in Bronx,NY ***) and was told my car was flagged as having an invalid permit.

As usual, I cannot get a hold of anyone from LAZ via phone or email.

When returning from New Jersey thru the Lincoln tunnel, and using gps we were led to the wrong lane . We ended up on a lane which led us to a parking garage, the receipt says ***. There were signs everywhere saying NO U-turns. This FORCED take a ticket to the parking lot. I immediately drove to the exit and explained to the attendant that we were here in error. I was LESS THAN A MINUTE. HIS ATTITUDE WAS HECDIDNT CARE AND WE HADCTO PAY 15 dollars for less than a minute. My aunt was with me and she is elderly and didn’t want me to argue the issue with the attendant to we payed the hostage fee. As I said before there are many signs at the end of the ramp to the garage telling people NO u-turns. This obviously happens many times and the garage does nothing but rip people off for a simple mistake in a place where there are so many lanes and exchanges and it is soooo easy to take the wrong route.

I live in apartment building with a garage that is owned by LAZ Parking. A letter was sent to me the garage will be undergoing construction therefore, my vehicle will be moved to a different parking garage. The LAZ Parking Company assigned a parking spot that is ridiculously far. The new location is at least 7 to 10 blocks away from my apartment . I contact the company 3 times to give me a closer spot, which they were not helpful at all. The customer service put this barrier by cutting me off; that there is no available spots at all after explaining to them I have four kids. Basically, the permit I paid $340 is useless. The company did not even try to help me in getting a closer location. This company basically threw me at a location and not caring at all. I have been with this company for 3 years and their service is terrible. But they are so quick to tow vehicles and to get their money. All I’m asking is for a closer spot to my building.

I was charged a $60 fine at LAZ parking station at 6:11AM Monday, 10//18 for stall #*** and notice indicates "parking permit space/ no permit displayed". My citation # ***. However, I have a a photo as proof that the space indicates "permit OR meter parking" is accepted. I used the meter option. I have a receipt indicating I had until 10/*** at 10:35PM to be parked at the parking space. Receipt indicates "No need to display" but I still received a fine. I have sent emails and I received a response that my Parking Receipt was not able to be honored so the fee cannot be voided regardless of the evident proof sent with photos.

I purchased a parking permit for Astoria Houses on 5/*/2018. I received the parking permit on 5//2018 and the permit is for the NYCHA Employee parking lot which is Lot # 3. I called LAZ parking on Mon 5//2018 @ 9:15 and spoke with Ms. Amy S and she had me on hold for 24 minutes and returned with the statement that they are working on issuing a new permit and she would call me back later that day. She never called back and I called at 2:30 and was told someone would call me back. I called again on Tues morning at 10:00 and was told there was a big issue with my permit but not told exactly what is going on. Called back again Tues 5//2018 @ 2:30 and was told someone would call me back. Theses people took my $348.00 and sent me a useless permit and now I can't get any answers about what is going on.

I parked at the LAZ Parking garage below Queens Crossing Mall. At this garage, you have to pay at a machine using a ticket you get when you come into the lot. I put my ticket into the machine, and it said I owed 9 dollars. I put in 20 dollars, and the machine said "No change" and to bring the receipt to the booth to get a refund. Note that the machine did not require exact change only, and there was no sign. The people working at the garage said I could not get change that night and would have to "come back tomorrow." When I said I would not be able to come back tomorrow, they told me "then you can't get your change." When I further asked for my change, they said, "We just work here. We don't have any change. Only the boss has change and he's not here" They then got my car and I left.

I parked my car at the seaport location which is at ***. once the attendent took the car from us he did a walk around to check for any prior damage which there was none ! after coming back and picking up the vehicle we left the lot and headed straight home, once I pulled in to my driveway my wife pointed out to me that the car was hit at the rear bumper. I called the lot right away and was told that I needed to contact the manager which would be there early in the morning which I did after speaking with him he arranged to meet me the following day to fill out the required paper work. I met with the manager and pointed out the damage and asked him if they had a camera system so we can see exactly how this happened ! he stated that the camera system does not work. he made a report of the damage and told me that I will hear from LAZ PARKING in a few days. I jus received a letter stating that they are denying my claim that I should contact my insurance company to have them fix the damages. I have read the previous complaints and it appears that prior customers have had the same issue with this company and they have denied any responsibility for there incompetent attendants.

The North White Plains Parking garage is operated by LAZ Parking, whom I've had great experiences with at other parking facilities. At this particular location, the signs posted contradict each other. Some signs say that you can park on any level after 9 am, even if you don't have a permit, so long as you pay the parking fee by entering your license plate into the pay station. Other signs say that you can do the same, but only after 10:30 am. There's another sign that says that you can ONLY park on the 4th level after 10:30 am, not on the other levels like ALL the other signs say. Recently I was mailed a ticket because I imagine I broke one of these conflicting rules. I quickly called the customer service line provided, but it went straight to voicemail. After leaving a message, I waited a week, and then followed up. Still no response. I received another ticket notification in the mail telling me that my fine went up from $50 - $70, yet no one has reached out to me and explained what my offense was. I also registered for a parking permit for this location two months ago, so that I wouldn't run into these issues, but I haven't heard anything from that as well.

The other day I paid to park at their site in the *** train station. After putting in my money the system generated a "Refund" ticket.(I put in 2 $1 bills to park and it costs $1.25). I called LAZ parking to ask how to get my refund. They insist that I have to mail in the ticket. So I have to spend $.49 to mail it in so I can get back $.75. How does nobody see this as absurd. I should not have to spend more money in order to get back what is rightfully mine. The machines do not alert you that exact change is required at that time .(Sometimes it gives change and other times it does not). This is not the first time I got a refund ticket. The last time was for $.5 so I just let it go since it was not worth it to even make the call. Now I feel that this is a deliberate attempt by this company to defraud people. If they require it be mailed in then they should include the cost in the refund. Meaning if I am due $.75 they should send me $1.24 to cover the extra cost.
While I understand this is a small amount of money if they make it so absurd to get your refund how many folks don't do it and it allows LAZ to keep the extra money.
I have tried using my credit card to park and I was double charged. I had to go through the hassle of contacting my credit card company to wipe out the charge. Again another example of small charges that some folks would miss and LAZ makes out.
I spoke to a representative at LAZ as well as a supervisor. All they can tell me is "that is the policy". They print serial#'s on the refund tickets so you should be able to scan it and send it in or as I said above they should reimburse for the cost of me to mail it to them.

We parked our car July *** in the South St. Seaport lot overnight, as they were the lot associated with our hotel. When we dropped off the car, the attendant went around the car with me to check for preexisting dents/scratches, etc. They then parked the car for me.
The next morning, before leaving, I pointed out to the attendant there were several new scratches along the side of my car - it looked like another vehicle rubbed against it as it was being parked. He assured me they had cameras on the lot and it would be obvious how the damage occurred, and that I should be confident they would take care of it. He worked with me to file a claim.
Days later, I got a letter saying LAZ was not responsible, that they would not pay for the damage, but if I had questions, to contact them.
For several weeks, I have called the number on the denial letter, left several messages, had my insurance company call, and *no one has responded in any way*. It appears their strategy is to ignore the claimant until they give up, thereby never having to pay for damage they inflict. I finally reached a living person weeks later by just hitting 0 in their phone system's auto attendant. The person promised me someone would contact me; no one has yet.

A Laz parking caused the following damages to my car while attempting to park the car:
Front damage to my bumper which includes deep scratches and grooves
Broken antenna which was ripped off of the top of my car

I was made aware of the damages by the employee who was responsible for the damages, this employee then proceeds to fill out a false report stating that I alleged that the damage was done by LAZ parking. I proceeded to acquire two separate estimates for the damage and request a car rental for use while the repairs were completed. This is our only car in the household, which my wife uses to drive to work (45 minute commute). We were denied a rental and was told that this is company policy. I now have to file a claim with my own insurance in order to cover the car rental during the repairs. This has been a total waste of time, LAZ parking has one of the worst customer service policies I have ever experienced.