Trinity Commons at Erwin

Trinity Commons apartment parking garage posted signs do not sufficiently indicate acceptable guest parking spaces.On the evening of Thurs. 7/24, I parked my car (license [redacted]) in the Trinity Commons at Erwin parking garage while visiting a friend. At the entrance of the garage, a sign reads "Approved Visitor Parking on Top Floor Only". Nowhere in the garage are there further signs indicating where guest parking is permitted. Since the garage is designed with switchback ramps and flat levels, it is unclear what "top floor" means, and whether ramps are considered part of the floor above or below.I returned to my car at approximately 11pm to find a immobilization device on the front left wheel. The device was in poor repair, including the rubber protective rim on the clamp peeling off leaving potentially damaging metal-on-metal contact with my wheel. A notice on my window instructed me to call [redacted] at [redacted] to have it removed. When the [redacted] truck arrived, driven by a man identifying himself as [redacted], he said that I was illegally parked, that guests must park on Floor 7, not Floor 6 1/2. Floor 6 1/2 does not exist according to posted signs.Desired SettlementRefund $120 for boot removal.Change sign at entrance of garage to read "Visitor parking on Floor 7 only". Post signs in garage indicating where visitor parking begins. Business Response Trinity Commons at Erwin is luxury living conveniently located directly across the street from the busiest place in Durham, [redacted] and [redacted]. We are also walking distance from the [redacted] housing many of the most popular casual dining restaurants in the area. Although this is great for our valued Residents, it is also problematic when it comes to differentiating people who live here, from people who are taking advantage of our excellent parking structure and location. If you are a registered guest, you will be given a series of credentials and specific verbal instructions. The credentials include a parking pass that will hang from the rear - view mirror or a window sticker in some cases. You will also be given a remote used to open gates that securely close behind you automatically. Our efforts to provide adequate parking accommodations for our Residents are clear and concise to avoid confusion and also stringent in order to properly filter authorized vehicles, from un-authorized vehicles. Since our Residents are our number one concern, the process starts at move-in. We inform all of our Residents in great detail how to properly authorize a guest who wishes to use the parking deck. Further instructions are clearly labeled using light-reflective material on a sign that is roughly 2.5 square feet in size located directly under 24/hour security lighting that states in bold, capital letters, "PERMIT REQUIRED." Beneath that statement, the wording on the same sign continues to read, "Unauthorized Vehicles Will be Towed or Booted, Approved Visitor Parking on Top Floor Only. The person filing this complaint against Trinity Commons was NOT an authorized visitor. This means he/she did not properly register the vehicle with management so he/she did not receive any parking credentials allowing him/her to use the parking deck. This means the individual entered the parking deck by no other means than waiting outside one of the locked gates until a Resident opened the gate with a remote, and the individual closely followed the Resident into the parking deck. The signs previously mentioned are located at every entry point to the garage, so no matter what door he/she managed to follow a Resident through, he/she drove right past the specific instructions stating that without a permit you could be booted or towed.If the individual was in fact invited to enter the parking deck by a Resident, then the Resident would have been responsible for making sure the individual knew where to park, in addition to the signs posted at the gate. Authorized visitors are welcome to park within the parking deck, but must receive specific instructions from either a member of the Trinity Commons Staff, or a current Resident. The process is simple, but it does require initiative by the person wishing to occupy space in the parking deck. Consumer Response Relying on residents to communicate parking policies is roundabout and prone to error. "Guest parking" signs or markings are a ubiquitous feature at apartment complexes for a reason. The vehement defense of this procedure without consideration of multiple points at which its communication fails reflects lack of consideration for residents and their guests, and contributes to predatory towing/booting practices.