Private parking managers do not hesitate to pay several employees to wait in their cars all day or monitor their cameras in order to enrich themselves from “false ticket traps”.
The Journal was able to see a Max Park Solutions agent in action at the Domaine Shopping Center near the Langelier subway station in Montreal last month. Housed in a rusty car and steaming, the man watched the parking lot with his jacket in his employer's colors.
The Max Park Solutions Inc. employee who was in that rusty car assured our reporter that his employer's traffic tickets were legal. MARTIN ALARIE / LE JOURNAL DE MONTRÉAL
“Yes, what we are doing is legal,” he assures, contrary to what our consulted experts say on the subject.
The ticket will be handed out by the Max Park Solutions employee at the Domaine Shopping Center in Montreal. MARTIN ALARIE / LE JOURNAL DE MONTRÉAL
The officer then fled the parking lot after being questioned about a “fake fine” he had just handed out to a driver. The latter was intercepted by our representative who was returning from a doctor's appointment.
Keter Desrosiers has no intention of paying this false fine that he has in his hands. Francis Pilon / JdeM
“I just had my tooth pulled at the dentist across the street, but no, I won't pay the ticket. I don’t understand why we allow them to do this,” protests Keter Desrosiers.
Paid, fake papers
The situation in the DIX30 district in Brossard wasn't any rosier. When we were there in mid-November, up to seven cars in a row and dozens more had parking tickets under their windshield wipers.
“It’s really become a ticket trap here. I understand there is a problem with people abusing by leaving their car at the mall to take the REM, but with a $103 fine it must be quite profitable for the company,” laments Julie Vigneux, who had just received one of these “findings”.
At least eight cars in this photo received a “false fine” from Stat Park Inc. Francis Pilon / JdeM during our visit to the DIX30 district in mid-November
Note that Lyne Côté, owner of Stat Park Inc., which issues these “fake tickets,” even admitted to monitoring our representative at DIX30 with her cameras.
Lyne Côté, owner of Stat Park. Lyne Sparks Facebook
“You stick your business card with an invoice on the windshield, but you have no right to do that,” complained Ms. Côté wryly.
What to do if you receive an incorrect parking ticket?
- File a complaint with the Consumer Protection Agency
- Do not pay the amount of the incorrect fine
- Do not contact the company. Otherwise, your private information will be collected
- Once you have paid these fees, you can formally request a refund from the merchant
- You could even seek compensation in small claims court
Can you share information about this story?
Write to us or call us directly at 1 800-63SCOOP.