DENVER — When he has class, Metropolitan State University of Denver student Joel Hundley parks in the Scott Lott near the Auraria Campus.
"I park in this lot because it's the cheapest," Hundley said.
Even though he has proof he paid, Hundley said parking notices started showing up in the mail last month.
"I know sometimes I break the rules and don't pay for parking, but I know for sure I paid for parking these times," he told Denver7 Investigates.
He was surprised to get four “notices of non‑compliance," each for $102.
When he tried to dispute the charges, the parking lot manager, Parking Revenue Recovery Services, only agreed to take $20 off each ticket.
"I'm a poor college student," Hundley said. "No one can afford that. And if you can, hit me up."
For years, Denver7 Investigates has been reporting on issues with private parking in downtown Denver. Denver City Councilman Chris Hinds, who pushed through statewide meter parking changes years ago, said private lots need similar attention.
"We have to change the system so that it does protect consumers," Hinds said. "We're here to represent the people, not parking lot owners or parking lot operators."
The city said it will consider new private parking consumer protections, but not until next year.
Read our previous coverage below:
- Couple gets $75 ticket after paying for parking in downtown Denver
- Contact7 fights $75 parking ticket for man who paid for spot
- City of Denver urges unlicensed parking lots, garages to refund tickets
- Dozens of cameras in downtown Denver result in more parking tickets
- Denver private lot voids parking tickets after app mistake
- Denver responds to 'predatory parking' complaints with new signage requirements
- Denver drivers complain about skyrocketing parking fines for short overstays
When Denver7 Investigates reached out, Parking Revenue Recovery Services blamed the situation on an error with the LAZ Parking app, which set the time limit to two hours instead of the full purchased time.
"It affected only 9 people who actually paid the notices. All of them identified and receiving refunds," PRRS wrote in an email.
Hundley’s tickets have now been voided.
"You guys helped a lot, you know," he said. "This is a lot of money... So you guys coming in and helping me was really, really good."
