Private Parking (IMPARK) tickets

[MoneyGuy]

Actually, if Impark sends this to a collection agency, it will appear on your credit record. It will show up as an unpaid debt, which could bring your score down as much as 100 points, in which case you won't get a loan from any bank until it's paid.

Moneyguy
Certified Financial Planner

[MattyK]

Originally Posted by oilers_fan

The people that go around giving tickets, do you think they have a list, or a computer with a database full of bad parkers? I can't see them running license plates of every car they ticket...

They must have some method to retrieve records from a central database.

I use their wireless payment method. I registered my license plate on http://www.imparkwireless.com. Every time I park, I just call them on my cell phone and punch a couple numbers into an IVR. No fumbling with change, no tickets in the window.

If the ticket peons didn't have access to a database of people who paid using this service, how else would they know which car without a ticket in the window deserves a parking fine and which car doesn't?

If they have access to this information, I can't imagine that it'd be an amazing stretch to have access to a database of bad parkers as well.

[trew]

The last time I got an impark ticket, I sent them a couple bucks to cover the actual shortfall in time. I explained that the only legitimate claim they have to damages, the lost revenue for the spot that I unintentionally occupied without paying. I also stated that if they disagreed with me, I would be happy to go to small claims court to settle the matter, and would pay their fine if so ordered. I also explained that I charge a $10,000 fee to remove errors from my credit record, and that by placing an incorrect report on my record they consent to this charge.

Never heard anything from them, probably figured I was too crazy to bother with.

[mykalberta]

I dont get why just just dont tow people and have them pay to get their car back. There are alot of people who dont pay their Impark tickets so why bother with the ticket, just tow?

MYK

[pope04]

Years ago, I contacted Impark after they hassled me about an unpaid ticket and informed them that I wished to go to court on the matter. Never heard from them again.

[Bobblehead]

IANAL, but I thought I read something that said Impark has the right to go after the cost of the parking but they had no right to impose penalties.

[moon]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

Actually, if Impark sends this to a collection agency, it will appear on your credit record. It will show up as an unpaid debt, which could bring your score down as much as 100 points, in which case you won't get a loan from any bank until it's paid.

Moneyguy
Certified Financial Planner

I don't mean to derail the thread but since the theme seems to be housejunks concern about his credit rating being effected maybe it isn't too off topci.

I have a horrible credit rating, or at least had may have improved now, and still was able to get 10,000 LOC from a bank and a mortgage for my house.

I hear people all the time,and especially from collection agencies when calling me, talk about how you will never be able to buy a house, get a loan, blah blah blah.

Was I just a freak case or is a poor credit rating just a boogeyman sent out there by people that want to scare you into paying off debts/paying them/using their services etc.

I did plenty of bad things to drop my credit rating. Didn't pay credit cards bills for over 6 months, didn't pay other bills, didn't pay collection agencies when they called for over a year at least, got involved in those buy 7 CD's for a penny and then stopped after getting the 7 CD's at first, didn't pay any impark tickets etc.

[housejunk]

Originally Posted by brownie

Housejunk,Aren't you a lawyer as stated in a previous post regarding taxes??Can't you look into this further and help all the CP'ers out,well the ones that dont pay tickets anyways.

Legally, there is no doubt that Impark does not have the ability to levy their parking fines on citizens. An analogous situation would be if someone parked their car on your private property, like a driveway. Just like Impark, you have no legal recourse to "impose" a fine on that individual. Only the city has the legal power to impose fines on parking violations.

So legally, there's no question that Impark doesn't have the ability to enforce their fines, and that's why you don't have to pay them. My concern goes beyond the simple legality of the tickets....its whether or not the collection agency will report the unpaid debt to a credit bureau (which they have every right to do). It's not a legal issue. I'm just not sure whether or not: a) the collection agency will report the debt and b.) whether or not the credit bureau will even bother with such a minor amount. I've heard some friends who say they will, and others who say they won't.

[housejunk]

Originally Posted by moon

I don't mean to derail the thread but since the theme seems to be housejunks concern about his credit rating being effected maybe it isn't too off topci.

I have a horrible credit rating, or at least had may have improved now, and still was able to get 10,000 LOC from a bank and a mortgage for my house.

I hear people all the time,and especially from collection agencies when calling me, talk about how you will never be able to buy a house, get a loan, blah blah blah.

Was I just a freak case or is a poor credit rating just a boogeyman sent out there by people that want to scare you into paying off debts/paying them/using their services etc.

I did plenty of bad things to drop my credit rating. Didn't pay credit cards bills for over 6 months, didn't pay other bills, didn't pay collection agencies when they called for over a year at least, got involved in those buy 7 CD's for a penny and then stopped after getting the 7 CD's at first, didn't pay any impark tickets etc.

A poor credit rating is a definite concern. It generally doesn't affect whether or not you'll recieve a loan/mortgage, but it definitely affects the interest rate that you'll have to pay. Its a concern to me, since I know that even minor credit blemishes can end up costing you thousands of dollars over long periods of time. That's my concern with this Impark ticket. The amount of the ticket is meaningless. I can't even remember the ticket and I don't want to pay it, but if there is even a remote chance that it could show up on my credit report I'll swallow the indignity of sending Impark money.

[housejunk]

Originally Posted by MoneyGuy

Actually, if Impark sends this to a collection agency, it will appear on your credit record. It will show up as an unpaid debt, which could bring your score down as much as 100 points, in which case you won't get a loan from any bank until it's paid.

Moneyguy
Certified Financial Planner

Moneyguy, are you sure about this? I've heard the exact same rumour from several people. A drop in your FICO score of 100 is equivalent to a tax lien/bankruptcy. I can't imagine an unpaid parking ticket would result in such a dramatic hit to your credit.

The reason I'm skeptical, is because there are literally thousands of people who simply ignore private parking tickets, and those people must have loans/mortgages as well. I've yet to hear from or of a single person who has experienced a credit hit from an unpaid parking ticket. I'm left to wonder whether it is just fear mongering.

[Resolute 14]

Originally Posted by moon

I don't mean to derail the thread but since the theme seems to be housejunks concern about his credit rating being effected maybe it isn't too off topci.

I have a horrible credit rating, or at least had may have improved now, and still was able to get 10,000 LOC from a bank and a mortgage for my house.

I hear people all the time,and especially from collection agencies when calling me, talk about how you will never be able to buy a house, get a loan, blah blah blah.

Was I just a freak case or is a poor credit rating just a boogeyman sent out there by people that want to scare you into paying off debts/paying them/using their services etc.

I did plenty of bad things to drop my credit rating. Didn't pay credit cards bills for over 6 months, didn't pay other bills, didn't pay collection agencies when they called for over a year at least, got involved in those buy 7 CD's for a penny and then stopped after getting the 7 CD's at first, didn't pay any impark tickets etc.

I'm no expert, but from what I understand:

A bad credit score on your report will affect your interest rate, and how much you can borrow.

A debt on your report (ie: an outstanding claim against you) may cause requests for credit to be rejected until it is paid.

[Robbob]

I've heard many people and my prof in one of my classes who just mail a few bucks to cover what they didn't use and IMPark is ok with it. The Prof did mention that you should send a letter with the cheque and in the letter it has to state that by cashing the cheque you are no longer responsible. I forget the wording or legalspeak used but in any event if they cash it you are off the hook.

[Tron_fdc]

I ran up a large bill with those a-holes about 8 years ago to the tune of around $400.00 in unpaid fines. I'd just toss them and never worry about it, even when their "collection agency" would call me every day and tell me to "govern myself accordingly".

To this day I have never given them a cent, and have gone through numerous credit reports with my banker on a number of different occasions (mortgages, LOC, etc) and have never seen anything to do with collections from Impark.

I also remember seeing a TVshow on this, and it was mentioned (can't remember by who) tht you can't report a collection or report a bad debt to the government for anything less than $100. Not sure if that's still true or not though.

[Barnes]

It is illegal for Impark to give you a ticket. They only people authorized to give tickets are city bylaw officers. A ticket indicates some kind of fine. It would be like me putting a note on your car if you parked in my driveway saying you owed me 50 bucks. You are only responsible to pay the amount of the parking fee. The only legal recourse for them is to take you to small claims court, which costs $100 for them. They won't do it. They never have.

The "collection" company they use is City Collection Company (sounds official and scary doesn't it) is a subsidiary of ImPark. Even if they are a legitimate collection agency, I am pretty sure Canada's 2 credit reporting companies do not accept debts to privately held parking companies.

[Dion]

Originally Posted by mykalberta

I dont get why just just dont tow people and have them pay to get their car back. There are alot of people who dont pay their Impark tickets so why bother with the ticket, just tow?

MYK

Impark could solve the whole problem by hiring people to man booths at their lots

[BlackArcher101]

I thought a collections company can only affect your credit rating if they had your SIN?

[MattyK]

Originally Posted by Dion

Impark could solve the whole problem by hiring people to man booths at their lots

Meanwhile, parking rates double to cover the labour costs...

Here's the key:

As with any "offence" (quoted b/c im not sure u can even call it that), it is your right to plead not guilty and have your day in court. Basically, when impark or the collection agency calls, tell them you wish to plead not guilty. Maybe you didnt know it was a pay lot, maybe your ticket fell off the dash or maybe the employee that gave you the ticket read it wrong. Who knows.

[Robbob]

Bottom line is that I don't think they care if 98% of the people in the lots are properly paying. Plus if even 30% of the people who got collection letters paid them that would cover costs for labour and mail.

Not a big deal.

[metal_geek]

This topic seems fitting enough to add a comment about collections and credit reports..

If you do get referred to a collection agency and it is a debt that shows up on your credit score. It will remain on your credit report for 7 years from the LAST transaction date on that debt. So if you have 6 year old parking ticket on your credit report, and a collection agency collects or you settle for even 1 dollar, that will "reset" your 7 year timer from that date.

In this case you don't pay them, and in 1 year the credit mark is gone... you do pay them and you have 7 more years to look forward to 27% LoC interest rates.. Right or wrong, sometimes inaction is the best way to correct past mistakes...
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