OP here, I always thought it was the other way around, large property owners/developers are the ones who hold the sway with council members.

Glad sharing abt this helped.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Does a county council member have any sway? (Would love to know if so). I've already put so much emo labor into dealing with this. Hoping to protect others at this point. MD Atty General's office?

They have sway with the property managers and the property owners to uninstall and end the program.

I may not have known about this new parking charge if you had not posted. My mom would have never seen it and gotten fined.

Agree with the sway. It could also lead to laws requiring sufficient signage especially if they are using license plates.

I'm honestly scared of the collections issue. Bc it seems legit. One of the BBB complaint says this:
07/13/2024

Complaint Type:
Billing Issues
Status:
Unanswered

I paid an attendant $15 for Special Event Parking in *********, ** to park in a lot with a sign stating $15 for parking. I receive a bill **** Vanguard parking solutions for $59.4 saying I had not paid for the parking with photos of our license plate which I disputed. I was told that while it was under dispute not other charges would occur. I received a second bill for $91.80 and then was told the owner of the lot would have to give permission to resolve the issue. There has been no other correspondence with them so I thought the issue was resolved until I received a bill from Penn Credit collections. I have already paid for this parking and shouldn't have to be blackmailed to pay again.

Anonymous wrote:Their website emphasizes that they install their system for free, so they are probably using hefty fees to offset costs and make their money. I would let the businesses know you won’t be back because of the parking vendor and maybe they will ditch them.

Oh then they’re 100% banking on shaking down unsuspecting customers with threats of going to collections. What a “business model.”

Anonymous wrote:Does a county council member have any sway? (Would love to know if so). I've already put so much emo labor into dealing with this. Hoping to protect others at this point. MD Atty General's office?

They have sway with the property managers and the property owners to uninstall and end the program.

I may not have known about this new parking charge if you had not posted. My mom would have never seen it and gotten fined.

That location is just so annoying anyway! The parking lot is cramped with tight turns, the building is dingy and has a weird, unpleasant, layout. The elevators take forever and the stairs are outside. The aisles of the TJ's are super narrow. The Target had sewer smells the last time I went, and always looks like a dump.

I bet this extra issue brings a lot more business to the new Trader Joe's, also in downtown Bethesda. Parking is great there.

How much does it actually cost to park there? I would send that and tell them to leave you alone.

Anonymous wrote:This is at the old Trader Joes on the 3rd floor over Target, 6831 Wisconsin Ave.

Thank you. I’ll stop shopping at that Trader Joe’s because I don’t want the hassle.

I hope the company gives you back your money, OP. I’d definitely contract the AG office and met TJ management know.

I would just not pay it, personally. It sounds like a scam and I don’t see any way a private parking company could possibly legally impose late fees like that. They are just doing it as long as they can to suck money out of as many people as possible.

Is this just if you park longer than 2 hours or do you now have to do something to validate there? I go regularly and don’t remember any signs!

Does a county council member have any sway? (Would love to know if so). I've already put so much emo labor into dealing with this. Hoping to protect others at this point. MD Atty General's office?

Here are a few examples of BBB complaints for the company operating this lot. FYI, be aware. I'm just hoping that if I pay the $90 apparent extortion that it will actually be credited. I guess it's gonna save me a lot in groceries.

12/17/2023

Complaint Type:
Product Issues
Status:
Unanswered

On 11/4/2023 we went to a restaurant next door, *********************. There was a fair at the parking lot, so we parked in what we thought was the extended parking lot. There was NO signage about paying for parking. There were no signs where we parked the car. There was no sign at the entrance. They spend copious amounts of money on all kinds of cameras to track all vehicles but can not spend money on signs to alert people that this is not a public parking and requires payment? We even looked around for machines and there were none. To our surprise, we receive what it looks like a "parking ticket from the city" but it's from a private entity. This is a scam. They are taking advantage of people and charging hefty fees. Their website www.payparkingnotice.com does not work and leads to nowhere. They don't answer the phone. I left several messages as they were trying to charge me $58.30 for parking for three hours. Only when I threatened to file with the BBB did they call me back. I offered to pay for the three hours of parking but told them there was no signage and I have photos to prove it. They said it was not possible to pay for the three hours and now I owed them $98.00 because I was after the 15 days (which I called multiple times prior to the 15 days offering to pay). It is clear that they are making their money from charging people the heightened fees. How is it possible that they put multiple cameras on the property and are able to run vehicle searches and run addresses but can not put signage to be ethical and let customers know this is not an extension of the restaurant parking lot. Their tiny legal sign by the entrance is unreadable, unless you stopped the car, got out of the car, read the tiny print and then realized there was something else than a public lot. In **********, 99% of any parking is free so customers are unassuming of this company that will supersize their fees. All the exit areas where people walk out have NO SIGNS.

Here's another:

07/01/2023

Complaint Type:
Product Issues
Status:
Unanswered

"My frail 90 year old mother with dementia and I went to try a new restaurant that now occupies a previous restaurant we dined at for many decades. We parked in the parking lot where the previous restaurant patrons were required to park during those decades, completely unaware that parking in that parking lot is no longer permitted for the new restaurant that occupies that restaurant space. As I result, I was stunned to receive a $58.30 bill for parking in that parking lot. I wrote and mailed a letter to Vanguard, explaining the situation, and assured Vanguard I would never park there again. In my letter I also explained that even though it was raining that day, and my elderly mother has difficulty walking a distance, I still wouldn't have parked in that parking lot had I been aware that it was not permitted. I requested considering my one time only innocent mistake, that Vanguard compassionately waive the astronomical parking fee. My mother resides in a ******** memory care facility, and I (66 years old) also receive ********. Both of us survive on a very limited Social Security income, and we rarely dine out. This was the first time we dined out in a very long time. The new restaurant is Asian, my mother is Asian. When I received another envelope from Vanguard, I was excited, thinking it was a letter granting my request to waive this fee, one time only. Instead, I received a bill for $90.10. Certainly Vanguard will not go broke if they compassionately waive the parking fee just once. As I previously stated, now that I am aware that parking is not permitted in that lot, I will never, ever park there again. Please assist me in resolving this issue, as I have not received a response to my letter, and certainly no resolution from Vanguard. Thank you very much.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yes, I think that person had no luck getting the charge cleared. I guess just be aware. If someone installs one of these parking "solutions" businesses at a busy lot and puts up barcodes or signs anywhere, even if not easily seen, they can charge whatever they want, and will likely make an immediate windfall with people who have no idea yet.

Def. need some consumer protection around this

On board with you and the poster who said to let TJs know you won't be shopping and why. This is predatory.

Who is the council member for this district? I recommend tweeting at them and emailing them to get their attention on this. This is predatory.

Council District 1: Andrew Friedson

District Councilmember: Andrew Friedson
Contact: 240-777-7828 email
Social Media: Facebook; Twitter
At Large Councilmembers:
Gabe Albornoz; Evan Glass;
Will Jawando; Laurie-Anne Sayles

Anonymous wrote:Thank you to ppl who said they also didn't see signs. That's validating as I am not a tech person but like to think I'm observant. Also validates need to be aware.

My husband saw the signs, and called them "large"... and didn't tell me about them. I didn't see anything! It's funny, because he's the one with ADHD and usually misses a ton of things!

Where they heck where the signs? Anyway, not going back to find out.

Thank you to ppl who said they also didn't see signs. That's validating as I am not a tech person but like to think I'm observant. Also validates need to be aware.