NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Tennessee woman is filing a lawsuit alleging that one parking company is charging too much for late fees.
The class-action lawsuit against Park Happy LLC was filed Thursday in the Davidson County Chancery Court.
The plaintiff reportedly parked in one of their lots, was charged over $50 for going over the time limit, even with validation from a nearby restaurant.
Now, she's speaking out against the "exorbitant fees" and the lack of signage in the lots that tells you how much you'd owe with a violation.
The suit alleges Park Happy charges an immediate $50 fee, another $50 if you don't pay within 3 days, and another possible $4 processing fee. This is only revealed after receiving a violation, the lawsuit says, despite a state law requiring a 72-hour notice before penalties are assessed.
"It's misleading," said a Nashville visitor, Ben Ogle. "I guess transparency would alleviate all of this, and I think if they were more transparent, they wouldn't be in the situation that they're in right now."
NewsChannel 5 reached out to Park Happy LLC, which owns dozens of parking lots in Nashville. We have yet to hear back. However, its website says they are "professional" and "reasonable" when dealing with violations, with steps to appeal a violation clearly outlined on the site.
This is hardly the first complaint we've heard about a parking operator, and to be clear, it's not just Park Happy. There have been lawsuits against other companies, too. Although in Tennessee, those largely take issue with the use of license plate data to give out parking citations, rather than what you're paying for fees.
We'll keep you updated on what comes out of this lawsuit.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at nikki.hauser@newschannel5.com.
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