By admin 
TUCSON, Ariz. (13 News) – Downtown Tucson is a hot spot for locals and visitors alike, but some drivers say a new kind of parking technology is costing them more than just a spot.
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Instead of a pay station or an attendant, artificial intelligence is now scanning license plates at several parking locations downtown. Drivers are reporting overcharges, timestamp errors, and in at least one case, a referral to a collection agency.
A 13 News investigation found a multimillion-dollar settlement in another state and drivers here being sent to collections.
Company operates parking lots, garage in Tucson
The company operates parking lots and a garage in Tucson, and dozens of negative reviews tell a similar story: drivers charged for time they didn’t spend, and little recourse when they pushed back.
Ann Appel, a Catalina woman, said she was overcharged more than once and then received notice her personal information had been sent to a collection agency.
“I would find somewhere else to park. I don’t trust them,” Appel said.
Appel is talking about Metropolis. Since January, the private parking company has operated La Placita Garage near Jackson and Stone. It uses cameras to track entry and exit for automatic payment.
Appel said it lacks clear signage and she recently got a surprise invoice.
“We were apparently supposed to scan a code. We’d always just gotten a ticket. And there was no one there. And the signage that was there now wasn’t there at the time,” Appel said.
Appel said the cameras tracked her entry and exit and marked her vehicle as “unpaid,” even though the garage arms were wide open that night.
Appel received a parking notice in the mail nearly three months later. She was billed $8 for parking plus a $54.50 “notice fee,” a nearly 700-percent markup.
She called customer service to dispute it.
“They said oh no, it’s already been sent to collections. You need to call this collection company and I was just stunned,” Appel said.
Appel said another stay at the garage in March also cost her extra time and money. Not only did the cameras misread her license plate, Appel said her account incorrectly shows a 7-day stay instead of 3 hours.
“Even getting a hold of them was difficult. I was chatting with a bot that appeared. I had to keep saying, ‘Hey, I have proof that I was double charged,’” Appel said.
Online reviews show pattern of complaints
Online reviews show a pattern of dissatisfied customers.
“We gave up after trying both before and after the concert. No posted instructions. Scanned code, got number that was useless. Others around us were also giving up. Pathetic. Now I have a bill in the mail for $70. $15 to park. $55 to mail an invoice,” one review on Parkopedia said.
Another review on Google said, “The system charges you automatically and stores your credit card information even after you select them not to. At least once a week our employees have had issues getting out of the garage and are required to pay even if their subscription is active.”
“This company has a history of not doing this correctly. The technology is fine if it works right. The company behind it needs to be ethical,” Appel said.
13 News reached out to Metropolis for answers and a demonstration of the technology. A public relations firm in New York quickly responded, but despite five separate attempts to secure an on-camera interview and an on-the-record response, so far they’ve refused to answer our questions.
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Company reached settlement in Tennessee
In January, Metropolis reached an $8.75 million settlement with the Tennessee Attorney General over deceptive business practices and technology glitches.
Despite legal trouble, Metropolis continues to expand, now at 4,200 parking locations and 75 airports worldwide including Phoenix Sky Harbor according to its latest company release.
In Tucson, Metropolis now operates at least 10 surface lots downtown and La Placita Garage.
Daisy Zavala, a driver parking at the garage, said, “We’re watching something at the Fox Theatre, and had you not told me I would have left without scanning the QR code.”
City of Tucson not using technology
Metropolis is a private company. There is no connection to the City of Tucson or its parking facilities.
In an email, Brandon George, Tucson Transportation Administrator, said, “We have not implemented this technology. While the City of Tucson is committed to advancing technology, we have not made a decision to utilize Metropolis technology at city-owned garages in the near future.”
Appel tracked down the third-party collection agency and settled her bill. Metropolis also eventually refunded its duplicate charge.
Appel said she deleted the app and un-linked her credit card to prevent accidental charges.
“But no, we don’t park down here anymore,” Appel said.
What to do if overcharged
If you receive an unfair parking notice or feel you were overcharged by a private operator like Metropolis, dispute it directly.
If it has already been sent to collections without prior notice, challenge it. For example, if signs were not clearly posted, take photos and document it. Ask for images of your vehicle entering and exiting with time stamps.
If that does not work, file a formal complaint with the Arizona Attorney General’s Office.
Consumers can also report concerns to the Better Business Bureau. Unlike the Attorney General, it is a public platform and company responses are visible to anyone. To date, the BBB has received more than 830 complaints about Metropolis in the past three years.
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