DETROIT (WXYZ) — Detroit is cracking down on parking lots for jacking up rates without permission ahead of Saturday’s Lions game.
This morning, they shut down lots charging up to a thousand dollars.
The lots are near Randolph and Gratiot. The city is calling it unacceptable.
“That is totally ridiculous. Come on now, this is the city,” said Kevin Winn, a Lions fan we talked to downtown.
Another fan, Chad Walling, saying "I wouldn't pay it. I would park up somewhere else and take an Uber."
But fan Javon Robinson said he might consider.
"If I had the money, yes I would do it."
When asked why, he responded, "Because we are winning."
DPD officers put up caution tape and slapped notices at the three lots downtown earlier Friday.
A spokesperson for the city says the three lots tried to charge $1,000 on SpotHero to park during the Lions divisional game tomorrow.
The three lots are all within a few blocks of each other, one on Randolph and the other two on Gratiot.
All are operated by Park Rite.
Parking lots, if they want to hike rates, are supposed to file with the city 30 days prior to when they want to raise prices.
A rep from the city says price gouging people just trying to support their city is shameful.
“This is totally ridiculous,” says David Bell, Director of Buildings for Detroit. “I don’t know of anyone who thinks that paying $900 or $1,000 to park and go see a game is reasonable. If we find any parking lot illegally charging folks to park, we are going to use every tour in our arsenal to let them know this is a bad idea. We are going to shut them down, we are going to ticket them, we are going to haul them in front of a Wayne County Circuit Court Judge, and we’re going to take steps to suspend their license."
Owners of the lots had a 9 a.m. court appearance in front of a Wayne County Circuit Judge. The court found through testimony that no one was charged a $999.00 rate and that the price out there was posted inadvertently. The judge then requested the parking lots to be re-opened.
On Friday afternoon, Michael Vogt of Dickinson Wright PLLC issued the following statement:
"Following a brief hearing this morning with Jugde David Allen, the Court issued a temporary restraining order against the City of Detroit, ordering that the three parking lots be reopened immediately and that the suspension of Park Rite’s business licenses be restored. After hearing Park Rite’s side of the story, the Court found that contrary to the City allegations in its Complaint, not a single person was charged any amount over Park Rite’s published rates. The Court also found that the elevated price advertised on SpotHero was posted inadvertently, and then removed by SpotHero and Park Rite as soon as it was discovered. Park Rite is thankful that the Court took immediate action to right this wrong, and undo the City’s unjustified closures which unnecessarily damaged Park Rite’s business and reputation, and inconvenienced numerous City residents just trying to get to work this morning."
SpotHero spokesperson said, "SpotHero can confirm that once Park Rite became aware of the erroneous rate, they worked with SpotHero to quickly correct it."
Bell said that while they didn't get the ruling they wanted, "we got what we wanted accomplished. We let them know we aren't going to accept this type of behavior, we let other parking lot owners know we are watching them, and let the public know that we are fighting for them."
