“I think just parking here in general, is always difficult,” Kathleen Mohr said.
Kathleen Mohr understands the challenges of finding parking in North Park.
She and her fiend stopped by Dexter’s Deli for just a few minutes, but they didn’t realize the lot where they parked had a very specific policy.
The private parking lot is operated by a private company called Diamond Parking Services.
We heard from viewers who said the signage is unclear.
The sign states that parking for two hours has a fixed rate of $19 dollars Mondays through Wednesdays and $21 dollars Thursdays through Sundays. At the very bottom of the sign under the terms and conditions, in fine print, it gives more detailed instructions as to how much they will be charged.
If you don’t pay or exceed the time limit, you will be penalized.
Even if you do pay but walk to a business outside of the shopping center, you still will be charged an extra fee.
That fee can range anywhere from $61 to $98.
“It says one rate on top, and with very small letters at the bottom it says you’re going to get charged a $61 dollar fee, so it feels deceptive,” Zayde Zazueta said.
“We didn’t even know to pay, we just came in and we were going to leave, we didn’t even know how to pay,” Kathleen Mohr said.
According to Diamond Parking Services website, the company manages over 2,200 parking facilities across the U.S. and Canada.
The Better Business Bureau shows just in the last year alone, more than 100 complaints have been filed against the company, some of those claiming “predatory” parking practices.
Anthony Aquino who works at a pizzeria in the shopping center is familiar with the troubles it’s raised.
“They say, I got a ticket, but I was here eating at you guys’ restaurant,” Aquino said.
“You just have to do what you can to find parking and do what you can to try to be the person trying to give you a ticket. Trying to be in and out as soon as possible, which is what we usually do,” Mohr said.
NBC 7 tried contacting Diamond Parking Services for comment but was unable to reach anyone.