Got mailed a $100 parking fee going to the Arboretum for 3 hrs
Posted by StumblinThroughLife@reddit | Dallas | View on Reddit | 78 comments
Went to the Dallas Arboretum for 3 hours a few weeks ago. I looked up parking and it said there were garages for like $20 or something. I put the Arboretum in Google Maps and maps took me to Garage 1. Hundreds of other cars were there, it has a literal elevator and covered pathway directly to the Arboretum. Clearly a place you park for the Arboretum. I noticed there were no gates or meters to pay, but when I googled it, it said they charge your TollTag. Ok.
So I got something in the mail and figured maybe they don’t charge the toll tag and just mailed the bill to pay. Odd but ok.
This bill says $97 for parking on private property with no permit or registration. What did I do wrong to get this?
fuckinwadime@reddit
It’s so ugly that they started charging for parking. I’ve been a member in the past, and I wanted to renew my membership this year, but because of this I no longer wish to support them.
Tucson_FZ777@reddit
It’s still free parking for members
fuckinwadime@reddit
It lays bare that they’re far more interested in cash grabs and advertising the biggest landscaping businesses, and have little interest in being an educational resource for the public, the way so many other beautiful botanical gardens across the country are
Equivalent-Length216@reddit
Do you think it costs nothing to be an educational resource for the public? Or to operate and maintain a multilevel parking garage with an elevator and lights?
fuckinwadime@reddit
I’m aware, it’s the fact of the paid parking to begin with. Dallas is more aggressive and strong handed with parking costs, administrative requirements, and towing than most major cities, while offering almost no adequate forms of public transport. You can never go anywhere and pay a couple bucks for a few hours, it’s always $20 for the whole damn day.
valiantdistraction@reddit
The arboretum has for many years allegedly had paid parking - you were supposed to pay when you got your ticket. Most people did not. I'm pretty sure that's why they switched to a third party.
Reddit_Bot_Beep_Boop@reddit
That parking garage would not be getting any money from me. It's a private business on private property. They can send me as many bills as they want and will always get the same thing from me, nothing.
Soft_Plastic_1742@reddit
This was me for Ohio State. I parked there in a rental— go kick rocks bi*ches.
Equivalent-Length216@reddit
They can still find you through a rental. They just bill the rental company and the rental company bills you.
gaiatraveller@reddit
This.
Cryptur_xcx@reddit
That fuck ass parking company charged me $97 too even though I paid for parking using a QR code sign
Ohheyimryan@reddit
Is there anything you can do?
Usual_Kaleidoscope94@reddit
Let it go to collections and ignore it
Ohheyimryan@reddit
I could do that personally but I feel bad for people who need to maintain a credit report
onetradeaday@reddit
How can they put it on your credit report? They don't have your social security number.....
Ohheyimryan@reddit
I'm not sure, is there a way they can? Do you know?
Black_Wolf1995@reddit
You can dispute the claim. Whenever you paid make sure to record it down and show it to the credit agency
Cryptur_xcx@reddit
I submitted a dispute and the mfs told me I DID pay, but that I somehow paid for the wrong parking lot even though I scanned the QR code right in front. The dispute was able to lower my fee from $97 to $25, I just paid it because they said the price would jump back up if not paid within a week. Lame ass mfs
Tucson_FZ777@reddit
They sold the parking to Parking Sytems of America. That is the official Arboretum garage. you are supposed to pay with the QR code on the signs or pre register your license plate as a member.
StumblinThroughLife@reddit (OP)
Where were the QR code signs?
Soft_Plastic_1742@reddit
There are a few right at the arboretum entrance and as you leave as well. (Arboretum member).
SeaConstruction697@reddit
There's a few on the walls of the parking garage, I wish each parking spot had their own QR code sign- but they're on the walls.
ruskuval@reddit
I wish the qr code was for each zone or at least said it note your zone. We scanned the QR code but didn't have good service, we went outside and then it asks for the zone.
ForeverOk7505@reddit
The garage is so poorly lit!!
SeaConstruction697@reddit
Oh yeah I don't disagree with you on that, I know they make it easy to miss the QR code signs in some other parking garages like this on purpose to bill for a higher ticket. I hate it here.
ForeverOk7505@reddit
We were there today and I thought I blacked out (big jokes) and my mom said it costs a lot to light parking garages … and I said mommy the arboretum can afford this 🤪
Additional_Post_3878@reddit
Everything is third party now. Enshittification in its purest form, and nobody is accountable to anyone because they can just shrug and point to the third party
platetone@reddit
I really hate living as an adult now. the future seemed to have promise in the 90s when I got out of high school.
onetradeaday@reddit
You should Google PRRS. Wow there's a lot of talk and videos about this company. 😲
Thanks for the heads up, I'll never park in the garages again when I go in the future.
DreamExcellent9468@reddit
If you’re not a member where they already have your plate on file, you scan the QR code that is heavily visible in the parking lot.
ssills430@reddit
Signs are everywhere they that you have to pay online with your plate number.
mabezard@reddit
This must be new, we went many times just over a year ago and there was no indication of paying or registering at all.
ruskuval@reddit
It's very new. We were surprised but there really are lots of signs. An employee told us members don't have to pay which seemed odd as we didn't see that mentioned anywhere on the signs.
kitkat214281@reddit
Members were sent a link to register their plate information.
ruskuval@reddit
Ah okay. We switched from Dallas members to fort worth members recently so we could take our dog so we didn't get membership email about it. Makes sense.
valiantdistraction@reddit
Members register their plates when they sign up for their memberships.
_null_null@reddit
When you buy a membership, you can provide your plate number(s) one time and they stay good for the length of the membership.
valiantdistraction@reddit
It started perhaps in January of last year. I'm a member and had to add my license plate online. I think before they just went by the honor system and you were supposed to pay at the gate and a lot of people didn't.
_null_null@reddit
It’s pretty new, but there are signs everywhere.
lan3yboggs99@reddit
Yeah it’s new within the past year
POINTLESSUSERNAME000@reddit
Those signs won't tell me what to do, because I can't read!
dArKn3c3ss17132@reddit
You refused to read. Just like you refuse to read speed limit and exit signs. /s
ssills430@reddit
But you read my comment
POINTLESSUSERNAME000@reddit
I... ummm.... gotta go! (flees)
BulkyNothing@reddit
Yea it's not like the old days with gates or anything. Every parking lot I've been too in the last 5 yrs you've had to scan a QR code
Lurcher99@reddit
Ignorance is bliss
valiantdistraction@reddit
You pay online with your plate number. There are QR codes all over the place. They instituted this last year maybe in January.
More realistically, I think most people who go have memberships which include parking and you just sign up with your license plate. So you see the vast majority of people pulling in and not paying at all or doing anything.
SystemNarrow2745@reddit
This is the doing of the new Arboretum President. She comes from Atlanta and is bringing her entire team with her. Soon they will have a food/beverage operator from Atlanta replacing the current Texas based operator. Say goodbye to BYOB at the Thursday concert series as they will have bars to sell you overpriced beverages. My guess is she needs to pay for her $421,430.00 salary.
rocksolidaudio@reddit
Park on the streets in little forest hills and fuck paying for parking.
NoAct8334@reddit
Be careful with this idea. Per Arboretum's website, The streets have tow-away zone signage and the Arboretum upholds this request from our neighbors. And those neighbors are really quick to call in a vehicle if they think the occupants are going to Arb. Same for visitors to Smoky Rose.
Gurualvo@reddit
i would definitely dispute that because it is not a real ticket from the city of dallas, it is just a private invoice from a company called prrs that the arboretum uses now to manage their garage. the whole system changed recently and they switched to license plate readers instead of the old tolltag gates so a lot of people are getting blindsided by those same bills in the mail. you can usually get them to waive the hundred dollar penalty if you go to their website and explain that you were a visitor and that you expected it to charge your toll tag like the old signs said. just offer to pay the actual fifteen dollar parking rate and they will almost always take it because they would rather get something than nothing. just do not ignore it entirely because they can send it to collections which is a huge headache for your credit even if it is not a legal fine, and they will definitely tow you if they see your plate in one of their lots again. for your next visit you might want to try using the Prked app to grab a spot in a private garage right by the arboretum so you do not have to mess with those automated camera systems and their crazy fees.
woodstock9999@reddit
I am not renewing my membership due to this as it’s a PiTA if you go with a friend in their car now. And I do not care to give them my license plate number. If you are a member they should should provide a sticker tag for your car or to use to get out of the lot. They also sold off the gift shop to a 3rd party. It is a beautiful treasure in Dallas but the board had over commercialized everything the past few years.
StarZ030609@reddit
Now I don't feel as bad about paying over $18 for parking right at the children's lot. (If it's "$15" for parking... but then you charge me FEES for paying online, making it over $18... Maybe have a DAMN HUMAN or LITERALLY ANY OTHER way to pay in person, to avoid the extra cost. Luckly as a guest of a friend, that's all I paid to get in... But that was my first and last visit. Guest or not, I don't plan to be taken advantage of again and again.
gaiatraveller@reddit
So what does it cost to NOT pay? Just curious. I'm so over these kinda bs things, I would blow it off.
HistoryNerd101@reddit
Another reason to not go to the Arboretum if there are other options available
virgo_em@reddit
Is it from PRRS? You can dispute and screenshot where it says the thing about the TollTag. If they don’t waive it, they can’t actually do anything about the $97 invoice. They’ll send you scary mail but they can’t do shit unless you park in their lots again (in which case they can boot or tow you).
Recently their website crashed when I paid and I didn’t realize it until after I got back to my car. I sent them a photo of that in a dispute and said I would pay the original parking fee because I meant to but I wouldn’t pay the $97. They emailed me back and gave me an altered fee of the original parking fee.
Uniblazed@reddit
I wish there was a master list of PRRS lots so I can avoid them 🤣
StumblinThroughLife@reddit (OP)
Ok I managed to re-find the toll tag mention on Google so I’ll try disputing. Thanks!
Decent-Experience-8@reddit
Sue me, send to collections, good luck with all that. They don’t have much if any leverage to compel payment.
MsOpheliaBeverhousen@reddit
I’m a member that paid for parking and I still got a bill like this that I won’t pay because arboretum said members parking is paid in the membership
SeaConstruction697@reddit
You parked in the garage? That's good to know, we're members too but we have always parked in the open lots by the entrance. That's stupid though.
emeryldmist@reddit
All you have to do is register your plate and member number.
StumblinThroughLife@reddit (OP)
Yep that’s what their site says
electricgotswitched@reddit
It is included. You just have to register your license plate. It's dumb, but not worth getting towed over.
electricgotswitched@reddit
Did you ignore the notifications about registering your license plate?
Negative_Jacket4819@reddit
I wouldn’t pay shit. Scumbag parking lot operators. Just pay an extra 5.00 at registration renewal time and get a new set of plates. No one will know the wiser.
mabezard@reddit
I've parked there many times for free, but it's been a while. You just drive in and park, no signs no gates. Half the garage is coned off. Is this new?
Duck-with-Muscles@reddit
yes new
StumblinThroughLife@reddit (OP)
Your experience was my experience. I was aware of paying but saw nothing to pay
gringo1980@reddit
Ignore it, they can’t do anything, just don’t park there again with that vehicle or they can tow/boot you. I get the same thing for doing the same thing at the farmers market, just get a stupid letter in the mail every few months, goes straight into the trash
StumblinThroughLife@reddit (OP)
It says they’ll send it to collections after 30 days. That’ll go on credit reports right?
gringo1980@reddit
They didn’t for me, I don’t think they can without social security number and stuff, but I’m not a lawyer or anything so take it with a grain of salt
kabob21@reddit
“Going to collections” doesn’t mean an automatic negative hit on your credit report. It’s a scare tactic. I doubt they do their own collections so a collections agency would have to pick up your debt and I doubt they’re going to over $97. If they really do take it that far you can always negotiate down the debt before it’s reported to a credit bureau.
No-Celebration3097@reddit
Paid parking is unnecessary.
Far_Mistake9314@reddit
Definitely don’t pay that
Thyoste@reddit
They're on some shit because we got one too this week. Three's a dispute link where we submitted the email receipt, but still waiting to hear back.
Not sure about the tolltag part though so you may have straight up just not paid.
Beautiful-View-8670@reddit
Hahaha
mike_lowrey214@reddit
In my quick search, I didn't find anything about paying with a TollTag. I did however see options to prepay for parking in the garage for $16.24 on their website.