Driver hit with $3,000 ticket after parking garage problem

Mar 22 2023, 7:36 pm

Parking at the busy Vancouver City Square shopping centre usually costs between $4 and $21, depending on the length of stay.

But a trip to the store for a Vancouver man ended up being significantly more expensive after he was handed a $3,000 ticket from the parking company, Precise Parklink.

Philipp Postrehovsky says he was with his kids on their usual Saturday shopping trip when he noticed the entrance gate wasn’t opening.

The parking lot is located at 555 W 12th Avenue, just across the street from City Hall, and is used by shoppers to Kin’s Farm Market, Sungiven Foods, or other stores inside the shopping centre.

“Our car was blocked by a car in front of us and several cars behind us. After nobody answered the call for assistance button, I tried unsuccessfully to lift the gate arms because we were trapped along with several other cars,” he says about his March 11 experience.

“I had two kids inside my car, with one needing to go to the bathroom urgently. A security guard eventually came down to the parkade and manually overrode the system and let us all in. The gate seemed to be working just fine!”

But, a few days later, he received a ticket from the company and was shocked at the amount of $2,904.84.

The company alleged he damaged the parking gate and would be on the hook for repairs or would be threatened with creditors.

“In addition, Precise Parklink Inc. will consider all of its available remedies to collect this debt from you, including, and in accordance with the Trespass to Property Act and/or municipal bylaws, having your vehicle towed from our lots, banning your vehicle from certain premises, or placing a wheel-lock on your vehicle,” the parking invoice from the company reads in part.

But, Postrehovsky says the claim that he vandalized and damaged the gate arm isn’t true.

“The bulk of the ticket is to replace the entire gate arm, which they said I vandalized, although no details or photos of the repair were ever provided. To be clear, I have never vandalized anything in my life,” he said.

Calls and emails from Daily Hive to Precise Parklink Inc. went unanswered by the publication deadline, and requests to see photos of the damaged gate or security footage were also not returned.

Postrehovsky says he had a similar experience when he tried to speak to someone about the ticket.

“When I called Precise ParkLink to give my side of the story, they showed ZERO understanding for the situation they put me in with their malfunctioning equipment and said I needed to pay the nearly $3,000 ticket within 20 days or it will go to collections, which will damage my credit score,” he told Daily Hive.

Parking ticket

Daily Hive has edited the personal information on the ticket for privacy reasons (Submitted)

But, if the company thinks the threats will pay off, he says they have another thing coming. He’s refusing to pay the ticket and wants the company to “do the right thing.”

“It’s not right for Precise [Parklink] to trap members of the public in the parkades they manage, not provide timely support, and then discriminate against young families. If needed, I’ll take this to the BC Human Rights Tribunal,” he said.

Claire FentonClaire Fenton

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