Austin Parking Company
Reviews and Complaints

This company is a complete SCAM. Their parking lot at the corner of 6th and Nueces is a Fradulent Trap. I parked there to take my daughter for her birthday dinner, we were only gone for 1.5 hours. I tried to pay at the closest automated payment machine, but it didn't take my payment. The signs are not clear at all, i assumed that i did the right thing. When i came out from dinner, they put a boot on my car and demanded $130 or they would tow my car away. I offered to pay a reasonable amount for the 1.5 hours of parking, but they don't want that, they want to SCAM people out of the $130. 1.5 hour of parking at 6:00 PM should NOT cost $130.

This company is operating illegitimately. I pulled in to a parking lot on the corner of ***. I stepped out of my vehicle to look for the parking meters. Gone one minute and my car was booted. they robbed me of 130 dollars for one minute. Furthermore they LIED on their paperwork. They made it seem like I had been away from my car for 5 minutes to legitimize the boot and the charge. I called them letting them know that I had screenshots of my call being one minute from the time the car was booted and they said it was no big deal and hung up on me. They hung up on me MULTIPLE times when I asked for the employees name that had hung up on me. The rest of my calls were sent to voicemail. They are a predatory company that is operating on lies. I have proof of their lies in the paperwork. I will be contacting the attorney general's office to look further into the matter. They should not be in business if they operate based on lies and deception.

Date/time of booting: September 24, 2022, at 12:32 am
Location: street parking lot

I was visiting Austin for my bachelorette party. When we arrived at the parking lot, a man wearing a work vest and holding cash approached us. He informed us that parking would cost $20, so we paid him and received a slip, which he instructed us to display on the dashboard. He then pointed to a parking spot ahead. We parked and left for our destination.

Upon returning to our van at the end of the night, we discovered a boot on the driver's side wheel. We called the number on the ticket and spoke to a representative at 2:19 AM. I explained the situation, but the representative abruptly said that we had paid a homeless person and then hung up before I could clarify whether assistance was on the way to remove the boot.

I called back at 2:21 am, and the representative confirmed that someone was en route to help us. Shortly after, two men arrived in an unmarked car, also wearing work vests, and demanded $130 to remove the boot, claiming we hadn't paid them. I questioned how we were supposed to recognize the scam when the man's appearance and behavior were indistinguishable from theirs. One of the men then made an inappropriate comment about the scammer's race, implying that we should have been suspicious based on that alone—an appalling response from any company.

Notices advising against cash payments were present, but not prominently displayed, and the few signs with a QR code for payment were not visible from every parking space. We had parked in an area without a sign in sight, so when a man in a vest gave us a slip and directed us to a specific spot, there were no clear indications that he wasn't an employee. Furthermore, the email address on their ticket was invalid, and the phone number provided was a personal cell phone. This experience has left me questioning the legitimacy of the entire operation and whether it employs individuals posing as 'homeless' to deceive customers. All I wanted was for the booting fee to be addressed, as we had no intention of violating any parking regulations.

I parked in the parking lot, paid the parkatx, printed my receipt, and placed it on my windshield. I paid for parking until 7:19 pm on 10/29. When I returned to my vehicle before the expiration time, a boot was on my vehicle. I called the cell number on the sticker left on my window. I explained to the employee that I paid and my receipt was on the windshield. He mentioned there might have been a glitch in the internet or system and promised to remove the boot as soon as possible. Upon returning to my car, I found the employee in a confrontational stance, explaining in a sarcastic manner that I had paid for a city parking spot and not a private parking pass. He claimed there was a posted sign stating 'Do not pay city parking as this is private parking'—a sign which does not exist. The code sign to pay is on the passenger side when entering the lot and again on the passenger side when exiting. Moreover, the sign is angled in such a way that it's not clearly visible. I suspect this was deliberately done to trap unsuspecting drivers. I was forced to pay $130 to remove the boot. The employee was completely unprofessional, speaking over me, raising his voice and tone, and refusing to listen. He continued to be sarcastic, mumble, and speak under his breath, making racist remarks after the transaction was completed. His behavior was difficult and unprofessional. Instead of trying to defuse the situation, he escalated it unnecessarily. I felt utterly uncomfortable with the encounter. I called the number listed on the ticket, and the employee said he would not email the boss but would rather tell him or her directly. The email to file a complaint is not valid as it bounced back to me. I filed a complaint with Austin 311. It seems the company's practices are intentionally targeting individuals. Another person in my party parked there and was not booted, leading me to believe the employees selectively boot vehicles to extort money. This issue needs to be resolved.

My name is [redacted], and I have a complaint regarding the private paid lot at 3rd and Colorado. I paid for parking today at 12:01pm, left the receipt on my dash. My parking expired at 1:01pm. I was 40 minutes late. When I returned to my car, there was a boot on it. I called the number on the notice (Austin Parking Company [redacted]). A man answered; he referred to himself simply as 'C.' I explained that I was late and couldn't afford the $130 fee he was charging for the extra 40 minutes of parking. He hung up on me. Subsequently, a person who was parked in the lot approached me. He claimed he was responsible for placing the boot on my car. It became apparent that this was a predatory practice and that he lies in wait for parking times to expire. I called the man back at the number on the notice. I felt uneasy about the individual in his car and the exorbitant fee being demanded. The man answered the phone with a harsh and rude tone. He insisted I had to pay or face having my car towed. While I acknowledge my tardiness, the situation feels like extortion. I sense that I have been targeted, victimized, and deceived. It seems to be a scam. I am seeking assistance. Thank you.

The Austin Parking Company has a Pay Here sign right in front of some of their parking spots. We paid at the meter with the Pay Here sign for parking in the lot managed by the Austin Parking Company. We then received a booting violation from the company and were told that we paid at the wrong meter even though we paid for enough time. We were not allowed to leave with our car without paying for the charges of $130 even though we explained that we did pay but were mislead by the sign. We felt strongly that this is a fraudulent business model and we were scammed because the sign clearly instructed us to pay at the meter in front of our car, and the company immediately gave us a booting violation while we were not away for long, indicating that they were closely monitoring for customers who fall for the trap.