AG tells company to stop issuing misleading parking tickets

The State Attorney General has reached a legal settlement with a King County company that issues tickets to people who park illegally at gas stations, apartment complexes and other private property, after the AG called the notices left on vehicles misleading.

Businesses contract with Platinum Parking LLC to keep non-customers from using their parking lots. But the state decided that the company violated the Consumer Protection Act by making misleading statements about its parking violation notices. The Attorney General called the company’s process to appeal the tickets murky and confusing.

In a legal consent decree, Platinum Parking agreed to change the wording and instead refer to it’s appeal as “dispute process” for drivers who think they were unfairly given a parking violation on private property.

The Attorney General also says the company misrepresents its authority to issue parking tickets and go after people who don’t pay. In fact, the state says the company rarely collects on unpaid tickets.

As part of the legal settlement, the state imposed a $55,000 judgement on Platinum Parking LLC with $25,000 suspended if it follows the terms of the consent decree.