The inner chaos of a web guy's mind.
Victoria, B.C. Parking Woes
Ok I know we all hating parking bylaws and the extortion that following having to park in paid parking lots but seriously, is there any regulations to govern how much these ganetts can extort from you. Robbins parking are the worst kind of criminal out there because the government allows them to extort money from the general public. They buy up prime real estate and then have unkempt parking areas where you can pay into a meter to park your car.
If for some reason you don’t make it back to the meter in time you are hammered with what seems to be a randomly increasing fine depending on which lot you are parked. WHERE IS THE REGULATION HERE! I parked in a Robbins lot where I have a pass but I parked in a spot that un-benounced to me was not for people like me that pay Robbins $50.00 per month for the privilege of parking my car in a parking lot with no guarantee to the safety of my vehicle. I reveive a ticket for $32.50 but if I pay them within 7 days its only $16.50. Well DUH ill pay the damn ticket.
I’m at a client meeting downtown Victoria and of course the only place to park is in a robbins lot seeing as they own ALL the downtown property of Victoria that does not currently have a building on it. I pay my meter fee and pop in for the meeting. I was a few mins late coming out of the meeting to of course find a parking ticket on my window. Now having had a ticket before I expect the 32.50 with early pay option. This idiotic peice of paper has a fine for $50.00 and a $27.00 early pay option, are you F***ing kidding me does anyone manage these crooks.
As residents we have no recourse against these assholes, “pay us or you will regret it.” Did the governments not ban racketeering and extortion to rid us of the “Mafia”. But its ok because for Robbins Parking to do it. At least the Mafia extorted money in return for protection. Robbins parking extorts money from us and we get nothing in return other than an unsafe place to park our vehicle for a short period of time.
Ok so here is where the defenders will say, “its their property they have the right to charge for parking your car there”. “if you don’t want to pay park elsewhere”, if you live in Victoria you will know that there is no other option of where to park ROBBINS OWNS EVERY PIECE OF LAND WITHOUT A BUILDING ON IT. They have a monopoly on parking in this community. Again, did Bill Gates not get investigated for trying to get a monopoly in his industry. Why then are Robbins allowed a monopoly? Hmm I wonder.
So if private property allows you to break all law then I would like Robbins parking to pay me $250.00 for the privilege of touching my car. If you pay me in cash tomorrow I will knock that down to $130.00. Sounds like a great plan. Chances of any court allowing this or me claiming my money NIL. Do I have ANY sympathy for these crooks when bad things happen to them. ABSOLUTELY NOT!!! Rack it up to Karma folks.
That’s it for my rant.
February 8, 2008 - 1:43 pm
This is therapeutic to read…. just received the $50 but we’ll cut you a deal for $27 at the tax-payer funded BC Ferries parking lot for leaving my car for 5 mins to help a friend who’s going travelling for a year with her enormous bags.
It makes me sick to know there is no recourse for these jerks… I mean Robbins AND BC Ferries…
February 8, 2008 - 1:56 pm
I’m glad this was somewhat therapeutic for you, not as much as seeing one of the ticket writers slip and fall while trying to give out a ticket and the vehicle owner jumping into their car and driving away laughing at their good luck. I guess we can dream eh.
Something really needs to be done about it!
February 8, 2008 - 1:57 pm
Just read the last line of your comment. Don’t even get me started on the BC ferries and the crap they get away with.
May 24, 2009 - 9:24 am
I paid for a 2 hour parking pass in a Robbins lot in downtown Victoria across from Chintz & Co. I used my credit card to pay for the ticket. It was May 23, 2009 and the hottest day this year. I left my windows cracked to not cook the interior of my car.
I came back to my car with time to spare and it was tire clamped. I was in awe. I called the number on the 8 X 11 WARNING! notice. The woman said she would send the driver over soon. I waited 30 minutes in one of the most terrifying areas of the city with the drug addicts and street people sticking needles in their arms not 15 feet from my car. I had to leave the windows open that crack and lock the doors with me inside sweltering and frightened.
I provided proof I paid for the ticket since the attendant checked my card against their records. Then he proceeding to retract the $75.00 ticket and give me a ticket for $30 since my ticket was not properly displayed. It was on the floor of my car. I placed it on the dash directly in front of my steering wheel. If the fact that my windows were cracked open allowing the wind to blow it on the floor or even the rush of air when you close the door to lock it caused it to happen is unfortunate. If the boy that had checked my car in the first place looked 6 inches into the car he’d have seen it there.
I will not pay this extortion to Robbins Ltd. I paid $4 for the right to park there and I am not paying an additional $30 in extortion fees.
May 25, 2009 - 8:26 am
You should fight that ticket to the end. That is totally disgusting they have no right to wheel lock your car. I would take it to the limit and contact the newspapers.
May 25, 2009 - 3:45 pm
I called Robbins today and they said it was my fault the parking pass blew on the floor and the ticket is valid for not having the pass properly displayed. I am going to try and fight it but the “pleasant” woman I spoke said if I did not pay it they would send it to collections. OMG
May 25, 2009 - 4:42 pm
Go get em!
July 16, 2009 - 1:57 pm
I was looking for a web and multi-media development company. Not exactly the info I was seeking, and aloud is spelled allowed, not aloud. I dislike parking tickets as much as the next guy, but a business should be careful where they post their rantings and especially misspelled rantings from a communications company. I’ll keep looking.
July 16, 2009 - 6:11 pm
If you had looked deeper into this site you would have found the beliefs that I run my company under, Honesty Integrity and making sure the customer is happy first and formost. This is not my company site but a place for me to post reviews and rants. The company site is located at http://www.mk2solutions.com.
Thank you for pointing out the spelling error.
August 13, 2009 - 12:27 pm
I parked in a Robbins parking lot on Yates on Tuesday night (lot #75, next to Hollywood Tonight). I was gone 20-30 minutes or so trying to get change to pay for my spot. When I returned, there was a boot (immobilization device) on my car. I had to call a 1-800 number, wait for an attendant, and pay $75.00 plus tax on the spot to get the boot removed from my car.
I have researched the Victoria bylaws and there is nothing that specifically pertains to boots (immobilization devices). I have made several phonecalls and sent a few emails to City Hall asking for clarification – and if these companies must follow the same regulations when immobilizing a vehicle as they would if they were to tow and/or impund them. So far nobody can answer my question.
I have also filed a formal complaint with Robbins. I have been very clear that I am not disputing that I failed to properly display a ticket for the spot. I am disputing the practice of immobilizing my car and demanding a $75.00 penalty for what would have cost me $2.50 if I had found shange in time.
If the regulations in the Towing and Parking bylaws apply, this exceeds the maximum allowable charge for such an ‘offence’, and also flaunts several other regulations, inclusing signage and options for getting the car released. If these regulations do not apply, then we are allowing an unregulated business to operate in Victoria.
I will continue to pursue this matter with Robbins Parking, No Go No Tow, the City of Victoria, the CRD, the Better Business Bureau, and the Chamber of Commerce.
August 14, 2009 - 8:26 pm
I sent a letter to Robbins stating I was not going to pay $30.00 for a spot I paid for. I sent them a copy of the ticket. They took their time and sent me a notice that the ticket would be reduced to $15.00. I sent a letter back saying I paid $4.00 for the right to park there so I only owed them $11.00. Plus, I told them that because I had to wait 30 minutes on a Sunday afternoon feeling very fearful of my personal safety that I would only charge them my regular daily rate of pay for my time as special consideration to them. The total I owed them was 4 cents. I sent it to them.
Some time later I got a letter from them, form letter that is, that I now states owe them $60.00.
I have taken the time to put $14.96 in pennies, nickels, and dimes in a jar but have yet to deliver it. I can’t wait. They will probably sent some outrageous bill after that.
Please, please keep me posted. If Robbins can do this to “us” that anyone can get a license to screw the descent citizen. They are thieves with a business license to print money. NOT THIS TIME, not at my expense.
August 17, 2009 - 3:59 pm
You go Maureen, the more people that do this kind of think to them the more they will realize that they cannot get away with their shady business tactics.
August 18, 2009 - 8:46 pm
I just parked down there in town and tried paying at the meter. When I realized I selected the wrong time I tried to cancel and get my money back. The stupid machine wouldn’t give it back and I had no more change with me. So I left my car hoping to dispute a ticket in the future. I came back shortly after an hour to find that there was an immobiliser attached to my car (I should have had bolt cutters). When the guy pulled up I told him what happened. He said it isn’t his fault, I don’t have proof of ever paying and if I want my car than I have to pay….I gave him $75 not realizing that he charged me an extra $3 taxes…..he then had the nerve to argue with me over the extra $3.
I tell you people, always carry bolt cutters with you and cut the immobilizer. They warn you that they’ll charge a $400 fine but it’s their own damn fault for putting it on there….besides, that car is private property, they shouldn’t be aloud to do that.
If the parking attendants actually use their heads they would take $15 and use the key that they have to take the boot off and not let the head office know about it….they would just be able to pocket the money and make more per hour that way. But I think robbins has a habbit of hiring no good sleeze bag bums.
October 16, 2009 - 8:05 pm
Has anyone looked into the possibility that Robbins is owned by the city or someone from the city council?
October 16, 2009 - 8:07 pm
where do you go to fight a ticket anyway? I am new here and have three such tickets. One from Robbins lot and two parking meter tickets.
October 19, 2009 - 9:18 am
I fought my ticket online at http://www.robbinsparking.com/disputes.html
December 1, 2009 - 11:00 pm
My solution for the tire clamp they use. I bought a portable cutting torch and I dream of the day I get to use it! If all else fails, I feel it would be only fair to throw the Ba#t@rd in my trunk and demand a $1000 for his release. Too bad we are not above the law. Otherwise, I say Game On!
December 25, 2009 - 8:23 pm
It’s EXTORTION. There’s an easy way to fight it:
See Fight The Boot dot com
February 9, 2010 - 11:04 am
Friends,
Do not worry about parking tickets. The city of victoria does not have the ability to damage ones credit or hurt them in any way for unpaid fines. Robbins, on the other hand, does. They are an old wealthy company that has long monopolized parking in victoria, and yes, they are colluding with the city.
Best regards to all. Fight the corporate and public tyrants.
February 13, 2010 - 8:37 pm
I have a gas cut off saw that would cut thru the boot in about 30 seconds. A little loud and may draw attention (it sounds like a chainsaw), but their boot would be lieing in their lot in 2 pieces in my rear view mirror.
February 16, 2010 - 9:08 am
Now there is a solution
February 24, 2010 - 4:17 pm
Ha robbins decided to put a boot on my buddies car……. 100 feet of extension cord and a grinder fixed that problem
c’ya later robbins
February 24, 2010 - 7:50 pm
Bolt Cutters work just as well. See FightTHeBoot.com
March 10, 2010 - 1:41 pm
From what I have been led to understand, Robbins does noit hace access to the Motor Vehicle Licence Numbers database.
As lobg as you dob;t give them either your name or address, there’s not too much they can do to collect your ticket
March 10, 2010 - 10:46 pm
As an employee of the company that does the booting, let me offer a freindly word of advice, all the emotional and political opinions aside folks, be careful. Under the Canadian Criminal Code, tampering with or otherwise damageing a lawfully apllied wheel boot, is a criminal offence. They take a photograph of your plate, the dashboard/windshield showing the lack of a Parking Stub, and they document the hell out of it. I have seen the paperwork and Police Files of several people who were arrested and charged by both Victoria and Saanich Police for forcibly removing a boot. The laws allowing them to boot are the exact same laws that allow them to tow and impound. Everytime someone has sued, the booting company has won, every time. 5 Provinces in Canada have active booting now.
I’m just a clerical worker, but I get to see all the paperwork and listen to the boot guy’s stories – the boot guys who are hired for Robbins are outside contractors, the Robbins ticket dude calls them for a boot application, so these guys dont have a key to the ticket manchines, and they really don’t have the ability to “let you off”. Only Robbins can do that. Hope this gives you all a little more info on the legal aspects. Happy Parking!
March 11, 2010 - 11:21 am
March 13, 2010 - 12:45 am
Yes, they can access ICBC info, Legally registered parking Management comanies can pay a subscription at $6 per licence plate to access registered owner information. However, even if they don’t access for a particular plate, they also list offenders with outstanding tickets in the Database in the scanning cars, if they catch you on a Robbins lot with unpaid tickets, you get booted, you pay $75 to get the boot off, AND you still have to pay the tickets.
If you damage or steal a boot, the Parking Agent simply gives the photo of your plate and a copy of the summons to the Police, they look you up and come arrest you!
I’m telling you people, don’t screw with these guys, its a multi-million dollar business, they have done thier homework, you WILL lose everytime!
March 14, 2010 - 2:02 am
I have parked my car with payment receipt displayed onto the dash board but accidentally upside down. Of course, I get a violation ticket of $30.00. After I dispute to Robin Parking and explain the situation, they said that violation is valid as my receipt was face down and not clearly displayed at the time the violation was issued. But grant me a one-time courtesy reduction to $10.00 if I pay within 7-day. Can anyone tell me that is it a valid violation even I have paid the parking fee and do I have any chance to cancel the said ticket. And what kind of explanation is appropriate to convince them to cancel the revised ticket.
March 14, 2010 - 10:34 pm
The burden of proof is still with Robbins Parking and I am 110% positive the Police aren’t going to do an investigation and arrest someone for removing a boot.
You know what Robbins, ticket me. Then proceed to Small Claims Court, get before a judge and as well as serving me either via registered mail or process server. After the court date is set, its still up to Robbins to prove their case, not me, thats the law.
As far as booting, fine. Robbins will have to prove who the person is who destroyed the boot, its not automatically the registered owner. Don’t you know I lent my car to my fifth cousins sisters friends uncle from California that day, talk to him. His name is John something. Good luck. After Robbins gets their case together, they present it to the police who complete their investigation and then forward it on to the provincial prosecutors who decide to press charges. Ya, they will do something about it.
Friends, cut off the boot, you have nothing to be scared of.
Oh, and don’t forget, any damage that happens to your vehicle while on Robbins Parking is their responsibility. It doesn’t matter how many signs they put up, they are legally responsible. Talk to a lawyer, they will tell you the same thing.
March 15, 2010 - 10:17 am
The damage to car is a really touchy one. If they are really on the hook for damage to cars parked in their lots then I can get them to repair the REALLY bad scrap and dent that a big truck door did to my car while parked in a Robbins lot that I pay a monthly rate for.
If what you say JOHN is really true then they should be responsible for the damage on my car. IF this is really the case great I will get my car fixed.
May 6, 2010 - 4:13 pm
The guy daring you to cut the boot off is an idiot – A guy was just investigated and charged for attempting to remove a boot attached to another person’s vehicle in a residential lot in saanich, and at the end of it, he paid $900 in damages before the parking enforcement company dropped the charges against him. There is no way around this – dont mess with the boots, you will get busted!
May 6, 2010 - 4:23 pm
I cut one off citing my right to “self defense against coercion.”
Booting on private lots is a deceptive practice designed to extort money.
CUT IT OFF. Just call the media first to get the public to support your side.
June 17, 2010 - 10:28 pm
I am interested in speaking with anyone who has paid a Robbins parking ticket believing it was a city issued ticket or one issued pursuant to a bylaw or regulation. Please contact Sean Hern (Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy LLP) at shern@farris.com. Thanks.
July 18, 2010 - 11:29 pm
What’s it like being an asshole for a living? Just curious.
July 22, 2010 - 1:34 pm
I would also like to speak with anyone who has received a Robbins violation ticket and paid the full amount claimed by Robbins. Please contact Sean Hern (Farris, Vaughan, Wills & Murphy LLP) at shern@farris.com.
July 24, 2010 - 10:50 am
we live in downtown, and for some f-ed up reason, the city has decided that our mostly residential block is commercial enough to warrant parking meters, but on the other side of this block (where the businesses really are) isn’t metered. this sucks!
and i hate robbins parking. i outright refuse to park in their lots, no matter the location. even at camosun college!
July 30, 2010 - 10:31 am
This is what happened to me last night! I wasnt even aware Robbins parking was using boots on vehicles. Even though it was quite some time ago and you are unlikely to see this, if by chance you do, can you please let me know what the results were of your inquiries.
July 30, 2010 - 10:46 am
PS: Has anyone had luck fighting the charges of the immobilizer/boot? I’d like to hear how.