Surrey family stuck paying for parking permit, weeks after cancelling
UBC student Harshvardhan Shaw says he cancelled his service on Sept. 14
Seventeen-year-old student Harshvardhan Shaw is sounding off on his parking provider, Impark, saying the company failed to abide by its own terms and conditions, continuing to charge monthly fees even after they cancelled their contract in September.
"I called them four or five times, I've been put on hold or the call doesn't connect for some reason," said the University of British Columbia student, who lives with his family in Surrey.
"Next thing I know ... my dad is being charged $300 for parking I did not use."
CBC made several attempts to contact Impark about the family's contract, but did not hear back before deadline.
The teenager, who is in his first year with the post-secondary institution, says he chose to do business with Impark after failing to secure a permit with UBC Parking.
He went online to reserve a parking stall using his dad's credit card, accidentally booking two spaces in the process, at a rate of $125 per month plus fees and services. His father, Sib Shaw, says the family was not charged the money upfront.
Harshvardhan, meanwhile, only drove to campus a couple of times before deciding he didn't like it.
"It was taking about the same amount of time to come here as opposed to public transit," he said. "[Commuting] is easier on me as a person and my mental well-being."
Terms and conditions may apply
On Sept. 14, Harshvardhan used Impark's website to cancel their reservation for both stalls. The site, however, only allowed him to cancel on Dec. 31.
Impark's terms and conditions state that customers can terminate their agreement before the end of the month, so long as they give notice by the seventh of the month. Notice given after the fact comes into effect 30 days later.
The Shaws say they were happy to abide by the terms and conditions, but were confused as to why the website only gave Dec. 31 as an option.
Requests for comment from Impark went unanswered.
"It's very frustrating," said Sib Shaw, noting he tried calling several phone numbers only to be put on hold.
"Stop taking innocent people's money ... clean up your website, put some nice phone numbers, put your email address, where you can be contacted. ... Technology is there."
Eventually, he says, he connected with an Impark customer service representative who moved his final payment to Nov. 15.
Invoices show the family was charged $328.56 for both stalls on Oct. 12 as pre-payment for services in November, which they have no plan of using.
Cancellation frustrations
Consumer advocates say that while customers may feel like a business is trying to frustrate them during the cancellation process, that's not always the case.
"Look at the world we're living in right now with COVID," said Simone Lis, president and CEO of Better Business Bureau, serving mainland B.C. and Yukon — a non-profit that aims to cultivate trust between businesses and consumers.
"You have labour shortages. You have businesses looking for ways to serve their population. And in industries like this, you probably do get a fair amount of complaint volume or people calling up with concerns, which is going to increase traffic."
Lis says businesses should be looking at mechanisms to better support their clients, and that customers shouldn't be afraid to escalate issues to upper management, if possible.
Impark currently holds "no rating" with the Better Business Bureau, which the non-profit says may indicate "insufficient information about a business or [an] ongoing review or update of the business's file."
With files from Joel Ballard