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Letter: Examine YLW parking charge

I was informed that I was overcharged as a result of a “glitch."…I was reimbursed exactly the amount I was overcharged…

To the editor:

A warning to customers of the long-term parking lot at the Kelowna airport—be sure to double-check the amount you are being charged before swiping your credit card to leave the lot. I recently parked there for 12 days and the machine indicated I owed $222. At first, I assumed the rates had drastically increased since I parked there last. I begrudgingly paid the amount so I could get my family home after a long day of travelling. As I pulled out of the lot, I noticed the sign indicating a maximum fee of $12 per day and $62 per week. In reality, I should have been charged no more than $124.

It was a Sunday night and I was told that nothing could be done about the issue at the time. After a few phone calls over the next couple days to Royal Star Enterprises (the company that operates the parking lots) and airport administration, I was reimbursed exactly the amount I was overcharged (no extra bonus for the inconvenience unfortunately).

I was informed by Royal Star’s management that I was overcharged as a result of a “glitch” in the software system. If this “glitch” happened to me once, it could happen to anyone else again. Be vigilant when parking at the airport—know the rates and do the math yourself before you agree to pay what the machine is asking. I know I won’t make that same mistake again.

 

Eric Fleury, Kelowna