Complaints

The complaint text that is displayed might not represent all complaints filed with BBB. Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:07/07/2023

  Type:Service or Repair Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  Upon arriving at the site yesterday, there was a sign posted which I have photos of that says parking is $5 for up to 2 1/2 hours or seven dollars for all day. There was no obvious way to pay the ticket as there was no one there. The lot was just open for parking and many cars were there. We are not from the area and are not familiar with parking and paid lots. We just assumed we could pay when we left that there would be someone in the parking lot to ask. We went in the children’s museum enjoyed a couple hours and came out to a $40 parking sticker on our window. There was then a lady walking around issuing tickets so we asked her, but got nothing but a smartelic response. I sent in a complaint with a picture of what we saw. They are arguing that they have another sign up, which we never did see as I didn’t think to look for other signs after just reading the first one. There shouldn’t be different signs in one parking area anyway, that’s very misleading and seems like a money trap.

  Business Response

  Date: 07/07/2023

  Good afternoon, 

   

  I have attached a picture that shows what everyone sees as they pull onto this lot. On the left side of the entrance, you see the red and white signs that says STOP AND READ BEFORE ENTERING, and on the right side of the entrance, you see the kiosk that says pay here in advance around all four sides of it. The red and white signs have three steps clearly listed for everyone to inform them payment is required once you park and not afterwards. Step 1 Park vehicle, Step 2 Pay using self-service kiosk, or VIA phone using instructions on signs, Step 3 Walk away & enjoy your visit. 

  I have also attached the same picture of the rate sign that you attached in your complaint, but my picture is a full picture of the kiosk. In both pictures you can see the rate sign on the left and on the right of both pictures you can see the pay machine. In my picture you can see a that the rate sign is attached to the kiosk that says pays here in advance. We also have blue and white signs on all the light poles on the lot that inform everyone to pay for parking, and below that signs is one of the Text2Park signs that is one of the pay by phone options. The last picture I attached is one of the pictures that was taken when the citation was issued. You can see the blue sign and Text2Park sign in the space next to your vehicle. 

   

  This lot is shared with the ****** ****** **** From 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM the lot is open for paid public parking. At 6:00 PM the gate goes down, and the lot is reserved for ****** ****** *** guests only. To access the lot after 6:00 PM you must swipe your hotel key card to raise the gate.  

• Initial Complaint

  Date:04/17/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  BrightBase parking management company has ticketed me twice.
  The first time is when they ticketed me once for an invalid parking violation, even though it was valid with a valid pass, and valid paid parking receipt of 77$ a month. I live at Market City Center Apartments and the garage that I pay 77$ a month to, I got ticketed because they did not scan my license plate. The second time is when my tag fell off my mirror and they did not scan my license plate to show that I pay my 77$ a month to park in the parking garage where I live at. They have not contacted me for 9 days after I’ve made the appeals for this issue to be resolved. I’ve worked in the parking industry and it’s required that we have to scan license plates to show proof that we checked everything before proceeding to a ticketing process. This has been an issue and this needs to be fixed after I have reached out 6 times and not received a response in 9 days.

  Business Response

  Date: 05/01/2023

  Every statement in his
  complaint is incorrect except that he pays $77 for parking. He is paying $77
  for parking but he is knowingly breaking the parking rules and then getting
  upset when he gets caught and receives a parking ticket. See below.
  The
  first ticket was valid because he broke a rule that says you can’t park in spaces
  that are reserved for ****** **** *********.  I’ll explain: His $77 monthly payment his Access
  Card to the garage but doesn’t allow him to park in other peoples reserved
  spaces. Also, to park in residential reserved spaces you have to have your
  parking pass displayed in the windshield.  
  The second
  ticket was valid because he broke a rule that says you must have your parking
  pass displayed visible in your windshield to park in the reserved space he was
  parked in and he didn’t have it displayed.
  The
  statement about scanning a license plate being required is an incorrect
  statement. Plate numbers can be scanned or typed manually, regardless, his
  plate number wasn’t the issue, the spaces he parked in were the issue.    We responded
  to his appeals in 7 days, not 9 as he states. 
  Both tickets were reduced to zero-dollar warnings.
  See
  pictures attached to back up each response.

• Initial Complaint

  Date:02/22/2023

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  This company is trying to fine me for parking in public parking and would like this issue resolved and the charges removed from them before I contact a lawyer to sue them for unlawfully trying to say I parked in there lot that was a public parking lot

  Business Response

  Date: 02/24/2023

  I have attached two pictures showing the vehicle parked on the lot, and the second picture shows that there was no paymnet made for the plate number. We have a welcome park and pay
  and Text2Park signs at
  all the entrances to the lot. There are Text2Park signs throughout the lot
  informing how to pay for parking. An active parking session must always be made
  and kept while parked on the lot. Failure to make or keep an active parking
  session will result in a valid citation. In the picture showing the rear of vehicle parked on the lot, I have circled two of the Text2Park signs closest to the vehicle. One sign i right next to the driver side door. On the picture taken showing the front of the vehicle, you can see one of the Text2park signs behind the vehicle.  The original citation was left on the vehicle on 1/11/23. The citation states that if the citation is not paid within 14 days there will be a late fee added. 

  
  

  Customer Answer

  Date: 02/24/2023

   
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  
  
  
  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ********* ********

• Initial Complaint

  Date:12/07/2022

  Type:Billing Issues
  Status:

  AnsweredMore info

  Complaint statuses

  Resolved:

  The complainant verified the issue was resolved to their satisfaction.

  Unresolved:

  The business responded to the dispute but failed to make a good faith effort to resolve it.

  Answered:

  The business addressed the issues within the complaint, but the consumer either a) did not accept the response, OR b) did not notify BBB as to their satisfaction.

  Unanswered:

  The business failed to respond to the dispute.

  Unpursuable:

  BBB is unable to locate the business.

  I parked in a lot in southside a couple of times in September and October, always late at night (after 9-10pm) and the lot has no clear parking enforcement signs. If the signs are clear, they are not easily visible at night when these instances occurred. All of a sudden, I receive a ticket in the mail for almost $70 for failing to pay to park in this lot. I disputed the ticket, stating that there was no clear indication of a private lot and that this was unethical for a one-time violation. They "generously" reduced the ticket to just over $40, however, I get two more notices in the mail shortly after (regrettably) paying the balance I thought I owed. Come to find out, they are trying to charge me TWO ADDITIONAL TICKETS for the same price from different instances. If I was unaware of the violation on the first citation, how is it ethical to go ahead and charge me for the other two as well? Not to mention, they are asking me to pay $120 and that is AFTER reducing the cost of each citation. This is borderline predatory business practice and I want the hard-working citizens of Chattanooga to be aware of this and to avoid parking in ANY Brightbase if they can avoid it in any way. I expect Brightbase to drop all of my citations, I will not be paying them regardless.

  Business Response

  Date: 12/14/2022

  The person who made the complaint says they were unaware and that BrightBase is using predatory business practices.  We strongly disagree and would argue that the person knowingly broke a Tennessee statute and used our service without paying: Theft of Services (TN Code § 39-14-104 (2021)).  Our options when we discover a vehicle parked unauthorized on private property is to: call the police and document the situation with the intention of pressing charges for theft, tow ($125), boot $75 plus non-payment fine of $40, or write a $40 ticket and leave on the windshield.  This person was spared the more expensive options and written a ticket for their violation.
  On this lot we offer multiple ways to pay for parking. You can make a payment at one of the two machines on the lot, and we offer two pay by phone options: Parkmobile and Text2Park. I have attached pictures of all the signage, both machines and kiosk, and two mobile payment options. There are a total of thirteen signs on the lot plus the two kiosk that say public parking pay here in advance around all four sides.  I have attached two of the pictures that were taken when the citation was issued. You can see the sign that is shaped like an arrow that points to the machine, and says pay at machine. Below that sign is a sign for one of the pay by phone options we offer on that lot. In the second picture I attached from the night one of the citations was issued, you can clearly see the pay machine and kiosk near the car. When you enter the lot from any of the entrances, you either see one of the red and white signs that inform you that you are entering a pay parking lot, or you see one of the kiosk that say public parking pay here in orange letters. Both of the kiosk have LED lights in them to help them be seen, and the machine in the middle of the lot is directly under the street light. 
  When a citation is issued, the citation is placed under the windshield wiper so it does not blow away and the driver of the vehicle is aware of the citation. The citation clearly informs that the citation amount is $40, and if the citation is not paid in fourteen days a $25 late fee is added. The citation has clear directions on how to pay or appeal the citation, and also has BrightBase's phone number on it, if assistance is needed. This person received 3 of these at different times and alleges he didn't see any of them. 
  When the complainant made the appeal on November 21,  for the first letter that he received. It was stated that it was possible that a friend drove the vehicle and received the citations. Three citations have been issued to this vehicle on September 2, September 16, and October 14. After receiving the first citation, it should be known this is a paid parking lot and that the lot is enforced. When the first appeal email was received on November 21 at 6:35 PM, the complainant received a response the next day, November 22 at 4:19 PM, that informed the complainant of all three citations, and the late fee was waived on all three citations.
  On November 23, the complainant paid the citation that was issued on October 14th, but not the other two citations that were issued. December 5, 2022, the complainant emailed Brightbase again because another letter for past due citations was received. The complainant was fully aware by this date that there were three citations issued to the vehicle. The complainant asked why another letter was received. The complainant was informed that only one of the three citations were paid, and that the other two would not be reduced any more or voided. BrightBase's position is that this person doesn't care to pay for parking, therefore they don't.

  Customer Answer

  Date: 12/15/2022

  
  
  Complaint: ********
  
  
  
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  The business claims that I received a citation at the time of the occurrence via a ticket on my car but if any ticket was left on my car, it was not secured properly or there was never one issued. As you can clearly see in the photos they attached, there is no citation on my vehicle. This is demonstrated further in my initial email in the attached screenshot, where I ask why I received a citation at all (after receiving it in the mail over a month later). You can also see on my initial email that I stated that I always follow the pay-for-parking. Despite this, I still paid the citation that I was issued in the mail in good faith. Yet shortly after, I receive two more citations in the mail from the same lot. If my position was that “I don’t care to pay for parking and therefore don’t”, as the business claims, then I would not have paid the initial citation.

  The pictures of the parking signs that are attached in the business's response were all taken during the day (not at night, when the citations were issued) except for two, where my vehicle is in the photo, and in those two, you can barely, barely see the signs. These circumstances are questionable at best, and I want the people of Chattanooga to be aware of this business and avoid parking on their lots whenever possible. The only acceptable solution is that the business agrees to drop the remaining citations and cease any unethical practices that they may be engaging in. While I will not be parking in this lot going forward, my attorney has been notified of this dispute and if this business attempts to assign any further penalties towards me, we will take legal action against Brightbase. Businesses like this, especially those who are charging nearly $70 for a single citation as they have attempted to do with me, have had class action lawsuits taken against them.
  

  Sincerely,
  
  
  
  ****** **********