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Parking app causing problems for some folks in Ann Arbor

Posted at 10:17 PM, Dec 04, 2018
and last updated 2018-12-05 05:58:13-05

A man says he paid for a parking spot in Ann Arbor using a parking app, only to come out of a restaurant to find a ticket on his windshield.

There’s a good chance you've probably used the app epark to pay for a parking spot because it’s quick and convenient.  

However, some folks have received tickets saying they didn’t pay.

Not only is it frustrating, but now some people want the city to step in.

"I paid for two hours. Unfortunately, an hour later I got a ticket," Brian Craig said after using the epark app.

Craig says he tried using the parking app after it was recommended by a friend. 

"Ann Arbor started using it about two years ago, and everyone I know has been bitten by it already," Craig said.

He says it's quick and easy. However, a recent experience on December 3 has him thinking twice.

"Here, my app shows that I’ve paid for two hours and yet 40 minutes later I get a ticket," Craig said. 

Craig, who’s a relative of an employee at Channel 7, tells us after he got the ticket, he went to try and fix the issue, only to be told, "This has happened before, hasn’t it? And she nodded, yes it has, and I said this is ridiculous, I’m guilty until proven innocent."

There have been issues in Lansing, Detroit and now Ann Arbor.  

Attorney Shaun Godwin says when fighting any kind of ticket, it’s best to have proof you paid. 

"I think the app is still the best way to pay because you have a record of the times you paid for and that’s going to provide you documentation to provide to the city to fight any ticket you get," Godwin said.

We reached out to the city of Ann Arbor for comment multiple times but haven’t heard back.  

Craig says from now on, he’s just going to go old school and play it safe, using the quarter parking meters or parking structures. 

He also has a message for the city of Ann Arbor.

"They shouldn’t issue any more tickets until they fix the machines," Craig said.

We spoke to some other folks who didn’t want to talk on camera but say the app works great. Others say they too also had trouble before.