Parking Garage, held 44 min over ticket dispute
<p>I have a monthly parking pass for a garage in Boston.<br>
This AM when trying to exit, the pass was not working. 
The attendant told me I could not leave because I already left! (The day before!)  They apparently have no record of me entering the parking garage at 10pm the night before.  The pass was scanned to gain access to the gated garage!  </p>

<p>He argued with me for 44 min!  Yelling at me telling me I was a liar - and just repeatedly told me to put my credit card in to pay $42 lost ticket fee!   Anything I said - his response was always "put credit card in"  At least 4 cars pulled in behind me during the time and they kept redirecting cars to other exits.  </p>

<p>It was ridiculous that they could not reason with a a customer-- who pays a monthly fee  for a parking pass that I had in my possession.  I truly was about to call the police because of the hostile way I was being spoken to.  </p>

<p>In the end someone else paid the $42 against my will to rectify the situation.   </p>

<p>It was a horrible helpless situation to be in.   </p>

<p>Are they able to hold people like that over a dispute over a time of entry/exit?  </p>

<p>The details vary according to jurisdiction, but as a rule a civilian is only allowed to physically detain you if they have a reasonable suspicion that you have committed a crime, and if they immediately call the police so that they can hand you over. Making off without paying is a crime in most if not all jurisdictions, but if you dispute the charge then the usual procedure is to provide proof of identity and contact details. At that point it becomes a civil matter. A car park will have your license plate and likely CCTV, so tracing you is not an issue, and in this case they probably also have your details from when you bought the pass.</p>

<p>However in this case it sounds like they were actually holding your car rather than you; in theory you could have walked away and left your car where it was. They may be able to hold on to your car as surety for payment depending on the small print in the contract. However if they do so and lose then they are likely to be on the hook for any costs that could be reasonably be foreseen as a result of depriving you of the use of your car.</p>

<p>The parking attendant's behaviour <em>might</em> be considered to be demanding money with menaces, which is a crime in itself (that's the UK term; I imagine the US has similar laws).</p>

parking