Empire Parking Services [EPS] review: Unethical, predatory fee collection 38

Well I agree Bald Shaun. I was just booted by empire parking services at another parking lot and they used the same predatory scheme. I am currenty figuring out how to sue them either individually or perhaps I can get enough victims together and hire a law firm to bring these scammers down for good. Please email me at jonathanchristophermartinez@hotmail.com if you want to talk about this. My supposed violation was in Midtown while having Ice Cream at Rita's.

Please see my complaint below:
At approximaely 2:00 PM on Friday, May 7, 2010, I entered into the parking lot on Broad Street. I was headed to handle business at 2 Peachtree Street and was looking for somewhere to park. When I found that lot, I pulled into the lot as woman was pulling out. She motioned for me to take her spot, which I di. Afterwards, she came to my car and told me that she had just purchased a ticket for that spot but she had to go. Since the ticket was an all day pass, I realized that her money would have gone to waste, I felt bad, and so I gave her the money for the ticket and used the ticket myself. This was for Stall #66, ticket number [protected], S/N Number [protected]. She purchase the ticket at 12:43 P and it was anall daypass expiring at 11:59 on 05/07/2010. I placed the ticket on my dash and went to handle my business...

Upon returing to my vehicle, I found that it was booted. I called the number and the man that came explained to me that the reason for the violation is that you are not allowed to switch tickets like this. I was not aware of this "rule", nor did I see such a rule posted when I left or returned. I am not accustomed to parking in these type of lots and I was not familiar with this system. I was almost unable to retrieve my vehicle due to the $75 payment that was required. It took for him to split it across three different credit cards for the fee to be paid.

I am a single mother who needs ALL of her money. I understand that there are rules and from as far as I could tell when I entered the lot, I was not breaking any rules. Perhaps the woman preyed on me. The man who was watching and ended up booting my vehicle could hve EASILY alerted me to such scams. Instead, he let her rip me off, and then proceeded to rip me off another $75. I now have to figure out how to feed my children for the rest of the month because of this ridiculous incidence.

I have been fortunate enough to pull into parking spots that still had money on the meter. Has it been illegal for me to use this time in the spot that someone else paid for? I can see if the time had expired. But an ALL DAY PASS WAS PURCHASED. Where is it listed that they are non-transferrable? I want my money back and I am going to undertake whatever measures I can to expose this despicable treatment of tax-paying citizens. Remediation is expected.

Please also note EPS (Empire Parking Service) that was responsible for booting my car has already quite a reputation on life for being predatory. You might want to put a better reputed company in charge of managing your lots, as this in turn makes you look bad.

Empire Parking Service is nothing but a loser and sorry [censor]. They try to screw more then 80 people in 4th july 2010 in (1 buckhead loop rd, atlanta, ga, 30350) police came and all the people with children and family's fun was screwed by a stupid redneck with a blue minivan which called Empire Parking Service, he let all the white guys go and keep the african americans and other people and asking them to pay $50 to get the boots out of their cars. He kept saying he will let the white americans go becasue they know about law.

I too was a victim of the 4th of July parking fraud. I was standing next to my car watching the fireworks and he put a boot on the tire right behind me. He said I violated the "left property" policy of the lot. How did I leave my property if I was standing next to it? This was the case for dozens of other people. When asking where the signs were he said "you must be a real [censored] to not see the signs." After walking around the parking lot, I still couldn't find a sign. The comment above about the racism is absolutely true. He drove around and let the white people go, some without paying and told the hispanics, middle easterners, indians, asians, and blacks that they would have to wait because they're "non-americans." The icing on the cake was when the guy threatened a man WITH HIS KIDS by saying he had a gun. At this point the police were called. If anyone else was at Buckhead Station (1 Buckhead Loop Rd, Atlanta, Ga, 30350) and witnessed this, an attorney has suggested we file a lawsuit for the discrimination. If anyone wants to complain about this incident, the racist employee is number 117 and the number to call is [protected]. Please call and ask to speak to someone in management regarding this situation. It's 2010, racism is not acceptable.

UPDATE:: Please call [protected] and ask to talk to Chris. He is the owner of EPS and a very down to Earth nice guy. He is trying to sort out the July 4th incident and doing a fantastic job.

Let's say you have a business right next to another business which attracts a larger volume of patrons. Your business has eight parking spots. The larger business' consumers fill your eight spots all day, every day. People who would like to visit your business pull into the parking lot but can't find a spot since your neighbor's patrons always use your eight spots. You just lost some business because your spots are used improperly.

January 1st, 2011 . Live at Camden Midtown in atlanta. Have lived here for 5 1/2 years. Camden recently hired empire parking services. Empire, however have hired a subcontractor. When I called the number on the sticker they wouldnt tell me who owned the company. The man who came out had no remote to get into my gate, Was in a beat up piece of @#!* pick up with a generic white magnetic sign with black letters. ( can buy at any sign shop for $15.oo). After I showed him my parking sticker in the back window and I.D. that I live at the property he would not remove the boot unless I paid him $75.00. I refused and went back to my apartment. When I came back to my car he had placed a second boot and a second sticker on my car. (Like the first one wasnt enough.) What is the point in that? I refuse to pay them. I dont even know that they are legit. My apartment complex can deal with them on Monday. Meanwhile my car is being held hostage in my garage where I pay rent. This is such a low life industry. People need to start going to the city of Atlanta to get some type of laws to govern these crooks.

I was just forced to pay $75 even though I thought I had paid for 2 hours parking in a parking garage downtown Atlanta. I should have known better than to park in such a sketchy location, but I have learned my lesson. Basically, I thought I had paid for two hours- returned to my car an hour and a half later and there was a boot and notice saying I had to pay $75 or my car would not be released. I tried to explain to the man who booted my car why this was not fair, but he said I had used the machine wrong while paying for my two hours so he had the right to boot my car.

I refused to sign the receipt, but was told by my bank it would be my word against there's and cannot dispute the charges.

I am currently trying to dispute this charge with my bank, but think I will be unsuccessful, but still want this disgusting company held accountable for their predatory fees.

If you have a complaint or issue with services that EPS provides, please contact [protected] and request to speak to a manager. Your call will be returned promptly to address your concerns.

The same thing happened to us this weekend, December 17, 2011. At the same location.
I am a visitor here and had family visit from overseas. I have never been at little 5 points before and wanted to explore the town as well as to show it to others. We stopped to get coffee at the Starbucks. It was already dark. We walked to the next shopping center and then down the street. We had 2 cars. Both were booted when we came back. The fine was $50 per car and the person there was extremely rude. Nobody cared we were paying customers of the Starbucks….
He also told us that he’s seen us walking away and it was not his job to point out the sign. By the way, the signs are not lit up, so in the dark you can only pay attention or read it if you happened to bump right it into one.
This does look like a very unfair practice. And even though it was not Starbucks, it left a bitter after taste for the coffee I had….

This exact situation happened to me today at Starbucks. I parked my car, walked to the front patio to meet my friend who was sitting there, then walked into Starbucks to grab my coffee. When I looked over, the EPS man had already booted my car. When I spoke with him I received a "when it's in the system, you have to pay." Mind you, he rudely shoved a camera in my face to record what I was saying. I WAS a cusomer of Starbucks. I still had to pay $75 to get the boot off of my car. I DID call the BS number above and was told to leave a message. It has been 9 hours and I still haven't heard back. Absolutely dishonest and horrible. Will be reporting to the police, city, BBB, Starbucks, etc.

I was booted on April 11, 2012 at the Midtown Parking Lot behind Taco Mac. I paid the required $6.00 for the parking. I returned to my car about 30 min later to find that it was booted. I called the number for the sticker they rudely placed on my window to have the boot removed. The guy came and advised me it would be $75.00 to remove the boot. I advised him I had paid the fee to park there and did not understand why I had been booted. He responded by saying he had just started his shift and have no information except for what the previous patrolling guy had given him. He reluctantly gave him my credit card to pay the $75.00, then remember I had the fee in cash. I asked him to cancel the CC transaction and just take the cash. I gave him a $100 bill, he gave me 2 $10.00 bills and 5 $1.00 bills in return and advised me to call [protected] to request reimbursement. Immediately I did and found out it was a message system that was not directly EPS. I left a message and was told it wold be 24 hours before I receive a return call. I waited, and waited, and still waiting for the call. Not only is today April 18, 2012 and I haven't received a call back, but my credit card was still charged the $75.00 so I guess I paid $156.00 (including the required $6.00). I called the number again today only to find out it had been disconnected. This company is a true scam company and I am looking at legal options to remove them from preying.

My experience at the Little 5 Points Starbucks was nearly identical to Anna_M. I was booted and ripped off of $50 by a guy in a run-down white pickup truck lurking on the side of the Starbucks. It did not matter that I was a customer.

EPS is in the business of providing free parking "enforcement" to business by placing the signage about the parking rules in inconspicuous locations and then preying on unwitting patrons who aren't aware of the rules. This is not really enforcement. This is intentional deception with the intent of extorting money from patrons, and it needs to be stopped.

I don't think there's any point in complaining to EPS. I called them, first to find out if they were a legitimate company and make sure that I hadn't just been robbed, and when I started to complain, they just hung up on me.

The thing to do here is complain to the business, the corporation behind the business (in my case, Starbucks). Make it known that they have lost your business forever as a result of their support of this activity. I don't like Starbucks enough to put up with this and I can get my coffee elsewhere. Tell your friends not to support them. And finally, complain to the City of Atlanta, because, ultimately, they need to pass laws requiring proper signage so companies like EPS can't build their business model on deceiving patrons.

I've even considered picketing the location to warn customers, just to get the satisfaction of depriving EPS of a day's worth of booting revenue and maybe cramping Starbucks' style a little bit, too.

We have filed a Class Action lawsuit against Empire Parking and ABS and would like to talk to you about your case. Please contact us at the law offices of James Hugh Potts II, LLC @ [protected]. We look forward to hearing from you. We are trying to get these predatory practices banned in Georgia.

I was parked in an apartment complex. 609 Virginia Avenue. Atlanta, GA 30306. I walked up just after I got booted. The tech would not assist me in reaching a live human to speak with until he got a call from a co-worker, who he claimed was a "higher up." After much arguing, he finally relented to go to the leasing office with me. The leasing agent advised that he could boot my car (I didn't know about visitor spots and was there do offer a 30 minute dog walk for a resident) but that he couldn't do so before 6pm. I then said that he HAD booted my car before 6. He told me I had no proof of that and was very rude, smug and arrogent. When I asked him when his coworker called, his phone indicated that he called me at 6:01. I told him that he knew that he had booted my car before 6 because we had argued for several minutes after the boot was on and before the call came in. I explained that he was wrong and he should remove the boot. Again he said I didn't have proof and I said he didn't have proof that he did boot after 6. I guess he got tired of arguing with me and removed the boot. In the meantime, while he removed the boot, I thanked him, apologized for things getting a little heated and told him he was doing the right thing. As I drove away, I realized that I DID have proof. After many minutes of arguing, I called the company (it was "closed") and that call was logged at 5:55. I found him and pointed this out to him and he smuggly replied "Good for you!" Not only did he violate the contract in place between his company and the apartment, he was rude and arrogent to me.

I got hit just the other week. Parked in the lot at a sign that said "Short Term parking, Two Hour Limit, Enforced M-F No Permit Parking" I thought it was safe to park there. When I came out.. BOOT! Told the attendant that this was wrong to have those signs that were misleading. He said it wasn't up to him. The company is ruthless and do dirty business. Never part at their locations again. They will find a way to Fk you

The reason everyone is getting booted is because it is private property... It's not a Walmart parking lot... If it's private parking you always have to pay, unless you have permission i.e. from the property owner. Sankofa I'm sorry happened to you, but although you have a ticket, you did not purchase that ticket from the machine. That woman was being nice and gave you that ticket and you paid her for the ticket, but again not from the machine meaning the property owner did make any money for you to park your car on his property. It's not the job of a boot technician to notify you that you have to pay for your parking. Bad judgement on your part thats all and now you know the rules and won't do it again. For the ones that are parking at the Starbucks, you are parked on private property meant for patrons for their store ONLY. If for any reason you leave the lot, you are subject to boot, it doesn't matter if you were a few feet away from the store. It sucks and their are fine lines, but don't park on private property and shop at other stores. I'm sure theres other parking areas for you to park and walk anywhere, not private parking that owners have hired a company to make sure noone is scamming parking spots. RobCccc, EPS does not own the parking lot and what signs are posted. Those are bought and placed by property owners and sometimes property owners don't remove them but have changed their polices. Don't get mad at the booter because you didn't know the rules of private parking. Terpsrule, your incident is because many apartment complex tenants are not on the lease of the actual apartment, and if your car is not registered in the system or you just bought the car and didn't notify the apartment leasers than that was on you. I'm sure it has been taken care of. As for the 4th of July patrons, I'm sorry that you were viewed in that manner and racism is not tolerated and you were not approached in a professional manner. I know your not telling the whole story because EPS only work on lots that are privately owned, and will enforce very strictly in lots on events like 4th of July. Where many people try to get great parking spots that haven't paid for those spots legally. Please be aware that during these times, there are many scammers who run during these events who act like supporting staff, but in reality their are scamming people at the front. If it's a nice Private parking lot, but has a very not so professional person at the front, chances are hes scamming you. See it all the time. Im sorry that you were scam but you have broken the rule, and although it is sucks, the boot technician is working on a holiday while you are off work and enjoying your time while he's stuck working.

These people suck bags of dicks daily.

Especially Brian Devlin

Parked my car and realized I was in the wrong area and was headed to move my car. Dude was booting it. I wasn't even there 30 seconds. Hadn't even walked off the lot. Then he bullied me and refused to budge. Wish I would have called the police. Can I refuse to pay the charge on my credit card? Embarrassed I paid at all

On Saturday, I stayed at the Marriott hotel (The 41st floor). While gathering my things I exited the building to get my vehicle I saw the technician booting my vehicle @ 12:10. I could not get to my vehicle as I could if I was not hurt. Being handicap, I was trying to get there as fast as I could (With one arm in a sling and my right foot in brace). The technician stated that they give a grace period because of check out usually 15 minutes, I was one min late. I advised the technician that I was on my way as he see, and that I was moving as fast as I could. He advised that I had to talk with a supervisor to get the boot remove. While he was still there I called the office and spoke to someone who then called him and he stated that he told them that I needed a supervisor. He stated that there have been times that supervisors refund people their money. So, after all the commotion and the back and forward phone calls, I just decided take my chance and pay and wait on a supervisor approval. He booted my vehicle at 12:38. However, after talking with three people at the call center they advised that supervisor does not work over weekends and that I would get a call from someone on Monday or Tuesday, but when Brian called me at 4:22 pm on 9/29/2014, I was at the physicians officer and could not get to my phone.

This was sad because the technician saw my status and told me to call a supervisor and if one approves that he would assist when he knew a alone that a supervisor only works weekdays and that my issue was not going to be resolved prior to my departure.

If you get booted by this company they generally boot one tire. If you have a spare tire go ahead and take that tire off and use the spare. You can always take the tire with the boot on it to a mechanic or use your own tools to remove it.

Aggressive and illegal parking "booting" is going on in Trader Joe's parking lot (by a third party called EPS, a for-profit private company hired by Trader Joe's property manager/landlord Ackerman & Co). Saturday I was in Trader Joes for literally 15 minutes and came out to find my car booted...it cost me $75 to get the boot off and I had no recourse while I was there. I was incredibly shocked and confused by why Trader Joes would do this to customers who chose to come despite the holiday crowds. When I called Trader Joes today to talk to a manager and to discuss this sketchy practice, they told me that my car should only have been booted if I parked there and then left to go to the park or the beltline. I only went into Trader Joe's, however.

The reality is that EPS (private parking patrol company) is praying on customers to make a profit. Although Trader Joes does not hire them directly, I do feel that Trader Joes should advocate for customers who choose to come to their store despite it being busy. I am disappointed and I hope they talk with their landlords to stop this seemingly fraudulent practice.

Also, I noted several other cars that same afternoon (12/20) with boots on them. If you also were booted inappropriately, I recommend calling EPS and advocating a refund for yourself. I was booted illegally. If you don't advocate for yourself, EPS will profit by praying on your inappropriately.

This seems entirely illegal and I am also disappointed that despite all these similar posts, the City of Atlanta has not remedied this fraudulent practice.

Same thing with me, suppose to meet my friend at Chipotle by Emory. She came ahead of me went to starbucks and got booted. I parked and went to go help her (her car was parked where the chipotle is) I talked to the employee he said there is nothing he can do even though we were paying customers at the chipotle. Then we go to eat, and I go back to my car to get my wallet behind the chipotle there was a boot on my car. They refused to remove it until I paid the fine. A class action does need to happen against them.

I was parked in the EPS parking lot at 1280 West Peachtree at 16th Street yesterday, May 26th. I frequent this parking lot because one of my doctors is in this building. After the incident yesterday, I feel sorry for the tenants of this building. This is not a safe parking lot. The fact that they advertise 24/7 surveillance is a crock. I almost could bet money on the fact that someone affiliated with that parking lot is the one who smashed my window and stole my hidden bag which contained my laptop. I was gone only for a few minutes, so I feel they were watching and waiting. This is a sad situation when people can't go to a paid and "secure" parking lot in the middle of the day without being robbed.

I parked on EPS parking lot in front of Chipotle at Emory Village on July 22, 2015. I went inside Chipotle, bought lunch, sat in the patio and started eating. Shortly after, I ran cross the street to get a tea at Starbucks and returned back to Chipotle anywhere between 1.5 and 2 minutes later to continue my lunch. I sat back on the patio eating, when I decided to get some reading from my car. At that point I saw that my car was booted. The "technician" was parked next to me, and when I inquired if he knew who put the citation on my window and booted my car, he responded that it was him. I was so shocked as I actually briefly engaged in a conversation with him when I parked my car, and he saw me (looked me in the eyes and smiled) when I crossed the street to get a drink at Starbucks, saw me come back a minute later and without saying anything, booted my car. This behavior is despicable. I called DeKalb police. When the officer arrived, I explained what happened, with the "technician" present. The officer agreed that booting my car was quite unfair but that he could not "force" him remove the boot. Even the Chipotle manger came to my defense, vouching that I was a customer the entire time. Nonetheless, the "technician" did not release my car until he extorted $75 from me. I would very much be interested in class action lawsuit against EPS. Is this still going on?

Tech 113 booted my vehicle, while someone that was with me was technically still on the property. I ordered food from the tech Plaza & at the adjacent pizza spot. My cousin however was in the Chinese restaurant and also inquiring about a tattoo in the tattoo parlor. When I paid, and asked the technician for the management information. I was told it didn't matter because I wouldn't be getting a refund, it's not her place to tell me if I shouldn't or should call a company that is now doing business with me. Nor should I be talked to like I'm her child, and also told that if they do give you a refund I'd like to see it because it'll never happen. If that's the type of spokes person you want for your company, prepared to get a lot more bad ratings. My car should have never been booted regardless if I walked across the street to pick up an order or not, there was someone that exited my vehicle still on that property. I live over there and have never had that problem. I'm sure it's because it was a Saturday night and she assumed I would be hanging out at the pizza spot, since clearly she was watching everything from the moment I hit the lot. I would hope, I get a call Monday, but reading all these reviews, I'm sure the horrible customer service isn't just with the techs you hire. I don't argue with people and she was very argumentative from the moment I asked about management. She was wrong and decided to play judge & jury. It's more about the principal & she needs a serious attitude adjustment, or a new job! My car shouldn't have been booted, and I won't be letting this one go until it's resolved properly.

Hey everyone,

We went in starbucks, paid for two coffees and walked around the park. We came back to a boot on the car. The sign was 4 parking spots down and not clearly visible.

If you would like to know who is behind this scam it is Joseph Goldstein the son of councilman Philip Goldstein for Marietta Ward 7. Joseph Goldstein owns JRG 30 WHITLOCK AVE, LLC which is owner of the law firm that owns the Starbucks parking lot which pays Empire Parking Services to monitor the parking lot. Welcome to Marietta, where we scam our own people! Post clear signs in front of every parking spot. Don't ticket people when the starbucks is CLOSED.

This company "sets people up" by having a guy or woman come by and offer you a ticket. They will tell you that it is good all day. You use the ticket and put it in your window. They then come by and boot your car. Now how do they know this, because they intentionally set you up to boot your car. They guy is sent by EPS, and you are the ploy. Don't fall for these tactics. Also, they ticket is now bent on both sides so that when you roll your window down it jams your window as was my case. My window literally broke on site. So I rode home over an hour with no window. They company charged me 75.00 for the boot and then cause my window to jam and break. They are a rip off..watch out for them. tneal4321@yahoo.com. I plan to sue them for this. Do the same!

These people are crooks and bullies. My car was booted because I allegedly "left the property" even though I was standing outside the store making a phone call. The "technician 136" claims he went in the store and did not see me. This company run by bullies and you will not get a refund. Bryan is obnoxious and rude, I was speaking to him about the incident and his response was well you are not getting a refund and hang up on me.

If there was a way to give these people 0 stars I would. I went to Negril Village with a friend for dinner and we were unsure about parking fees due to us not being from Atlanta. We saw a sign that had the price for parking but on the bottom of the sign held some verbiage we were unsure of when we parked. After we parked, we went inside to ask the waitress to make sure we had to pay for parking. After the waitress confirmed we walked back out to pay and EPS had already booted my car after 30 secs. I saw the EPS technicians and told them that I was coming to pay parking and the waitress confirmed for me but they refused to take the boot off. The technician (#131) was very rude and told me I had to pay $75 to get it off and in the middle of me talking to them they put another boot on my car while I was standing there. After they put the second boot on they left. I called the number to get them to come back to get the boot off and it literally took them more than an hour to come back to unboot my car which is illegal. Once again the technician was very rude when they came back to take my boot off the car. I deserve my $75 back. This company seems to be a problem even for employees at Negril Village.

Unethical company. I been trying to reach empire parking company for 3 day. I left 5 messages. No response. Need to dispute boot . Also, file a claim against company for scratching my tints on my window.

Even I was forced to pay 75$ to remove the boot near lenox square mall. We moved to Atlanta from Baltimore a week ago. I came to mall with my 3 years old daughter. I parked my car in the mall area and when I came back after 1/2 hr, I was surprise to see a boot on my car wheel. I called the number on the notice they placed on my car window. The security person came and told me to need to pay 75$ for parking here. He told me there is a sign when entering the parking lot and one more on the corner, which no one will notice while entering unless you are local to that area. With my 3 years old daughter with me, i don't have a choice. I asked him can i talk to your management. He laughed and said every day at least 20-30 people will pay the fine, Don't you think they tried to fight back. He said my advice just leave it, at least you can save some time. I was helpless and had to return to home with heavy heart. every day 20-30 people that's ridiculous, I don't know how the city government is allowing these empire parking service and other services to steel money from the hard earning citizens, I cam home and searched in google. I see numerous number of people had same issue. I had to work for 7 hrs to earn that 75$. I hope some one will stop these unethical service companies who has no shame in steeling peoples money. Shame on you . Law has to protect people and make sure citizens are protected not the service people like these guys. At least they need to put bigger signs or mark on the each parking spot not on the corners or in the entrance with small board where no one will notice while driving with the traffic we have in downtown.

I parked at lynex mall parking lot to eat dinner at the cheesecake factory. When I walked back to my car, it was booted. It's absolutely ridiculous that you can not even go in the mall anymore without having to be booted.

When: 1/17/2023

Where:1280 West Peachtree Atlanta 30309

Re: my car was illegally booted. I had a parking pass. It did not expire until 6:22 PM in the boot in my car at 4:17 AM.

Park my vehicle at Pure Taqueria Inman park. Order my lunch from Pure Taqueria and proceed to drop package off at neighboring business call BarTaco. Came out to see a boot on my vehicle. Please see attached photos. Events occurred today Thursday Feb 23 at 2:02pm. I'm requesting to be reimbursed due to paying at the desired establishment. As well there were no signs nor parking meters indicating a boot/immobilizer for parking. I regularly support this local patreon (Pure Taqueria) and to boot/immobilizer on my vehicle is an outrage.