Parking Company Forced To Pay Millions Over Complaints About Overcharging For Parking In Downtown Nashville

Couldn’t happen to a better company.

If you’ve been to Nashville, and especially if you’ve had to drive in downtown Music City, chances are you’ve had the misfortune of interacting with Metropolis Parking.

The company, which is headquartered in Nashville, controls most of the parking lots and garages in the downtown area, which of course are already scarce to begin with. But dealing with Metropolis can be next to impossible, as evidenced by the hundreds of complaints filed with the Tennessee Attorney General’s Office over the past few years.

The company uses camera technology to read license plates and charge customers, which resulted in complaints of drivers being charged in some cases over $100 for simply entering a lot and driving right back out – without having ever actually parked there.

Then there were complaints of unclear signage and surprise “event pricing” that wasn’t actually advertised on the lot. According to one customer, he was charged $57 to park for 49 minutes in downtown Nashville, and when he contacted Metropolis he was told they wouldn’t do anything about it because “special rates can be implemented at any time and are not usually displayed” on the lot’s signage.

So basically, they can just charge whatever they want and customers can go f— themselves.

That specific customer called it a “shakedown” – and apparently Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skirmetti’s office received enough complaints that they opened an investigation into the company’s business practices.

According to the AG’s office, they received over 100 complaints of unclear (or in some cases, nonexistent) signage, and misleading communication from the company regarding fees and violations.

The investigation led the attorney general to determine that the company misled customers about pricing, charged customers due to glitches with their own technology, and made it “nearly impossible” to get a refund when the company made a mistake. They were also found to have misled customers with parking violations that appeared to be official government notices.

As a result of the AG’s findings, Metropolis has agreed to a settlement in Davidson County Chancery Court that will result in the company paying the state $6.5 million, along with setting up a fund for drivers in Nashville, Knoxville and Memphis to receive $2.25 million in free parking credits – up to $30 per resident of each city.

The company will also be required to update their signage to show “current active rates” in a “clear and conspicuous manner” at all times from all entrances to the parking lot. And they are also prohibited from charging customers who enter any lot that uses cameras to read license plates if they leave the lot within 15 minutes.

Skirmetti praised the company for agreeing to the settlement, but also sent a warning if they continue with their shady practices:

“Tennesseans work hard for their money, and when they park they deserve a clear price up front and no shenanigans with bogus charges and stonewalling customer service. My office is here to protect consumers and hold companies accountable, and this is exactly the type of situation where we need to step in. I’m proud of the work of my consumer team and glad that Metropolis has agreed to make things right. If the company does not follow through and do right by Tennessee consumers, we stand ready to take further action.”

Parking in downtown Nashville is enough of a nightmare as it is, with scarce supply and exorbitant prices. But hopefully from know on we’ll at least be able to figure out what it’s going to cost when we park.