A Wilson Parking customer is fuming over the car park company’s inaction after his car was damaged by thieves in lockdown
Apartment dweller Rubens Elling Junior has been paying more than $300 every month for four years to park his car in downtown Auckland.
Junior works in Henderson and has relied on Wilson Parking’s Kitchener Street parking garage because his apartment block did not have its own parking lot.
But ineffective security has caused thousands of dollars' worth of damage to his car after thieves stole the tyres from his Audi A1 this week.
"I need that car to go to work. It's a necessity. I wouldn't pay so much to park it there otherwise," Junior said.
Last Friday morning Junior discovered both front and back wheels on the passenger side of his car were missing.
After notifying Wilson Parking around 6am, Junior did not receive a response from Wilson Parking acknowledging the issue until the afternoon.
Then two days later the same thing happened again.
On Monday morning, Junior returned to his car and found the remaining tyres had also been stolen.
“Twice in a weekend. It should be easy to track suspicious activity in a lockdown,” Junior said.
When Wilson Parking contacted Junior, he was told his 24-hour parking membership did not cover the damages and was told to send an invoice for repairs to receive a discount.
He was also advised by the company to change where he parked his car within the parking lot to avoid people watching his car and another theft in the future.
In an email to Junior, Wilson Parking insisted all doors at the parking lot were secured during lockdown to “try and help reduce risk to customers”.
Junior said during the Alert Level 4 lockdown there was a door non-members could enter to access the car park, which he suspects was how the thieves got in.
“I’ve been paying them every month for four years and it’s frustrating they can’t even guarantee the security of my car.”
In a statement, a Wilson Parking spokeswoman said the company took the safety and security of its car parks “very seriously” and had around-the-clock monitoring, but the lockdown had made physical monitoring challenging.
However, the company said it could not guarantee security.
“Many of our car parks have remained open and whilst we are doing our best in challenging times, regretfully we cannot guarantee the safety of all the vehicles in our sites. This is articulated in our terms and conditions of parking, which is clearly displayed at every site.
“We acknowledge that there has been a recent spike in crime across Auckland, and this includes theft. We are working closely with the police and bolstering our security services in response to this trend.”
The spokeswoman said restrictions to the carpark were widened to allow essential service workers access to the facility after receiving feedback from these workers.
She said a parking supervisor working at a nearby car park visited the site at 8am the same day to confirm the report.
“Immediately following this incident, we have reverted the car park back to accessible only by those with a monthly swipe card.
“Our Park Watch facility has assisted in the apprehension of many theft ex car criminals, and we will continue to do everything we can to support the police in their investigation in this matter.”
Police were contacted for a response but were unable to share data on similar incidents in the Auckland CBD area without an OIA request.
“I’ve been paying them every month for four years and it’s frustrating they can’t even guarantee the security of my car.” – Rubens Elling Junior, Wilson Parking customer
However, Junior had heard from Wilson Parking since earlier in the week when he was informed his membership did not cover damages.
He said the company's response was "same as usual".
Since 2018, Wilson Carpark has earned more than $15,840 from Junior’s contract.
In January, the company also incrementally increased the monthly rate from $330 to $350 in 2019 and then to $360 in March this year citing Covid-19 disruptions putting increasing financial pressure on its business.
“Parking habits have changed and whilst this has heavily impacted our business we have been fluid and enhanced our existing product suite and improved our customer interface to continue delivering on these initiatives. We have made continued efforts to absorb these rises in costs and periods of reduced revenue but regretfully reached a point where we need to make some minor adjustments to our monthly parking rates,” Wilson said in an email to customers.
According to a clause in Wilson’s parking contract, the company said it was “not responsible for any damage, loss of property, or injury in any way whatsoever even if it arises from its own negligence or any breach of the agreement”.
But Consumer NZ head of research Jessica Wilson said under the Consumer Guarantees Act (CGA), traders, including car park operators, had to carry out their services with reasonable care and skill.
“They can’t contract out of the act by using clauses stating they have no liability for damage arising from their negligence,” Wilson said.
“If a trader has failed to meet their CGA obligations, they’re responsible for putting things right.”
Wilson Parking’s Kitchener Street carpark has dozens of one-star Google reviews for its pricing. In one instance, it had displayed an $8 parking sign - with no mention of hourly rates - and one customer was charged $8 an hour on a public holiday.
The Commerce Commission has received 39 complaints about Wilson Parking this year, three since the start of the Alert Level 4 lockdown in August.
A spokeswoman for the Commission said a common theme in complaints were about ticketing issues.
Last year the Commerce Commission reached a settlement agreement with Wilson Parking after filing proceedings in the High Court in 2018 alleging the parking company substantially lessened competition for the supply of car parking in the Boulcott Street area when it acquired the rights to operate the Capital car park.
A Wilson Parking spokeswoman said the company was working with the Commerce Commission to divest of a number of car parks and stressed no breach of the Commerce Act occurred.
To resolve the proceedings, Wilson Parking provided court enforceable undertakings to the Commission, committing to divest the leases to three car parking facilities it currently operates, including Capital car park.
*A previous version of this article said the Wilson Parking customer paid $360 a month for four years. This has been amended to reflect prices increased gradually over four years.
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