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BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - Several drivers have turned to the WAFB I-TEAM after having to pay up to get parking boots removed from their cars. Many of them have concerns about who parking enforcement companies determine who gets booted and how much they are charged.

Amber Morales was booted when she and her family recently drove to Baton Rouge for the St. Patrick’s Day parade. Once the fun was over, Morales did not just catch throws, but her truck also caught a boot. Pictures from that day show a sign plastered on her window saying she was parked too close to electric vehicle parking. Before she could leave, she had to fork over $200 to have the boot removed.

Drivers push for answers after getting booted in private lots.(WAFB)

“It wasn’t right what they did that day,” said Morales. “I parked right here in this area next to the electrical vehicle charging station but there was no sign and there was a vehicle next to us. They didn’t have a boot or anything.”

Morales says there were other cars that just had warnings on them others that got the boot were charged different fees.

“There was another vehicle that was booted on the little pavement up here that was booted $250 and then there was another vehicle in the back that was blocking two of the electric vehicle spaces and I want to say they were booted $300 so everybody had kind of a different price,” said Morales.

For Morales, it just does not make sense and she believes she and the other unlucky drivers who did end up with a boot were singled out for some reason.

“Oh, I was angry and upset, you know,” said Morales. “I mean, everybody else that was parked where they weren’t supposed to be parked, they didn’t get booted but then we got booted.

It is not just at the shopping center along Perkins Road. On different days, the WAFB I-TEAM saw another three vehicles that also got booted downtown. Whitney Hoffman-Sayal, executive director for the Downtown Development District, says it’s something they are already looking into after they also got complaints.

“So, we have gotten calls from people right and the expectation of having the fee and the booting was something they weren’t really anticipating,” said Hoffman-Sayal.

Hoffman-Sayal says they are researching what other cities are doing for parking enforcement to make sure everyone’s on the same page and the fees are fair.

“We are looking at other cities like how does booting function in other cities to make sure that we’re kind of on the same par and addressing it in the same ways that they are,” said Hoffman-Sayal.

The parking situation can sometimes be confusing. For example, in downtown Baton Rouge on nights and weekends, street parking is free but private lots that are just steps away are not free. So, if drivers park there without paying, they risk getting booted. Signs spell out that those violators could get hit with a fee that ranges anywhere from $200 to $750.

Hoffman-Sayal says she would like to sit down with the city and parking enforcement companies to look at maybe capping those fees, so drivers don’t end up stuck with a huge ransom on their car.

“That’s part of the reason why we started digging into this research when we got those calls,” said Hoffman-Sayal. “I was a single mom once myself and yeah, I may not be able to afford groceries that month had I gotten a $250 or $300 fee. So, it is something that we’re looking at and we’ve very sensitive to because we want to make sure that things are reasonable.”

Ann Spink is co-owner of American Coachworks, the company behind many of these boots. She explains their fees are already set at $200. Anything over that depends on other factors.

“I get it. Nobody likes to be booted,” said Spink. “Our basic rate is $200. The only time we charge in addition to that is if it’s a downtown parking lot we charge the parking fees above the $200. That’s regulated by state law and if someone damages our equipment, then we will charge to get the equipment replaced but 99 percent of the time it’s $200.”

WAFB’s Scottie Hunter asked Spink if they’ve ever charged a driver the maximum $750 fee that notated on their signs.

“Never,” Spink replied.

The company has been around for years. They used to tow cars more often but these days, they’ve turned to booting more regularly. It’s something she says is actually a lot easier for them and for drivers.

“If we tow a vehicle for the same exact reason, they’re not going to get their vehicle. They may not get their vehicle back until Monday morning and then there’s additional storage fees and only the registered owner or someone who represents them can pick up the vehicle,” said Spink.

Spink also encourages drivers to pay attention to the signs and make sure they are paying in the right place for parking. Some areas require drivers to pay at a kiosk, while others want you to pay through a QR-code. If drivers chose the wrong option, they are still at risk of getting the boot.

“We have occasionally where someone will go out and pay on the street kiosk but they parked in the paid lot and so they did pay for parking, but they paid at the wrong place and that’s unfortunate,” said Spink.

Morales says there were no signs near the space where she parked at the lot on Perkins Road. That is true, but after walking from the back of the huge shopping center, the WAFB I-TEAM did find two signs right at the entrance of the parking lot near Perkins Road. By law, that is really all the company is required to have.

WAFB’s Scottie Hunter pressed the company owner about the placement of the signs and whether she thinks it’s enough for drivers, especially in a large parking lot.

“Our signs are supposed to be at the entrance or exits of every shopping center. People don’t see them but they’re there,” said Spink. “I can’t stand there and knock on everybody’s window and say, ‘oh be sure to pay’. So, they’re just not paying attention.”

As for who gets booted and who does not, Spink says they do random patrols of the paid parking areas downtown. On special days like the St. Patrick’s Day parade, they only do patrols in shopping centers when the owner of the parking lot asks them to, and she says they only hit the cars the owner tells them to boot.

“They asked us to come out that day and they specifically showed us which vehicles they wanted us to boot,” said Spink.

Spink understands it’s not popular, but she says it’s the job.

Right now, there are no city ordinances on the books about these boots. The WAFB I-TEAM did speak with at least one metro council member who says they are interested in possibly bringing up some kind of proposal in the future. Meanwhile-- after WAFB started asking questions about some of this confusion, at least one of the American Coachworks signs downtown appears to have an additional attachment on the sign which attempts to clear up confusion on where drivers should pay.

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