A woman surnamed Chu from Shanghai parked her car in a shopping center for only 40 minutes but had to pay 13,120 CNY (equivalent to 1830 USD) for parking.
Everyone agrees that parking in a shopping center should incur a fee. However, the amount may vary depending on factors such as the location, infrastructure, facilities, and parking duration.
In China, the parking fee for a car within an hour should not exceed 100 CNY (around 14 USD) in most cases.
Chu, who works in Shanghai, parked her car at the Truong Ninh International Parking Lot when going shopping.
Upon leaving the parking lot, the automatic toll system scanned Chu’s license plate and deducted the fee from her WeChat account through facial recognition. Chu was so accustomed to this payment process that she didn’t notice anything unusual.
It wasn’t until Chu bought coffee at a store that she discovered an issue with her bank balance and opened the payment notification on her phone.
The message showed that Chu had paid 13,120 CNY (1830 USD) around noon on December 23, 2023. According to her knowledge, the Truong Ninh International Parking Lot charges 10 CNY for less than an hour of parking. Why was she charged so much?
Chu then returned to the parking lot and negotiated with the management staff. The manager, Mr. Tu, also found it puzzling when Chu claimed to have been charged 13,120 CNY for parking.
So, the staff showed Chu the video footage of the toll location. In the video, Chu entered the parking lot at 11:49:11 on December 23 and exited at 12:29:24, making a total parking time of about 40 minutes.
Afterward, the manager told Chu that due to a malfunction in the parking lot’s equipment, the excess fee would be refunded to her. However, the refund request needed to go through the company’s process. As the Truong Ninh International Parking Lot is a “large” company, Chu’s money would be processed gradually but guaranteed to be refunded within a month.
What made Chu even more speechless was when the manager mentioned that he could write a commitment letter for her, assuring that the company would refund her within a month. If the payment deadline was exceeded, Mr. Tu would advance the refund to Chu.
However, what Chu cared about was not only whether she would get the refund but also when. She requested faster and more accurate results rather than a broad and vague answer like within a month.
In summary, from Chu’s perspective, the exorbitant parking fee charged by the Truong Ninh International Parking Lot has affected her life. The manager’s handling of the situation also showed some leniency, making her very frustrated. However, with no other options, Chu can only wait for the company to settle the refund within a month. If there is no result after the deadline, she is determined to take this matter to court because the deducted amount is not insignificant.
