Secure Parking misled consumers for five years with its “Secure-a-Spot” service, according to the Australian Consumer and Competition Commission (ACCC).
The ACCC has instituted Federal Court proceedings against the parking giant, which runs 474 carparks in Australia, alleging the Secure-a-Spot name and language such as “PARKING GUARANTEED” in communications to customers and potential customers was misleading.
Secure said consumers could book parking online at one of 104 carparks “for a guaranteed parking spot”, and said “an advance booking with Secure-a-Spot means guaranteed parking in the CBD at a much cheaper rate”.
The ACCC alleges Secure carparks “sometimes reached full capacity before people with a ‘Secure-a-Spot’ booking arrived at their pre-booked time, which meant there was no parking space available for them”.
According to ACCC Commissioner Liza Carver, some consumers “who were unable to access the parking space they’d booked complained that they were late to, or entirely missed, appointments, events, and work commitments”.
The ACCC alleges Secure Parking received a “significant number of complaints from consumers who had booked parking online using the Secure-a-Spot service but were unable to find a parking when they arrived at the time of their booking”.
The consumer watchdog is chasing “declarations, penalties, compliance orders, corrective notices and costs” from Secure Parking.
CarExpert has reached out to Secure Parking seeking comment.
