Parking tickets are a nuisance in most people's lives, but what if the parking ticket is unfair? This was the case for TikToker @petrolectric, who claimed to have been the victim of a “fraudulent” parking ticket on the now-viral TikTok app.
“I just got my first parking ticket, not from the city, from a private company,” he said in the video, which has so far received 1.2 million views as of Sunday. “This was in the CVS lot. I've been thousands of times. It takes 60 minutes to park there as long as you're shopping inside a CVS, and it says I walked out. Well that's right. I left because I had to walk out to get into the store.”
“It's clearly a fake ticket worth $26.50,” he continued. It says I have to pay within 15 days, [but] “I was there for 10 minutes.”
“There's all this threatening stuff about what,” he added, showing the ticket to viewers [they’re] “I will.”
“Well, these bastards are called Diamond Parking and what they're doing is illegal in California, and I assume most other states,” he said.
@petroelectric These Fraudulent Parking Companies Are Handing Out Tickets! Don't fall for them, they have no legal status. Is there anyone who deals with these scum? . . . #diamond_parking #Parking ticket #Parking tickets #Special tickets #parking #Parking lot #Wrong parking violation #a ticket #the quote #Parking #Awesome company #Stop ♬ original sound – Petroelectric
“Federal law says you can't impose a fine that exceeds the cost of the service,” he said. “Well, the service was free parking so they can fine me zero. I'm perfectly fine with paying that because that's all they'll get from me, and I hope you do the same.”
Petrolectric did not immediately respond to the Daily Dot's request for comment via TikTok comment.
In the comments, it became clear that the issue of “fraudulent” parking is much bigger than just one person.
“I got a ticket from Diamond last Tuesday and the ticket price is $86,” one commenter revealed. “Funny, because I wouldn't pay the ticket either.”
“I had a similar problem with Diamond Parking,” another added. “I prepaid for parking using an app, but because I parked on the left side and not the right, I got a ticket.”
Other commenters pointed out that it would be difficult for the parking company to enforce the fine. “Payment in 15 days or what?” one user asked.
The Daily Dot reached out to Diamond Parking via email.
*First published: January 14, 2024 at 3:00 PM CST
Charlotte Colombo
Charlotte is a regular contributor to the Daily Dot and has bylines at Insider, VICE, Glamor, The Independent, and more. She holds a master's degree in magazine journalism from City University, London.
“Devoted student. Bacon advocate. Beer scholar. Troublemaker. Falls down a lot. Typical coffee enthusiast.”