Oscar Toledo was already bummed out after watching the Chicago Bears fall to the Minnesota Vikings 27-24 at Soldier Field Monday night.
But his night got much worse after getting back to a Near South Side parking lot to find out his allegedly legally parked car was towed. His was one of several dozen vehicles taken to a towing yard during the game that night.
SpotHero, the app he used to reserve a spot at the lot, has since temporarily disabled the lot as a parking spot pending investigation. But impacted fans have had mixed reactions to the parking app company’s gesture, with several believing it should’ve done more.
“Everyone’s situation is different,” said Toledo, a Plainfield resident waiting to hear back on his reimbursement status. “For me, my time is valuable especially because I have kids that have to wake up and get ready the next day.”
In a statement sent to the Sun-Times Wednesday, SpotHero vowed to reimburse affected customers.
“While it appears these tows resulted from an on-site error at the facility, we know this is not the ideal experience for SpotHero customers, and we sincerely apologize for the inconvenience it caused,” the company said in the statement. “Our mission is to make parking easy, and we remain committed to ensuring a smooth and reliable experience every time you book with SpotHero.”
Still, many frustrated SpotHero users didn’t get home until between 1 a.m. and 4 a.m. Tuesday, with some missing work, forgoing sleep entirely, or spending the next day more tired than usual.
About 45 to 70 Bears and Vikings fans waited in line to get their vehicles back after an entire Near South Side lot of vehicles was towed Monday night. | Provided
About 45 to 70 Bears and Vikings fans waited in line to get their vehicles back after an entire Near South Side lot of vehicles was towed Monday night.
Flavius Ardelean, 21, was one of several who missed work, but was content with SpotHero’s response after he was reimbursed roughly $300 for the towing fee, parking spot and ride share cost to get from the lot to the tow yard and an additional $250.
“They were super sorry about everything, and they did the best they could,” Ardelean said.
Many other fans are still waiting to hear back on their reimbursement requests, which could take 24 to 48 hours to process after they were submitted via email, according to fans.
Joelle Beranek, of Lemont, would like to get reimbursed but also wants the company to put more of an emphasis on ensuring a similar incident doesn’t happen again.
“I want SpotHero to get back to us and say, ‘These are the steps we did to make sure this doesn’t happen,’” said Beranek, 39. “The next step after reimbursing us is following through on the business model.”
Mark Wolfkiel, 61, is frustrated after not hearing back from SpotHero following his reimbursement request. He said it’s about more than money.
“They need to compensate for the damages and for the ‘pain and suffering.’ It completely ruined the evening and next day for a lot of people,” said Wolfkiel, of Forest Park. “It’s so much more than getting the money back. ... It’s a complete disregard for other people.”
Several fans stressed the importance of holding those responsible for the error accountable in hopes of preventing something similar from happening again.
“Personally, I’d rather see people get held accountable than be reimbursed,” Tyler Conway, 39, said. “It’s a garbage thing to do. It’s terrible.”
The Illinois Commerce Commission doesn’t regulate private parking agreements, but it is aware of the incident and is investigating. Anyone who feels they have been unfairly towed can file a complaint.
Fans mainly were deterred from using SpotHero after Monday night’s incident, but many have shifted their stance and said they’d use the app again cautiously following the company’s response.
“Until they start telling me what’s going on, I’m not gonna use them,” Wolfkiel said. “If I find that they reimburse everybody on equal footing, that to me is fair.”
Toledo, a frequent SpotHero user, seemed ready to forgive.
“I definitely feel like everyone deserves a second chance,” Toledo said. “I’d just be very cautious.”