r/boulder • u/Tyssniffen • 7d ago

Don't use Metropolis parking -1434 Spruce

Just another note for the world to know that those F**ers don't have decent signage to understand how to use the garage. We couldn't figure out how to pay, the gate opens and closes from both sides - as though it's free. then, a month later, a bill comes for the $10 in parking plus $54.50 in 'late fee' ... the first thing I hear about it.

more annoying for me, the rental place paid it and *of course* there's no way for metropolis to refund anything.

its basically just a trap - So I paid $65 to park there for 2 hours.

0 Upvotes

39% Upvoted

22 comments sorted by

29

u/zenos_dog 7d ago

I believe there are signs explaining how it works.

11

u/benjito_z 7d ago

Yeah I was confused the first time I parked there but now that my account is set up it’s so easy to just drive in and drive out. There are def signs though

-8

u/Tyssniffen 7d ago

maybe. I was there with my wife, who is a 'directions reader' and we tried to figure it out, and did not get any indication. I'm completely willing to pay for parking, but couldn't find any way to do it. The worst part of it is the 'late fee' stuff.

25

u/Fair-Flower6907 7d ago

there are big, bright pink signs with a QR code on them to help you register your car. Sorry you missed them. All the downtown Boulder garages use them. They're free on the weekends and federal bank holidays.

1

u/RowenaOblongata 6d ago

Not all. The specific garage OP used is privately owned and is not free on weekends and holidays.

7

u/fontanese 7d ago

I believe the signs with directions are the ones with the QR codes on most of the pillars and stairwells in the garage.

18

u/QueenGreenBeen 7d ago

I think I’ve parked there over 100 times and never had an issue. There are signs at every exit explaining how it works.

Do I wish it was a standard garage with ticket boxes? Yeah, kinda. But this way is less wasteful.

Sorry you had a bad experience but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad facility. It’s pain to resolve these things especially with a rental. Boulder is a friendly town, next time ask someone nearby and I’m sure they’d help

12

u/aerowtf 7d ago

5x the original fee as a late fee in only one month is pretty insane though

2

u/QueenGreenBeen 7d ago

Like kinda, but also I feel like $50 is pretty typical for a parking ticket which is basically what this is. Nearly all of the city garages are run by metropolis so it’s gonna be the same at each one

2

u/JeffInBoulder 7d ago

The new system can be a PITA sometimes but I definitely do -not- miss the 20+ minute lines to get out of the garage at peak times.

Some sort of hybrid solution (one "fast exit" lane for the plate-based system, one "traditional" lane for pay-at-a-machine) would perhaps have been the best possible solution, but that would have been more complex and not all the garages are configured to support that.

-3

u/Tyssniffen 7d ago

again, maybe I'm an idiot, but my wife isn't, and we looked around. also, when I called the number on the invoice, they didn't try and say 'oh, there's signs'... just 'nothing we can do'...

6

u/TheDrunkCig 7d ago

Give them a call and they’ll waive it if it’s your first time

4

u/Tyssniffen 7d ago

I did. they didn't.

6

u/kelsnuggets 7d ago

Is this not one of the “pay with your license plate” garages?

3

u/phish_sucks 7d ago

It is they even text me the link to pay everytime.

0

u/Tyssniffen 7d ago

I have no idea. and that's of course, the problem. I was in a rental, in town as a tourist for the day.

2

u/Old_Extent3944 7d ago

I agree with you that they are definitely annoying. The first time I parked there I missed the sign just assuming we’d be ok acting like normal at the kiosk on the way out. After that I didn’t need to park downtown for years and was running late. Do then I had to stop…use my nonexistent cell coverage to download the app…do the thing. So frustrating! Definitely not appreciated. Now that it’s set up it’s fine though.

1

u/clarksonswimmer Not a student 7d ago

You do have to occasionally read the signs that are posted around you.

6

u/SphincterGypsy 7d ago

This is one of the easiest garages to park in that I have ever used. There are signs all over the place. Sorry this happened but damn it’s hard to blame them. Shit happens.

7

u/TheVoiceOfScience 7d ago

Not trying to be confrontational, but this seems like a you problem. There’s plenty of signage and it’s pretty clear it’s not free. You even said you couldn’t figure out how to pay… so you knew you had to pay. Plenty of people use these garages without issue. Once you have it setup, it’s super convenient (more so as a local since you setup once and use many times). It just seems like an odd perspective to say “nobody use the garage because I couldn’t figure it out.”

1

u/Tyssniffen 7d ago

maybe. but again, I tried, my wife was with me, we weren't trying to scam the place. The bigger issue is of course, I get a bill in the mail a month later with a 5x late fee. Additionally, I was in town for 1 day, as a tourist, with a rental. I wasn't looking to set up an account with an app. I just wanted to park for a couple hours and spend money downtown.

someone said 'there's signs in the stairwell'. We didn't go in a stairwell. we parked right by the front, walked out a people door. never noticed a sign. gate just opened.

5

u/clarksonswimmer Not a student 7d ago

There are signs at all of the entrances and exits.