Students walk past the Kenneth T. H. Brooks Student Center on USM’s Gorham campus in 2015. Press Herald file photo by Jill Brady

It was December when University of Southern Maine sophomore Ian Smith opened the mailbox at his Sebago home to find 53 parking tickets saying he owed, in all, almost $3,000.

The tickets were from Parking Revenue Recovery Services, a company based in Colorado that the university began contracting with this past summer to run its parking enforcement.

Students and visitors to the school, especially its Gorham campus, have been frustrated by the new system, which they say is – at a minimum – prone to errors and difficult to communicate with, and – at most – a scam.

Students told the Press Herald they have been ticketed when they never actually parked on campus but just briefly pulled into a parking lot, or idled during the allotted 30-minute to one-hour grace period to unload bulky items like musical instruments or sports equipment.

Trystan Henry, USM’s parking and transportation manager, said many higher education systems use similar systems. But, he said, adjusting to the new partnership has taken up a lot of his time.

When the system first went into effect in July, Henry said, his team of three full-time and one part-time staff was spending 100% of its time dealing with Parking Revenue Recovery Services and responding to ticket appeals and student questions. Six months later, he said, they spend about 50% of their time on those tasks.

HEAVY CRITICISM

Parking Revenue Recovery Services runs parking enforcement for municipalities, universities, airports, hospitals, hotels, residential properties and schools. Its systems generated outrage in Colorado and led that state’s attorney general to investigate the company for unlawfully collecting thousands of dollars in fees.

The company settled the case and agreed to pay $31,000 to roughly 450 people and change its enforcement practices. But CBS News has reported that customers in Colorado have continued to cite issues with the company.

Parking Revenue Recovery Services co-founder and Chief Business Development Officer John Conway said in a phone interview Friday that the company never did anything illegal and that saying so was a “misstatement by the attorney general.”

The company also has a C rating from the Better Business Bureau, a private organization that provides information about businesses and charities and handles consumer complaints.

Conway said that it makes sense that consumers are unhappy because no one likes when they get a parking ticket.

“People who are receiving parking tickets are not rushing to the Better Business Bureau to give me an A rating,” he said, adding that if his clients were the ones rating him, the company would “probably have an A+ rating.”

The school’s contract with Parking Revenue Recovery Services runs until September. USM is deciding whether to renew the contract or try and find a different parking enforcement company, Henry said.

According to a copy of the contract shared with the Press Herald, PRRS agreed to “maximize” revenues and “compliance with Rules and Regulations.” USM receives 40% of all revenue from collecting parking violation fees.

Henry said working with PRRS has helped the system reduce its expenses but that the parking and transportation department still operates at a $1.2 million deficit.

STUDENTS RACK UP FINES

Smith, the student who owes $3,000 in fines, is a non-degree-seeking commuter student. He drives to the Gorham campus from his parents’ house in Sebago five days a week.

Last year, he said, he parked in the commuter lot without problems. So when this school year started up, he did the same thing. And up until the day he received 53 tickets in the mail, Smith didn’t know he was parking incorrectly or that he was doing anything that could get him into trouble.

Henry, USM’s parking manager, said the school has regularly communicated with students about the new parking system since it went into effect July 15.

But Smith said that as a non-degree-seeking student, he didn’t get the same information. And because the parking tickets were mailed late, he wasn’t able to change his behavior to avoid racking up a $3,000 tab.

Smith said he reached out to the company in an attempt to appeal at least some of the tickets, but his pleas were denied. Now he’s trying to work out a payment plan.

“I know I don’t have the $3,000 to pay for it. And I pay for college as well, so it’s gonna take a while,” said Smith, who works 20 to 30 hours a week at Aroma Joe’s in Gorham, making $11.50 an hour plus tips.

Smith is far from the only student who has accrued multiple tickets this year.

Freshman Estelle Smith said she got 10 tickets in the first week, totaling $550. She emailed PRRS, but the company said they couldn’t be disputed, she said.

Miles Plummer, also a freshman, said he’s lost count of the number of tickets he’s gotten from idling in front of a school building for a few minutes while he carries his drums in and out.

Freshman Ashley Tobias got a $55 ticket when she returned home from an away lacrosse game after getting caught in a storm. Her mother paid it for her as a sort of birthday present since her birthday was coming up, she said.

Aaron Whitman, a freshman, said he got a ticket when his car was snowed in and he couldn’t move it. He called PRRS to try to dispute it, but the automated system said he was the 56th person in line to speak to a company representative, so he gave up, he said.

“They make it super inconvenient,” he said. “It feels like they’re trying to take everyone’s money.”

Conway, the co-founder, said it’s inaccurate to say the company is difficult to reach. He said tickets can be appealed through an online form or by calling a customer service representative.

When a reporter called the customer service number midafternoon on Friday, they were 17th in line, and it took slightly over 20 minutes to get in touch with a representative.

Henry said the school has appealed many notices on behalf of students and community members, and has waived all tickets given through the end of September to provide a grace period as people figured out how to navigate the new system.

He also said he is receiving far fewer complaints now.

“Our goal isn’t to give anyone tickets,” said Henry. “Our goal is for everyone to pay their fair share.”