Secure Parking has been fined over $10 million for misleading consumers on parking reservations.

The Federal Court has ordered Secure Parking Pty Ltd to pay $10.95 million in penalties after the company admitted to making false or misleading claims about its ‘Secure-a-Spot’ online parking service. 

This ruling follows legal action by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).

Secure Parking, Australia's largest provider of paid parking, was found guilty of deceiving customers over a five-year period, from July 2017 to June 2022. 

The company falsely advertised that its ‘Secure-a-Spot’ service guaranteed a reserved parking space at a specified time and date, which was not the case. 

Instead, the system relied on forecasted vacancy levels, leading to instances where customers arrived to find no available parking despite having a booking.

“Secure Parking did not provide customers with the service it advertised, and it denied customers the opportunity to make an informed decision about which parking service best suited their needs,” ACCC Commissioner Liza Carver said. 

The false representation caused significant inconvenience and frustration among customers who found their reserved spots occupied upon arrival.

The Federal Court's ruling includes several punitive and corrective measures. 

In addition to the $10.95 million penalty, Secure Parking must also cover part of the ACCC's legal costs. 

The company is required to publish corrective notices and review its complaints handling systems within three months, appointing a senior manager to oversee compliance with consumer law.

Secure Parking has admitted liability and cooperated with the ACCC throughout the proceedings. 

The company's rebranding of the service to ‘Secure Parking – Book Online’ in June 2022 reflects an attempt to move past the misleading practices of the ‘Secure-a-Spot’ service. 

More than ten million bookings were made through the flawed system during the relevant period.

Justice Nye Perram, in his judgement, noted that while Secure Parking did not intend to breach the law, it had “deliberately marketed a reserved parking space service knowing that the spaces were not reserved”.