DETROIT – A parking company says that parking rates at three lots near Ford Field in Downtown Detroit were mistakenly listed for $999 due to a tech issue.

On Jan. 16, 2025, the city of Detroit filed a complaint against Park-Rite, Inc., a company that operates 12 parking lots in Detroit, after rates at three lots near Ford Field were listed online for $999 ahead of the Detroit Lions game. Parking rates are regulated by the city, and rates at those particular lots are capped at $150.

As of Friday morning, the city had closed the three parking lots and posted orders to suspend operation at the sites. The lots were re-opened later Friday morning.

Here’s what was explained in court:

What Park Rite says happened

Oral arguments were heard during a status conference held before Judge David J. Allen on Friday, Jan. 17, 2025.

Attorney Michael Vogt spoke on behalf of Park Rite. He said that Park Rite uses Spot Hero, a digital parking marketplace, to market, advertise rates, and sell reservations online. He said the $999 price was mistakenly published to Spot Hero due to a tech issue and has since been corrected.

He said that the e-commerce manager for Park Rite, Miguel Nouhan, put the $999 number in the system as an “inventory control measure” within their online dashboard to let him know when there are overlapping events scheduled in Detroit. A change occurred in Spot Hero that caused the $999 rate in the internal dashboard to mistakenly be published on the public website without his knowledge.

“Spot Hero changed the way their logic works very recently and didn’t notify me to explain how it works so, basically, they’re telling me that even though on my side it says in caps ‘EVENT SOLD OUT INVENTORY 0′, if I put 999 in there, it’s going to automatically pull that number in when there’s an overlapping event,” Nouhan said. “For example, if there’s an event at the Music Hall and at Ford Field, it’s gonna take the highest of the two rates whether there’s inventory available or not.”

Nouhan said under oath that the $999 rate published on Spot Hero was not published intentionally. He said when he notice the issue he contacted his representative with Spot Hero and they corrected the issue.

Was anyone charged $999?

According to Vogt and Nouhan, no, nobody was charged $999.

Nouhan said a customer was “never ever” charged $999 for a parking space at one of those three lots. He said that if someone had booked at the $999 price, he would have noticed the next morning and “would immediately refund it.”

What happens next?

Judge David J. Allen said the court was satisfied that the $999 rate hadn’t been charged and that the company acknowledged it was a mistake and corrected the issue. He ordered that the lots be re-opened.

A special conference has been scheduled for 10 a.m. on Jan. 22, 2025. At this conference, they will decide if the case will be dismissed.

—> Previous report: 3 parking lots accused of charging up to $1,000 for Detroit Lions playoff parking

3 lots located near Ford Field

The lots are located near the intersection of Randolph Street and Gratiot Avenue, just a few hundred feet south of Ford Field.

The Detroit Lions will be without starting right guard Kevin Zeitler when they host the Washington Commanders in the divisional round on Saturday night.

The Lions ruled out Zeitler on Thursday with the hamstring injury that knocked him out of their regular-season finale on Jan. 5 against Minnesota. They also will not have defensive lineman Pat O’Connor (calf), while cornerback Ennis Rakestraw is questionable because of a hamstring injury and an illness.

Rookie Christian Mahogany or Kayode Awosika are candidates to start in place of Zeitler. Mahogany, a sixth-round pick, played in seven games this season, starting one.

“We feel like we’re in good hands,” coach Dan Campbell said this week in Allen Park, Michigan.

The Commanders are expected to be at nearly full strength with six-time All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner set to play after missing practice Tuesday and Wednesday this week because of an ankle injury.

“I’m good,” Wagner said after being a limited participant in practice Thursday.

Asked follow-up questions about whether it happened in the wild-card round victory at Tampa Bay on Sunday night and if he was worried about not playing, Wagner was tight lipped.

“Just life,” Wagner said. “It’s life. I’m not about to talk about the injury or anything because the Detroit Lions are watching, so anything that I say — so, see you guys Saturday.”

Rookie linebacker Jordan Magee (hamstring) is out, something coach Dan Quinn foreshadowed Monday. A couple of special teams players, linebacker Mykal Walker (illness) and rookie tight end Colson Yankoff (hamstring), are questionable.

Quinn also said kicker Zane Gonzalez, who made the winning field goal as time expired to beat the Buccaneers, was good to go after being limited by a hip injury early in the week.

UAW members at Detroit Axle have voted to OK a strike.

The union said in a news release that workers on Wednesday “had voted by a resounding 99% to authorize a strike if necessary.”

Workers produce front and rear axles as well as transmissions for Daimler Truck, and one of the main issues is pay disparity.

Detroit Diesel workers are in the same plant and make $10 more an hour “for the same assembly work,” according to a union video, accusing the company of using “divide and conquer” tactics. The workers are represented by UAW Local 163.

A union flyer says the top assembler wages for Detroit Axle workers in January 2024 were $24.50 per hour, while wages at Detroit Diesel were $34.62 per hour in January 2024 and are set to increase to $36.83 per hour in June 2027.

Anja Weinert, a spokeswoman for parent company Daimler Truck North America, provided a statement highlighting the vote as part of the negotiating process:

“We would like to clarify that the recent vote was a preauthorization vote and is part of the normal negotiations process. The current contract remains in effect until next Friday, Jan. 24, at 11:59 p.m. We are optimistic about reaching a negotiated agreement.”

The company said there are about 400 employees in the bargaining unit.

The company in December announced a $285 million investment at the complex. That project, which garnered incentives of more than $30 million in state grant funding and a tax abatement, was to enhance current production and equip the plant to make electric components for medium- and heavy-duty electric trucks.

The investment was promoted as creating up to 436 jobs and preserving about 2,000 more at the facility in Redford Township and Detroit that supplies parts for the Freightliner, Western Star and Thomas Built Buses vehicle platforms.

A 2023 company news release said the operation dates to 1938 and the formation by General Motors of the GM Diesel Division. Detroit Diesel Corp. was formed in 1988 and acquired by Daimler in 2000.

The company at the time said the operation had produced 1.1 million heavy-duty engines and had almost 3,000 Daimler Truck employees in Detroit.

Laura Dickerson, UAW Region 1A director, said in the union release that “since 2020, Daimler has seen over $17 billion in profits. Daimler can afford to provide UAW members at Detroit Axle what every worker deserves: pay that keeps up with inflation, a safe workplace and a secure retirement. If it takes a fight to win that, our members are ready.”

Zachary Harper, a committeeperson at Detroit Axle, said in the release that “this overwhelming vote shows we are no longer content with the crumbs from Daimler’s pie.”

The contract fight in Detroit follows successful negotiations between the union and company last year.

In May, UAW members at Daimler Truck plants in the South approved a new four-year contract with the company.

That agreement, which covers more than 7,000 workers, averted a strike and included raises of more than 25% and the introduction of profit-sharing and cost-of-living adjustments as it ends a tiered wage system at the truck maker, according to the union.

Contact Eric D. Lawrence: elawrence@freepress.com. Become a subscriber. Submit a letter to the editor at freep.com/letters.