A majority of consumer disputes with private parking enforcement firms are decided in favour of the companies, according to the daily Uutissuomalainen.
So far this year, the Consumer Disputes Board has ruled on 46 disputes involving parking enforcement by private firms, with just six decisions going in favour of motorists.
The arbitration body recommended that the parking firms pay compensation claims in just six cases. In 19 cases, the board ruled that the complaints filed by motorists were baseless. The nature of another one-third of the complaints was such that the board had no jurisdiction to offer a ruling.
This year, the board received a total of about 100 complaints about private parking firms.
The board will not hear disputes that involve alleged parking infractions on school property or the premises of a housing association. Meanwhile, disputes involving public parking enforcement are directed to the administrative courts.
According to deputy chair of the board, Päivi Korpiola, this year there were no complaints that questioned the right of private companies to engage in parking enforcement. She noted that the grievances involved unclear texts, parking tickets that fell from the windscreen or poorly-positioned parking timers.
According to Uutissuomalainen, last year the board also dismissed the majority of grievances filed against such firms.
