Booted SunTrust Customer to Get Money Back

EAST ATLANTA — The owner of the parking lot behind SunTrust Bank's Flat Shoals Avenue branch says he will refund the $75 booting fee levied against a bank customer this past weekend.

A number of spots in the 38-space parking lot at 514 Flat Shoals are designated for SunTrust clients and the rest for customers and employees of other businesses in that building.

But David Adams, a SunTrust customer and East Atlanta resident, said he was booted Saturday by an attendant of Empire Parking Services, the company that enforces the parking restrictions, even though he went to the bank's ATM to conduct a transaction.

Adams' offense: He also went to Joe's East Atlanta Coffee Shop, which doesn't have authorized use of the lot. That Adams showed proof to the attendant he went to the bank via the ATM receipt, made no difference. Adams said the Empire Parking Services employee demanded $75 to remove the boot.

The scenario didn't sit well with Chris Fogg, the owner of the SunTrust building and the lot behind it.

"I hate booting and I thought it a bit unreasonable that the guy couldn't see he was just there for a few minutes using the ATM and grabbing a coffee," Fogg told East Atlanta Patch Wednesday.

"Having said that, there are numerous signs stating that it's for patrons of 514 Flat Shoals only and I haven't worked out anything with the booting company in regards to how long someone can go into Joe's before it's a problem."

He acquired the building and lot following the 2009 bankruptcy of the now-defunct Inman Park Properties Inc., the real estated development firm headed by Savannah hotelier Jeff Notrica.

In addition to SunTrust, the lot is for the use of employees and customers of LIT Property Servicesand Fogg's own audio books and audio post-production company.

Fogg said his firm has 40 employees alone, not counting SunTrust's or LIT's staffing.

"If you add it up, there isn't enough room in the parking lot for the building employees," Fogg said.