united-states contract-law terms-of-service consent legal-tender
Are &quot;exact change only&quot; policies legal?
<p>I parked in a garage that has an automated pay-to-park kiosk - you specify how many hours you wish to purchase, and then insert payment.  For two hours of parking, the price was listed as $6.  It was only after I inserted a $10 bill that I noticed the "exact change only" sign under the payment slot.  So, I was effectively charged nearly twice what I should have been.</p>

<p>It was only $4, but I felt like I had been scammed and I went to the main parking office to request my change.  They told me I would have to contact the company that actually processes the payments.</p>

<p>Am I legally entitled to my change?  Or, did I "consent" to be ripped off because of the three words "exact change only"?  My receipt even said that the total cost was $6, and that I paid $10.</p>

<p>You didn't consent to being ripped off. You did however fail to grasp the terms under which you were permitted to park on their property, and you failed to pursue an alternative (such as looking for change; using a credit card). It is possible that you should have known that this was a no-change-given machine, since one can often see that there is no mechanism on these machines whereby you can actually <em>get</em> change. However, if you have clear proof that you owed $6 and you paid $10, then 4 of those dollars are properly yours, and there is a reasonable chance that you could prevail in a suit against them. There is even a greater chance that they would refund the difference, just as a sensible business practice.</p>

<p>"Exact change" is legal and can even be the law, especially in government-run  transportation systems.</p>
