An Atlanta man has figured out how to legally beat parking boots — by selling the public master keys that remove the pesky devices.
Christian Verrette grew tired of his car constantly getting booted in Atlanta’s private parking lots, so he began selling master keys on his website ATL Boot Keys for about $50 each, a report said.
That’s much cheaper than paying the usual $75 fee to get the dreaded boot taken off.
“There are a few really big companies that have the majority of the contracts. I have all their keys,” Verrette told Fox 5 Atlanta.
“Atlanta is tired of the boot. The people hate the boot,” he said.
While Verrette has made a pretty penny off his product, having sold about 600 keys in just a few months, he says his end goal is being put out of business.
“I want the boot banned. This is really just to raise awareness about getting the boot banned,” he said, noting that the key business is more of a passion project since he also owns the tattoo parlor, Atlanta Ink.
A proposed bill to ban companies from booting cars across Georgia failed this legislative session, prompting Verrette to call on Mayor Andre Dickens and Atlanta’s city council to ban it within city limits.
Until then, Verrette says he is happy to help provide others with what he says is the only option other than forking over $75 to have the boot removed.
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“In the meantime, this is the people’s only alternative. Honestly, I don’t care if the business fails, I’m just here to help the people out,” Verrette said. “Honestly, I don’t care if the business fails, I’m just here to help people out.”
Verrette’s key has inspired other advantageous business ventures.
Two women known as the Boot Girls use the keys Verrette made around Buckhead, an upscale Atlanta neighborhood.
The business-savvy duo go out in balaclavas and charge customers $50 to remove a boot — $25 less than what parking enforcement companies charge.
The Boots Girls take off about 40 boots each day, they told NPR last month.
Ever since the Boot Girls, who have built a following of over 85,000 on Instagram and TikTok, grew in popularity online, Verrette’s business has boomed and he has sold over 1,200 keys.
While it’s not illegal to own or use a boot key, people who use them could run into trouble if they steal the boot or cause any damage, according to the Atlanta Police Department.
People who use a boot key to modify or tamper with a booting device from a vehicle, can face charges including criminal trespass, theft of services, theft by taking or second-degree damage to property, police said.
