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McCormick Place Parking Company Offering Advice For Star Wars Fans Attending This Weekend's Celebration

Chicago (CBS) -- Here's important information for anyone going to this weekend's Star Wars Celebration. SP+ Parking, which operates the lots at McCormick Place, is offering specific advice for anyone with a prepaid parking pass for the event.

SP+ promises, "your space is guaranteed. Even if the garage signage says the garage is full, we will have your space available. If the garage sign says full, please show your prepaid credential to the lot attendant at the entrance and he will let you enter the garage.  When you arrive at the garage, please have your credential available whether it is printed, or on your phone."

RELATED Star Wars Fan Worries Prepaid Convention Parking Might Prove Pointless

This email to "McCormick Place Prepaid Parkers" comes in the wake of reported problems at the recent C2E2 Convention.

CBS2's Vince Gerasole detailed parking issues that sparked fears of a repeat for this weekend's Star Wars Celebration, also at McCormick Place. Three of the other companies involved in C2E2 (SpotHero, Park Mobile and Reed Expositions) offered refunds and promised to work with customers who had prepaid vouchers and were denied access to the lot.

However, SP+ repeatedly denied any issues with online, prepaid parking. On Monday, an SP+ Parking spokesperson told CBS 2, "Our parking staff did not turn away patrons who provided a valid online reservation." When pressed, the spokesperson dismissed one driver's story because it "lacks detail" and another because it "does not have a record of this customer requesting a refund."

Then on April 8, we tried to again after CBS 2 repeatedly heard horror stories about parking and the other companies involved acknowledged some issues. SP+ doubled down and said, "We are not aware of any C2E2 parkers with reservations who were turned away from McCormick Place lots after showing their proper credentials to an attendant."

Yet on Wednesday, SP+ Parking sent the email, seemingly to prevent the very problems it claimed did not exist. So if you're heading to McCormick Place, and you have prepaid parking, take note of the four steps outlined, and may the force be with you!

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