Ahh!!! My first a**hole

[friendofjimmyk]

The other day, I had my first a**hole! It was such a joy, let me tell you all about it.

One of our policies for this company is we do not tow vehicles that are not currently registered. No plates, no tags, no tow. There are exceptions to this rule - in rare cases - but usually not.

I pulled up on this vehicle sitting diagonal in the middle of the street. Obviously, they had pushed it out of the driveway thinking it'd be easier to tow that way...well, it would have - had the vehicle been registered.

There were no plates, no tags, the "in-transits" in the window expired in 2004, PLUS a for sale sign in the rear window. The company I work for is an EMERGENCY ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE company. They provide service for EMERGENCY situations, or situations that are not an emergency, but the vehicle is inoperable, legally registered and needing repairs but can't be driven to the shop.

In my opinion, this vehicle had been sitting for some time (temporary tags expired in 2004) and the owner of the vehicle simply sold the vehicle and wanted it towed to the new owner. This is not covered by my company...PERIOD.

I informed our member of this and he was not too happy, of course. He asked, "Well, what am I supposed to do, just leave it here in the street?" I told him I'd help him push it back out of the way, but I couldn't tow it. He further stated, "BUT IT DOESN'T MOVE!!!" To which I replied, "Well, then how'd it get here in the middle of the street?" He explained that he pushed it. I said again that I'd help him push it back. He tried to tell me that it won't move NOW because the key broke off in the ignition. I said "Well, then, even if it were legal, I couldn't tow it because I have a flat bed and I need to be able to get it into gear. Regardless, it's not registered, it's not getting towed."

I stood there arguing this point for a few moments wondering how I could end this nowhere conversation when this a**hole gave me my out.

He said, "No, it's not that you can't tow it, you just don't want to! Why did they send you out here? Why didn't they send someone with experience?"

I didn't even respond, I just spun around and walked away while he continued to say "they need to get someone experienced out here and not your dumbass!"

I jumped in the truck and left. Asswipe!

[protege]

I didn't even respond, I just spun around and walked away while he continued to say "they need to get someone experienced out here and not your dumbass!"

At that point I would have left...and called the cops. Around here, they just *love* dealing with vehicles blocking the street and impeding traffic Not only would they get hit with a towing charge, but a possible impound fee too!

[Shironu-Akaineko]

Sometimes, not answering is the best comeback.
This was one of those times.

[friendofjimmyk]

Sometimes, not answering is the best comeback.
This was one of those times.

Yeah, I was looking for my "out" in the conversation we were having and he provided me with one - I didn't even have to say good bye!

[AFpheonix]

Wow, I'm jealous that you get to drive away from your twits

[Sliceanddice]

Im with the calling police one, so the jerk can get the fun of fines

[Imogene]

My goodness, you only just now got an a**hole? How did you use the toilet prior to this?

[SnapAddict218]

Oooo! oooh! Can I change the name on his card to read "Asshat McGee"? Cani? PLEASE?!

*readys typing fingers*

[Jack7957]

Syracuse just a couple weeks ago has started towing "abandoned" cars. Basically any vehicle without a legal registration sticker can be called in to the police department, they will come out and tag it with a warning that gives you a few days to make it legal, or they'll come back and tow it. There's two on my street right now that qualify. One is in a persons driveway though so that one doesn't bother me. The other is some young teenage punks car, that I noticed his registration expired last month. I haven't been able to see it lately to check if he renewed it, but he is still driving it.

[Sacknahalf05]

Wait, they can tag a car that's parked on someone's property? That's mind-boggling! I guess I figured if you had a car off the street and parked on your property, as long as it wasn't an "eyesore" it wasn't anyone's business but yours.

But they do that with the street parking in my neighborhood. There's a few cars out there at the curb with those yellow stickers in the window (think broken-down, missing windows, pieces and parts falling off kinda cars). I'm just waiting for them to tag my bf's old car. It's ugly, but it runs and is registered. Just haven't moved it in awhile cause he got a new car. I guess when they tag it I'll just turn it around and park it in the opposite direction

[Andara Bledin]

Most cities have laws against unregistered vehicles in in view of the street. The same goes for obviously inoperable ones, or ones that you are working on. I know that's the case for Long Beach.

Also, if your car sits for 72 hours, the police can tow it. They will usually leave a tag on the day you call it in (you are free to do so at any time) and at the 72 hour mark, it's gone.

We had some jerk abandon a trailer chassis (it was about 40 feet or so) in front of our building. He's going to be sorry when the cops pull the serial number off the frame and bill him for the tow. We called in the afternoon of day 3, they came and tagged it, and the next morning we called and they towed it.

^-.-^

[friendofjimmyk]

My goodness, you only just now got an a**hole? How did you use the toilet prior to this?

[protege]

Wait, they can tag a car that's parked on someone's property?

My borough will do that. However, it's usually only enforced if someone complains. Even so, very few people have junkers sitting on their property.

One guy I know had quite a few rusty cars sitting around his property--all of which were illegal. Somehow, he got away with it for years! There was a rusty Peugeot sedan in his side yard. No engine, no hood, lots of rust, etc. In the driveway, was a dead 1970s Chrysler New Yorker. Parked behind it was a blown-up '78 Camaro. Behind the house was an old school bus up on blocks. However, because of the undergrowth, the cars were deemed "not visible from the street" and allowed to stay. That is, until the ordinance was rewritten, forcing him to dispose of the junk. And yes, he not only got hit with the towing bills, but a nice big fine as well.

Things like that were why I was nervous about working on the MG in the driveway. Technically, it's a junker--at the time it was a rolling bodyshell--the mechanical bits were away for repairs. However, the car still had a tag on it (PA's classic car tags *do not* have registration stickers) so someone couldn't get me nailed on a technicality, and the car wasn't left outside for longer than necessary--as soon as the current job was done, it was rolled back into the garage.

What sucks about some of these laws, is you get "vigilante" types. That is, some people will go trespassing to report someone over them. Just last year, a local scrapyard got busted this way--someone broke into the yard and complained about laws that were supposedly being broken. That person did *not* get busted, but the yard sure did. It ended up closing down over relatively minor things.

[Andara Bledin]

My old neighborhood was pretty mellow. There is one guy down the street from where we were who has a truck that's been on blocks for years. And another house had a slew of cars in their driveway and out front constantly. I think the people who lived there either did freelance repair work, or they were running a car theft operation.

My expired tags only became an issue when some busybody decided to complain about pretty much every house in the area that had anything wrong. I'm pretty sure the jerk was one of the people who showed up to fawn at Ty when they were filming Extreme Makeover on the house across and down from us. Yet one more reason that show irritates the hell out of me.

^-.-^

[Jack7957]

I found the regulation from the cities webpage....

ABANDONED VEHICLES
SECTION 16-53
It is illegal for any person to cause, allow or permit an abandoned motor vehicle to be stored on any public or private property located within the City of Syracuse.

Definitions:

ABANDONED: The term abandoned applies to any motor vehicles that are unregistered, missing components or are in a physical condition that renders the vehicle inoperable.
STORAGE: Storage of unregistered motor vehicles is allowed only within an enclosed permanent structure (garage). Tarps and tent like covers are prohibited.
RED TAG: The red tag is the only notice the vehicle owner will receive that the vehicle is in violation of the Abandoned Vehicle Ordinance. The red tag explains that the vehicle must be removed or it will be towed away at the owner's expense by the police department.

Penalties: Abandoned vehicles will receive a RED TAG and the property owner will receive a letter directing that the abandoned vehicle be removed. If the abandoned vehicle is not removed, the Syracuse Police Department will tow the vehicle away. If the owner of the abandoned vehicle wishes to recover the vehicle, he/she will then be charged for the towing and any storage fees.