It's a FINE not a PRICE!

[Argabarga]

-It will be $105 to release your car M’am, cash or credit
-I have my AAA card, can I use that?
-No
-But, your sign says you take AAA!
-AAA will not pay for trespass tows, it’s the same as getting a speeding ticket, they only pay for roadside services.
-Well, I’m from out of town, can’t you give me a discount for not knowing the rules here?
-No
-Well, what if I show you a student ID? Can I get a discount for that?
-No
-Well, what if I show you my boyfriend’s military ID? Can I get a discount for that?
-No
-Well, what if I show you my FOP membership card? Can I get a discount for that?
-No
-Well, what if….
-*Sigh* Ma’m, there are NO discounts of any kind. You need to pay $105 to get your car back, cash or credit, and I cannot make it any simpler.
-Well, you don’t have to get all huffy and mad! I’m entitled to know my options!

For all future customers, here’s your “option” when your car ends up behind my chain-link fence.

A. Pay $105 and get car back
B. Do not pay $105, do not get car back, car accrues storage fees at the rate of $30 a day. After 30 days, it’s declared abandoned, DMV revokes title, declares us the owner of vehicle, we sell it for scrap to Goober, that crazy old coot who runs the local scrap yard and is sometimes a bit TOO excited about getting new things for the pile, if you know what I mean.

[fireheart]

Sounds like a lady on Border Security recently.

She'd flown in with a bunch of food and her wheelchair-bound husband (yes, this is important.) She failed to declare the food-the food itself wasn't contraband, she just didn't declare it. Australia law requires that you declare EVERYTHING.

She was given the fine of $220 and tried to haggle it down. Her husband became increasingly tired throughout the trip and she tried to use that to get them to waive the fine. The officer pointed out simply "Well the quicker you pay your fine, the quicker you can get out of here."

She paid up and left. m

[Dave1982]

I would imagine option B would become very interesting if the car is a rental/leased vehicle, or if payments are still owed on it.

[Bloodsoul]

"You have 30 minutes to move your car.
You have 10 minutes.
Your car has been impounded.
Your car has been crushed into a cube.
You have 30 minutes to move your cube."

[HYHYBT]

I'm sorry about your sucky customers and all, but that $30/day thing still ought to be illegal. I know (or at least assume) that it's not your fault, but if someone doesn't have $105 today (and many people don't, as you can see), by the time payday comes around the fees will be more than their check, which means they can *never* get their car back, which is hardly a reasonable punishment for one instance of illegal parking.

[AnaKhouri]

After 30 days, it’s declared abandoned, DMV revokes title, declares us the owner of vehicle, we sell it for scrap to Goober, that crazy old coot who runs the local scrap yard and is sometimes a bit TOO excited about getting new things for the pile, if you know what I mean.

Like...JG Ballard excited?

[Midorikawa]

I'm sorry about your sucky customers and all, but that $30/day thing still ought to be illegal. I know (or at least assume) that it's not your fault, but if someone doesn't have $105 today (and many people don't, as you can see), by the time payday comes around the fees will be more than their check, which means they can *never* get their car back, which is hardly a reasonable punishment for one instance of illegal parking.

at the same time, I can understand the storage fee. I'm almost positive their tow lot has a limited space. if people can just leave the car there with no penalties, what reason do they have to remove it, other than to have their car back. The local car repair shop (the one I take my beloved Duster to when I don't have the tools or time to make repairs myself) has had multiple cars they've had just left there because the owner doesn't want to pay the price to get the car back. They've had to start selling the cars for scrap metal because of lack of space after 30 days.

There are also cars in the class my dad calls "untowable" - that is, the car is worth less than the fee to get the car back from impound. My dad had one like that for years. We always took it downtown in case it got damaged, broken into, towed, stolen, whatever.

[Argabarga]

at the same time, I can understand the storage fee. I'm almost positive their tow lot has a limited space. if people can just leave the car there with no penalties, what reason do they have to remove it, other than to have their car back. The local car repair shop (the one I take my beloved Duster to when I don't have the tools or time to make repairs myself) has had multiple cars they've had just left there because the owner doesn't want to pay the price to get the car back. They've had to start selling the cars for scrap metal because of lack of space after 30 days.

There are also cars in the class my dad calls "untowable" - that is, the car is worth less than the fee to get the car back from impound. My dad had one like that for years. We always took it downtown in case it got damaged, broken into, towed, stolen, whatever.

Bingo, if there's no incentive to get the car back, they can just leave it sit until they feel like picking it up, and in the meantime, that's a space we can no longer use, for either impounds or service vehicles from actual paying customers. If there was no penalty for not picking the car up ASAP, we'd become de facto long term parking.

[sirwired]

I'm sorry about your sucky customers and all, but that $30/day thing still ought to be illegal. I know (or at least assume) that it's not your fault, but if someone doesn't have $105 today (and many people don't, as you can see), by the time payday comes around the fees will be more than their check, which means they can *never* get their car back, which is hardly a reasonable punishment for one instance of illegal parking.

$30/day is pretty reasonable, especially if the lot has limited space. You often pay at least that much at a for-pay parking lot in a big city.

Yes, it's expensive, but if you illegally park your car, them's the breaks.

SirWired

[MaggieTheCat]

There's also this thing called a credit card. I know a lot of people already have a lot of credit card debt, or else don't like to "pay" for something that they can't afford right away by using a credit card, but it's better than racking up a couple hundred more dollars in storage fines.

[Hyndis]

I'm sorry about your sucky customers and all, but that $30/day thing still ought to be illegal. I know (or at least assume) that it's not your fault, but if someone doesn't have $105 today (and many people don't, as you can see), by the time payday comes around the fees will be more than their check, which means they can *never* get their car back, which is hardly a reasonable punishment for one instance of illegal parking.

It is harsh on purpose. Its so that parking illegally is a bad idea and hopefully people don't do it.

Its also to light a fire under people to get them moving on it, and you know how often people like to take their sweet time with something even very simple when they are a customer. Take your sweet time when your car has been towed? Fine. Guess you don't want that car after all! Its no longer yours.

[tropicsgoddess]

That would've been a good episode for Parking Wars. Then again, whenever I watch that show I feel so bad for the parking meter employees and impound clerks that deal with all the sheer asshatery from the SC's.

[HYHYBT]

There's also this thing called a credit card. I know a lot of people already have a lot of credit card debt, or else don't like to "pay" for something that they can't afford right away by using a credit card, but it's better than racking up a couple hundred more dollars in storage fines.

Yes, and a lot of people *don't* have them, either because they got into trouble with them when they did, or because they know they would if they had one, or because they just don't believe in the things... and if you don't have it already, it takes far too long to *get* one to do any good for this.

Ah well, it still makes more sense than the boot. "You can't park here, so your car has to stay where it can't be?" What loon thought that up?

$30/day is pretty reasonable

No, it really isn't.

especially if the lot has limited space.

Then the towing company needs to invest in a bigger lot.

You often pay at least that much at a for-pay parking lot in a big city.

Irrelevant: you park there intentionally, knowing the fee in advance. You may say, "well, you chose to park illegally," but even when that's true, it's not at all the same thing. How, other than by reading this thread, would I know in advance that parking too close to somebody's driveway, for instance, would get my car towed and such an absurd fee attached? A ticket, maybe, if I realized it was illegal at all, but towing with no sign posted and no warning given I wouldn't have expected unless the car was actually causing a dangerous situation. Even in posted tow-away zones, the signs are not always obvious nor are the penalties usually mentioned. And *everybody* has parked illegally by mistake at least once.

And no, I've never been towed except when my car was inoperable or stuck. Never even gotten a parking ticket. But I probably would, were I to try parking in a big city on a regular basis, if for no other reason than I'd forget rules that don't come into play anywhere else, like fire hydrants and such, or because I thought there wasn't a meter because it was one of those that's in front of the next space over or something.

I know, rules are rules and nobody here made them...

[HYHYBT]

It is harsh on purpose. Its so that parking illegally is a bad idea and hopefully people don't do it.

I'll only believe that if you only apply it where the tow-away zone is thoroughly well marked, INCLUDING the fine and storage fee, so people can make an informed choice.

Its also to light a fire under people to get them moving on it, and you know how often people like to take their sweet time with something even very simple when they are a customer. Take your sweet time when your car has been towed? Fine. Guess you don't want that car after all! Its no longer yours.

Sorry, I don't buy it. A $10/day fee would actually accomplish this better, because while the price still went up every day, it would be less likely to be rising faster than the owner could raise the money. Whereas a $30/day fee serves to make the total rise so fast that the total will be larger than the next paycheck when it comes. Does your business really *want* to keep the cars? Besides, I find it hard to believe that people would "take their own sweet time" anyway; most people would need their cars back, for the obvious reasons.

[protege]

Actually, my city only puts the boot on cars...if the owner racks up several unpaid parking tickets. To do so is really playing Russian roulette. That is, there are meter maids checking cars daily. Eventually you *will* be caught, the boot will be fitted...and usually at the worst time possible. Also, some areas *will* bust you for not paying fines. By that, I mean that they'll serve you with an arrest warrant

For example, a former co-irker (the nasty intern) got her car booted one afternoon. Of course, before that, she spent quite a bit of time busting my balls about my old Tercel. Karma kicked her ass--not only did her car get booted, but she didn't have a ride home. Daddy (one of the bosses) was out of town, and I wasn't about to help her out. Bitch had to walk home in the pouring rain

Also, most towing zones (locally) are pretty obvious. These include across driveways, various loading zones (including the huge one at the Oakland post office), and anywhere else that the curbs or pavement is painted yellow or red. To park in those areas, is like putting a "TOW THIS POS" sign on your car!

I don't have sympathy for people who park illegally and get towed. Don't want to pay the drop fee or storage fees? Simple solution to that problem. That is, don't park illegally! I've only received *one* parking ticket. That one was simply because I didn't have any change (someone else borrowed the car and took it)...and when I was in the nearest store getting change, the meter maid busted me. Ticket was only $7.00, so no big deal. Moved the car, paid the fine, and that was it.