I've been working ridiculously hard these past few days and I thought I deserved a treat. So, I dragged myself out of bed at 3PM (I work nights) and drove out to a retail park in Stockport, England about 10 miles from my house, to visit Borders and pick up a few books. As I pulled into the car park the sun was low and dazzling, bright enough that it was bloody difficult to park without running over some old granny or crashing into the back of someone. Anyway, I went into Borders and picked up the new Terry Pratchett hardback, an old Douglas Coupland and a couple of other titles, all coming to around £40 ($80). At the counter there was some problem with one of my books - apparently, as it was a brand new release it wouldn't scan on the barcode scanner. The guy at the counter apologised for the delay, and I stood there like a lemon for five minutes while he fiddled with his computer and called people over to help. After what seemed like a month he finally got the scanner to register it, and he gave me a voucher for 15% off my next purchase. Good news. The day was looking up - 5 great books, a discount next time I shop there, and the promise of going home for a quick nap and something to eat. But wait! Sod's Law had something sinister planned for me. When I walked out of the shop I saw the evil flourescent yellow plumage of the parking attendant, that vindictive parasite of the highways and byways. He was sticking a ticket to my window. Bastard. Apparently, the cost of the ticket is £60 ($120), with a 'discount' of £20 ($40) if I pay within seven days. Highway robbery! Extortion! An almost laughable farce, if my chuckles weren't stifled by the fact that the joke was on me. The attendant told me this, of course, with a smug grin on his face, as if slapping the ticket on my pride and joy was almost equivalent to a multiple orgasm for this sad, friendless monster. So what's the worst part? Simply this - I couldn't see the f*ck*ng Pay and Display sign. The only one in range was obscured by the sun in my eyes, and there was no way I could have possibly seen it unless I happened to be walking in that direction and squinting to see. I wouldn't mind so much if I'd known there was a parking charge and I'd simply decided to risk it - at least then it would have been my fault, and I'd have to just suck it up. To be bested by a bloody celestial body, though... well, that pisses me off. Anyway, I've emailed a polite appeal to the private company who own the car park, appealing to their better nature to waive or reduce the fee due to the mitigating circumstances. Will my appeal be successful? Will it bollocks.
Unlucky mate. Although, I don't understand why you can't ignore it. Isn't this similar to a shop's car park, like say ASDA or Morrison's or something, were the ticket is their "own law"? Therefore this is a civil offence? Bah, they shouldn't be allowed to do that to people... they're not the law...
Hear you, brother. I feel for you - that's horrible. Chicago, Illinois is the capital of the U.S., as far as I'm concerned. It is illegal to park a minitruck on the streets - $50 a night. SUV's OK. But your average Ford Ranger, nope - not, that is, unless you put a shell on it and fork over another few hundred dollars to buy an "RV license." An old law....and once a cop gets your truck in his sights, it's a nightly joyride for him. I appealed to his district office, asking where I was supposed to put the truck if not the street in front of my apartment. You know how far that one went.
Yeah, but these days those private firms are run by absolute bastards. If I don't pay within 7 days it goes from £40 to £60, and if I don't pay in 14 days it goes up to £100, with additional 'admin' charges on top of that. I could just ignore it but the way things are nowadays they'd probably send round some thugs to kick in my door and take £500 worth of electrical equipment. They're not the law, but they have their own private law, and they've built their business on enforcing their fines. Evil, evil people, making coin from misery. Hanging's too good for 'em. That's just evil. What's the point in driving if you can't park in front of your house when you come home. Frankly, if you can't do that then the terrorists have won
After reading that I can't get the image of Eric Idle hanging from a cross whistling 'Always Look on the Bright Side of Life' out of my head
I get tickets all the time they dont really bother me that much nor parking wardens. I care more about all the speeding cameras now, im in my first year of driving and 4 months after i passed my test i got a 6month driving ban. Cant wait to drive again.
Ok, I have some sympathy for you getting the ticket but I think you're fibbing about not seeing the Pay and Display sign since you have obviously been to that shopping area before, therefore it doesn't make sense that you didn't know about the Pay and Display. You'd have more success reasoning with a pitbull chewing your leg than you will have getting the ticket revoked. Pay it and get the pain over with before it cranks up to silly numbers.
I honestly have never been to that shopping centre before, mcfox. I hate shopping, so apart from the occasional 2AM visit to the local supermarket I buy everything I need from the Internet (apart from clothing - you really need to try stuff on).
You get your food over the internet? I thought Peapod more or less tanked, but I see it is still up and running. How do you do it?
Nah, as I said I go to the supermarket at 2AM. I can't stand the crowds of sweaty jobless folk that roam the place during the day What's the American word for supermarket, by the way? Do you guys just say 'store', or is there a special word for a warehouse sized grocery store. p.s. Tesco (one of the largest supermarkets in the UK) do free home delivery. If I wanted to buy my groceries over the Internet I'd have no problem. Still, my local Tesco is less than a mile away so that would be pushing laziness too far
Ah, got it - thought you meant the occasional hankering for [you name it post-bender or gotta have it food] at 2:00 a.m.... Grocery store, in the midwest; supermarket, where I grew up. "Store" when context is known. Warehouse sized - Walmart. Satan, to some. I don't know that we have a "class" name for the large grocery stores. We have Walmarts, Sam's Clubs, etc. - most just refer by the name, I think. If I could get export rib, moulard duck, venison loin, 20 fresh herbs....over the internet, on demand, I'd never leave home.
lol! Me too. Ok, fair enough. It's still not gonna get you out of paying the ticket. Take the £40 option while you can - before it racks up to hundreds of ££'s and you have to guard against gorillas coming at you from the mist and clamping your car outside your house until you cough up the cash.