One: Hello! I've missed you too.
Two: Though the following takes a light tone, I really do want to know your thoughts. Am I expecting special treatment? Somewhat, yes. But am I asking too much? Comment, share, discuss, please.
Background: Today is my friend Christina's birthday. Christina is one of the most gracious, loving, and fun people I have ever met. You may remember last year, we celebrated her birthday thusly. This year, we repeated it.
Star Trek in the Park at the Bagdad (or whatever its formal name is) was much more popular this year. Parking on SE Hawthorne Blvd was harder to find. (And yes, til midnight, we had fun). I explained the events post-midnight in the following email to a friend:
"So, Christina recommended that I bring my handicapped placard last night for easier parking. Hooray!
Then we found an open handicapped spot in the Bank of America parking lot. After hours. Sunday. Hooray!
Then Christina's car got towed.
Then Christina was nice to the tow company lady.
Then I got on the phone with the tow company lady, and she told me "The fact that you're handicapped doesn't give you the right to trespass on personal property."
Then I was not so nice to the tow company lady.
Then I asked the tow company lady for the number of a cab company. Because, as I told the tow company lady, "It's not like I can walk home. I might trespass."
Then I got us a cab to my house, went to Christina's house, waited for her to get her title at home, drove out to a creepy tow lot all the way in the Pearl, and waited and felt guilty while she paid $240 (that's two hundred and forty dollars) to get her car out of the impound lot.
I fell asleep at 2 am. My alarm went off at 6:30. I got out of bed at 7:30. I am tired."
Is the tow company lady right? Am I expecting too much special treatment?
Yes, it was a bank parking lot.
Yes, there was a sign stating that the lot was patrolled by Retriever Towing.
Yes. we parked in a handicapped spot, with a legal handicapped placard.
Yes, I have parked in handicapped spots, brandishing my handicapped placard, in front of similar signs and have never been towed.
The bank was closed. We did not loiter. We parked at approximately 5:40 pm, Sunday.
Is that worth $240? Should the fact that it is a handicapped space give me some grace, or were we wrong for parking in a business lot?
Please, very seriously, have at it in the comments.
"So, Christina recommended that I bring my handicapped placard last night for easier parking. Hooray!
Then we found an open handicapped spot in the Bank of America parking lot. After hours. Sunday. Hooray!
Then Christina's car got towed.
Then Christina was nice to the tow company lady.
Then I got on the phone with the tow company lady, and she told me "The fact that you're handicapped doesn't give you the right to trespass on personal property."
Then I was not so nice to the tow company lady.
Then I asked the tow company lady for the number of a cab company. Because, as I told the tow company lady, "It's not like I can walk home. I might trespass."
Then I got us a cab to my house, went to Christina's house, waited for her to get her title at home, drove out to a creepy tow lot all the way in the Pearl, and waited and felt guilty while she paid $240 (that's two hundred and forty dollars) to get her car out of the impound lot.
I fell asleep at 2 am. My alarm went off at 6:30. I got out of bed at 7:30. I am tired."
Is the tow company lady right? Am I expecting too much special treatment?
Yes, it was a bank parking lot.
Yes, there was a sign stating that the lot was patrolled by Retriever Towing.
Yes. we parked in a handicapped spot, with a legal handicapped placard.
Yes, I have parked in handicapped spots, brandishing my handicapped placard, in front of similar signs and have never been towed.
The bank was closed. We did not loiter. We parked at approximately 5:40 pm, Sunday.
Is that worth $240? Should the fact that it is a handicapped space give me some grace, or were we wrong for parking in a business lot?
Please, very seriously, have at it in the comments.
erummmmmm
ReplyDeleteon the one hand, if it states explicitly that parking is for bank customers only,it is clear you were not a bank customer as you were there after hours.(unless the sign gave certain hours? which is hardly ever the case)
on the other hand, it was after hours, so who cares?
$240 is exorbitant though. Wow.
Also, I don't think it has anything to do with handicapped privilege. I don't know why the lady brought it up, and I think it should have been simply about you parking on private property. Somewhat unprofessional on her part.
While I'm here,
when we move to Portland, will you visit me?
while I am house hunting in Portland, can I visit you?
bye! -Natasha
If the bank was closed... (which I am guessing it obviously was) then... why can't you park there? I think that the tow truck driver got Tow happy and decided that he could use the money and also... YES!! $240.00 is an outrageous amount to get your car back from a tow company.
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