Shady Chicago Parking Tickets and Towing! (Viola, Time: credit card, attorney, unemployment)

[Venom]

I hope its 4 million in the upcoming years

[Avengerfire]

^Forget 4 mil. We need 6 mil.^

[Chicago 360]

Originally Posted by lenniel

When it comes to getting your car towed, possession is 95% of the law. I don't know a single person who has ever argued with or fought a tow company and won. Once they get the grips on your car, your screwed.

Anyone know how tow companies are set up financially? Do the private ones get a contract from the city? Do they get a per-car fee?
Do the city tow trucks get a bonus for towing a certain number of cars?

I learned long ago not to challenge the towing gods. You'll lose every time. If it's a 'tow zone' but you're just running in to get a coffee, gone 2 minutes with your hazards on, too bad, they'll nail you.

I remember in 2000, I knew a couple of tow guys who worked for Private companies and they told me that when they tow a car, the city pays them $35.00 per car. I am sure it went up now. One of the companies was E&R, which was, a few years ago, being investigated for some kind of fraudulent activites I believe.

[long101]

Originally Posted by Avengerfire

You are wrong. I was in the area today. I looked all down La Salle at every sign on the east side of the street between Division and North. All the no parking rush hour signs were 4:00-6:30. They were not new signs either. They all were well worn.


I even took pics which I will post tomorrow.

I am not sure I believe your story now.

owned

[ChiGirl33]

Umm... I live right across the street???? I see those signs every day?? I'm not sure where you are looking but I don't believe you are looking in the right place. AND my ticket specifically says: "TOWED AT 6:28 VIOLATION: NO PARKING 4:30pm-6:30pm" The other side of the street says no parking 7am-9am due to rush hour. I don't lie.. Thanks!!

[ChiGirl33]

Ok or no parking 4-6:30 like you said.. I don't look at the start time I only look when I can start parking there and that is at 6:30pm. So I don't know why you wouldn't believe my story. It's the 6:30 time that matters.

[long101]

oh woops, my bad haha

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by ChiGirl33

Ok or no parking 4-6:30 like you said.. I don't look at the start time I only look when I can start parking there and that is at 6:30pm...

When you can start parking there is at 6:31 pm.

I do not believe your story.

[Avengerfire]

Originally Posted by ChiGirl33

...I'm not sure where you are looking but I don't believe you are looking in the right place...I don't lie.. Thanks!!

I will have the pics posted tomorrow night.

[delgadobb]

Ah yes ... parking issues ... one of the many reasons I moved out of Chicago (great place to live for lifestyle, culture, entertainment, etc - but not so much on other fronts).

Some of my fave parking stories/incidents - most of these in Lakeview, where an agency (SERCO) can also write tickets - generally, I found tickets the police wrote were legit, SERCO seems to employ ticket-writing machines regardless of the law:

* The all-too-common 'street cleaning' ticket - my girlfriend saw them putting up signs the morning of the street cleaning & forgot to warn me. (Meaning no overnight warning, let alone 24 hours.) Oops. Bye-bye $50, even though I fought it - good luck in the 'guilty until proven innocent' system.

* The 'too close to hydrant' ticket. Took pictures, tape measure & all, 22 feet from hydrant, well beyond the limit. Contested, brought all evidence, only reason ticket was thrown out was because ticket was dated incorrectly.

* The same ticket above (from 2001) came back to haunt me last year - one of the proverbial straws that broke the camel's back before moving. City somehow revives a seven-year-old ticket that had been thrown out; of course I haven't kept the paperwork that long, didn't think I'd need it. I call & explain, they say they show the ticket as valid; I ask why nothing for seven years now the sudden interest in getting payment? No answer other than that the ticket is valid & overdue. I tell them to prove it or take me to court. Eventually get a letter from a collection agency posing as lawyers reminding me that this will be a 'bootable offense'. Right, after seven years of nothing, good luck collecting once I'm out of state.

* Another ticket from SERCO for 'permit not displayed' in a permit parking zone. I came bank to find this ticket & was very confused, as both my city sticker & neighborhood permit were prominently displayed in the proper place, lower corner on the passenger side of the windshield. It made more sense as I looked down the street. EVERY car I saw had a ticket! Fought it, got it thrown out, but major hassle in time & money.

* How about a ticket for 'excessive window tint' written at 10:00 at night in dark winter conditions? That was a peach. I got to take pictures of the car from all angles, had my day in (administrative) court & got it thrown out. Again, major hassle in time & money.

I firmly believe many of these are written under the assumption that many people won't take the time to fight them, as it takes time, patience & there are no guarantees of a reversal. Makes me feel all warm & fuzzy.

For the most part, I will say the police were generally fair & correct in writing tickets I received (very few) or others I knew - occasionally, there's a bad apple, but almost all my issues were with SERCO. Hmm, sounds like a common theme with some of the other issues privatizing things around the city. I'm guessing SERCO and/or its agents are compensated based on how many tickets they write or how much revenue they generate.

Over time, I grew very wary when parking, almost to the point of being paranoid. I'd always look high & low for signs/restrictions/etc - good luck to those of you still dealing with this stuff, always pay attention & watch carefully. If you incorrectly get a ticket, take pictures & document as much as you can - otherwise you're payin'.