Parking ticket dilemma. DH was lied to.

[LadyBeBop]

WWYD?

DH fixes business machines for a living. One of his accounts is for a nearby county police department. The sherriff deputy in charge told him (almost pretty much forced him) to park in a specific parking place. When he got back to his car, he was greeted with a $50 parking ticket. He immediately went back inside to complain and was told no one can do anything about it, just pay the ticket.

I want him to fight the ticket. However DH thinks it would cost much more than the ticket is worth.

Any suggestions? As always, TIA.

 

[DizMe]

Can he ask to speak directly to the sheriff's deputy in charge who instructed him where to park?

ETA: If that didn't work, I would certainly write out exactly what transpired, explaining that he was there on business on Day X and was told by Deputy Y to park in that specific location. Then I'd make sure copies got to whomever is in charge at that police department or wherever action is taken. I'd definitely fight it.

 

[momof1princess]

Well, this may not be helpful, and it may not work; but, if I were him, I would take the ticket to the person who told me where to park, and let them know that their instructions got me a ticket, and present it to them. If he was instructed to park there, then he shouldn't be ticketed for it. The police department should make it right.

 

[DisneyWitch]

...on the other hand

If this is one of his clients, he might just want to chalk it up to experience, pay the $50 and know who not to listen to next time. Fighting a $50 ticket now may end up costing him and his business hundreds in future business.

Just sayin'. It's a sucky situation, and I don't disagree about fighting it because your hubby was incorrectly directed and has to - literally - pay the price. That part is wrong. But as a wise man once said, sometimes you have to choose which fights are actually worth fighting.

 

[undertheradar]

Unless your DH has some kind of written proof as to where he was instructed to park, I can't imagine getting this ticket dismissed. Probably better to pay it and move on.

 

[supersnoop]

It only costs him to fight it if he loses. Write a letter to the judge, or show up and talk to him. It shouldn't be a big deal to get it dismissed.

 

[Mickeyflower]

Pay the ticket and submit a business expense reimbursement to his company and CC the person who instructed him to park there.

 

[uva185]

WWYD?

DH fixes business machines for a living. One of his accounts is for a nearby county police department. The sherriff deputy in charge told him (almost pretty much forced him) to park in a specific parking place. When he got back to his car, he was greeted with a $50 parking ticket. He immediately went back inside to complain and was told no one can do anything about it, just pay the ticket.

I want him to fight the ticket. However DH thinks it would cost much more than the ticket is worth.

Any suggestions? As always, TIA.

I would not fight the ticket in court. If a specific person told me to park somewhere for work and as a result there was a fee, I would expense it. If I could not expense it, I would ask the sheriff deputy to pay it himself.

 

[Vivianne]

Even if you decide to pay the ticket, at a minimum, I would write a letter to the head of that Department and Judge detailing name of individual that gave erroneous info listing time & exactly what happened.

We had a disturbing situation with a guard in a parking lot. I didn't expect much from the letter but it worked out favorably for us. It's the principle of the matter.

 

[crisi]

You can't expense a ticket received from doing something illegal. If the spot was posted no parking, he shouldn't have parked there, no matter what someone in the office told him. He won't have a leg to stand on.

To take it to the extreme - if the deputy had told him to go murder someone, would that have made it ok? No, and the same holds even for something as minor as a parking ticket.

 

[Vivianne]

My husband told me he has parked his car with PERMISSION from a police officer in front of the police department. Service vehicles sometimes are given permission to do this. Let's just say, the services provided are crucial to daily operations within the Department. Perhaps also talking to those in the area he worked in can vouch for him.

 

[dvczerfs]

WWYD?

DH fixes business machines for a living. One of his accounts is for a nearby county police department. The sherriff deputy in charge told him (almost pretty much forced him) to park in a specific parking place. When he got back to his car, he was greeted with a $50 parking ticket. He immediately went back inside to complain and was told no one can do anything about it, just pay the ticket.

I want him to fight the ticket. However DH thinks it would cost much more than the ticket is worth.

Any suggestions? As always, TIA.

if it was me, I would pay the ticket but there would be about $400. worth of repairs that need to be done to some business machines.

"never tick off your proctologist, cook or dentist"
( Im just kidding. its hard to fight city hall. )

 

[tvguy]

You can't expense a ticket received from doing something illegal. If the spot was posted no parking, he shouldn't have parked there, no matter what someone in the office told him. He won't have a leg to stand on.
.

I guess it depends on the company. In my industry, it's a cost of doing business and it is expensed, and I suspect the company writes if off on their taxes. Only tickets we contest are for not putting money in parking meters, only because we bay the city $150 per year per car for each of our 20 company cars for a "media permit" that allows us to park in meters for no additional cost. The meter enforcement folks somehow miss the neon orange permit hanging off the mirror from time to time.
And many of our vehicles have commercial plates that allow us to park in loading zones.

It if was me, I would just add it to the bill for the law enforcement agency whose equipment you were servicing.

 

[LadyBeBop]

Update. I was slightly wrong. He was servicing the county machines. But a city cop gave him the ticket (for parking in a place reserved for county vehicles).

He also complained to the deputy who told him to park there. The deputy's attitude? "Sorry about your luck."

He went ahead and paid the fine. He's hoping his employer will reimburse him. He's also refusing all future assignments to this county office.

Both he and I are still upset, but what can we do?

It if was me, I would just add it to the bill for the law enforcement agency whose equipment you were servicing.

I'd love for DH's company to do that.

 

[starry_solo]

Update. I was slightly wrong. He was servicing the county machines. But a city cop gave him the ticket (for parking in a place reserved for county vehicles).

He also complained to the deputy who told him to park there. The deputy's attitude? "Sorry about your luck."

He went ahead and paid the fine. He's hoping his employer will reimburse him. He's also refusing all future assignments to this county office.

Both he and I are still upset, but what can we do?

Make sure he looks at all parking spaces to see if they are reserved? Are you sure it was a city cop that gave him the ticket and not parking enforcement for the County? I ask because in our County, if you park on County property and in the wrong spot, you get a ticket from County parking enforcement and there is information about how to fight the ticket.

If the area wasn't marked that it was for County vehicles, County parking enforcement would dismiss it.

 

[crisi]

I guess it depends on the company. In my industry, it's a cost of doing business and it is expensed, and I suspect the company writes if off on their taxes. Only tickets we contest are for not putting money in parking meters, only because we bay the city $150 per year per car for each of our 20 company cars for a "media permit" that allows us to park in meters for no additional cost. The meter enforcement folks somehow miss the neon orange permit hanging off the mirror from time to time.
And many of our vehicles have commercial plates that allow us to park in loading zones.

It if was me, I would just add it to the bill for the law enforcement agency whose equipment you were servicing.

If they did write it off on their taxes, it would be tax fraud. You can't write off fines.

 

[bumbershoot]

The sherriff deputy in charge told him (almost pretty much forced him) to park in a specific parking place.

"Hi sheriff deputy. I'd like to clarify something. You told me to park in *this* space. I did so. I got a parking ticket. I'm confused; is that the spot you meant? Was there a miscommunication?"

 

[LadyBeBop]

"Hi sheriff deputy. I'd like to clarify something. You told me to park in *this* space. I did so. I got a parking ticket. I'm confused; is that the spot you meant? Was there a miscommunication?"

Which is pretty much what DH did. And he was basically told he was out if luck.

And it was a city ticket. DH showed it to me.

 

[crisi]

The thing is that the deputy doesn't have the authority to change the law. If the spot is marked no parking, then that is a no parking spot - someone - possibly your city council or someone in public works - has the authority to change it - not a police officer. They merely enforce the law, they don't determine it.

Its possible that the police officer himself didn't realize this (although he should have) - but ignorance of the law is no excuse for either of them.

 

[DizMe]

I would wonder why the deputy was so insistent that your dh park there? If it was a simple error on his part, his apology falls a little short. I would hope this is not a recurring situation and he will not do this in the future.

I don't see the comparison between "if he told your dh to commit murder, would he have done it?" and this scenario. Your dh, a contracted businessman, was directed by a person of authority as to where to park. Maybe that person did not have the legal capacity to authorize such a directive; nevertheless, I suspect many people in your dh's shoes would have done the same. For that reason, I think it needs to be brought to the attention of the department so that at the very least, it doesn't happen again.