jacobla

A nice DC lady came by when she saw we had gotten the ticket and comiserated with us and asked that we not hold it against them and said to be glad we didn't get towed and yes I am soooo grateful for that!!

Budman

If this thread goes on long enough there will be all sorts of "trusted" Fodorites who will chime in and say you are a jerk for paying the ticket.

If you want to be like them go ahead and not pay it.

WOW!

This is the first time I've heard that someone would be reported to the credit bureau for not paying a parking ticket. What do they do -- contact the local DMV for your name & SSN? Amazing how all these computers could be linked.

mikemo

I would trash it and never drive in DC.
Pay the locals fines? You are joking.
I fought every citation in Dallas and never lost, but I know the procedures and had lots of free time.
M

MoonGirl

If there were a conflict between what the sign said and what the meters said, I think you would potentially have a compelling argument. But the fact that you simply did not notice what was on the meter, albeit understandable, is unlikely to sway the ticket adjudicators. It doesn't cost you anything to try contesting the ticket on-line, but I would not hold your breath in anticipation of a favorable response. (Put yourselves in the shoes of the adjudicators -- "I didn't know" is impossible to prove, and could be invoked by every single person who receives a ticket.) I do not know if they take pity on out-of-towners in this situation (doubtful). I do know that they tracked down a guest of mine all the way across the country after tickets were not paid.

You have my sympathies -- it was an honest mistake, but a mistake nonetheless, which by definition usually carries undesirable consequences. As others suggested, I would just try to look on this as part of life, pay the ticket, and not let it ruin your otherwise memories of Washington.

MaureenB

My daughter made the same mistake in Baltimore's Charles Village, where they tow cars away as soon as the morning rush hour begins at 7 a.m.. That was expensive and a pain! My son made a similar mistake, parking in a lot before literally running across the street to get a sandwich at a fast-food joint. It was that quick, about 10 minutes, and his car was already towed away. Sometimes it's a set-up, like that one was on personal property. There was one sign for the entire lot, and it was covered by tree limbs. Gotta learn the lesson someday, I guess.
>-

nytraveler

$100 is standard for a parking ticket. (If you park the wrong place in NYC and are towed it will cost more than $1000 to get your car back- between fines, towing fee and police impound lot.)

Any time you park where there are meters you need to read everything very carefully - including any nearby sign (that is the sign closest to you in either direction).

My advice to resolve this is to pay the ticket and learn the lesson to pay more attention to where you park.

Anya

I would contest it online, this shouldn't take a lot of time and effort. Look over the ticket carefully to see if there is any mistake there. I had a ticket with Ave instead of Street and it was dismissed.

Using small print like that is most definitely a scam and I don't think a lecture on honesty is in order. However if you contest and fail, I'd pay the ticket and forget about it.

NeoPatrick

Contest what, Anya? Are you seriously saying jacobla should write that "several car lenghts ahead and 7'-8' high on a post was a sign that said no parking during rush hour on this street" and that was too far for him to go look? It's unfortunate that he didn't see the sign, but I sure don't see any reason to contest it saying, "I didn't look close enough to see the sign"!

NeoPatrick

Sorry, I shouldn't have directed that last post specifically to Anya, but to all those including the original poster who are talking about contesting because the print is too small, misleading, or whatever. I say, give it a rest.

mrwunrfl

so we had to really look at the meter after we got the ticket - it said no parking after 4pm

So, you really were able to read it. Only you read it after, and not before, the ticket. Just pay the ticket since you know you were wrong. All the other stuff doesn't matter.

321go

Budman, the police dept (or whoever writes tickets in DC) will run the license plate and get the registered owner info from that. Just like they do when making a traffic stop. No, they don't have access to your Social Security number.

GoTravel

Yes, the police department will access your information through the car rental agency. I'm sure it happens all the time.

Lesson learned.

Budman

321go, I understand that, but how can they send the debt to the credit bureau without your SSN?

repete

"If this were a small town, that high of a parking ticket would dry up the tourist revenue."

Well, perhaps, but then few small towns have to move tens of thousands of cars in and out of a downtown core that was laid out in the 18th century.

I feel for anyone who has to pay these tickets but with print on the meter and on a sign ... it's hard to feel scammed.

This is a working town and a tourist town -- blocking one lane of traffic during rush hour inconveniences many. If your work commute after a long day at the office was messed up by a misplaced tourist, wouldn't you be irritated?

Chalk it up as an oversight, pay the ticket and don't let it hurt your more important memories.

1JAR

Resistance Is Futile

321go

Budman, they don't need an SSN to send it to the credit bureaus.

Not to alarm everyone, but this another reason why you should check your credit report every year. Someone else's debt can end up on your report.

NeoPatrick

A number of years ago we were parked at a meter in Miami Beach while attending a trade show. I was watching the time and headed out to the car to feed the meter. When I got there the car had a ticket on it. I still had about two minutes BEFORE the meter would expire. I went ballistic. The ticket was a copy through too much carbon and I could barely read it, but could make out the word "expired" and the instructions to put $25 in the attached envelope and put it in the box at the end of the street or to mail a check to a given address. I got on the phone and called the police department and told them my story. What do you think they said? "Oh, if you're from out of town, just throw it away. We never pursue parking tickets from tourists." I was aghast, but still angry.

To make a long story shorter, it ended up that while later studying that ticket, I finally decoded the message as including the word registration. When I got home I discovered my license plate was expired. It was a new car and I just assumed the plate would be good for a full year -- wrong. Anyway, I never did send my money. And I never did hear another word. For those who say I cheated the system -- I followed the instructions given to me BY the police department -- to throw the ticket away.

Miss_Maple

A couple of years ago we were in Montreal doing family research and used one Saturday to shop for a bridal gown on St. Hubert Street. We were first to the stores and found an easy parking spot. Went into a few shops, bought a dress and put the dress in the trunk of the car and walked around some more. Had lunch and when we returned to the car we had a ticket. We looked around and didn't see the parking meter. Turns out, in Montreal the meters are next to the building so that they don't stick out and become unsightly. I later asked my sister if she paid the ticket and she said yes, as she doesn't want to be "banned" from entering Canada at a later date because of the ticket. We didn't see the meter .. we got the ticket ... pay it and it's over and there are more important things in life to worry about.

nycgirl1

wow - I wish I'd had that experience in Miami. I got a parking ticket there years ago and literally got a notice about it almost four years later in the mail. I'd moved multiple times since then so they'd tracked me down - I had to pay it or appear in court. So I paid it, along with loads of late fees.

DH had a similar experience with a ticket he got in Dallas. They do find you somehow!

Christina

I live in DC and am real glad you got a ticket, because I get sick of tourists who think they can drive all over DC, park on the streets during rush hour which has a horrendous effect on traffic, and then complain about getting a ticket. So they had type on the meter you didn't read and a sign not far away. What do you expect? They certainly aren't going to have a sign next to every signle parking space, that's the way "no parking" signs work for a block, they are periodic.

You are guilty, there's no debate about it and there was no excuse. Besides, it would be normal to expect parking restrictions on any major street during rush hour in a big city.