DRIVERS celebrating homecoming have been left up to $1,000 out of pocket after being towed from parking spaces they claim to have paid for.
The disgruntled motorists allege that they were lied to by a parking attendant but were forced to shell out cash to recover their vehicles.
Several drivers claim their cars were towed after paying for parking at this lot in North Carolina[/caption]
They say that someone claiming to be a parking attendant promised their vehicles would be ‘safe’ there[/caption]
Ashley Burnett had to shell out $460 to get her car back[/caption]
Every year, hundreds of alumni flock to North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University for its “Greatest Homecoming On Earth” (GHOE) event.
The festivities gather former students and their families to enjoy prime seats to a college football game, followed by a banquet dinner.
Unfortunately, some guests did not have a happy homecoming this year after finding their cars had been towed from a lot in Greensboro.
A number of attendees told WFMY News 2 that they had been told by someone claiming to be a parking attendant that they could park on the lot and that there cars would be “safe”.
The bays, which sit outside a derelict building that previously housed an apartment complex, boast prominent signage that the site is monitored 24/7 for illegal parking.
But they say that the so-called attendant insisted they were allowed to stop there.
Those who believed that promise returned to the lot after the event to find their vehicles had vanished.
A call to the towing company responsible revealed that they had been whisked away on the back of a truck for improper parking.
Affected drivers had to pay release fees of between $400 and $1,000 just to get their cars back.
Ashley Burnett, who had to cough up $460, slammed the firm responsible.
She said: “They’re taking food off of someone’s plate.
“They don’t know if that [money] was supposed to be their mortgage payment or their rent payment.
“They don’t know if you have a kid that’s sick or have to take care of elderly parents.
“They don’t care.”
And Jeanne Pope, who’s husband is a college alum, added: “He’s like ‘I don’t want to go back to GHOE next year’.
“We have gone every year since I can remember.
“We have generations of folks who count on seeing each other at this one huge family event which has now been forever marred by this fully negative experience.”
How to fight a parking ticket
You can avoid being ticketed by following all posted laws and ordinances, but sometimes mistakes are made
Like any form of citation, parking tickets are preventable by reading and obeying posted signage. However, when visiting a new city, or state, or in a hurry, things can be missed and mistakes are made.
Suddenly there’s a ticket you weren’t prepared to pay for. If the ticket is a surprise to you, there are a few things you can do to help your case when appealing a parking ticket.
- Carefully read the ticket. Look for errors like incorrect street names, license plate numbers, vehicle make and model, time and date, etc. Errors would then make the ticket invalid.
- Take photos. Of the vehicle in the parking space, lack of signage, or other vehicles that weren’t cited for performing the same parking job. If the ticket involves parking too close to something like a fire hydrant, a photo showing a reasonable distance would help your case. Make sure metadata with the time and date are accessible. Signs that are obstructed by trees, or are on bent posts, or aren’t “obvious” are great things to photograph, too.
- Make sure the statute that was violated is listed on the ticket. If not listed, the ticket is not valid.
- Promptly follow the appeal instructions on the ticket. All legitimate tickets will have directions for appeal. Waiting until the very last moment weakens your argument and can result in late fees.
- When in court, avoid these phrases as they reduce your credibility and weaken your argument:
- “I didn’t know the law.”
- “I was on my way to move my car.”
- “I can’t afford this ticket.”
- “I’ve been doing this for years.”
- “I checked with the parking officer, who said it was OK.”
- Contact a lawyer. If you’re running into roadblocks and feel stuck, it may be best to reach out to a traffic lawyer in your area. Many have free case consultations.
Source: Reader’s Digest
The towing company involved pushed back at the allegations, telling WFMY that people “get towed for GHOE and make up all kinds of lies”.
They then asked not to be contacted further by the media.
But their decision to yank the car even baffled the city government, which owns the lot.
Officials insisted that they did not know why cars were towed and that it was not done at their request.
Jeanne Pope said the experience had put her husband off going to his homecoming events in future[/caption]
City officials say they did not ask for the cars to be towed despite owning the site[/caption]
