Here’s the deal — a woman in Chicago’s boyfriend bought a car and put it in her name. She didn’t realize the car was in her name. They split. He works at O’Hare for United Airlines and parked and abandoned the car in an O’Hare parking lot. Over the next two years the wizards in parking enforcement wrote over 600 tickets for the abandoned car. When she began to receive notices she contacted everyone in the food chain but to no avail. Read all about it here. In the mean time the car racked up over $100, 000 in fines.
The city is coming after her for the 100 large. Having tried everything else, she is having to sue the city. It will be resolved in court next May.
First — what kind of operation tickets a car that is obviously abandoned 600 times?
Second — If a driver/owner has come in and attempted to discuss the issue, why was she ignored?
Third — No matter what the issue, this is a parking violation, not serial murder. Should the fine be any more than the value of the vehicle — it wouldn’t be if enforcement protocols already in place had been followed.
Fourth — Think of all the money and time that has been wasted by the operator, the city, the airport, enforcement staff, and the courts. Most likely more than $100K will have been spent, and to what end — most likely she won’t end up paying a dime.
Any manager, at any point in the process, could have stopped this and made an equitable arrangement for all concerned.
This type of fiasco makes us look like a bunch of Keystone Kops.
JVH
