Lame parking ticket - advice? (pay, time, affect) - Los Angeles - California (CA) - Page 2 - City-Data Forum

alexanderaf · 03-18-2009, 01:12 AM

I went to Miami with a few friends, and during my trip I let one of them borrow my car.

About a half year after the trip, I got an $85 parking ticket in the mail that was now much, much more, plus a letter threatening legal action if I didn't pay it! The friend I let borrow my car illegally parked my car, then threw away the ticket. When I went to him and asked him for the money, he said 'don't pay it!' and argued with me about it. I paid it, and found another friend...

Avoid the trouble if you know about the ticket. It's best just to pay it then to find out the hard way whether the city cracks down on unpaid parking tickets.

nmnita · 03-18-2009, 07:42 AM

What in Gods Green earth would make you think you should or could fight this?? You were illegally parked, whether for 2 minutes or 2 hours. $75 may seem a little high, but do you have any idea how bad the L.A. traffic can get?

You can skip without paying, you can wait til the rental car company gets wind of the unpaid ticket and you can, from then on, not be allowed to rent a car from XXX company again...

Pay the ticket, do the right thing..

Nita

CESpeed · 03-18-2009, 08:55 AM

I got a ticket on a rental car. Most car rental contracts state that if you get a ticket and don't pay it, they can charge the ticket to your credit card and charge you a fee. Even if you do pay the ticket, if it's sent to the car rental company they can still charge you for getting the ticket.

sejinro · 03-18-2009, 11:11 AM

pay it

katenik · 03-18-2009, 03:23 PM

OP hasn't returned to post. Obviously didn't get the response for which he was hoping. Talk about lame...

jc76 · 07-19-2009, 03:04 PM

in 2007 we got a ticket in Hollywood while parked next to the Hustler store (No curbing our tires) being from Indiana we have no hills so we had never heard of "curbing" your tires. I thought it was a bit stupid, but after thinking about it hit me how stupid it would be NOT to have this law. Too many people could get killed by runaway cars speeding downhill. By the time I decided to pay it it was already paid by the car rental company who forwarded the bill to my credit card and added a $25? dollar fee for their trouble.
I'd just pay it. yes it sucks, but L.A. is notorious for not letting you get out of a ticket. It's not worth the hassle your going to go through.

stillkit · 07-19-2009, 04:07 PM

Pay it and count your blessings. I got a similar ticket on Constitution Ave in Washington, DC and it cost me $120. Would've included a towing charge, but I got there just as they were hooking up to the car in front of mine.

Here's what will happen if you don't pay it, whether they contact the rental company or not (which they may as parking tickets are levied against the vehicle, not the driver). First, after the court date passes, they'll issue a warrant for your arrest for "failure to appear." That's an additional charge with an additional fine. After a certain date, interest, penalties and fees begin to apply to both charges which COULD ultimately change your $75 into several hundred.

You didn't say where you live, but most jurisdicitions will not serve warrants on parking tickets, but some will. Check with your local police department, sheriff's office and state police to be sure.

Even if they don't, though, your state may have a co-operative agreement with California which could see you hauled off to jail the next time you get stopped in your home state and they run a drivers license check. Or, when you renew your license.

You also did not indicate what type of license you have, but if it is a Commercial Drivers License (CDL) you can rest assured that the next time you get inspected or stopped, you'll be going to jail until those fines are paid. And, that's nationwide.

Bottom line? Pay it. You were guilty.

MidwestRob · 09-17-2009, 09:18 PM

Stillkit - Although I appreciated some of the others' replies, yours was the only one that actually began to answer my question about intra-state enforcement probabilities. Thanks. I'm thinking it would take a lawyer -- and probably of the ticket-beating kind -- to get me to the actionable understanding I was looking for. (You would be screwed if x, y, z were to happen...). While I do have the Chauffer's License qualification, it's not a Commercial Drivers License (CDL).

ehcsrop · 09-18-2009, 11:07 AM

It's not just a matter of not coming to CA for 10 years, you won't be able to rent a car from that agency anywhere. It might show up on your credit report. Judgments do.

Try to edit your posts. I could hardly follow your facts.

GregoS · 09-18-2009, 03:09 PM

Well I thought your post was perfectly clear and didn't need editting (this is an online forum, not an essay writing contest). Surprised no one said to contest the ticket? 4:08 is cutting it close, so I would try to give a reason why you didn't get there back in time (wife in labor? spranged ankle while walking back?). Also maybe the officer's time was wrong...off by 8 minutes? These might not work but at least you won't go down without a fight!

It's only $75, but we are in a recession - any effort you can do to save money is worth it in my opinion.