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This is no joke! If you are visiting Washington, DC, from out of state, do not park your car in Washington, DC, even if it is a legal parking. Your car will get towed illegally with some invalid reason!
Our story: Planning on having a funfilled weekend in DC, turned out to be one of our most dissipointed visites to any state we have visited. Not even to mention the frustration and stress that went with it.
On the 9th we checked into our hotel and had dinner at the Source on Pennsalvaynia Ave. it was a lot of fun, but it was a hunt to find change for a coin meter, which we had to charge to our dinner bill to pay the meter. You would think that if something like that were in place, they would have a change machine around. We had a very pleasant dinner and went home.
The next day we wanted to see some of the museums in the area. we found parking on 7th street next to the Federal Building. There were no signs for VENDORS or any other restrictions. We parked, put our money in the meter and luckily I took some pictures of the meter before I left to download the pay by phone App. (So, all my pictures are time stamped). We left our car at 11:25 that morning. I turned around (left my car for 10 minutes) because you need your license plate number for the App. When I got to where my car was parked, it was gone. TOWED!!! by Able’s Towing, 1859 Edwin Street NE, Washington, DC 20018. With still $1.33 on the meter. If it weren’t for the bus driver who was parked in my spot, I would have thought that it was stolen. He explained that; as soon as we turned the corner of the Federal Building, a ticket officer came, took a picture and a tow truck hooking up our car. According to the bus driver, it didn’t even take them 30 seconds. At this time, I have no ticket what so ever.
I went back to the museum and asked for information. After calling the Government Of The District Of Colombia, Department Of Public Works, I was transferred to someone else. After explaining my case, I was told that nothing could be done. We finally found out where our car was towed to illegally and what a crap hole. Nothing but a junkyard and a trailer. I had to present my licenses to claim my car and dish out $120 on top of the $25 for the taxi ride.
The scaly person at the gate immediately called his boss, when he realized we called the cops, and what a waist of time that was! It is a civil matter they say, and that they have no jurisdiction in this matter.
We paid the $120 and then received the ticket, (They only take cash and offer no receipt) walked to our car and noticed that all the cars in the lot had out of state plates. As we are leaving Washington, we started comparing times with pictures. We noticed that the ticket was time stamped at 11:15, (officer J, Jones bag # 0016) while we were still at our car. No one came up to us to let us know of our violation. Which on the ticket it states that it was a Vendor Stand area. We left early on Saturday morning, since we are so thrilled with the hospitality, which Washington DC., shows their guests. When we got home, we paid the remaining $20 for the original ticket. Hoping we can put this illegal and unfair experience behind us. We received a letter from the Government Of The District Of Columbia Department of Public Works.
This letter would like to inform me that I have an ORANGE, DODGE, 2013, vehicle in the same lot as my real car. Bull!!! I do not own a car or truck like this!!! Once a gain, the car plates are from “PA”. Another car from out of state. This is ridicule!!! They target people form out of state, because they know that we will not sue them. Why? Because we live to far, and it will cost us too much for the court fees, travel and lawyer fees. In this case very one just rights it off, pay for their tickets and move on.
This is illegal and Washington is hurting itself!! Me, my family or friends will never visit Washington again, since it is so corrupt! I will also tell every person I get in contact with and spread the news of illegal towing in Washington DC. There is nothing more that states that this is a scam then the Company that only takes Cash and do not give a Receipt!!!
Yeah, that sounds about right. Sorry about your ordeal man.
A few weeks ago, they ticketed my friend's car with out of state plates in my private parking spot.
My dad got pulled over with out of state plates on U street, then they wouldn't tell him why they pulled him over and held him for a while, then they charged him with driving without his seatbelt. The thing is, he didn't take off his seatbelt until he was stopped, they asked for his registration and he had to unbuckle to get it out of the glove compartment.
My guests that use my visitor's parking pass get ticketed all of the time. I just call the DDOT program manager to get them thrown out, but I'm sure they're profiting on the people who don't fight it.
Our entire block got tickets for not moving our cars for the street cleaning... the week after street cleaning ended for winter.
None as terrible as what you went through, but just goes to show how much of a scam the ticketing in DC can be.
This is no joke! If you are visiting Washington, DC, from out of state, do not park your car in Washington, DC, even if it is a legal parking. Your car will get towed illegally with some invalid reason!
Our story: Planning on having a funfilled weekend in DC, turned out to be one of our most dissipointed visites to any state we have visited. Not even to mention the frustration and stress that went with it.
On the 9th we checked into our hotel and had dinner at the Source on Pennsalvaynia Ave. it was a lot of fun, but it was a hunt to find change for a coin meter, which we had to charge to our dinner bill to pay the meter. You would think that if something like that were in place, they would have a change machine around. We had a very pleasant dinner and went home.
The next day we wanted to see some of the museums in the area. we found parking on 7th street next to the Federal Building. There were no signs for VENDORS or any other restrictions. We parked, put our money in the meter and luckily I took some pictures of the meter before I left to download the pay by phone App. (So, all my pictures are time stamped). We left our car at 11:25 that morning. I turned around (left my car for 10 minutes) because you need your license plate number for the App. When I got to where my car was parked, it was gone. TOWED!!! by Able’s Towing, 1859 Edwin Street NE, Washington, DC 20018. With still $1.33 on the meter. If it weren’t for the bus driver who was parked in my spot, I would have thought that it was stolen. He explained that; as soon as we turned the corner of the Federal Building, a ticket officer came, took a picture and a tow truck hooking up our car. According to the bus driver, it didn’t even take them 30 seconds. At this time, I have no ticket what so ever.
I went back to the museum and asked for information. After calling the Government Of The District Of Colombia, Department Of Public Works, I was transferred to someone else. After explaining my case, I was told that nothing could be done. We finally found out where our car was towed to illegally and what a crap hole. Nothing but a junkyard and a trailer. I had to present my licenses to claim my car and dish out $120 on top of the $25 for the taxi ride.
The scaly person at the gate immediately called his boss, when he realized we called the cops, and what a waist of time that was! It is a civil matter they say, and that they have no jurisdiction in this matter.
We paid the $120 and then received the ticket, (They only take cash and offer no receipt) walked to our car and noticed that all the cars in the lot had out of state plates. As we are leaving Washington, we started comparing times with pictures. We noticed that the ticket was time stamped at 11:15, (officer J, Jones bag # 0016) while we were still at our car. No one came up to us to let us know of our violation. Which on the ticket it states that it was a Vendor Stand area. We left early on Saturday morning, since we are so thrilled with the hospitality, which Washington DC., shows their guests. When we got home, we paid the remaining $20 for the original ticket. Hoping we can put this illegal and unfair experience behind us. We received a letter from the Government Of The District Of Columbia Department of Public Works.
This letter would like to inform me that I have an ORANGE, DODGE, 2013, vehicle in the same lot as my real car. Bull!!! I do not own a car or truck like this!!! Once a gain, the car plates are from “PA”. Another car from out of state. This is ridicule!!! They target people form out of state, because they know that we will not sue them. Why? Because we live to far, and it will cost us too much for the court fees, travel and lawyer fees. In this case very one just rights it off, pay for their tickets and move on.
This is illegal and Washington is hurting itself!! Me, my family or friends will never visit Washington again, since it is so corrupt! I will also tell every person I get in contact with and spread the news of illegal towing in Washington DC. There is nothing more that states that this is a scam then the Company that only takes Cash and do not give a Receipt!!!
Don't drive in the city, metro. I wish out of towers would get this, and let this be a lesson to any other visitor coming in the city, public transit is your friend and you probably do not understand the parking rules most residents understand. This is not a city you get around by driving around, most street parking has restrictions. Leave your car in a lot for the weekend, don't drive around the city especially in the downtown areas near monuments. This is not a city to be car dependent, if you are you have been warned. What says this is illegal towing? DC government did this and parking enforcement is well within their LEGAL rights as the district's government. If you think the ticket was erroneous you can dispute the ticket, but do not expect much in the way of sympathy from district residents, police, or anybody else. Nothing illegal about DC enforcing parking, including towing, and it is your fault if you missed a sign. It was the district parking enforcement that called in the tow, and you were likely in a space you were not allowed to park.
You were too car dependent in a city which can be hard to figure out. Did you provide the exact place you parked...no. You ignored one of the most basic things that DC tries to send visitors. Park in a lot, keep your car there, and USE METRO to get around. This is not a city you drive around when visiting. Street parking has a large number of restrictions in many places, especially in front of federal buildings. Again USE METRO.
I have been street parking in DC every day for almost a decade and have never been towed, so it seems quite illogical to me that you argue that based on this one experience that ANYONE who drives in DC WILL get towed. That just makes no sense.
I don't know what block you were parked on. "7th next to the Federal building" is incredibly vague because 7th st has many federal buildings on it (this is the capital city after all).
How do you know you didn't miss the "no parking" sign? Those kind of signs usually aren't at the metered spot. There usually are signs at the ends of each block that apply to everything in between. Did you check the whole block for signs, not just what was at the spot you parked at?
By the way, I am NOT saying that DC parking enforcement is perfect or even close to perfect. I've once been ticketed by them when I was parked legally (it took me 30 seconds to email in a dispute and they dropped the ticket a few weeks later). But it's not clear to me that in this one case, you were parked legally. It seems far far more likely that you just missed the sign that probably was some feet away from your spot, but still applied to it, so you were indeed parked illegally. But we'd have to know the exact block to know for sure.
Last edited by stateofnature; 04-16-2015 at 06:30 PM..
I don't know what block you were parked on. "7th next to the Federal building" is incredibly vague because 7th st has many federal buildings on it (this is the capital city after all).
How do you know you didn't miss the "no parking" sign? Those kind of signs usually aren't at the metered spot. There usually are signs at the ends of each block that apply to everything in between. Did you check the whole block for signs, not just what was at the spot you parked at?
Something tells me they they did not look at both ends of the block for the parking restrictions. Parking can be very dependent on the time of the day as well.
My guess, is they were parking in an illegal area for the time of day it was.
Not any near as stressful as some of the situations some of your went though, but i got a ticket for "no parking anytime EXCEPT Sunday". That exact phrase was written on every ticket and place on every car on that block somewhere in Georgetown. On a Sunday, out of all the days haha.
If i knew my car was 100% illegally towed, i would call the cops and report it stolen. Not going to play games with tow companies.
Not any near as stressful as some of the situations some of your went though, but i got a ticket for "no parking anytime EXCEPT Sunday". That exact phrase was written on every ticket and place on every car on that block somewhere in Georgetown. On a Sunday, out of all the days haha.
If i knew my car was 100% illegally towed, i would call the cops and report it stolen. Not going to play games with tow companies.
If a parking enforcement officer called in the tow, it's not illegally towed. They are within their legal rights to tow the vehicle.
I know where they illegally parked. They parked illegally on 7th street right outside of L'Enfant Metro which is where tons of food trucks set up around lunch time (the OP parked at 11:30). There are clear as daylight signs that say "vendor parking only 11am-2pm."
This is no one's fault but the original poster's. They didn't read/understand the sign and got towed. Take some responsibility. Take Metro next time.
The signs are absolutely NOT clear as daylight. They are way down at the very end of the towing zone. I eat at those food trucks all the time and people get towed there every single day. People see a spot, they park, they pay at the meter, they think they are good. The vendor parking only signs are pretty far away and easily missed. I'm sure the district knows this. But the $$ is just too good.
Location: IN>Germany>ND>OH>TX>CA>Currently NoVa and a Vacation Lake House in PA
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As a resident of the DMV area I know better than to take my car into DC. I know that's not an option for many, but I park at my work and walk to the King Street Metro and visit DC that way. Sorry for your problem OP. It really sucks.
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