Lucifer_Carroll
GOATS!!!
- Joined
- May 4, 2004
- Posts
- 3,319
So, here on my campus, they offer parking passes for various semesters. The interesting thing is that they work for most of the year except one week after finals and one week after school gets in. These are when the summer sessions are not in session, but the buses aren't running so you can't get on campus except by an insanely long walk or driving and parking. So I always end up buying up the day passes to park for these two weeks as I work on campus.
Last year, during the pre-school portion, I received two tickets while doing this. One while purchasing the aforementioned tickets. The other when one of the flimsy tickets fell off the dashboard to the seat after the unsettling jar of the closing of a single car door (ah, paper passes are so fun).
There's an appeal process. I sent the first appeal. It was rejected automatically with no reasoning or explanation really given other than a vaguely worded "fuck you". I called for clarification, they told me essentially, "go to second appeal sucker". So I did, I made an appointment with a supposedly separate company they contracted to handle the second appeal but which appeared solely owned by the first company in charge of the parking payments. The told me to pay my fines before showing up so I did. I brought in proof including the two passes which proved I had indeed purchased the rights to park unmolested by the parking cops those two days occording to the terms of the transaction. I pointed this out and the laughable circumstances and furthermore pointed out that these had been automatically accepted as a matter of course as little long ago as the year before. When I further called the original parking department, they claimed their policy hadn't significantly changed since last year. They said they would make a decision (didn't tell me how long it would take) and that they would mail the details of that decision to me.
I began the eight months of waiting without response. All attempts to call and ask about the status were responded to with calls to wait.
So I have to buy a pass this week because of the same reason as last year and so I go in and decide to check in personally about the status of this mythical appeal. They begin by giving me a runaround, then they try and direct me to the second appeal again. After making myself clear, they make me produce my liscence plate info and a whole bunch of other info. I go back and acquire it for them. They then try and claim that they only sent me 1 citation in September and accuse me of being a liar. Knowing I paid it and knowing I still have the paperwork. I insist this isn't the case. They continue to insist it is and furthermore that I never went to the second appeal according to their computer. Again I know this is false. The third appeal process is going to court. Knowing this, I ask if I need to do the third appeal, going to court. He yells at me, tells me yes I have to do that and that he refuses to help me anymore.
I go okay, go off to work, write an email to his boss refusing to name names and being as vague as I can about who told me things (didn't want to get the guy in trouble as I've had shit jobs with shitty customers before and didn't want to be that asshole who complains to the manager over the popcorn being overbuttered) but otherwise requesting to be treated like a human being, come back. I begin by apologizing and explaining myself more clearly. He deigns to help me again (weird shock). He gets my name and "checks in the back" (he refused to do this action before). He finds the evidence of 1 of my citation decisions from the second level (so they apparently lied about sending it to me as the address on the copy sent to the Campus Transportation Office has my correct address on it). He then states that it was rejected in the second appeal process but refuses to say why. He tries to get rid of me again saying, you got rejected, we can't find evidence of the other citation, go away.
Calmly I restate that I had two citations and appealed both (my rage actually behaved, which was nice of it). After another wrangle, he agrees to recheck in the back. This time he finds it. Looking through the poorly blocked window into his office I note that it was in the same drawer as the other one. He states that yes, this one's appeal was accepted and I'm due money back. He states that the reason I haven't seen any credit is because they were waiting for my social security number, ha ha.
Now, this is bullshit not just because of the previous reasons, but because I have given my social security number every step of the appeal process. It was required to be able to appeal. It is also part of my student record which I know they have access to. Furthermore, they apparently required this number, but didn't feel inclined to call me, email me, or mail something to my address asking me to come down and complete this action. Furthermore, when I called them up asking about it, they never brought this up. Nor was it brought up any other time until I had pressed to this point.
At this point he begins operation cover up. He states I never needed to go through all that in the first place. I could have just given him evidence that I had bought a pass as according to a letter he claimed to have sent me. I had given him that evidence in the first online appeal and the letter he claimed to have sent me, I never received. I only received the two vague rejections of my first appeal.
I ask about why the second citation's appeal was rejected. He refused to provide any particulars but merely mentioned it was policy to reject any claim from a repeat offender in a short time. Since they had given me a bullshit citation two days prior, they apparently reserved the right to automatically reject the second one regardless of consequence. Believing this to be a direct violation of their stated appeal agreement and directions, I ask if they would be kind enough to provide me with a written copy of this policy or otherwise write it down for me. Not being an idiot, he refused.
When I asked about the possibility of taking the twice-rejected citation to court, he claimed it was past the deadline already. This was despite it being only over a deadline, because they refused to inform me in any way until long afterwards. He then gave me an overall fuck you goodbye which made me wonder if I should have been a bastard after all and used his name.
So I'm supposedly getting money back, but I seriously doubt it will ever arrive and the overall situation was rife with them lying directly to my face, trying to screw me, and basically admitting they violate their own publically given policy that we the students and faculty have agreed to when purchasing their passes.
So, I know that they are basically exploiting their position as a monopoly over the parking area and a knowledge that students are far too poor and busy to pursue legal courses. Truth be told, I never wanted to and I know that I can't even if I wanted to because I didn't keep close enough lectures. I don't like going that way especially not over something this dumb.
Still, it was amazing, the lengths they went to try and piss me off and the direct and transparent methods by which they refused to provide the service for which we agreed to. It overall showed just how little they think of those who attend the campus and how little they care if we lived or died. Makes me glad that I'll probably be transferring within a couple of years.
Last year, during the pre-school portion, I received two tickets while doing this. One while purchasing the aforementioned tickets. The other when one of the flimsy tickets fell off the dashboard to the seat after the unsettling jar of the closing of a single car door (ah, paper passes are so fun).
There's an appeal process. I sent the first appeal. It was rejected automatically with no reasoning or explanation really given other than a vaguely worded "fuck you". I called for clarification, they told me essentially, "go to second appeal sucker". So I did, I made an appointment with a supposedly separate company they contracted to handle the second appeal but which appeared solely owned by the first company in charge of the parking payments. The told me to pay my fines before showing up so I did. I brought in proof including the two passes which proved I had indeed purchased the rights to park unmolested by the parking cops those two days occording to the terms of the transaction. I pointed this out and the laughable circumstances and furthermore pointed out that these had been automatically accepted as a matter of course as little long ago as the year before. When I further called the original parking department, they claimed their policy hadn't significantly changed since last year. They said they would make a decision (didn't tell me how long it would take) and that they would mail the details of that decision to me.
I began the eight months of waiting without response. All attempts to call and ask about the status were responded to with calls to wait.
So I have to buy a pass this week because of the same reason as last year and so I go in and decide to check in personally about the status of this mythical appeal. They begin by giving me a runaround, then they try and direct me to the second appeal again. After making myself clear, they make me produce my liscence plate info and a whole bunch of other info. I go back and acquire it for them. They then try and claim that they only sent me 1 citation in September and accuse me of being a liar. Knowing I paid it and knowing I still have the paperwork. I insist this isn't the case. They continue to insist it is and furthermore that I never went to the second appeal according to their computer. Again I know this is false. The third appeal process is going to court. Knowing this, I ask if I need to do the third appeal, going to court. He yells at me, tells me yes I have to do that and that he refuses to help me anymore.
I go okay, go off to work, write an email to his boss refusing to name names and being as vague as I can about who told me things (didn't want to get the guy in trouble as I've had shit jobs with shitty customers before and didn't want to be that asshole who complains to the manager over the popcorn being overbuttered) but otherwise requesting to be treated like a human being, come back. I begin by apologizing and explaining myself more clearly. He deigns to help me again (weird shock). He gets my name and "checks in the back" (he refused to do this action before). He finds the evidence of 1 of my citation decisions from the second level (so they apparently lied about sending it to me as the address on the copy sent to the Campus Transportation Office has my correct address on it). He then states that it was rejected in the second appeal process but refuses to say why. He tries to get rid of me again saying, you got rejected, we can't find evidence of the other citation, go away.
Calmly I restate that I had two citations and appealed both (my rage actually behaved, which was nice of it). After another wrangle, he agrees to recheck in the back. This time he finds it. Looking through the poorly blocked window into his office I note that it was in the same drawer as the other one. He states that yes, this one's appeal was accepted and I'm due money back. He states that the reason I haven't seen any credit is because they were waiting for my social security number, ha ha.
Now, this is bullshit not just because of the previous reasons, but because I have given my social security number every step of the appeal process. It was required to be able to appeal. It is also part of my student record which I know they have access to. Furthermore, they apparently required this number, but didn't feel inclined to call me, email me, or mail something to my address asking me to come down and complete this action. Furthermore, when I called them up asking about it, they never brought this up. Nor was it brought up any other time until I had pressed to this point.
At this point he begins operation cover up. He states I never needed to go through all that in the first place. I could have just given him evidence that I had bought a pass as according to a letter he claimed to have sent me. I had given him that evidence in the first online appeal and the letter he claimed to have sent me, I never received. I only received the two vague rejections of my first appeal.
I ask about why the second citation's appeal was rejected. He refused to provide any particulars but merely mentioned it was policy to reject any claim from a repeat offender in a short time. Since they had given me a bullshit citation two days prior, they apparently reserved the right to automatically reject the second one regardless of consequence. Believing this to be a direct violation of their stated appeal agreement and directions, I ask if they would be kind enough to provide me with a written copy of this policy or otherwise write it down for me. Not being an idiot, he refused.
When I asked about the possibility of taking the twice-rejected citation to court, he claimed it was past the deadline already. This was despite it being only over a deadline, because they refused to inform me in any way until long afterwards. He then gave me an overall fuck you goodbye which made me wonder if I should have been a bastard after all and used his name.
So I'm supposedly getting money back, but I seriously doubt it will ever arrive and the overall situation was rife with them lying directly to my face, trying to screw me, and basically admitting they violate their own publically given policy that we the students and faculty have agreed to when purchasing their passes.
So, I know that they are basically exploiting their position as a monopoly over the parking area and a knowledge that students are far too poor and busy to pursue legal courses. Truth be told, I never wanted to and I know that I can't even if I wanted to because I didn't keep close enough lectures. I don't like going that way especially not over something this dumb.
Still, it was amazing, the lengths they went to try and piss me off and the direct and transparent methods by which they refused to provide the service for which we agreed to. It overall showed just how little they think of those who attend the campus and how little they care if we lived or died. Makes me glad that I'll probably be transferring within a couple of years.
