This is an unusual post but something I felt like needed to be out there. A few days ago someone I will call Avery, a newly divorced woman in her 20's learned a hard lesson about 1) obeying the law, 2) always being financially prepared for emergencies, and 3) trusting your instincts. After a great YSA activity (Young Single Adult for those of you not familiar with the acronym) she went out with a few people to Steel City Pops for popsicles....if you haven't been there they are awesome!!! This one is in Louisville KY. All the onstreet parking was full so one of the men riding in her car told her to park across the street in the Chipotle lot. It is posted that unauthorized vehicles will be towed and Avery had a bad feeling about parking there (FIRST WARNING SIGN). But, as often happens, she was convinced by others to go against that feeling.
Long story short when she came back she found her car gone...TOWED! Here is where I have some serious issues with our "money hungry, greedy, uncaring society". When she called the lot ... Mosby's Towing in Louisville Kentucky she was understandably upset but got very little information or help from the person she spoke with. Basically it came down to two things...number one they are only open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, the initial towing charge is $125 and it costs $25 a day until you get it picked up.
Avery works two jobs, one from 7:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and the second (quite a ways from her first job and a long way from Mosby's Towing) that starts at 4 p.m. See the problem? How can a working person get there during those hours? Avery just started both jobs, is on her 90 day probationary period and any missed day will cause a loss of employment so that's not an option. She doesn't own the car, it belongs to her father-in-law and wont be titled over to her until the divorce is final so she can't pick up the car....even though she has permission from her father in law to drive it and has driven it for the past two years, only the registered owner can pick it up. So she had to send a permission form to her father-in-law across the country (he's too old to be competent through e-mail) and have him get it signed, notarized, and returned with a copy of his driver's license. It cost $23 each way to overnight it...mind you this wasn't even able to be figured out until she WENT to Mosby's and presented the registration (1DAY DOWN $25), of course now it is after the time she could get a form overnighted (2nd DAY DOWN $25), it took one day to overnight the form, the second day for him to sign and send back but he didn't get it in the mail until after the mail had left for the day (3rd DAY DOWN +$25), it will be tomorrow when she gets the form back in the mail (4th DAY DOWN +$25), that will be a saturday and MOSBY's TOWING OF LOUISVILLE KY is closed on weekends!!! (Isn't that convenient? If you work during the week and can't afford to miss work you cannot pick up your car! and at $25 a day she is now looking at three more days Saturday, Sunday, and Monday before she can even TRY to figure out how to get it (add another $75) So now we are over $300 plus the $50 to overnight the forms.
Avery works two jobs just to make ends meet 3 or 4 hundred dollars to get her car out of the impound lot for parking after hours in a restaurant lot has been a VERY expensive lesson.
I guess I wanted to post this somewhere because when we were looking for information we couldn't find ANY of this online, not the $125 fee, not the fact that the lot is closed on Saturday and Sunday, honestly I think If we had known I would have driven the 13 hours to virginia from kentucky, got the forms signed and driven back.....it would have been cheaper.
LESSON LEARNED!
Have the registration in your name!!!!!
Don't park where it says violators will be towed!!!!
Keep an emergency fund of at least $600 at all times over and above your monthly known expenses!!!
Don't expect sympathy, help, courtesy, or even fairness from people who profit from other's mistakes!
MOSBY's TOWING: Shame on you for your inflexible and obviously calculating hours of operation (note...their towing service is open 24 hours a day seven days a week but they make their real money from not being open for people who need to get their cars out of the lot). It would be nice if you would have one weekend day of operation where you are open 24 hours or even 16....come on....sick and greedy!
