Frustration with the Los Angeles Parking Bureau

[mateo107]

What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? California

Last year i got a ticket due to a temporary parking restriction (there was a marathon the next day). I paid the ticket but then several months later received a delinquent notice. the Los Angeles Parking Bureau asked me send in proof of payment, even though i already figured out the problem because the citation # was different on the notice than from the check they had cashed. refusing to work with me in person, they made me mail in the proof of payment (which me and the bank both thought was ridiculous because the question wasn't if the payment had been collected). it turned out (or so i was told) that the two officers who were ticketing the street that day had put the wrong citation on my vehicle and unfortunately i hadn't noticed (any time i've gotten a ticket my vehicle make/model/color is always wrong anyway). although i jumped through all their hoops to get that resolved, i couldn't get them to just transfer the payment and leave me alone.

for several months i had to call them on a weekly basis, and every time the story changed. at first, they tried to claim that i had been cited for both tickets, one rep claimed that the name of the officer for the legitimate ticket was unavailable, although the next rep had no trouble locating that information. since they had requested information in writing from me, i requested copies of my correspondence in writing, including the original citation, but despite their promises they never sent me anything. eventually, i was told that in trying to transfer the payment they had accidentally sent a refund to the other vehicle owner and they would need to investigate. they continually promised i would get a callback, but failed to do so and i had to call every week to check on the status. finally, i got a callback from a supervisor who told me it was resolved. that was about 6 months ago.

yesterday, however, i got another deliquent notice, this time threatening seizure, to withhold my vehicle registration renewal, and with the penalties hiked up to $150. i paid a ticket, i don't think it's fair to have to pay for another ticket plus penalties; they should try to collect this from the vehicle owner who hasn't paid their ticket.

i'm at a loss for what to do now. this is really stressing me out and i can't do anything about it over the weekend, i probably won't be able to get through to a person on monday, so i'm hoping somebody here can offer some advice.What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)?

[seniorjudge]

You are obviously dealing with idiots.

Pay the ticket before it gets any higher.

[mateo107]

i thought people might like to know that after months of persisant calling, this has finally been dismissed. i still had to call every week, and was promised a supervisor would call me every time. eventually, one did call me back, but hours later after 5:00pm and i missed the call. she left me her direct line in her message, which didn't really mean much because she was apparently never at her desk. it took me several more weeks of calling and leaving her voicemails every day until i finally got ahold of her (interestingly, she called me back on my cell while i had been waiting on hold for an hour--yes, i'm not exaggerating!--with a rep on my work line). while she was on the line, she called the department that had been rejecting my appeals and i waited 45 minutes for her to resolve that (she said she could just call me back but i was determined to wait all day if need be). she asssured me it had been corrected and today i have the proof in the mail: a receipt to provide for my vehicle registration renewal.

so there you have it, if it's truly not your fault, you can win against the LA Parking Bureau. the original citation was in December, though, so it may just take them a year to fix their mistakes. in the end, even if i had given them the full $300+, with their employees making an assumed minimum wage (if they're paid any more, then they're overpaid, imo) and the time spent disputing, this citation would have still been ridiculously unprofitable to them.