Last Updated on December 30, 2019 by Lawrence Berezin
I think back on all the times I mixed up the “new” year with the “old year.” I would write a date, “January 3, 2019,” when the correct date was “January 3, 2020.” Have you ever found this type of parking ticket mistake?
It appears you and I aren’t the only ones to get confused during this time of year. The Evil Empire and its minions have stumbled when it comes to entering the correct date of a parking ticket in NYC.
How many parking ticket date mistakes?
“At least 2,846 parking violations since July 2015 were logged as occurring in the future, records from the city’s online database show. All of the erroneous summonses were handwritten and could be tossed out – potentially costing the city at least $242,790 in revenue from lost fines.
The city said a so-called “future issuance date” can occur from sloppy paperwork or careless data entry. Either the person writing the ticket makes a mistake and uses the wrong date, or the date is mistyped when a handwritten summons is entered into the system that was analyzed by the News.
The Department of Finance is now investigating the 2,846 violations after the News gave the city a list of them.”
Source: Daily News
Commentary
I always, each and every time, carefully read every, single entry on the front of an NYC parking ticket, regardless of the month. But, in January, February, and March I pay particular attention to the “Date of Violation” to make sure the year was entered correctly.
Whether you may get a $35 street cleaning ticket in Queens or a $115 bus stop parking ticket in Manhattan, check the date and make sure it is correct.
Folks, this is an easy win. And, while you’re at it, check out all the required elements because if you find an omitted, misdescribed, or illegible required element, you win subject to presenting the proper proof, properly.
Happy New Year for 2020 Mr B.
Did I ever tell you about the paperboy money-making scheme I stumbled onto as a youth?
Once upon a time, I was a newspaper delivery boy.
One day after finishing my round, I got back to the shop to find a complaint that I had missed delivering one customer his sporting globe.
The sporting globe had the form guide for the regular Saturday horse race meetings, which customers used in to put phone bets on.
My delivery run was for 211 daily newspapers and being the weekend I also had 50 sporting globes.
I knew I had taken out the correct number of papers but had no idea who may have got the wrong paper. With a new paper, I then raced back to the customer to make him happy.
Next came my dilemma! Do I pay my boss for the extra item or go back and ask all the customers?
My boss said there will not be enough time to get it back to sell. So he said he would simply charge all 211 in the weekly bill. That will work as we know the one who got the extra paper will pay for it and the other 160, who just get a daily paper, will ask for the credit.
And it worked!!!
The one customer did mention to me the next week that he did not order the globe, but he decided to keep it and he won on a race. He gave me a tip and also asked me to add it to his regular order.
As for all the other 160, only 2 complained and all the rest just paid the bill. My boss was thrilled but he said we should fix it as it was something he had adapted from a dubious grocer shop principle he had read about.
That was before the days when possession was 9/10ths of the law and fine print was written in your conscience. So we now had a new dilemma; Keep the money and in my case, the commission or the come clean with the customers?
To fix the complicity, over the course of the next couple of weeks as I did my rounds, I told my daily customers to check their bill from as I thought there had been an error on the billing for the Globes that week.
Sure enough to my bosses delight many came to the shop so he could say he was more than happy to give the credit as he also offered them a special discount on some store items as by way of apology. Others who had just said thanks to me who did not bother to claim I compensated by lifting the bar for even better service whenever I could. (e.g stop and their doorbell on rainy days)
Surprisingly many increased their subscription to include the globe and we also found many new customers in the neighbourhood also signing up with my round increasing to nearly 300 by the end of the year.
My commission and Xmas tips that year were bigger than ever and my boss loved me too with so much new business we got.
And Phew!! The valuable lesson for me and my boss was that happy customers who believe you are honest will stay with you and help you for much longer than a parking ticket warrior will take to write the wrong date.
I was 12 then and who really knows if we really did have such high integrity? But it hopefully for those who like happy endings, like a good story it might still sell some papers.
Happy New Year for 1960 too Larry.
Cheers
Gordon
Gordon!
So great to hear from you.
I loved your story. I’m glad “yut” was not wasted on “yut.”
My best wishes for a healthy, happy, and prosperous 2020 to a great friend who has been sorely missed.
Sincerely,
Larry