R U Serious?!?! =S (rant)

[clickclack]

So I had a small $20 or so fix-it-ticket a couple/few months back and I took care of it when I finally had time. I essentially just went to the police station really late one night after work, paid a fee for an officer to look at my car (license plate) and I was good to go. I mailed the ticket fee check along with my receipt of the inspection and the letter they sent on the due date. So I was a hair late essentially, I just didn't think I would have to mail anything since I went to the police station. I got a letter in the mail essentially looking just like the one I had received earlier and thought my letter crossed theirs in the mail since I was a lttle late.
Well I just got a letter saying that my license is on hold and I now owe a little over $2,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(among other threats)

OMFGWTF! I can't in any way afford that!

I know they got my original payment since it was deducted in my bank balance already.
And to make matter worse just after reading it I realized I was supposed to mail the signed ticket back, not my receipt! I have no idea why I did that but looking back I don't remember them signing my ticket, but low and behold they did! Officers name and date are there and marked before the due date.

I am crossing my fingers that I am not going to be actually penalized that badly for making such a silly mistake, especially since I actually did what was originally asked. To make matters worse I can't resolve any of this online or over the phone apparently, so I think I have to go to the courthouse and take time off of work to do so.

I know this is all TMI but I'm just really upset. My chest has been hurting all week, I just scheduled to see the doc and now this. Like I really need more stress.  =(    =(    =(
Don't they realize how upsetting this is to people?

-cc      =(

p.s. Just venting,  %^&*@$%$@#$%&*

[Kisakuku]

This blows. Can't they give you another fix-it ticket to fix the first fix-it ticket? Sigh.

[clickclack]

No kiddin! I want a do over.

=(

[Kisakuku]

I can only offer a comb over

[byFd]

Well i'd just call them and tell them the story. atleast you fixed it by the date.

can only talk for germany but i payed later than duetime (i think maximum was like a week late) on several occasions and most of the time i didn't even get the next letter with more fees for not paying.

as i said i would call there and tell them what happened that you kinda messed it up because you didn't know what to mail exactly and hopefully they drop the claim

[clickclack]

I can only offer a comb over

The usefulness of that is wearing thin.
XD

byFd-
I will try and contact them tomorrow, errr... later today. The only problem with that is everything is automated so I think I have to go into the courthouse.  =S

[kriminal]

$2000? woooooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwww!!
damn

[Kisakuku]

My understanding is that failing to show proof of correction by the due date on the ticket for any reason counts as a failure to appear in court, so the huge fine is a fine for driving with expired registration + an FTA fine. Best course of action is to go to a court house ASAP and try to at least get the FTA fine reduced or completely zeroed out and possibly have the expired registration fine reduced due to the extenuating circumstances. Might have to actually appear before a judge for that. Once this is resolved, get an FTA abstract from the court, then make an appointment at the DMV to get your license reinstated, which will also has an associated reissue fee. The whole thing blows

[cactux]

God bless america

[Kisakuku]

God bless america

And specifically the budget crisis in CA.

[cactux]

^ That is just a small item in the big big black list

[Malphas]

I just ignore things like this and they generally go away.

[Findecanor]

Yikes. That is just ridiculous ...

[alaricljs]

Makes me appreciate not living in a nanny state and wanting to keep it that way.  I've been 'warned' about my license plate many times... this consists of the cop pulling up next to me and saying 'hey... that license plate cover's not legal.  Take care of it'  and then rolling on.

Keep using the phrase 'clerical error' and they might get it through their thick skulls.

[keyboardlover]

You have an illegal license plate cover?

I really don't get those. Anytime I see one I think it just looks really stupid. And I don't get the purpose of it.

[alaricljs]

Yeah, it's a whole lot easier getting snow/ice/mud/crap off of a smooth license plate cover than it is off a surprisingly textured (due to all that extra reflective crap) license plate.  I've had it for 15+ years with nothing more than a drive by warning once in a long while.

[Rajagra]

My impression from a thread on another forum, is that these things are remarkably negotiable in the US. Basically you get a lawyer, he has a cosy chat with the prosecutor and the fine is reduced - enough to cover the lawyer's fees, and you get fewer/no points on your licence. I lost a lot of respect for the American system when I learned this.
If you can afford a lawyer, it's worth using one.

[mmmty]

Well, **** happens... but you will get through this.

[itlnstln]

Time to make a license plate key cap for a fundraiser!

The Police are the same way in Illinois (Chicago, specifically).  I got a ticket for parking legally on the street, but I was smart.  I parked under the sign saying that parking was legal during the time I was there, and I took a picture of my car under the sign license plate and all (nobody was parked there, so I was a little suspicious).  When I got back, sure enough, there was the ticket.  I sent a copy of the picture with the remittance stub, but no money.  I got a letter a week later stating the ticket would be dismissed.

That doesn't include the $710 missed toll ticket I got in Chicago when the toll equipment didn't read the IPass (toll tag) I was borrowing.  I ended up paying $13 to resolve that one after a long phone call.  In Texas, we've all but made toll booths extinct; most stretches don't have any at all.  A picture of your license is taken, and they bill you for toll; no violations.

It's all just a revenue stream for the state and local governments.

[keyboardlover]

Toll booths SHOULD be extinct. Just like income tax and the federal reserve.

Freaking government criminals.

[itlnstln]

Toll booths SHOULD be extinct. Just like income tax and the federal reserve.

Freaking government criminals.

See: the Articles of Confederation.  Epic failure.

I don't normally exercise my degree in History, but when I do... uh... I do.

[fohat.digs]

I second the lawyer suggestion.

Seems unfair and "wrong" to pay somebody to fix a misunderstanding, but it is all a "good ole boy" situation and a lawyer can fix in 5 minutes something you can't fix in 5 weeks.

Pay the couple of hundred dollars and it will probably go away quickly. Don't delay!

[clickclack]

$2000? woooooooooooooooooooooowwwwwwww!!
damn

I know!!!! It's over 80x the price of the original offence. >80x!

My understanding is that failing to show proof of correction by the due date on the ticket for any reason counts as a failure to appear in court.........(

Basically this ^ since I mailed the wrong thing back even though I did the correction on time and have proof, this was/is considered to be "failing to appear in court".
I went to the traffic courty looking building thingy to find this out. Took me forever to find it because it was the only thing open as everything else was closed today. I now have an "actual" court date that I get to look forward to in a few months. I was told to show up with everthing I presented to the traffic lady window clerk person (LoL) and present that to the judge in hopes of a reduction. I managed to get a court date so that it doesnt conflict too much with work. I also had to pay a tiny fee to have my license taken off hold which I didn't know of until yesterday. The person who I saw was very helpful and understanding so I hope this is a trend that continues later with the judge.
All this because I accidently mailed the wrong thing. ='(
I think it is safe to say I won't be committing crimes any time soon, if this is what happens when I just mail the wrong thing imagine what would happen if I did something that actually affected someones life!

God bless america

Sure doesn't look like it. LoL

And specifically the budget crisis in CA.

That's what I'm thinking, but geeeez! It has totally screwed the school systems, so why not go the extra mile I guess. haahaa  XP

I just ignore things like this and they generally go away.

You my friend are much luckier than I, "or" you are obviously not in California apprently.  =P

[Kisakuku]

Glad it all worked out and you got a court date and reinstated your DL. Now just need to play your cards right in front of the judge. I'd say earlier in the day is better and dress nicely And of course bring all the supporting documentation.

[clickclack]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions, support, and efforts to calm me down. That was very generous of all of you.
I will keep this thread updated with info down the road if people were curious as to what happens regarding this type of incidnet.

For my next trick I will start my work on paying down Californias debt.  XD

[Gin]

Sounds like it's working out.
If the judge is any measure of reasonable, you're going to be fine.

[clickclack]

Glad it all worked out and you got a court date and reinstated your DL. Now just need to play your cards right in front of the judge. I'd say earlier in the day is better and dress nicely And of course bring all the supporting documentation.

It's funny the amount of stress this all causes (well I guess I am a stress basket right now anyway, LoL). Now I 'm worried about my clothes, as all of them are screwed up from work and the nice ones I got a little while back don't fit now cause I gained weight, LoL!

Oh what a groadie tangled accidental web we weave.  =P

I would probably be a lot more upset about this if it was not for you guys, so a big thanks for lowering my stress levels.  =)

[tsangan]

Should be fine

Same thing happened to me a few years back, I just appeared in court and I was free to go right afterwards, taking a day off work is a lot better then $2,000

[eth0s]

Is this a bad time to ask if I can get some unicorn keycaps from the clickclack gnome factory?

btw, are they gnomes or oompa loompa's, 'cuz I heard ppl say both?

Oh, and as for the ticket snafu, get a lawyer.  After you hire one, you'll realize that what you're paying for is somebody else to carry the stress, so you don't have to.  Best money you'll ever spend.  Or you could do what I do, which is ride the bus.  That's fun too.

[Kisakuku]

Now I 'm worried about my clothes, as all of them are screwed up from work and the nice ones I got a little while back don't fit now cause I gained weight, LoL!

I didn't mean you need to rent a tux, a pair of khakis and a dress shirt should be sufficient :-)

So you paid for the court to issue a DMV abstract, but don't you have to go to the DMV and actually pay the DL reinstatement fee?

[cactux]

Is this a bad time to ask if I can get some unicorn keycaps from the clickclack gnome factory?

btw, are they gnomes or oompa loompa's, 'cuz I heard ppl say both?
.

Could you forgert your personal interests for a while and try to HELP the others?

[whiskerBox]

Ultra Rare $2000 clickclack prototype coming soon....

jk. good luck CC

[DrSchlock]

[random]
This reminds me of something that happened to a friend of mine. He got pulled over for running a red light. He was sure the light was green and he asked the officer how far back they were then they saw them run the light. The officer stated they were 2 cars back. "Good" my friend said, " we then can look at your on-dash video camera to see that the light was still green." With that, the officer closed his ticket book, told my friend to have a nice day and left.
[/random]

[clickclack]

So here is the update as promised! LOL

First of all many of you were right, secondly this played out as if it were a cheap comedy.

This is the breakdown:

-Got a license plate fix-it-ticket a year ago
-Actually got it fixed on time and send in the payment and receipt from the police station
(I was supposed to mail back the ticket not the receipt, I have no idea why I accidently did that)
-Received a failure to appear in court notice (because I turned in the wrong thing) and the $25 fee turned into something silly like $2,000.
-Explained this to the local traffic office thingy building clerk people. They gave me a court date (almost a year from the initial violation)
-Finally went to court, I was nervous, everybody there was a *i love ponies or a weasel.
-I dressed as I would an important meeting, everyone else was dressed as if they rolled out of bed from a semi-abandoned trailer.
-I waited for a few hours.
-The judge saw me and asked if I pleaded guilty, not guilty, or no contest, I said I don't know why I'm here.
-I explained what happened, everyone laughed at me (EVERYONE).
-She reduced the charge and made me pay a "failure to appear in court fee", which was $114.

Actuall outcome?

Two days missed work, $114 in fines, for a ticket that cost $25 dollars to fix in 10 minutes. (I had to write the check 3 times as the clerk gave me the wrong dollar amount that many times). And one year of my life lost from the stress alone.

Morals of the story?

Don't accidently mail in the wrong part of a ticket, people are sneaky weasels, be honest, bailiffs can be incredible jerks, make the judge smile and make everyone laugh (including the judge).  Oh, and a couple more... stress does not do a body good, and the legal system so far beyond a joke I don't know a word that could properly do it justice (pun intended).

Pheeeeew! Now back to keycaps FTW!  =D

Edit:Thank you to everyone who offered help and/or just tried to calm me down. You guys are the best! =)
And yes this was embarrassing. =P

*Well apparently we have a funny swear filter... "Deee-eye-see-kay" turns into "i love ponies". LOL 

[demik]

last ticket i got

was a 240 dollar ticket (not making a full stop)

ended up costing me close to a grand in the end.

[tsangan]

-I dressed as I would an important meeting, everyone else was dressed as if they rolled out of bed from a semi-abandoned trailer.

That always happens to me :|

I'm glad everything worked out though, traffic court dates are the biggest waste of time ever

[boost]

I got hit will a $800 bill from dmv and had a restricted license for 1 year. I know how you fell

[The_Beast]

So here is the update as promised! LOL

First of all many of you were right, secondly this played out as if it were a cheap comedy.

This is the breakdown:

-Got a license plate fix-it-ticket a year ago
-Actually got it fixed on time and send in the payment and receipt from the police station
(I was supposed to mail back the ticket not the receipt, I have no idea why I accidently did that)
-Received a failure to appear in court notice (because I turned in the wrong thing) and the $25 fee turned into something silly like $2,000.
-Explained this to the local traffic office thingy building clerk people. They gave me a court date (almost a year from the initial violation)
-Finally went to court, I was nervous, everybody there was a *i love ponies or a weasel.
-I dressed as I would an important meeting, everyone else was dressed as if they rolled out of bed from a semi-abandoned trailer.
-I waited for a few hours.
-The judge saw me and asked if I pleaded guilty, not guilty, or no contest, I said I don't know why I'm here.
-I explained what happened, everyone laughed at me (EVERYONE).
-She reduced the charge and made me pay a "failure to appear in court fee", which was $114.

Actuall outcome?

Two days missed work, $114 in fines, for a ticket that cost $25 dollars to fix in 10 minutes. (I had to write the check 3 times as the clerk gave me the wrong dollar amount that many times). And one year of my life lost from the stress alone.

Morals of the story?

Don't accidently mail in the wrong part of a ticket, people are sneaky weasels, be honest, bailiffs can be incredible jerks, make the judge smile and make everyone laugh (including the judge).  Oh, and a couple more... stress does not do a body good, and the legal system so far beyond a joke I don't know a word that could properly do it justice (pun intended).

Pheeeeew! Now back to keycaps FTW!  =D

Edit:Thank you to everyone who offered help and/or just tried to calm me down. You guys are the best! =)
And yes this was embarrassing. =P

*Well apparently we have a funny swear filter... "Deee-eye-see-kay" turns into "i love ponies". LOL 

I love ponies tooooooo

[DanGWanG]

Poor CC....

As usual, the court system delays EVERYONE'S work!

[zzAaron]

worst thing comes to worse. go to court and argue

[MMB]

I feel you on this one. I just had to drop almost $600 on attorney fees to ensure I don't get points on my record. Got 2 moving violations: 1 was a motorcycle cop that said I almost hit him when changing lanes. He was sitting in my blind spot. Used my blinker, looked over my shoulder, didn't see him. Second was driving 75 in a 65. That isn't usually terrible, but motorcycle cops are the biggest ****s, I have found, when it comes to things like that.

I also found out a few days back when I was stopped that I had a warrant for a really old ticket that I assumed was taken care of. It was for a suspended license for some lapse in insurance when I move to a different state. I sent them my proof of insurance and new license. That should have taken care of it, but apparently not. So instead of dealing with the court hassles, I decided to simply pay one of the 'we will take care of it for you with no points on your record' attorneys, as my insurance is already high enough -_-

So yea... I feel ya on all of that

[Wildcard]

My boss got a notice in the mail that his drivers license had been suspended due to an unpaid parking ticket in NJ. He hasn't lived there for several years now. After a bit of digging he found out that the ticket was indeed issued when he wasn't even in the state. Instead of flying back to contest it, he just paid the ticket and fine. I have no idea how much that must have been, but I've heard of several other similar stories in NJ/NY.