money buggersEveryone makes mistakes from time to time with small or sometimes large financial consequences. In this series tell people about their monetary misstep. This week Ruby Eleonora (39), who lost 800 euros because she had not been careful with parking, twice.
When did this play?
Ruby: ,,It was in August 2013 and 2014. At the time I lived in the middle of The Hague, close to the location where a nice festival takes place every year. I regularly parked my car there.
After being on vacation for two weeks, I came back late at night, parked my car and rolled into my bed. The next day I was called by the municipality to ask if the car with a specific registration number belonged to me. Yes, what’s going on? I asked. If I wanted to pick up my car from the depot. They had towed him away because that festival was going to take place.”
How did you react?
,,I got on the defensive, told me that I had just been away for two weeks and that I hadn’t seen any signs that you were not allowed to park. That I was already happy that I had found a parking space, that I hadn’t seen the signs in the dark and that I just wanted to go home.”
At that counter I was allowed to cough up towing costs plus a fine, in total about 400 euros. That was very sour
How did they react?
“Of course they didn’t care. Yes, ma’am, you are not alone, they said. When I finally arrived at that depot to pick up my car after a long journey by tram, bus and a long walk on foot, I saw a pile of papers about eight centimeters thick, they had towed fifty cars away. I also suggested that it wasn’t clearly stated if so many people had the same problem as me, but they couldn’t do anything about it. At that counter I was allowed to cough up towing costs plus a fine, in total about 400 euros. That was very sour. If you come back broke from vacation and then you can put down such an amount for something so stupid.”
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So that wouldn’t happen to you again?
“The following year flyers were put under the windshield wipers in the week before the festival when your car was not allowed to be parked there. ‘How good!’ I thought. I took a picture of it and posted it on Facebook. The year before, I had made a dramatic post about what had happened to me and wanted to let you know that the municipality was now helping to prevent something like this this year. I put the flyer in the back of the car and thought no more about it. I knew that the festival was being held on Saturday and Sunday and I would take that into account.”
And then?
,,I wanted to go to work that Friday morning and walked to my car. Signs and fences everywhere. They were setting up the festival and I asked an employee what was going on, because the festival was only tomorrow, wasn’t it? No, today and Saturday. All the cars were towed early this morning. Could I travel to that depot again to pay 400 euros! And I was also late for work.”
Text continues after the photo.
How did you feel?
“Just mad at myself. More cars had been towed, but not as many as the year before.”
What did you learn from it?
,,I have now moved to another part of The Hague, so this will not happen to me again. But since then I pay very close attention to whether I can park somewhere and when in doubt I don’t.”
And the festival?
“I never went there again. When I see nice pictures of it, it comes up again. Then I think of my wasted money.”
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