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In all my years of driving, I have never experienced this first-hand

I am proud to say that I have never received a parking citation in all my years of driving. Well, at least I know that. Park It! Charlotte and Law Enforcement Systems apparently have a different opinions. Yet what it comes down to is incompetence – and potentially illegal behavior – by the very people who are paid by our taxes.

So a little history. In November, 2006, my wife totaled her car. Yes it was her fault, no she wasn’t hurt, and yes I believe the other person was.  She ran a red light and T-boned a minivan at 50 MPH. Her Camry was totaled, although behind the front fenders you would never know. The minivan’s frame was literally bent in. So piece of advice, forget the Dodge Grand Caravan, but the Toyota Camry.

Insurance handled most of everything, but we had to turn in the tag prior to getting our payout. Which we did, at the DMV Tag location on Independence Blvd. in Charlotte, NC. The one beside BJ’s for those who know it. Got our receipt, got our check from the insurance company, then went on about our business.

So why is a totaled car from 2006 relevant mid-2009. Apparently the tag was “improperly” handled after turning it in. In March of this year, I received a letter from the Charlotte parking authority, affectionately known as Park It!, stating I was past due on a parking citation, and that I owed $35. Seemed suspect, so I checked all of the tags at my house. Nothing matched. Checked all of my parents tags, nothing much. Even glanced at the ones in the neighborhood, yet none even matched the first two letters.

So I called a family friend who is a Deputy Sheriff and asked her to run the tag. It was for a 2005 Camry, and listed as being owned by State Farm. Interesting that it would be the car that was totaled and owned by our insurance company. So I called Park It!, told them I wanted to appeal. At first she said that it was too late to appeal since it was past due, but after I explained the situation, she agreed and said that they were going to take care of it on their side, especially after she ran the tag, and sure enough, it was listed as State Farm as the owner. Ironically, the vehicle was a Nissan, not a Camry. Is this suspect?

So I thanked the lady and began to worry about why that tag was floating around still. So I put it on my to do list to find that tag receipt and contact the NC DMV License and Theft Bureau. Well, I forgot. Or should I say it moved lower and lower on the list. Until today.

Today I got a letter from Law Enforcement Services, stating that I owed $35 for that citation, and failure to either pay or contact them by 5/11 could result in one of the following:

• Having my vehicle towed
• Having wheel-locks installed on my wheels
• Taken to court

Although personally I would love to see the car get towed, the agency is potentially screwing around with my credit. But I’m now fuming because this supposed “taken care of” situation is now being taken care of by a collection agency. I contacted them, explained the situation, but now they need paperwork. Apparently collection services aren’t paid to do their homework, only to collect. So now I was forced to find that damned receipt, which I have. I’m faxing it in the morning. If they try to collect again then we may be seeing each other in court – maybe someone will let me borrow some Armani vampire fangs

NC DMV License and Theft Bureau will also be hearing from me tomorrow, as I try to get some investigation as to why in the hell a tag that was legally turned in 2 years ago is being used. Park It! is also getting a copy of the receipt as well and a stern warning not to contact me again regarding this tag. I will not respond to any requests for payment, they have their sufficient proof. I’m also going to be sending in a complaint on the unprofessional methods by which this is handled. Once I had provided enough proof that the ticket was not supposed to be for me, and I was told that they were going to take care of it on their end, I should have NEVER received that letter from the collection agency.

And finally, I still want to know how in the hell they got my name in the first place. The tag was registered to State Farm, yet I’m the one who has had the headache.

So a word of advice to anyone turning in your tag. Hold on to that receipt for a long long time. You never know when some crook in the DMV is going to ensure your old tag ends up on the back of another car.