When a company needs to do work in an area, they often have to park their large vehicles around to ensure they can get the job done.
What would you do if a company parked in a way that took up three spots, including your own private spots, and refused to move when you asked them to?
That is what happened to the guy in this story, so he moved his cars around to ensure the work vehicle could not move, and refused to let him out until he paid a fine.
Check it out.
Sort the parking out? Ok, let me know if this works for you company with V in their name.
Back in the heyday of a fiber company with the letter V in their name, they were jamming fiber into the ground as fast as they could, they came to our townhouse village.
We got notice that they would be starting the next Monday and that they would be going along the inside edge of the sidewalks to set primary fibers and if we wanted it to come to the house to paste this orange sign on our front doors.
Ok, I was happy with the current provider, so no orange for me.
Parking is tight, with spaces for residents (marked) and some for visitors (marked).
I was surprised to come home on Friday to see a DitchWitch (cable digging / insertion machine) across the three spaces my family normally used.
I said to the workman that they were in my spaces, and they were across them.
Why not move to the visitor spot next spot over and rather than being across them, just put the machine in the spot like it was a car.
That way it would take one spot not three.
Digger guy goes “I already set it there, I have other work, you can sort out the parking” and drove off.
Ok fine.
Oh, this is perfect.
So I park my car as close as I can get to the machine (using the visitors spot).
When next car arrives, we place it as close to the machine in the space on the other side.
Next car goes across the three spaces parallel to the machine.
This blocks it in on three sides, can’t get out the 4th since there are the concrete bumpers.
Plus lack of wiggle room.
Others make alternate plans to get to work, I stay home to watch the action.
Digger guy shows up.
Sees that he’s blocked in and is very sad.
Stomps around the digger, around the cars, around the digger, another pass around the cars.
They go to the first town house.
No answer.
Second, third, fourth all at work. Gets to me.
“Those your cars?”
“Yep, parked in my spot”
“You need to move them.”
“Nope, busy with other work” and I close the door.
Bang, bang, bang. “You can’t block me in, you can’t park there.”
“I can park there and look at them I already did. You said for me to sort my parking out on Friday and I did”.
“I’m going to call the police.”
“Go for it” and I closed the door.
About an hour passed, knock at the door.
“I’m the site engineer for a company with V in their name, are those cars yours?”
“Yep”
“You need to move them”.
They are the ones who caused this issue.
“No, when your work drone dropped the machine off, I suggested rather than take up three spaces, they take up one. They said I should sort my own parking out. I did and I have other work to do.”
Closed the door. More knocking that I ignored.
By now there is a crowd of workpeople milling around.
Another hour passes, new knocking.
“I’m the Senior project engineer for a company with V in their name, are those cars yours?”
“Yep”
“You need to move them”.
“No, when your work drone dropped the machine off, I suggested rather than take up three spaces, they take up one. They said I should sort my own parking out. I did and I have other work to do.”
“We’ll call the police”
“You do that” close the door.
While finishing lunch, knock at the door.
“This is the police”.
Open up, and ask how I can help.
Get told by Office Obie to move my car or they would be towed.
Not much the cops can do here.
I pointed to the “Private Property” sign and said “This is a private parking lot, you don’t have jurisdiction, in fact when we have complained about issues, your Chief has said you don’t have jurisdiction. So you can’t call the tow, you need to deal with the homeowners association.”
Some splutter by Officer Obie but acknowledged they don’t have jurisdiction to call a tow and left.
Late afternoon knock at the door.
“Hey Kilted, this is member of the HOA.”
I open up, we go out, I explain the situation (sorry no 8×10 color glossies with circles and paragraphs on the back) to them.
HOA yells at people from Company that has V in their name.
Company people looks sad.
HOA member asks how can we solve this?
I go, “Well illegal parking is a $100 fine, they are across three spaces, so that would be $300 fine, they pay that we can call it a day (winking at HOA member.)
“That works, I fine you $300 per day company with V in their name”
Senior engineer with a company with V in their name goes.
They were losing way more than that from being unable to work.
“Ok, we will pay it, move the cars. ”
I go “They look like they will pull a runner on you, I’d get payment first.”
“Good idea, you can pay me the fine since I’m the HOA.”
“I can’t get you a check today.”
“When you get the check, you can start. Otherwise, there is a bank down the street, cash will work.”
Senior engineer slinks away.
HOA member and I chat outside while worker drones mill around.
Senior engineer returns, hands cash to the HOA member and goes “OK, now move your cars”.
I comply putting cars in other slots.
When I come back from moving the last car, I see the digger parked in the visitor spot, correctly like a car.
“What’s with that HOA member?”
He stopped an entire day’s worth of work!
“Well they decided that they had wasted the entire day and would start again tomorrow.”
They came and did the wires the next three days, each day the digger was returned to it’s spot.
Oddly, I never saw the guy that wanted me to “sort my own parking out” again.
I love it when rude people on a power trip learn their lesson, what a great story.
Let’s see what the people in the comments have to say.
It was a great story.
Its the first time an HOA has been a benefit.
Yup, the company lost a lot that day.
He has no authority here.
This person points out that $300 was the least of their costs.
He should have just parked in a guest spot.
Who knew HOAs could be helpful?
If you liked that post, check out this one about an employee that got revenge on HR when they refused to reimburse his travel.