We went for lunch at Coolidge Park and dutifully paid for our space. When we came out there was a ticket on the windshield. I had paid for excess time so as not to be rushed for lunch. The ticket writer was still in the area so we found him and showed him our receipt and he agreed that we had paid and that he would take the ticket off the computer. He said this happens when he writes tickets without updating his computer with the pay booth. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. He knowingly and regularly writes tickets to people who have paid the parking fee.
Sure enough the ticket shows up in the mail. When I called Republic, I was told that Andrea is the person who handles the mistakes. She doesn't answer her phone. I asked to speak with her supervisor, she doesn't answer either. The message tells me to file an appeal online, that Andrea is two days behind with her complaint calls. I can see why.
But she did call back after I persisted with my calls. She asked if I had my receipt where I had paid. Really? How long should we keep that little piece of paper to prove that we didn't break the law? She then looked it up and said that she sees where we paid for our space 17 minutes before the rude attendant wrote the ticket. She also said he can't take a ticket back once he writes it. She said he was just trying to help us when he said he would take it off the computer.
How does lying to me help? He also used the big F word when telling us to leave Coolidge Park. What a wonderful ambassador for Chattanooga parks and tourist attractions.
It appears that the City Council has made a terrible decision when it voted to give Carta the right to subcontract a private parking lot company to perform official police business using untrained personnel who knowingly write tickets to law abiding citizens. How much damage have they done to our tourist business and to the private businesses at Coolidge Park?
Harry Presley
Chattanooga
* * *
Another bad decision from our local officials. We do not elect people to give government services to private industry.
We need to keep Private industry out of our government.
Some examples are the parking downtown, the omission controls given to a company from Sweden, and the cameras that are used at red lights and speeding.
The other day a study to see if we needed a train run from Chattanooga and Nashville and Atlanta.
I thought that was why we elected the people in government to do. $170,009 does not need to be wasted.
I resent a parking attendant being able to give me a ticket.
I resent the emissions fees I have to pay being sent to Sweden.
I resent that a private company can make me pay a fine that I have paid to government for police protection.
I resent that CCA can take my tax dollars and send them to government officials to further increase their profits.
Ronald Ford