So yesterday this happened…
Greetings,
For several weeks now I have been utilizing the services of the UK Family Center. This center is located in Scovell Hall across from the UK Clinic parking lot on Huguelet. I was told I could park here and the center does validate my parking card using the stamp just like the UK Clinic does when they validate my parking when actually using their "in house" services.
The employees of the parking garage’s exit pay booths have been "warning" me about parking there. I’ve been told that "you’re being watched," that you can’t leave the clinic and cross the street and then leave their parking lot — and that it doesn’t matter that my card has been validated. Once I was even told that my car could be towed because I was parking there.
I’ve explained to at least three of these parking garage’s exit pay booths operators that I am a patient at a the UK Family Center across the street and that I am allowed to park in the clinic lot; but instead of checking out my "story" these folks have found it best to monitor my parking habits.
Today upon checking out I was told that my validation card wasn’t properly filled out — I told the clerk (I had never seen before) that this is the way the card has been validated every time. She asked me where I had been and even what floor the clinic was located on in Scovell Hall saying that she had never heard of it. Another operator was standing next to her in the booth — one that I had explained to weeks ago that I was permitted to park in the KY Clinic lot as a patient of the UK Family Center — and he asked me if I had a reserved permit. I had to ask him what a reserved permit was, but instead of telling me he just dismissed my question.
It wasn’t until I got to my workplace that I discovered I had received a ticket from UK Parking — for disregarding sign “pt pkg only.”
Now I know that these employees had to have contacted parking services to come and ticket my car. That UK Parking officers would not have ticketed my car for leaving that lot with an obvious legitimate validated parking card.
I want to know why these booth operators went to so much trouble of monitoring my parking place and calling in UK Parking to issue me a $25.00 ticket, but have never bothered to check out what I have explained 4 times (as of today)?!?
Why are these booth operators so anxious to watch, threaten, harass, and have me ticketed, instead of finding out that my parking in the UK Clinic lot is legitimate?!?
I’ve called the xxx-xxxx (number withheld by me) and told my story twice to different ladies that answered the phone. The first lady I spoke to even put me on hold for some time and then came back to tell me that yes I am allowed to park there. Both ladies assured me I would be called back.
It is now 12:20 and no one from parking has called me. (I called at 10:15 am and 11:12 am.)
And then very shortly after I emailed this I get a call from a parking supervisor. He’s apologetic about not getting back with me earlier and he’s asking for more details than I spelled out in my email. He was especially annoyed with the clerk today (the one I’d never seen before) and tells me that she knows better than to ask any parking patron with a validated ticket as to where they’ve been — and that no parking validation has to include where a patron has been! Of course he was all worried about "HIPPAA" violations, etc., but I assured him that was not my issue with this incident. He apologizes for the booth operators getting all "gung ho" instead of verifying that I was permitted to park there. Duh. He says they all know never to treat any patron in the manner that I was treated, etc. And he tells me that there will be an in-service training meeting and this matter will be corrected and my ticket will be voided and on and on, yada yada yada. Then I got the following back up email from him:
"Once again my apologies for the misunderstanding and per our phone conversation the citation will be voided once it is in the system tomorrow. If you encounter further problems or have questions please contact me or my assistant supervisor Glenna Baker directly by email or the phone number below.
Sincerely"
Name withheld by me, etc.
UKMC Parking Manager
UK Parking & Transportation
Which also means this issue is resolved and I should not have any more events like these past again. Let’s hope so, because the whole thing was very distressing and really pissed me off. I don’t even know if I could describe how angry I was about all this crap.
Partly because these were fellow employees who seemed to have nothing better to do than rally together and mess with me. I know there are issues with students and employees trying to park where they’re not supposed to be parking because parking on campus SUCKS — but my reason should have been investigated immediately and the issue over and done with instead of it blowing up into these proportions.
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Car/parking issues like that are THE WORST.
Anything car related sucks. Period.
http://www.booshy.wordpress.com
they do that shit because they are parking booth operators. they have shit else to do. they are the same as meter maids. sorry you had to deal with this. but doesn’t it also feel good that you know they’re getting told? i bet it does. i feel good about it.
OH…Yeah!!!
assholes…I think that people seek power where they can, and the lower the position of power they work from the nastier the abuse of it.