How to Resolve a Unfair Ticket

Well, the ticket itself ins’t really unfair. The part that is unfair is that I had to pay it twice.

The jist of the problem is that I paid it when I first got it, then had to pay an additional fine for non-payment of the origonal fine. I had to, or I couldn’t register my car.

Anyway, I’ve basically given up on getting my money directly from the company that issued the fine. And I went to the action-line (consumer protection paper column) and have not heard back.

I am now considering going to small claims court to get my money, but the place that issued the ticket is about 150 miles away.

Do I need to go there to file? Or do I sue the place I was (school, which is close to home) when I got the ticket? How long/how much does it cost? If I win, will costs to file be reimbursed? Is there any way to get more money than I paid for them wasting my time?

Any other comments will be helpful. And if anyone has any other ideas on how to get my money, I’m all ears.

P.S. I already have the cancelled check from the origonal fine, and recipts from paying the second fine.

Wait a minute, first, a company issued the ticket?

I’d call the “action-line” again, and start writing down names, numbers, amounts, and exactly what they tell you before you go to court. Do some homework before Judge Wapner slaps the gavel on ya. But keep those reciepts and cancelled checks. . .

Just out of curiosity, what kind of a ticket was it? Parking ticket from a local rent-a-cop security business?

Tripler
I’d burn it if I got it. . .

On the ticket there should be a phone number to call about things like this. Our local college has something like that & the issuing company is like 500 miles away, so distance isn’t a big deal.

Tripler:

IIRC, California’s community colleges have private security guards instead of sworn police officers and the University of California has sworn police officers instead of private security guards. So, if one gets a traffic ticket on a community college’s campus, it’s one issued by the company’s agent–the security guard.

Did you call the number, as mentioned by handy, on the back of the ticket?
I did once. The cop had put the wrong date, which was a Sunday, on the ticket. It was actually a Monday, and the cop just made a mistake, but they dismissed the fine anyway.
Boy, do I feel guilty. :wink:
Call the number if you haven’t.
Peace,
mangeorge

Well, calling a number on the ticket is no longer an options, as I no longer have the ticket. I had assumed that I didn’t need it after the check for my origonal fine had been cashed.

The check was cashed a few weeks after I got the ticket, which was about 18 month ago. I didn’t realize that its was still on my record until I tried to register my car two months ago. By that time, the people that issued the ticket had notified the DMV, and the DMV collected the money and sent it to them.

And yes, I got the ticket at my local Community College, which I assume contracts out the ticketing procedures.

You have, I assume, contacted the ticketing agency about the matter. Right? If not, you have no complaint. It’s probably been too long anyway.
Go to the courthouse where small claims is and get the pamphlet that details what is required to sue. Watch Judge Judy. The show is silly and annoying, but the basics are pretty accurate.
You’re pissed at the injustice of it all more than anything else, right? :wink:
Peace,
mangeorge

Monday, call the school, ask them who to call. Our community college uses an off campus agency. Our college has a police station of sorts, that’s where I asked.

While the amount that I am owed is only $68 dollars, the fact that they cashed my check for the origonal fine and then failed to remove the fine from my record is what is really pissing me off.

And yes, I have contacted the agency that has my money. They said that there is no ticket on my record (not suprising, since there shouldn’t be after paying the fine twice) and said that it takes six weeks to process refunds. But they never said that they were sending the money, they said that they would look into the matter and it would take that long.

The six weeks have since passed, and I have not heard from them.

I have talked to the agency several times, and I got the feeling that they thought I wanted to dispute the origonal fine. This is not the case, I will be the first to say that I should have been fined, that is why I payed it in a timely manner.

I did talk to the school, and they directed me to the ticketing agency.

So I am going to call them again on Monday and see what happens. But if this does not work, what is the deal with a trial?

If I win, will all of my costs (driving distance, missed work, etc) be reimbursed as well?

If I have proof of paying the fine twice, then what arguements could the agency have to not pay me?

Don’t know about much else here, but:

you cannot recover your time, lost wages, etc. - you can recover atty fees (remember, it’s the lawyers who make these rules :wink: ), and out-of-pocket expenses (filing fees, and maybe transportation expenses).

I think the local court would have jurisdiction, as that is where the citation was issued.