Stolen Car update #49768
So! As you may or may not remember, my car was stolen a few months ago. Gasp? Hasn't that been resolved, you ask? You have your car back, so you and your little Neon can drive off into the sunset while lollipops and rainbows dance on your windshield.
Wrong. The saga of my car will never end. Never.
Since my car has been recovered, it has been back to the shop 3 times for various problems that, as with the latest time, the mechanic told me were semi-related to the forced joyride my car went through in a field in Maryland. Wonderful! And with the last time, I had to get my car towed from the front of my house cause the driver's side back tire decided to no longer rotate. Also wonderful!
The latest saga comes from the drama of the actual theft. So remember how I was supposed to go to court for this whole thing? No? Well, let me recap! When I recovered my car from the impound, I had to get a vehicle release form from the County. On that form, I could indicate a request for a show cause hearing. At this hearing, I could contest the towing fees and argue that my car was unjustly towed and IMPOUNDED unnecessarily (and unwillingly). So what happened to this show cause hearing?
Well, it happened today, after being rescheduled by the county the first time around. I was supposed to have it a month ago, but they had to reschedule. "Sorry, Ms. Taylor, I know you are on your way over here, but we need to reschedule. You'll get a letter in the mail with your new date." So I got that letter last week, saying my new date was today. Thank goodness I have a job that doesn't care when I take time off work.
So the hearing went... well, I guess. It was over and done in 15 minutes. And while I was prepared to make a formal statement and argument in the dramatic fashion so often featured on "Law and Order", that didn't really happen. Rather, the hearing officer asked me to confirm the details. The majority of the talking came from County rep, who spent a lot of time justifying why the county only sent me a letter to tell me my car was towed, instead of a simple phone call. BECAUSE! A simple phone call would have saved me hundreds of dollars and would have prevented my car sitting in the impound for 8 days. So he explained the process of what happens when a vehicle is recovered, and explained that his job is to send off letters, and why letters are more appropriate because phone numbers are never up to date. AND because it was really DC's fault for not providing info and BLAH BLAH BLAH. A bunch of muddled excuses were rattled off, and all I could do was sit there attentively. THANKFULLY, the hearing officer presiding over the case asked a lot of questions that I wanted to ask, or would have loved to ask. He actually seemed on my side, asking a lot of accusatory questions against the county rep. When I stated that I didn't understand why a letter was sent when a simple phone call would have served better, the hearing officer laughed and said "not to mention save you hundreds of dollars." SNAP! Point one for me. I felt that some of the questions he pointed at the county were asked in my favor, and in my defense. At one point, the county said part of the reason the case got caught up in the bureaucracy, and why a letter was sent, was because they were dealing with a different jurisdiction (ie, the DC police AND PG County, MD police were involved). Because they had to call and get the info from DC, he was trying to point that it wasn't necessarily the county's fault, but could have been the fault of the DC police for not handing over all my info, implying that it would have been easier if I had reported my car stolen in PG County. I shot back saying "well, how was I supposed to know my car would wind up in Maryland?"
The fifteen minute hearing flew by, and with no real decision made. The hearing officer said he would look over both arguments and send me a letter with a decision in 3 weeks. So, it felt like it was over before it started. And I was a little frustrated walking out there because I felt that I didn't say much. The whole point was for my voice to be heard. Even if I don't get my money back, I at least wanted to show up and say my case to prove the point that "hey! Your system sucks!" Not to mention, give them a lot of more paper work. BWHAHAHAHA. But, nothing dramatic like that was said. There weren't a lot of questions pointed at me. I was asked to state the facts of what happened, and the county rep did most of the talking. I was asked if I had any questions at the very end, but other than that, I didn't have much of an opportunity to talk. And I guess that made me feel a little frustrated. I guess I was going in expecting to make a grand statement. Instead, I sat there mostly, hearing what the county rep had to say. But I guess just showing up and going through the process makes a grand statement, right?
I just want this whole mess to be over with. But I can't personally close the book on this whole frustrating situation because it's not over! I have to wait for ANOTHER letter from the government. Jesus, these people and their damned letters. I got a letter to notify me about my car, another certified one came a week later with the same details, and two came regarding my show cause hearings. NOW I have to wait for another one regarding the results of my hearing. The post office must be making a killing off me. That, and PG County LOVES paper work, and doing things the old fashioned way.
::Sigh:: I can't wait for this to be all over. I told myself after I went to the hearing, I was going to sell my car. Guess who's going to Carmax next week to get her car appraised?
Wrong. The saga of my car will never end. Never.
Since my car has been recovered, it has been back to the shop 3 times for various problems that, as with the latest time, the mechanic told me were semi-related to the forced joyride my car went through in a field in Maryland. Wonderful! And with the last time, I had to get my car towed from the front of my house cause the driver's side back tire decided to no longer rotate. Also wonderful!
The latest saga comes from the drama of the actual theft. So remember how I was supposed to go to court for this whole thing? No? Well, let me recap! When I recovered my car from the impound, I had to get a vehicle release form from the County. On that form, I could indicate a request for a show cause hearing. At this hearing, I could contest the towing fees and argue that my car was unjustly towed and IMPOUNDED unnecessarily (and unwillingly). So what happened to this show cause hearing?
Well, it happened today, after being rescheduled by the county the first time around. I was supposed to have it a month ago, but they had to reschedule. "Sorry, Ms. Taylor, I know you are on your way over here, but we need to reschedule. You'll get a letter in the mail with your new date." So I got that letter last week, saying my new date was today. Thank goodness I have a job that doesn't care when I take time off work.
So the hearing went... well, I guess. It was over and done in 15 minutes. And while I was prepared to make a formal statement and argument in the dramatic fashion so often featured on "Law and Order", that didn't really happen. Rather, the hearing officer asked me to confirm the details. The majority of the talking came from County rep, who spent a lot of time justifying why the county only sent me a letter to tell me my car was towed, instead of a simple phone call. BECAUSE! A simple phone call would have saved me hundreds of dollars and would have prevented my car sitting in the impound for 8 days. So he explained the process of what happens when a vehicle is recovered, and explained that his job is to send off letters, and why letters are more appropriate because phone numbers are never up to date. AND because it was really DC's fault for not providing info and BLAH BLAH BLAH. A bunch of muddled excuses were rattled off, and all I could do was sit there attentively. THANKFULLY, the hearing officer presiding over the case asked a lot of questions that I wanted to ask, or would have loved to ask. He actually seemed on my side, asking a lot of accusatory questions against the county rep. When I stated that I didn't understand why a letter was sent when a simple phone call would have served better, the hearing officer laughed and said "not to mention save you hundreds of dollars." SNAP! Point one for me. I felt that some of the questions he pointed at the county were asked in my favor, and in my defense. At one point, the county said part of the reason the case got caught up in the bureaucracy, and why a letter was sent, was because they were dealing with a different jurisdiction (ie, the DC police AND PG County, MD police were involved). Because they had to call and get the info from DC, he was trying to point that it wasn't necessarily the county's fault, but could have been the fault of the DC police for not handing over all my info, implying that it would have been easier if I had reported my car stolen in PG County. I shot back saying "well, how was I supposed to know my car would wind up in Maryland?"
The fifteen minute hearing flew by, and with no real decision made. The hearing officer said he would look over both arguments and send me a letter with a decision in 3 weeks. So, it felt like it was over before it started. And I was a little frustrated walking out there because I felt that I didn't say much. The whole point was for my voice to be heard. Even if I don't get my money back, I at least wanted to show up and say my case to prove the point that "hey! Your system sucks!" Not to mention, give them a lot of more paper work. BWHAHAHAHA. But, nothing dramatic like that was said. There weren't a lot of questions pointed at me. I was asked to state the facts of what happened, and the county rep did most of the talking. I was asked if I had any questions at the very end, but other than that, I didn't have much of an opportunity to talk. And I guess that made me feel a little frustrated. I guess I was going in expecting to make a grand statement. Instead, I sat there mostly, hearing what the county rep had to say. But I guess just showing up and going through the process makes a grand statement, right?
I just want this whole mess to be over with. But I can't personally close the book on this whole frustrating situation because it's not over! I have to wait for ANOTHER letter from the government. Jesus, these people and their damned letters. I got a letter to notify me about my car, another certified one came a week later with the same details, and two came regarding my show cause hearings. NOW I have to wait for another one regarding the results of my hearing. The post office must be making a killing off me. That, and PG County LOVES paper work, and doing things the old fashioned way.
::Sigh:: I can't wait for this to be all over. I told myself after I went to the hearing, I was going to sell my car. Guess who's going to Carmax next week to get her car appraised?