Cars Towed from Midnight Madness Geocoin Event

[+obxnomad]

The fact that he loves geocaching doesn't excuse him from the fact he was in the wrong.

[+bbqbob2]

He was wrong and he paid up. He's probably out caching today and I'm working, so good for him.

Edited May 28, 2009 by bbqbob2

[+Frank Broughton]

Oh boy - what we gonna gripe about next?

 

How about your avatar. I mean, that tie is really too much for that shirt don'tcha think?

 

Ya I agree that tie stinks man. Where did you get it Frank Walmart? How cheesy.

 

Least when I make a grip it is really me with my real picture. So easy to grip when using false names. That's it I think it should be a requirement that we all use real names around here - just kidding.

 

I was having a bad day yesterday - I am one third of the way into 48 weeks of low grad chemo for a liver virus I have - it has me so much on edge.

 

Sorry all for the short words yesterday.

[+the pooks]

The OP does not dispute the fact that he was wrong - after all he paid paid the "fine". He is just saying that there were reasonable grounds to make an honest mistake: The small signs in a dark area, the hasty clamping and the fact that KFC was closed already smacks to me of small mindedness and money grabbing. I'm glad I'm not in that type of business - it will not make me feel good. Vinny's response was unnecessarily nasty. We are geocachers who practice this hobby for our enjoyment, not lawyers (at least as far as geocaching is concerned).

[+obxnomad]

I kinda like the tie.

[+bbqbob2]

Oh boy - what we gonna gripe about next?

 

How about your avatar. I mean, that tie is really too much for that shirt don'tcha think?

 

Ya I agree that tie stinks man. Where did you get it Frank Walmart? How cheesy.

 

Least when I make a grip it is really me with my real picture. So easy to grip when using false names. That's it I think it should be a requirement that we all use real names around here - just kidding.

 

I was having a bad day yesterday - I am one third of the way into 48 weeks of low grad chemo for a liver virus I have - it has me so much on edge.

 

Sorry all for the short words yesterday.

Good luck, Frank, and the tie is not that bad. I lived in Buffalo and Lockport for a bunch of years and in a shirt and tie you are way ahead of the guys in bowling shirts or Bills jerseys.

[+Frank Broughton]

Good luck, Frank, and the tie is not that bad. I lived in Buffalo and Lockport for a bunch of years and in a shirt and tie you are way ahead of the guys in bowling shirts or Bills jerseys.

 

Thanks.... My uncle moved from Buffalo to Baytown years ago. He just moved back last year - could not take the heat.

[+Snoogans]

Sorry all for the short words yesterday.

 

Don't sweat it Frank. I was just funnin' ya. The OP of this thread is a very good friend of mine and you gave me an opening to lighten the mood.

[+steve p]

I think the geocaching community should immediately remove all LPCs from all KFC parking lots.

That'll teach them to tow our cars!

[+Pork King]

The KFC was closed, hence I figured it was OK to park there...

Yes, there were small signs in the darkened parking lot that said cars parked after closing hours may be subject to tow at owners expense

 

Seems to me, they got you dead to rights...

[+bbqbob2]

Good luck, Frank, and the tie is not that bad. I lived in Buffalo and Lockport for a bunch of years and in a shirt and tie you are way ahead of the guys in bowling shirts or Bills jerseys.

 

Thanks.... My uncle moved from Buffalo to Baytown years ago. He just moved back last year - could not take the heat.

 

He may be right. We're getting into the warm season now, where 90 deg and 90% humidity is the norm until October. Thank you, Mr. Carrier, inventor of air conditioning and a Syracuse boy!

 

Enjoy the Zoar Valley this summer, it is some beautiful country. My kids loved the Rock City near Panama, I think there is an EarthCache there now. WNY is a great place.

[+KJcachers]

Aren't we all missing the point here? The red dot in the uploaded photo shows the location of a geocache. Did the OP find it or not?

 

 

The cache in question is T-A-B ~ TN 78: At the Colonel's

 

too funny! I was just thinking the same thing! ( we got it Sunday morning on the way out of town)

[+ProMed Rick]

Frankly speaking, your behavior, as described and exhibited in each of your posts in this thread in a public forum, where all the world can see your words, makes me ashamed to be a geocacher.

 

Frankly, after your personal attack, I agree, I am ashamed you are a geocacher also!

 

HC admits to making an honest mistake, explaining the circumstances involved. He then asks other who might have had the same experience to notify KFC corporate. In my opinion this will probably do no good, but he harmed no one by asking.

 

As a small business owner who has to deal with a nearby businsess with inadiquate parking & their customers using my lot, it is annoying, but to define a vehicle as abandoned and have it towed is an extreme measure especially after hours, maybe if the vehicles were there at opening towing would be warrented

[+ProMed Rick]

Sorry double post. Edited May 28, 2009 by ProMed Rick

[+flask]

it never fails that some backwater bob writes in to declare that the transgressor should somehow be excused his stupidity on account of being an upstanding cacher.

 

oy. hoch mir nit kein tchynik.

 

if a parking lot is under contract with a tow company, the tow company has a right to tow any vehicle left there not currently involved in business with the establishment. they don't tow you, they don't get paid. the contract is their license to tow you. it has nothing to do with what a swell person you are, how far you drove, or whether your vehicle actually represents a nuisance.

 

in a city near where i live, a business even goes so far as to employ a guy to watch the parking lot and have towed any vehicle whose driver does not go directly from the parked car into the store and back again.

 

if you leave your vehicle and are anywhere besides in the store or en route between your vehicle and the store, you get towed.

 

people who make "honest mistakes" do not frame their admissions in the form of outrage and rabble rousing. what is the point of asking people to write to corporate HQ besides some sense of entitlement?

[namiboy]

"Geez, I've read all the posts to this point and some agree with me, some don't. Some agree I was victimized, some say I should have known better and got what was coming to me. But all in all it was a civil discourse."

 

i've read this whole thread and can't see how you were victimized. you parked where you shouldn't have and suffered the consequences. speaking for myself i would not think of parking at a closed business and can understand the reasons they have for not wanting people to park there. the towing company was being smart by asking for cash, what else would they take, a check?

[+Team Four Paw]

It amazes me time and time again that this kind of juvenile behavior is tolerated on these forums being that it's a customer facing aspect of the Groundspeak business.

 

Right or Wrong HoustonControl is a decent human being and doesn't deserve this kind of ridicule.

 

This thread should be locked.

[+Scubasonic]

you were attending an event at the Clarion Hotel yet you parked at the nearby KFC. You got towed for good reason. If no parking was available at the Clarion you should have parked elsewhere, legally. Sorry for your troubles but really if the KFC was open then you were in the wrong. I wonder if they have an ongoing problem with overflow parking from the Clarion? I guess they could have asked the Clarion to request you all to move your vehicles before they started towing, or did they?

The KFC was closed, hence I figured it was OK to park there. I was actually trying to not cram the Clarion hotel lot full of cars, thinking the guests staying there might want a place to park. It was dark, I was from out of town, so I turned in the first driveway to the hotel and thought, "I'll just park over here out of the way and walk". I guess that's what I get for trying to think of others. Yes, there were small signs in the darkened parking lot that said cars parked after closing hours may be subject to tow at owners expense -- though it was a little hard to discern where the KFC lot ended and the Clarion began. I did not see the signs when I parked. I'm not questioning KFC's right as property owners to do so -- just their methods. They made an announcement at the event that if you had parked at the KFC, you needed to move your car because it was a tow-away zone. This was about 15 minutes after we had parked and the event started. We immediately went to move our cars, but there was no moving of cars to be done without paying $150 to have the boot removed. The first thing the towing company did was boot all the cars so no one could move them without paying their extortion fee. To me, that's not about clearing the lot, that's about collecting $$$$. I heard from others staying at the hotel that this goes on every night. The restaurant probably makes more money on car towing than they do selling chicken. I just wonder if KFC corporate knows this particular franchisee is treating people this way on a routine basis?

 

Why am I hungry for KFC now?

 

two words

 

POPCORN CHICKEN

[GOF and Bacall]

It amazes me time and time again that this kind of juvenile behavior is tolerated on these forums being that it's a customer facing aspect of the Groundspeak business.

 

Right or Wrong HoustonControl is a decent human being and doesn't deserve this kind of ridicule.

 

This thread should be locked.

 

This thread should not exist in the first place. HC broke the law. He paid the price and it should have been left at that. Instead he brought it here. Why? Other than the fact that he was on his way to a geocaching event when he broke the law what has any of it got to do with geocaching?

 

That aside he broke the law and asked the people here to side with him. Sorry.

 

We all make mistakes, what we do next is what counts.

[+flask]

It amazes me time and time again that this kind of juvenile behavior is tolerated on these forums being that it's a customer facing aspect of the Groundspeak business.

 

Right or Wrong HoustonControl is a decent human being and doesn't deserve this kind of ridicule.

 

This thread should be locked.

 

This thread should not exist in the first place. HC broke the law. He paid the price and it should have been left at that. Instead he brought it here. Why? Other than the fact that he was on his way to a geocaching event when he broke the law what has any of it got to do with geocaching?

 

That aside he broke the law and asked the people here to side with him. Sorry.

 

We all make mistakes, what we do next is what counts.

 

recently i was caching and went down something that looked like a road on my map.

 

it was not marked "closed to motorized vehicles". when it turned into a giant suckhole of doom requiring $350 worth of tow truck, i discovered that the place i was being towed from was .3 mile from being covered by AAA.

 

i want everyone to write to their corporate HQ and complain about how i was treated.

[+easygroomer]

It amazes me time and time again that this kind of juvenile behavior is tolerated on these forums being that it's a customer facing aspect of the Groundspeak business.

 

Right or Wrong HoustonControl is a decent human being and doesn't deserve this kind of ridicule.

 

This thread should be locked.

 

This thread should not exist in the first place. HC broke the law. He paid the price and it should have been left at that. Instead he brought it here. Why? Other than the fact that he was on his way to a geocaching event when he broke the law what has any of it got to do with geocaching?

 

That aside he broke the law and asked the people here to side with him. Sorry.

 

We all make mistakes, what we do next is what counts.

 

recently i was caching and went down something that looked like a road on my map.

 

it was not marked "closed to motorized vehicles". when it turned into a giant suckhole of doom requiring $350 worth of tow truck, i discovered that the place i was being towed from was .3 mile from being covered by AAA.

 

i want everyone to write to their corporate HQ and complain about how i was treated.

 

Was AAA sitting .3 miles away watching you get towed through their window?

[+flask]

 

Was AAA sitting .3 miles away watching you get towed through their window?

 

do you mean to imply that the people at the KFC, the ones who engaged the tow company in the first place, should have run out to stop the tow drivers from doing the exact thing that they employ them to do?

 

that'd be a silly way of doing business.

 

do proximity or view void the contract?

 

if i worked at the KFC and had to put up with enough parking violators that my employer had to contract for a tow company, i would not just be watching from the window, but maybe uploading it to youtube. or at least laughing that one more chump is getting what's coming to him.

[Dinoprophet]

I had given up on seeing anything new in the forums. Neat.

[+Vinny & Sue Team]

It amazes me time and time again that this kind of juvenile behavior is tolerated on these forums being that it's a customer facing aspect of the Groundspeak business.

 

Right or Wrong HoustonControl is a decent human being and doesn't deserve this kind of ridicule.

 

This thread should be locked.

 

This thread should not exist in the first place. HC broke the law. He paid the price and it should have been left at that. Instead he brought it here. Why? Other than the fact that he was on his way to a geocaching event when he broke the law what has any of it got to do with geocaching?

 

That aside he broke the law and asked the people here to side with him. Sorry.

 

We all make mistakes, what we do next is what counts.

Very well put; thank you for saying it so well!

[+Parabola]

It amazes me time and time again that this kind of juvenile behavior is tolerated on these forums being that it's a customer facing aspect of the Groundspeak business.

 

Right or Wrong HoustonControl is a decent human being and doesn't deserve this kind of ridicule.

 

This thread should be locked.

 

This thread should not exist in the first place. HC broke the law. He paid the price and it should have been left at that. Instead he brought it here. Why? Other than the fact that he was on his way to a geocaching event when he broke the law what has any of it got to do with geocaching?

 

That aside he broke the law and asked the people here to side with him. Sorry.

 

We all make mistakes, what we do next is what counts.

 

This tread has every right to exist, and no it shouldn't be locked.

 

I think the whole opening should have been different and not "Let's get out the torches and pitchfork's". There's all sort's of law's about parking, not driving on trail's and yada yada yada. If anything, this thread will have me paying more attention to where I park. So it's helpful. I guess learning from some others misfortune's.

 

Granted I don't agree they came in and said to move or you'll be towed, but didn't bother to say the OP had already been booted.

 

I'm happy he shared his story and can understand, but all in all, this is a lesson learned. And he shared that with us, and it's one I'll keep in mind when I'm looking for a place to park. I'll be looking for a customer only or your towed sign.

 

But I don't agree with the whole we need to gang up and show KFC who's boss, and flood there inbox with a bunch of complaint's that most people really aren't involved with personally.

 

Again, I do feel for the OP cause the whole situation suck's. Take what you learned so you know it doesn't happen again. But I feel he should be the one and the others directly involved with the pre-mature booting dealing with the KFC and not the whole geocaching community. If someone has a cache there maybe contact them and see if they know the manager and may be able to go that route to maybe get a shot at getting reimbursed, or at least some free chicken coupon's.

[+Parabola]

It amazes me time and time again that this kind of juvenile behavior is tolerated on these forums being that it's a customer facing aspect of the Groundspeak business.

 

Right or Wrong HoustonControl is a decent human being and doesn't deserve this kind of ridicule.

 

This thread should be locked.

 

This thread should not exist in the first place. HC broke the law. He paid the price and it should have been left at that. Instead he brought it here. Why? Other than the fact that he was on his way to a geocaching event when he broke the law what has any of it got to do with geocaching?

 

That aside he broke the law and asked the people here to side with him. Sorry.

 

We all make mistakes, what we do next is what counts.

Very well put; thank you for saying it so well!

Hey only 33, that could have be tweeted.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

It having been verily established that KFC was entirely within its rights and those who got fined / towed were in violation of the law...

the whole thing stinks of tackiness and tourist-trap mentality.

 

Having the tow company clear their lot before opening in the morning makes sense. Nailing folks who park there during closed hours is silly.

 

I talked to three locals while there, two at the gas station and one outside the cafe. They all complained about us being there. I think KFC not being accommodating during closed hours falls in line with that mindset.

[+KJcachers]

I'm sure the hotels wouldn't mind having us fill them up again though! Maybe those "locals" should realize the economic stimulus we gave the area.

Edited May 29, 2009 by KJcachers

[O-Mega]

While KFC and the towing company were well within their LEGAL rights, they sure didn't do much for customer relations. If I were an event planner (I was/am in logistics for the Army) I would take these types of incidents into consideration next time I am looking for a site to host my event. As I can't control the actions or behavior of everyone, I minimize the risks by avoiding any and all foreseen problems the best I can.

I am sure that now that this incident has come to light (I was there too) many will have second thoughts about stopping there to eat prior to going into any future event "just in case", and that probably includes some of you that support the action taken. I can't even begin to count the amount of times I have finished patronizing an establishment and have left my vehicle parked so I can get that nearby cache, or just stopped to chat with others for well over the few minutes it took to get booted. As they say "There but for the grace of (insert deity here) go I"

I am not saying that they should not exercise their rights, but it sure seems that it was much more a money making scheme than a way to prevent it from happening in the first place. If you want to prevent it, you make sure the signs are large and clearly visible at all times even in the dark. And I think the Clarion should make this known to event planners so the word can be disseminated.

[+atmospherium]

He then makes a second mistake and vents in this forum, maybe expecting some sympathy from his fellow cachers. No such luck. Cache on, HC, and don't let these snipers get you down.

But I thought that was why Al Gore we invented the internet in the first place, so we could vent and snipe and rant and bicker and throw temper tantrums and pout and all that good stuff we used to enjoy so much in Kindergarten. Remember how much fun it was? And...it was always forgiven and forgotten the next day.

 

This little spat too shall pass us by like the idle wind which we respecteth not. A couple days from now this thread will be buried beneath some other happy little flame fest, and the OP and everybody else will be smiling members of the dear old gang again, with nary a backward thought of ruffled feathers.

 

That's the way it should be anyway. But no matter what, yes by all means cache on.

[+Bergie Bunch]

Everyone who is whining about the tow company doing their job, how about strangers park in your driveway every night? Would that be OK? You tell me where you live, asnd if possible, we can send strangers to park in your drives. I am sure you would get tired of it. To those who whined about cash only, in 17 years of operating a tow truck, our (my) business is CASH. Credit card charges can be fought, accounts closed, and numerous other games played. If you believe the people who whine about their cares being towed, I have about 6000 LEATHER AND FUR COATS, I HAVE STOLEN, ABOUT 4 MILLION IN CASH AND JEWELRY and have about 70 million Cd's. At 3 am, park on private property posted or not, ya take the chance of getting towed. Do it at 3 in the afternoon, ya take the same risk. KFC did nothing wrong, the tow truck guy did nothing wrong, you did for parking there. Peace out, cache on!!

[O-Mega]

Everyone who is whining about the tow company doing their job, how about strangers park in your driveway every night? Would that be OK? You tell me where you live, asnd if possible, we can send strangers to park in your drives. I am sure you would get tired of it. To those who whined about cash only, in 17 years of operating a tow truck, our (my) business is CASH. Credit card charges can be fought, accounts closed, and numerous other games played. If you believe the people who whine about their cares being towed, I have about 6000 LEATHER AND FUR COATS, I HAVE STOLEN, ABOUT 4 MILLION IN CASH AND JEWELRY and have about 70 million Cd's. At 3 am, park on private property posted or not, ya take the chance of getting towed. Do it at 3 in the afternoon, ya take the same risk. KFC did nothing wrong, the tow truck guy did nothing wrong, you did for parking there. Peace out, cache on!!

Sooo, you have a list of those CDs?

 

Seriously though, I have people turn into my driveway all the time, and even had some pull in and start working on their car. It irritates me sometimes because of the frequency but I don't consider it so bad that I want to have people issued citations for it (legal or not). I think it has been concluded that the boots and towing were legal and well within their rights, but I also believe that it could of been handled much better than it was. Though the property is private perse, KFC should consider making those signs more easily seen. Though I am sure they don't target their patrons, I bet they get caught in that web as well and if so they probably will not be returning anytime soon.

[+PhxChem]

The KFC was closed, hence I figured it was OK to park there. I was actually trying to not cram the Clarion hotel lot full of cars, thinking the guests staying there might want a place to park.

 

though it was a little hard to discern where the KFC lot ended and the Clarion began

 

I honestly thought when I parked that it was common parking for both businesses.

 

I know it sucks you got towed, but at least try to be honest here. Your story seems to be evolving to take the blame off of you.

 

Most of us here are not trying to be mean, but by posting here, you asked for our opinion. Unfortunately, it was not the one you thought you were going to get. Don't let this experience on the boards sour you.

 

Yeah, the $150 in cash vs. $95 does sound shady....

[GOF and Bacall]

This tread has every right to exist, and no it shouldn't be locked.

Sure, but in Off Topic.

 

I think the whole opening should have been different and not "Let's get out the torches and pitchfork's". There's all sort's of law's about parking, not driving on trail's and yada yada yada. If anything, this thread will have me paying more attention to where I park. So it's helpful. I guess learning from some others misfortune's.

Yup, you should always be aware of the parking laws that apply where you park your car. That is not just a good idea while caching but when shopping, going out to dinner, visiting the doctors office, whatever. Pitchforks or not it still isn't a geocaching issue.

 

Granted I don't agree they came in and said to move or you'll be towed, but didn't bother to say the OP had already been booted.

As I understand it it wasn't KFC or the towing company that warned of the parking enforcement.

I'm happy he shared his story and can understand, but all in all, this is a lesson learned. And he shared that with us, and it's one I'll keep in mind when I'm looking for a place to park. I'll be looking for a customer only or your towed sign.

Sharing his story is one thing, complaining that he was wronged and expecting the community to take KFC to task is where the trouble started. He was wrong. He parked illegally. Did he do it intentionally? Probably not. Doesn't change the fact that he did it.

 

But I don't agree with the whole we need to gang up and show KFC who's boss, and flood there inbox with a bunch of complaint's that most people really aren't involved with personally.

Agreed.

 

Again, I do feel for the OP cause the whole situation suck's. Take what you learned so you know it doesn't happen again. But I feel he should be the one and the others directly involved with the pre-mature booting dealing with the KFC and not the whole geocaching community. If someone has a cache there maybe contact them and see if they know the manager and may be able to go that route to maybe get a shot at getting reimbursed, or at least some free chicken coupon's.

If the OP thinks he was wronged by KFC that is between him and KFC and has nothing to do with geocaching. I have never been in favor of booting. It makes no reasonable sense to force someone who is illegally parked to continue to be illegally parked. Hand 'em the ticket and move on. But just because I don't agree with it doesn't change the fact that it occurs or that it still isn't a caching related topic.

[M15a4spr]

If, like me, << Snip >>

 

Can you save us time and post a list of all laws and property rights that should not apply to you?

[+wimseyguy]

Wow, you bumped a month old, mostly dead thread, just to post that snarky little gem?

Do you act like this in all the forums you visit?

[+KJcachers]

topics been dead for almost a month....why dredge it back up?

[+Snoogans]

Wow, you bumped a month old, mostly dead thread, just to post that snarky little gem?

Do you act like this in all the forums you visit?

 

You da MAN briansna wimseyguy!

 

The OP of this thread is a personal friend of mine. The issue is already a distant memory. I'll hafta give Larry a jingle so he can get a good laugh too.

[GOF and Bacall]

So, does this guy come on into the forums every couple of years just to drag out the corpses of half a dozen well beaten horses?

[knowschad]

So, does this guy come on into the forums every couple of years just to drag out the corpses of half a dozen well beaten horses?

 

Yup

[GOF and Bacall]

So, does this guy come on into the forums every couple of years just to drag out the corpses of half a dozen well beaten horses?

 

Yup

 

I already knew the answer. It was one of them thar rhetorical questions.

[knowschad]

I already knew the question. It was one of them thar rhetorical answers.

[+steve p]

I already knew the question. It was one of them thar rhetorical answers.

Too funny! I laughed out loud at that one!

[GOF and Bacall]

I already knew the question. It was one of them thar rhetorical answers.

Steve P can go drink in the corner by himself.

[knowschad]

I already knew the question. It was one of them thar rhetorical answers.

Steve P can go drink in the corner by himself.

 

Yeah, I know... he spewed his beer on me, too. Got a towel?

[GOF and Bacall]

Check with this guy, he may have a towel.

[knowschad]

Check with this guy, he may have a towel.

 

That's good. If you want to survive in here, you've got to know where your towel is.

[+Col. Flagg]

I got your towel right here.