Paying for impound with $88.00 in pennies
- Thread starter a_d_a_m
- Start date
O's Fan Rich
Capital Area Marauder Member
I got threatened with a fine and paying the cost of having to count $22.00 in pennies.
I told the Kutztown Borough Business Manager to bring it on!
My lawyer's on speed dial.
I do believe I posted a thread about this.... like in 2002....
I told the Kutztown Borough Business Manager to bring it on!
My lawyer's on speed dial.
I do believe I posted a thread about this.... like in 2002....
Phrog_gunner
New member
That guy is my hero.....almost makes me want to get my car towed.
UncleLar
Senior Member
When I bought the Tootsie Roll i went to the Illinois Secretary of States Office in Libertyville to get plates,registration and pay the tax on the car.They refused to take US Currency to pay the tax on the car and insisted I either use a Discover card or get a money order to pay it! Needless to say I was not happy and showed them where it's printed on the bills Legal tender for ALL debts public and private and they still refused.I guess I should've called the cops.The hell of it is I KNOW the Illinois Secretary of State.
From what I understand they're afraid to take the cash because one of them will probably steal it.
From what I understand they're afraid to take the cash because one of them will probably steal it.
Mike
I know Knine, therefore I FAIL
Phrog_gunner
New member
But isn't it the police dept's fault for sending so many cops? It only required one, but they sent several. That just shows they had nothing better to do at the time anyway. I'm willing to bet a couple heard what was going on on the radio and thought "I have GOT to see this". And besides it's nice to see the cops being able to serve someone who actually puts some tax dollars into the pot, not just the ones who only take out of the pot.
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a_d_a_m
Four Door Ford Whore
Maybe. But on a dayshift, it was probably a slow day and a few other cops decided they wanted a laugh or two. That's how it'd go at my department.
martyo
MO derator
That kid doesn't pay taxes. His daddy might, but he doesn't.
In any event, he dialed 911 for this. There are a limited number of 911 ports devoted to cell phone calls and there are a limited number of police.
Think about how you would feel if you or a family member missed out in a real emergency because he was consumming emergency services for this prank.
Also, think about the wasted cost the next time you b!tch about your taxes.
Mote
New member
Pennies *are* legal tender, but are they really obligated to accept them as payment? I'm not so sure. The cops didn't look anything up, and they didn't seem to know for sure. They sure don't have every single law and statute memorized. I wonder if these kids would have had the same outcome if they tried to buy a new car with pennies. I bet not.
Snopes talks about it but this exact question isn't answered.
http://www.snopes.com/business/money/pennies.asp
Snopes talks about it but this exact question isn't answered.
http://www.snopes.com/business/money/pennies.asp
a_d_a_m
Four Door Ford Whore
I'm a 911 police/fire/EMS dispatcher. Just some thoughts on this in response to Marty's comments...
(not a personal attack by any stretch - I'm just offering some insight from my side)
In our department, we have 8 wireless-911 (W-911) trunks and 8 landline-911 (LL-911) trunks. We field every W-911 call in the county. If all the W-911 trunks fill up, they roll over to LL-911 trunks, and when those fill up, it rolls over to PBX lines. In other words, it is impossible to get a busy signal at our center. There is always a backup plan and always someone available and trained to handle the situation. We have dealt with major train derailments, 100-year floods where hundreds of people required evacuation, marsh fires, etc. Never had an issue.
I'm not supposing that all 911 centers are the same as mine, just saying that we have a failsafe plan in place for that.
Anyway, maybe you're thinking "sure, the phone lines roll over, but what if the dispatcher is taking a non-emergency call on 911, while one of the rollover lines is ringing?" Marty, this hits your "what if your family missed out in a real emergency" question.
In our center (and I assume most of them), this guy would get put on hold if there was another 911 call coming in because we understand the need to prioritize calls. So when someone dials 911 for keys locked in a car, barking dogs, parking violations, or other non-emergency things, we handle the call just as if they would be calling on a 7-digit non-ER line. But in the back of our minds, because we know our current caller is not in danger, we know they get put on the hold if it requires it.
In an ideal world, yes - 911 would be for emergencies only. But if you heard the dumbass calls that I sometimes get on 911 (asking when trick-or-treating/July 4th fireworks/parade are, asking the police to give you a ride to work, the number for the pizza place, etc), you'd probably look at this kid and go "No big deal."
Hell, the two worst calls I ever took were on "non-emergency" lines. One was a gun fight in one of the Metro Housing projects. The other was for a lady who woke up to find her 15 year-old son overdosed on inhalants, and insisted that I help her with CPR instructions even though it was painfully obvious he had been dead for at least 8 hours.
(not a personal attack by any stretch - I'm just offering some insight from my side)
In our department, we have 8 wireless-911 (W-911) trunks and 8 landline-911 (LL-911) trunks. We field every W-911 call in the county. If all the W-911 trunks fill up, they roll over to LL-911 trunks, and when those fill up, it rolls over to PBX lines. In other words, it is impossible to get a busy signal at our center. There is always a backup plan and always someone available and trained to handle the situation. We have dealt with major train derailments, 100-year floods where hundreds of people required evacuation, marsh fires, etc. Never had an issue.
I'm not supposing that all 911 centers are the same as mine, just saying that we have a failsafe plan in place for that.
Anyway, maybe you're thinking "sure, the phone lines roll over, but what if the dispatcher is taking a non-emergency call on 911, while one of the rollover lines is ringing?" Marty, this hits your "what if your family missed out in a real emergency" question.
In our center (and I assume most of them), this guy would get put on hold if there was another 911 call coming in because we understand the need to prioritize calls. So when someone dials 911 for keys locked in a car, barking dogs, parking violations, or other non-emergency things, we handle the call just as if they would be calling on a 7-digit non-ER line. But in the back of our minds, because we know our current caller is not in danger, we know they get put on the hold if it requires it.
In an ideal world, yes - 911 would be for emergencies only. But if you heard the dumbass calls that I sometimes get on 911 (asking when trick-or-treating/July 4th fireworks/parade are, asking the police to give you a ride to work, the number for the pizza place, etc), you'd probably look at this kid and go "No big deal."
Hell, the two worst calls I ever took were on "non-emergency" lines. One was a gun fight in one of the Metro Housing projects. The other was for a lady who woke up to find her 15 year-old son overdosed on inhalants, and insisted that I help her with CPR instructions even though it was painfully obvious he had been dead for at least 8 hours.
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MrBluGruv
That GM guy....
I think the real difficulty comes with the fact that they are withholding his car from him essentially due to a contract he didn't enter into willingly.
The "8000 Jelly Beans for a pair of shoes" analogy in that article would lead you to believe that indeed the towing company could outright refuse to accept pennies and be well within their rights. Then again, the "payment in gold for a car payment" analogy may also be applicable because, essentially not being informed that he wouldn't be allowed to pay with pennies when his car was towed and him offering them up and being denied would constitute valid payment being offered and refused, in which case they would have to surrender his car or take the pennies.
Like I said, seems real touchy just because of the involuntary nature on his behalf.
The "8000 Jelly Beans for a pair of shoes" analogy in that article would lead you to believe that indeed the towing company could outright refuse to accept pennies and be well within their rights. Then again, the "payment in gold for a car payment" analogy may also be applicable because, essentially not being informed that he wouldn't be allowed to pay with pennies when his car was towed and him offering them up and being denied would constitute valid payment being offered and refused, in which case they would have to surrender his car or take the pennies.
Like I said, seems real touchy just because of the involuntary nature on his behalf.
martyo
MO derator
No offense taken.
I was advised by one of teh architects of my county's system (a rural, relatively poor area) that if the W-911 ports fill up you will get a busy signal. I have not, of coyrse, tested this BUT his advice to me was convincing enough to make me keep a landline just in case due to my health issues.
Either which way, if I found out that my kid had much such a call to 911, he would have opened up a bunch of problems for himself.
We all ended up paying for his smart azz approach here.
martyo
MO derator
No contract was formed.
At best this is a bailor/bailee situation and different rules apply.
a_d_a_m
Four Door Ford Whore
I can't imagine that - calling 911 and it being busy! Other good reason to keep a landline phone: if you dial 911 from your cell, the dispatcher will not know exactly where you are. On a landline, your address shows up.
martyo
MO derator
Other good reason to keep a landline phone: if you dial 911 from your cell, the dispatcher will not know exactly where you are. On a landline, your address shows up.
It is the only reason I have a house phone.