The other half.

My old red car got towed to the impound lot.
great. i didnt want it anyways.
here's the information i found out.
i underlined key words [ in my world]

What are the fees to recover my vehicle from the Impound Lot?
You are responsible for the costs of towing plus a daily storage fee. If you claim your vehicle within 12 hours no storage fee will be charged. Fee schedules are posted at the entrance of the Impound Lot. Cash, debit card, Visa or Master Card are accepted for payment.


What happens to unclaimed vehicles?
Every attempt possible is made to locate the registered owner of an impounded vehicle. Unclaimed vehicles are sold at Public Auction. These auctions are held monthly. Vehicles may be scrapped if they are deemed to have no value. After recovery of towing and storage fees, the revenue generated through the disposal goes to the Alberta Government. A registered owner my claim a vehicle anytime prior to the sale of the vehicle and is entitled to claim the residual revenue after sale from the Alberta Government. Allow 60 days after sale for payment processing.

So I called the lot. and anonymously asked the same questions. What happens to unclaimed vehicles? well they get sold at the auction which is once a month. or else they are sent to the scraper. and the owner? we try and contact them, but if we can't the vehicle is sold.

GREAT.
the car is gone,
its being sold,
the money goes to the Government of Alberta.
NOT MY PROBLEM ANYMORE.


WRONG.

The owner is still billed for the towing and storage fees.
about 100 for the towing and 12 dollars every 12 hours after that.
or something along those lines.
So when the car got towed on Thrusday, i didnt do anything about it. and then when i found out on MONDAY that I am liable. I realized that the weekend of my ignorance was costing me.. alot.

so I went to the lot on tuesday morning. yes today. before work. i start at 730. so this required me to get up at 5 am! because i heard it was a lengthy process. got my car realeased by showing required documents. PAID the bill. [ the couple hundred i refered to in previous post] and left it there.
6:30 am. car realeased.
you have 12 hrs from that time to get it removed from the lot. for those of you who dont know, the car doesn't work. its a paper weight. you can't even get the headlights to come on. I called frantically around this morning. trying to make it look like i was working [ something like i am doing now] no luck no one wants it, or is bothered to go to the impound lot. I am not even asking money. I am giving it away. no takers. so i call and say i will donate it to the Cancer Society. [ i hear they set that up right through the lot] do-able, but i have to go down there and sign it off to them. in person. great, another trip to the shady impound lot.

then this afternoon, someone from there calls to tell me there is a tow truck there waiting to take it away. huh? I didn't get a hold of anyone who said they would. and no i can't talk to him, they dont tranfser calls or let anyone else use their phone, even is he is standing RIGHT THERE. so i have to hang up and call his cell. figure out the details, call the lot back and agree that its ok for him to take it.

end of story.. the car is gone. the dude took it for free. I am free of all red car burdens.

i feel like i was born again!

oh and i did a run down of my taxes last night. My return is LESS then what i just dishes out to the Impound lot. Depressing.