Take A Bike Seat And Calm Down…

(I work as a parking attendant. My job is mostly to direct people where to park, and to occasionally take payments if they can’t figure out our automatic pay stations. Parking citations are written up by a separate branch of our department, but I still sometimes get customers demanding I explain why they got citations. This particular one approaches my kiosk with a citation in hand.)

Customer: “Hey, can I show you something?”

Me: “I can’t actually leave the booth, I’m sorry. What seems to be the problem?”

Customer: “I’ve got a note on the back of my bike that explains where my parking permit is, but I still got a citation. I know it says it’s just a warning, but it’s worked for the last three weeks.”

(The customer hands me the citation; it states it was given out as a no permit/payment warning. He then walks over to his bike and angrily pulls out a sign that says, “Permit is under the backseat. Lift to check.” He’s so agitated that he simply drops the bike seat to the ground and kicks it away so he can pull out his valid permit, as well.)

Customer: “I don’t know if you got a new guy checking payment or whatever, but it’s not my fault if the [disabled slur] can’t read.”

(I can’t do anything about the citation, but as it’s a warning, it’s not a huge issue.)

Me: “Well, if you’re worried about it happening again, I can give you an email to contact our office. Or, if you have time, you can go across the street and talk to them right now.”

Customer: “Listen! It worked before! It’s not my fault if they can’t read!”

Me: “Sir, if you would like—”

Customer: “Whatever! I’m not paying for this.”

(He tossed the crumpled citation slip — again, a warning that he would not have had to pay for — onto my desk and walked away, cursing under his breath. The kicker? I looked at the citation slip again, and it had a note on it that his backseat was locked down and there was no way to check under it to see his permit. Good job reading, friend.)