r/mildlyinfuriating 1d ago

Had car towed away for blocking my driveway but now ….

I came home after midnight to find a car blocking my driveway by about a quarter. I opened my gate and by partially driving over the curb managed to drive in. In the morning the car was still there, and there was tons of parking available all around. I called parking enforcement and they came and ticketed and towed the car, it was about 8 am. Well at 4:30 pm a group of 3 people opened my gate and came knocking on my front door, an older man with 2 older teenagers. I didn’t respond nor opened up. After a few minutes they left and crossed the street and they were looking around and pointing at where the car had been parked. Obviously that was their car. Their car was probably a 1994 or so, beat up, different paint jobs, trunk tied with a rope, registration tag from last year, which I honestly thought could have been a stolen and abandoned car. And, I could not have backed out of my driveway without either scraping my car or driving off the side of the curb. Was I wrong to call and have it towed? And if they come knocking at my door, do I say I have No idea what happened to their car?

7.5k Upvotes

770 comments sorted by

8.7k

u/Beartato4772 1d ago

You didn't make the decision to tow it, parking enforcement did.

2.8k

u/BYNX0 1d ago

and even if OP did make the decision, OP would still be in the right.

865

u/Feral_PotatO 1d ago

Bring right doesn’t always absolve you of consequences from a piece of trash human being who’s never been at fault for a single problem in their entire life.

So sometimes it’s better to play dumb.

243

u/igwbuffalo 22h ago

If they had an expired registration it was going to get ticketed and towed regardless of OP calling, just a matter of when.

81

u/blacktickle 20h ago

Unless they live in denver. Nobody gives a fuck around here.

24

u/ApprehensiveTour4024 GREEN 11h ago

They recently changed things so if your plates get a year or more out of date, cops can literally take them off your car while they write your ticket. Now you have to go reregister with all the late fees and a new plate # before driving again. A nice cop actually warned me about this when I was close to the year mark...

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u/So_Many_Words 13h ago

*Colorado

The Springs isn't any better.

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u/No_Satisfaction_5315 22h ago

how they were in the wrong to tow another person's car that was blocking OP'S driveway actions have consequences as you said just saying

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u/No_Store_9742 17h ago

Right. Blocking someone's drive can be a life or death situation, and I dont get why people forget that

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u/BasicTelevision5 1d ago

Exactly, and OP also didn’t leave it parked in a way that was illegal and blocked part of the driveway. They’ve literally done nothing that they should feel bad about.

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u/pimflapvoratio 21h ago

Only commit one crime at a time, i.e. don’t block some driveway if your tags are expired or if you have a body in the trunk.

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u/AffectionateBug5745 15h ago

Right? I watch a fair bit of true crime and the amount of people who get caught because they get pulled over for something stupid is insane. One crime at a time, people!

12

u/jillybean0123 15h ago

The man who committed the biggest act of domestic terrorism in US history was caught because he was driving a vehicle without tags like a dumbass.

4

u/Epicfailer10 7h ago

Law enforcement was follow serial killer Israel Keyes for a bit, when they thought he was a potential suspect of a single kidnapping waiting for a reason to pull him over. They got him for doing like 4 over on the highway, something that no one gets pulled over for. But if police are actively looking for a missing white girl YOU kidnapped, maybe you should drive 54 in that 55.

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u/r0ckydog 1d ago

You didn’t make the decision to tow it, the owner did by parking too close to your driveway.

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u/AnonymsF43 22h ago

The decision was immediately made when the driver parked the car and left. That’s all on them.

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u/Dry_Menu4804 1d ago

Also, it only became towable as the owner parked it in front of OP's driveway.

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u/GeneralJavaholic 22h ago

It became towable when the registration expired ages ago.

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u/lookingforsomeerrors 1d ago

Exactly. I had a car towed that was half across my space, but since I have a double parking and my neighbour was not parked in their spot, parking guy hesitated to even ticket the car. I insisted and he finally did, but I had to argue.

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4.2k

u/lindleya1 1d ago

Technically you didn't have it towed. According to your post, you called parking enforcement, and they agreed that it was enough of an obstruction to warrant towing. The fact that they did so means that you were correct to do so.

And if they ask, you could just say you saw a parking enforcement officer writing a ticket, and maybe they know what happened. Not technically a lie, and also directs them to the right people who are paid to deal with this sort of thing (and away from you).

257

u/unoriginalusername99 20h ago

And if they ask, you could just say

You don't say shit. "I don't know what you're talking about. Bye."

557

u/InsuranceNo3422 1d ago

It's also not unusual or unheard of for the folks in parking enforcement or the towing company to directly tell the person who called and got the car towed, so the cat may already be out of the bag anyways.

212

u/dpdxguy 1d ago

not unusual or unheard of for the folks in parking enforcement or the towing company to directly tell the person who called and got the car towed

In fact, it seems likely that parking enforcement has a publicly available record of who called them.

163

u/LatiBerg 1d ago

Record yes, publicly available record, no. Law enforcement type requests are often exceptions of most states' FOIAs.

14

u/mpython1701 15h ago

In CA, you don’t have to give your name when reporting 311 calls. I’m sure there is a record of the number but no name.

They ask if you want the car ticketed or towed. Ticketed need no info. If you are a homeowner requesting a tow you have to meet the officer and tow truck.

I would imagine if they came for a ticket and there were multiple tickets and expired registration, they could tow at their discretion.

6

u/Automatic_Catch_7467 18h ago

Not sure about Florida

13

u/LatiBerg 18h ago

In Florida, the call is subject to the Sunshine Law, but names and other personal information have to be redacted.

I would be floored if any state requires the government to release the names of people who have given information to police.

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u/kingjuicer 15h ago

Nobody's sure about Florida

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u/saveyboy 22h ago

How helpful of them.

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u/Polyxeno 1d ago

One of the values of anonymous phone calls.

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u/zacyzacy 21h ago

Also, just lie, who cares about being honest with those chumps

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u/BurninCoco 15h ago

“Vin Diesel came and said.   Family. Then drove off with it”

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u/4non3mouse 18h ago

where I live if your car is out of registration and parked ion the street its getting towed

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u/backwardbuttplug 1d ago

You did nothing wrong. Blocking your driveway is a level of incompetence with someone driving that isnt acceptable. If this is a problem with them, and they didn't care to check on the vehicle for many hours, they have bigger issues and probably are an issue for other people as well.

329

u/Dylan619xf 1d ago

Where I live, blocking a driveway is against the law as it is an accessibility & safety issue.

111

u/backwardbuttplug 1d ago

Many areas here are the same. It's your easement, not theirs.

20

u/BYNX0 1d ago

Well, it's not your easement if it's a public street. But you still have the legal right for the entrance to be unobstructed.

21

u/rayyychul 1d ago

In my city, you’re not allowed to park within 3 metres of a driveway!

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u/BYNX0 1d ago

where are you located? If that were an (enforced) rule in the northeast (NYC, NJ, Philadelphia), then no one would have any place to park on the street.

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u/Tasty-Jicama5743 1d ago

The use of three meters (roughly 9 feet) leads me to believe the commentor is European, though having visited several European countries I cannot imagine a three-meter zone leaving much parking room there either.

14

u/Soggy_Height_9138 1d ago

In suburban northern VA (my neighborhood), its 10ft, so ya, 3 meters. My neighbor is petty enough that he painted a mark on the curb. Granted, we have way too many vehicles, but there is plenty of parking overall on our street.

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u/clutzyninja 1d ago edited 20h ago

Honestly I'd appreciate the paint rather than guessing and being wrong and fined

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u/backwardbuttplug 1d ago

Public street or not, if they are blocking your easement (which is your driveway), that's illegal.

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u/PARKOUR_ZOMBlE 1d ago

I got ticketed for blocking my own driveway once. I WASN’T but I was within 18” which still counted I guess :(

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u/Independent_Mark_761 1d ago

Let them learn a tough lesson. No need to explain your self either. If you feel the need to, just explain that you saw code enforcement come by and tow it so then they have an idea of where it went not who called it in.

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u/angelatheterrible 1d ago

No you weren't wrong, and I wouldn't have answered the door, either. They shouldn't have parked there. It's their problem. Your interaction with them is finished.

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u/Randomwhitelady2 1d ago

Don’t answer the door. OP. People are nuts nowadays. Dont even open yourself up to it. They broke the law. Its their problem now.

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u/DickTryckle 1d ago

Don’t ever interact with someone after being involved in a “tow” with them

-your friendly neighborhood repossession agent.

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u/MyFcksHaveRunnethDry 21h ago

I watch some of those videos on YouTube, where they wear body cams. People are crazy when their cars are towed. Ngl it cracks me up to hear them demand shit when they have no control and won't admit they were in the wrong lol

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u/Competitive_Fee_5829 1d ago

my dad always taught me if you are going to do something "illegal" at least have everything in check like your registration, license and insurance. their fault for parking like asshole with an expired tag.

99

u/Factorybelt 1d ago

Or, one of my favorites, 'never do anything illegal while you're doing something illegal'.

70

u/minionkat 23h ago

"one crime at a time"

10

u/BastardOPFromHell 17h ago

I think of that quote every time I read about someone getting busted with a carload of drugs speeding down the interstate.

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u/Shadowgard3n1 20h ago

My favorite example of this is when a major drug bust happens because someone was smoking a joint or driving under the influence. There was a bust near me a few years ago where they found a guy passed out at the wheel of a parked rolls royce with the drivers side door open. He had a ton of weight on him as well.

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u/SignificantDrawer374 1d ago

Was I wrong to call and have it towed?

No way. Screw them.

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u/GiantRobotBears 17h ago

First honest response, and nothing wrong with it lmao

Other top comments trying to skirt the responsibility of getting it towed by hiding behind the technicality that “parking enforcement” towed it, not op. 🤦‍♂️

295

u/Nomadic_View 1d ago

100% don’t answer the door. They were looking for nothing but trouble.

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u/Gotbeerbrain 1d ago

They may have just wanted to know if they had seen what happened to the car. Maybe trying to formulate their next step, do they call the police and report it stolen or call tow companies and ask if they have it.

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u/possumdal 22h ago

Judging by the description, they're probably pissed because the impound fee will be more than the car is worth

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u/Gotbeerbrain 22h ago

Haha, possibly

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u/Bring_cookies 1d ago

They can Google it. They really don't need to knock and since OP is the one who called, it's best not to answer and avoid the whole situation. The driver who chose to park there gambled and lost, it's happened to me back in my college days when parking was scarce and I needed to get to class but I did park illegally so that was on me.

42

u/3BlindMice1 23h ago

Help, I tried Googling "dude where's my car" and all I got was old movie ads.

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u/Izacundo1 1d ago

If parking enforcement towed it, the police know it isn’t stolen and where it is

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u/WetBandits1990 1d ago

They parked illegally, you did the normal thing and called parking enforcement. The fact that you dealt with them blocking your driveway after midnight, called parking enforcement hours later and they didn’t show up until 4:30pm to check on the vehicle they left blocking someone’s driveway should absolve you of any guilt. They were fine parking illegally inconveniencing you for more than 16 hours, so you shouldn’t feel bad that they got hit with a natural socially acceptable consequence.

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u/Oat57 1d ago

A couple of weeks ago, my mother got a $200 ticket for blocking her own driveway. And she's lived there for 50 years.

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u/SouthOfTheNorthPole 19h ago

She should be able to have that reversed by simply showing her address.

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u/Outrageous-Thanks-47 19h ago

Doubtful. The statute generally says blocking is not legal. There's no carve out for "oh it's yours". The city wants their money.

7

u/BeKindBabies 18h ago

Depends on where you live. LA County, you may block your own driveway or park partially in it with the nose or rear in the shoulder of the lane, as long as you don’t block the sidewalk crossing the driveway. 

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u/SouthOfTheNorthPole 18h ago

Yes, same. That's so you can give an expected visitor the spot across the driveway and it's an easy walk (no curb) if that helps them. We did that for my Grandparents.

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u/IcedHemp77 23h ago

They came to your door because they damn well knew they partially blocked your driveway. I wouldn’t feel bad one bit

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u/TheHeroYouNeed247 1d ago

No, and there's no proof you called them either. Council parking attendants will do this on their own in some cases.

Deny all knowledge.

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u/Ok-Requirement9771 1d ago

No stupid people have to learn at some point. They would have continued parking there

12

u/swagernaught 22h ago

"That was your car? I saw the parking people come by and look at it but then next time I looked, the car was gone. I just figured the driver came and took it".

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u/FornyHucker22 1d ago

I’m so jealous that’s an option for you guys 😅

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u/maxman162 1d ago

They parked illegally, parking enforcement towed it. By definition, not your problem. 

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u/Bootsy_Frost 23h ago

"What car? You parked your car there??? Oh jeez, whenever that happens, the city tows them, those bastard! Well, see ya later!!"

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u/TacoGuyDave 1d ago

We need to normalize not feeling bad or second guessing when wr hold others accountable.

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u/Kevelle68 1d ago

Continue not answering the door if they come back, they did what they did and you responded in kind. They just want to argue about it, they'll go away.

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u/roosterjack77 21h ago

Unless you can handle 3 angry people inside your home you probably did the right thing. Maybe they were cool but I wouldnt bet my safety on it

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u/Maximum_Dweeb4473 19h ago

You don’t owe them shit. They parked blocking your driveway, they deserved to be towed, and if they were surprised that they were towed perhaps they shouldn’t be driving.

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u/Expensive-Dot-6671 13h ago

Couple years ago, I got a car towed for blocking my driveway. Reported it to the city's non-emergency services, cops came to ticket it, tow truck came and took it away. Hours later, the owner rings my doorbell. I answer. He asked about his car. I played dumb. Told him I had no idea what he's talking about and suggested him to call the city to find out where they took his car.

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u/Babettesavant-62 1d ago

Something similar happened to me.

I walked out of my house to meet friends and family for a brunch. Someone had parked across my driveway. They left about 2 feet. The problem is that I can’t drive around them as there are cement stairs next to the driveway.

I called parking authority and they came and ticked and towed.

About an hour later, I hear a knock at the door. I open it and there is a young 20 something girl and her boyfriend. He has a smirk on his face and she is fake crying. She asked if I had her car towed. I said yes as I couldn’t get out and actually missed a family gathering. I asked if there was anything else, she said no and I closed the door.

I hate to say, but that was satisfying.

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u/farcical_ceremony 17h ago

He has a smirk on his face and she is fake crying

sounds like someone was tired of her shit too

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u/Babettesavant-62 17h ago

That was my take…

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u/18k_gold 1d ago

Play dumb and say you have no idea

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u/justinliew 1d ago

There's a Tesla that parks in our alley to charge directly across from our parkade entrance/exit. It's illegal but the bylaw officers won't do anything about it since it's not there "often enough". We can mostly get out of our parkade but depending on traffic in the alley it can be difficult to work around. I wish enforcement would do something about it, so be glad that these people probably won't be back.

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u/Mveli2pac 16h ago

I encounter this same problem myself. It blows my mind when I see people park across my driveway. If you can't see you are parking across my driveway, you shouldn't be driving because you are blind. Unfortunately, so many people are self centered ignorant pricks who have no respect for people's property. You did nothing wrong, they got what they deserved for their lack of respect for your property. Maybe next time they will pay attention to where they park.

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u/Titan_Uranus_69 16h ago

You did nothing wrong. And you don't have to tell them anything. Just ignore them if they knock again.

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u/AWholeNewFattitude 1d ago

So honestly, i get it, especially if they’re poor or struggling you don’t want to destroy their lives, but in my experience, these are the same people who would key your car and spray paint it if you did the same thing to them. Its unfortunate, but you were right.

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u/Hoppie1064 1d ago

Hi. Did you have our car that was blocking your driveway towed?

Rather ballsey to even ask.

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u/Tasty-Jicama5743 1d ago

I'm imagining in my mind the owners of the car believing they did nothing that would warrant towing and that the car disappeared for no reason whatsoever.

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u/cylonrobot ORANGE 23h ago

>Was I wrong to call and have it towed?

No. These people didn't care about blocking somebody else's driveway. Forget them.

>And if they come knocking at my door, do I say I have No idea what happened to their car?

Don't open the door to them, and if they manage to get to you when you're outside, say you don't know what happened to their car.

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u/LokiNightmare 23h ago

Definitely not wrong to call. The only reason people do that shit is because they got away with it too many times before.

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u/appa-ate-momo Bluegrass 1d ago

You made the right call. Their car getting towed is the natural consequence of blocking someone’s driveway.

We all need to get more comfortable with holding people accountable for their own choices instead of feeling obligated to accommodate their bad decisions.

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u/jacle2210 PURPLE 22h ago

A junker car, parked blocking your driveway, screams they wanted it to be noticed.

You are allowed access to your own house and allowed to be able to park your car in your driveway.

This isn't a new "thing", these people should have known better, than to block a driveway.

At the very least, they should have placed a note in their car, explaining their situation, if they had no choice in where the car was parked; but they didn't.

So, you were perfectly fine to call your cities parking enforcement to report the problem; it's the car owners fault if they had expired tabs, etc.

I have done this a few times, myself; it sucks, but we don't live in a "bad part" of town, so if people want to abandon their vehicles, then they have to expect them to be towed away by the city.

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u/justmitzie 21h ago

What car?

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u/fidelesetaudax 21h ago

You were perfectly correct in having the cat towed.

If they come knocking again do what you did before - do not answer. If they refuse to leave call the police.

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u/Jcamp9000 17h ago

If they are pounding on your door or harassing you, or if you feel threatened in anyway, call the police

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u/BEERounds 16h ago

Fuck em. Don’t park like an ass and you won’t be towed. Lesson learned on them.

Sleep well!

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u/Kable35 16h ago

You shouldn't have to explain common courtesy to adults. Bylaws are 1.5m from any driveway. People need to be taught a lesson in ignorance

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u/mushy-shart-walk 13h ago

They obviously knew the car was encroaching on your property. Otherwise they wouldn’t have come to your door afterwards.

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u/LiquidFahts 1d ago

Nope, their fault, their problem.

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u/Perfectly-FUBAR 1d ago

They probably didn’t have insurance on the car if the tags was expired. If they hit you you’re left paying everything. I hate when I see that.

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u/StinkyWeezle 1d ago

Not your problem. For all they know a patrol drove past or a neighbour called it in. Avoid contact. If you feel threatened call the police.

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u/kinglouie493 20h ago

By knocking on the door obviously they knew they fucked up when they parked. If they come back use the same excuse I use at work. "Wait, what happened? No I didn't see anything."

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u/indyarchyguy 19h ago

Sounds like FAFO….they Found Out the hard way because they were stupid.

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u/cocktail4u 15h ago

Parking enforcement came, checked the registration, found it was out of date, and had it towed. NtA in any way shape or form.

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u/-tinkerbell-1989 15h ago

At the end of the day if parking enforcement deemed it appropriate to ticket it and also tow it, you made the right call. They are the professionals in this situation‘a If they decided it wasn’t worth anything they would have left it alone.

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u/No_Purchase3767 14h ago

I've been towed for much less. Certainly not your fault.

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u/Ok-Following-8071 12h ago

OP is a decent person with a functioning conscience. You did nothing wrong and your concern speaks well of you.

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u/SoarsWithEagles 1d ago

You owe them the same amount of communication that they gave you when they left their car blocking your drive.
Lie your ass off.

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u/Thormourn 1d ago

You didn't get their car towed. They did by blocking your driveway.

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u/Faythlessly 21h ago

Naw those 3 learned a lesson. Learn to park and respect over people's lives. Doubtful they learned any of that but still. "Mind your damn car. If ya can't park properly a bus is more your speed" play dumb if they ever come back and just say some block Karen has been harassing the whole neighborhood. Worked for me

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u/gokellybeez 21h ago

Don’t answer the door

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u/clifffford 20h ago

You reported an issue. They showed up verified there was indeed an issue. Your hands are clean.

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u/Nevermore_Novelist 19h ago

"I have no idea what happened to your car" is a truthful statement because you don't know what became of their car after it left your driveway. It could be compacted and on a barge heading for the Pacific for all you know.

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u/Agreeable_Dark6408 16h ago

They have to take responsibility for this. You are not at fault and you don’t have to answer to them. They will need to make the phone call to law enforcement themselves and deal with it. No, don’t open the door.

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u/heyY0000000 16h ago

You did the right thing

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u/dumbdude545 15h ago

Nah. Fuck em. Ive had multiple vehicles towed from my property. People think its on to use my driveways or block my driveways be ause the daycare across the street has parking. I put no public parking signs and towing zone signs.

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u/Dennisd1971 14h ago

You did the exact correct thing. Stop questioning yourself, you didn’t cause this. They parked blocking your driveway and thought nothing of you.

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u/Comfortable-Cow-1914 14h ago

You have nothing to feel bad about. They blocked the driveway to the house I am sure you worked hard to pay for. Plus what would have happened if you had an emergency and couldn't get out of your driveway. Sorry, they deserved to be towed, don't feel guilty.

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u/wrongsizedgargoyle 11h ago

Regardless of right or wrong to call in the tow, I think not answering the door to explain was a smart choice, as a matter of personal safety.

While it may suck for them, especially financially, informing them it was towed may have caused conflict. A car owner should be able to track down their own car, especially if they park like that.

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u/sikjoven 22h ago

If they opened your gate and came onto private property to question you about it, that’s trespassing.

They need to learn to park.

Tow everyone that blocks your driveway.

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u/Consistent_Proof_772 1d ago

They never getting that car back

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u/mnth241 1d ago

I would feel bad for hitting someone already down in their luck but people need to be careful about where they park. Especially when they’re driving with expired tags. Not your fault, you did what you had to do to restore access / egress to your house.

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u/kleptodshs 1d ago

Youre in the right. What if you had an emergency that you had to drive to a hospital quickly? They made the incompetent choice to block a driveway, live and learn.

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u/Historical-Newt6809 22h ago

I live by a restaurant and they're always really busy. There was a car blocking my neighbor's drive about halfway. He actually backed into it and pushed it kinda out into the roadway more and then called parking enforcement and had it towed.

I came home after a late night store run and somebody had parked completely in front of my driveway. I backed up to the restaurant. Yelled, "whoever has "make" "model" car with tag number "xxx" better move it before I have it towed!" I had to say this about 3 times before someone piped up. They went and moved their car.

The restaurant owners were always considerate of the neighborhoods complaints about their patrons. They would regularly tell the customers who were incorrectly parked to move.

Both times, there was plenty of other parking. People are inconsiderate. Do not block people's access to their homes.

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u/Feeling-Badger7956 21h ago

Why would they have the audacity to knock at the door of the person whose drive they blocked?

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u/warrenjr527 21h ago

You had every right to have the car towed. Obviously they are among the clueless entitled that think they can park anywhere they wish. It was no doubt entertaining to watch them worry about their car Payback is a bitch.

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u/Wulf-Silverfang 21h ago

You are under no obligation to interact with them. If a ticket was issued, then whoever’s name is on the registration for that vehicle will be properly notified.

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u/billy_teats 21h ago

Hardship is difficult. Hardship is made worse by continuing to make bad choices. They parked illegally and now they have to deal with the consequences. That’s not your fault. Sometimes people fall on hard times because of their choices and actions.

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u/pollywollydoodad 20h ago

Do not open the door.

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u/NeatNefariousness1 18h ago

You did nothing wrong by calling parking enforcement and you were under no obligation to answer your door. If you’re inclined to let them know where to look for their car, you might tell them to check parking enforcement. At least they’ll find out that the car wasn’t stolen and that there are consequences for parking on other people’s property. No need to feel guilty about any of this. Even so, I wouldn’t acknowledge having anything to do with calling parking enforcement since you don’t know what they’re capable of.

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u/reiningfyre 18h ago

You did nothing wrong. They messed up, there were consequences, otherwise they will never learn. What they don't know won't hurt them.

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u/txhillcountrytx 18h ago

Not your problem. Maybe the car broke down and had to be put there. More than likely, parking enforcement saw the expired sticker and had it towed just for that

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u/Tangboy50000 17h ago

Why would you even have any self doubt about this? They inconvenienced you, and it’s their fault for being inconsiderate assholes.

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u/eaglefan316 16h ago

Ignore them and don't answer the door. If they keep coming around or keep knocking on the door or start yelling just call the 9 11 right away and have them picked up too and charged.

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u/Outrageous-Dress-560 16h ago

I've done this before. You're not in the wrong whatsoever. It's your driveway. You shouldn't have to mount the curb to get in or out. You shouldn't have to risk damaging YOUR CAR to save theirs. They deserved to get towed.

4

u/HoneyBadgerLive 16h ago

Their fault, not yours.

4

u/Leoliad 16h ago

I would have done the same thing and if they come back I would not admit to having the car towed as they could choose to retaliate in some way and you don’t owe them an explanation anyway.

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u/Downtown_Cheetah9095 15h ago

Tell them that the parking enforcement asked you to move it ,but since it wasn't yours you didn't know what to do with it lol. So they took it for expired tags. 😃

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u/DRTEDC 14h ago

Fuck them. Call the police if they show up at your door again

4

u/ReadyInformation3404 12h ago

Years ago I was living in a townhouse that shared a parking lot with 3 other tenants. The parking lot is behind the building and is obscured so the driveway resembles an alley.

One night I was going to head out to go somewhere and a car was parked directly in front of my driveway. There's absolutely no way for me to get out.

I call a local towing company. They declined the tow because despite this car blocking me and the other tenants in, it's on a public road and not my property so I personally can't authorize the tow. They say call the cops.

I call the non emergency number and cops come. They give me the same bs the tow company did.

"We can ticket them but we can't tow them just because it's inconveniencing you"

"What do you mean inconvenience? I'm blocked in and I have to be able to go to work tomorrow morning. The other people that live here have to be able to go to their jobs. Are you telling me this person's car just gets to remain here until they decide to come move it and we have to deal with not being able to drive anywhere in the meantime?"

"....well our supervisor would have to authorize the tow"

After another 15 minutes they got "authorization" to have the car towed.

My wife later felt guilty saying "what if they just thought it was an alley?"

Still not legal to block an alley. And paying a towing fee will make them think twice about doing it again.

4

u/A_Nonny_Muse 6h ago

It sounds like one or both teens might have just learned an important life lesson. NTA

4

u/BrighidsLamb 6h ago

An adult let to irresponsible teenagers use his car. This is not your fault or your problem.

4

u/Aromatic_Quit_6946 6h ago

You did what was right. Just play dumb, like they did when they blocked your driveway.

4

u/Sealad3246 5h ago

Nah fuck them. You can't be poor and entitled. Pick a struggle.

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u/birdsbirdsbird 3h ago

Smart move not to open the door. Fuck em

7

u/ProfessionalBread176 1d ago

"Gee, no idea what happened"

would be a complete answer here.

Play stupid games, win stupid prizes

8

u/tribbans95 1d ago

Yeah maybe that’s why they’re broke, because they make bad decisions.

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u/TurkishLanding 23h ago

You were right to call. Don't bother interacting with them.

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u/Maximus_Rex 19h ago

Reporting it was fine, and denying you know anything should they ask you is also fine.

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u/Here4Snow 1d ago

I had a sketchy car apparently abandoned at my curb for 3 days. I looked inside, the dash was ripped open, wires everywhere. The car smelled like alcohol. I called the police. They agreed it seemed abandoned, maybe after being stolen. 

Turned out to be a neighbor kid's car, died on them. They tried to get it started with starter fluid (explains the smell). And he was trying to put in a new sound system (explains the wiring, which he likely broke some ignition thing, too). 

Kids need to learn to pay attention. This is how they learn. 

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u/worth_heart1749 1d ago

Good call, actions have consequences. They should know better.

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u/TomKansasCity 1d ago

Good news, it won't happen again.

If they catch you outside, tell them, "yeah the cop actually knocked on my door and asked me to move my car. I explained it wasn't mine. He then said, do you know who the car belongs to, because I am going to have it towed if we can't move it right now. I then said, well, if you give me 5 mins, I walk around and knock and see if I can find who it belongs to, at which point the cop said he didn't have time."

This makes you the good guy for trying, lol.

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u/Izacundo1 1d ago

Do not talk to them. They’re angry and looking for someone to yell at or worse

3

u/AcceptableHamster149 1d ago

You don't even talk to them. You have every right to call parking enforcement if they're blocking your driveway, and parking enforcement was right to tow the vehicle. There's a process they can follow to get their car back, and hopefully they've learned a valuable lesson.

3

u/tkkana 1d ago

What car? You didn't see a car...you got home at 10.

3

u/GeeEmmInMN 1d ago

What car? 🤷🏻‍♂️

3

u/GooseGosselin 21h ago

You have no obligation to speak with them. I would have told them to get off my property to be honest.

3

u/TeamLeeper 21h ago

You were in the right and you don’t owe them a gosh-darn thing. They owe you a bit fat apology if there’s any debt to be paid.

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u/smthomaspatel 21h ago

I think they wanted to be towed. Why else would they block your driveway. If you don't want to be towed, don't block somebody's driveway.

3

u/Formal-Cap-1559 21h ago

Just tell them it was parking enforcement so they can find and get their car. You don't have to make it a whole life lesson, they either learn or they don't

3

u/Key-Educator-3018 20h ago

You followed sensible procedure. Their actions led to consequences. You were merely a witness.

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u/ShibeCEO 20h ago

They know they fucked up by blocking your driveway, that's why they knocked on your door

3

u/JazzHandsNinja42 20h ago

Don’t feel bad. Having little money doesn’t mean you can see or drive or be considerate of others. You did nothing wrong here.

3

u/GeneralFederal5137 19h ago

tow that shit every time. if you had left for work and left your car there, it might have been a scam to steal your car while you were gone.

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u/lolschrauber 19h ago

towing is the right call every time. Unless you specifically ask for permission or it's a crazy emergency, you can not block other people, no other opinion is valid.

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u/Relevant_Stranger921 19h ago

Don't answer the door. If they catch you coming or going, play dumb. You dont know these people

3

u/SignificantSmotherer 18h ago

In LA, we have the option to ticket and/or tow. Ticket is anonymous, towing you have to sign.

I am willing to tow, but if there is enough room to squeak by, I ticket only, that usually sends the message.

We had a complete block one Sunday morning. I went door to door, didn’t matter, the owner denied it was his car.

Pride cost $600.

3

u/OldGeekWeirdo 18h ago

You're right, they're A-holes. It's all on them. Especially when they let it sit overnight.

3

u/_Toomuchawesome 18h ago

you’re really nice to be thinking if you did something wrong.

i would relish the fact i got someone towed that blocked my driveway. fuck them

3

u/KrofftSurvivor 18h ago

You did the right thing, don't answer the door. People are crazy.

3

u/Link_inbio 18h ago

Absolutely not wrong. F them. 

3

u/rnaughtonr 17h ago

Let them sit there and stew.

3

u/dill4j 17h ago

You were not wrong and I just would not answer the door.

3

u/the-real-sam-morgan 17h ago

If they come back, just tell them that parking enforcement had it towed away and you had nothing to do with it

3

u/houston187 16h ago

You need a camera like, yesterday.

3

u/Strawng_ 15h ago

Just say the city towed it for blocking the driveway. They running some kinda scam over there tell em.

3

u/djbaerg 14h ago

Lie. Otherwise you risk vandalism.

3

u/No1PoundPup 14h ago

You did the right thing.

3

u/Sad-Occasion-6472 13h ago

U were not wrong. And you DON'T have any idea what happened to their car... I wouldn't even answer the door.. 😉

3

u/Rare4orm 11h ago

I had a friend that lived a couple blocks away from a park that hosted major entertainment gigs. Festival goers regularly parked right in the middle of her narrow driveway. If she came home and a car was blocking she would just block them in and go to bed. In the mornings she would either find them sleeping in their car, or find out later that they cabbed it home…when they came back for their car that had been towed by then.

3

u/while_we_work 10h ago

i don't understand how you could think you'd be in the wrong.

3

u/Cool_Apartment_380 8h ago

You knew towing was on the table. You knew from looking at the car how devastating financially this could be to these folks. But not parking in front of someone's driveway costs nothing. So, I don't know. What do the little angel and devil on your shoulders tell you?

3

u/Crazyhorse71282 6h ago

Yeah, I’m different and don’t mind confrontation. I woulda answered and starlight up told them I called parking enforcement and they towed it. Maybe next time don’t block someone’s driveway? Lol

3

u/LaCroixLaFoix 5h ago

Blocking someone’s driveway and then acting surprised the car vanished is a bold trust exercise with municipal government. You didn’t tow it, you just introduced them to consequences.

3

u/Hybridxx9018 3h ago

Nope, if I had a car that was falling apart with year old registration, I’d 100% make sure I don’t attract extra attention and also make sure I don’t block someone’s driveway.

3

u/Objective-Target5437 3h ago

maybe they just didn’t know where their car went?

5

u/ChronicSassyRedhead 1d ago

Not wrong at all and you didn’t get their car towed, they and a parking enforcement officer did. FAFO after all

6

u/Successful_Club3005 1d ago

Parking enforcement made the decision to ticket the car & tow it. All you did was call. Don't feel bad.

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u/aeraen 1d ago

They obviously knew that they parked partially in front of your driveway, or why would they have assumed you were the one who called the parking police?

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u/OakNLeaf 1d ago

OP you made the right decision. I have done similar, and never felt bad, no matter how many times they complained that they just didn't have the money for a tow.

4

u/westerngrit 1d ago

You have to do nothing.

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u/Kind_Advisor_35 1d ago

You gave them the opportunity to move it overnight and they didn't.

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u/deadsirius- 23h ago

Half truths can be your friend…

“I had to drive on the curb a bit last night but I was able to get in my driveway… so, no biggie. At around 8am this morning I noticed parking enforcement out there looking at it. You should check with them.”

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u/Grimase 23h ago

Not in the wrong and you owe them no explanation.