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Showerthought: I used to think paying bills late was no big deal until my car got towed
For years, I'd let my parking permit for the lot behind my apartment lapse by a week or two. I figured the city never checked that fast. Then, one Tuesday morning after a double shift, my spot was empty. The tow yard in Flint wanted $350 cash to get my car back. That wiped out my rent buffer and I had to borrow from my brother. The real kicker was finding out the late fee for the permit was only $15. I pay everything on the first of the month now, setting calendar alerts on my phone. I guess I needed that expensive lesson to see how one small slip can cause a huge domino effect. Has anyone else had a tiny bill snowball into a major headache?
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laurar3812d ago
Ah, the $365 lesson plan...
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Oh, that's rough, but I have to point out one thing. The tow fee isn't really a domino effect from the late permit fee. It's a separate, direct consequence for breaking a different rule, which was parking without a valid permit. The $15 late fee is the penalty for paying the permit bill late. The $350 tow fee is the penalty for parking illegally. It's two different things, even though one led to the other. It's an important difference because you can't avoid a tow just by paying the late fee later. You have to keep the permit itself current. That's a brutal way to learn it, though. I'm glad you have a better system now.
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