Wow... where did February go? I can't believe how fast this month has gone by. Work has become increasingly busy and the weekends have been full. All of the sudden I'm halfway through my co-op! While it does seem to have gone by pretty quickly I'm feeling a little lonely this week. I think my brother and I might be able to meet up this weekend though. It will be nice to spend some time together, especially since I haven't even seen see him since coming over!
Since classes are only two months away now, registration for summer courses begins soon. Courses have been posted but apparently they're not very organized. There's two course listings - the calendar and the timetable - but they don't match up. For several courses, the times listed are completely different. One list shows on Tuesdays and Thursdays but the other shows Mondays and Wednesdays. Or one list shows a time of 1-2:30 and the other shows 4:60-6. One course I want don't even show up on both lists! So far I've only found three courses I'm interested in: strategic management, employment & labour law, and international legal relations. I hope they're going to add some more courses because at the moment either I've taken the course or it don't look very interesting!
Tuesday, February 27, 2007
Thursday, February 15, 2007
The Fight Continues
Since my last post, I've been continuing in my fight against The Man. I decided to fill out the form that asks for a reduction in the fine.
The Wednesday after I got my ticket I went down to a Driver's Service Center after work. Of course, the office just happened to be a 20 minute trip in the opposite direction from home. When I get there and the girl helping me tells me she's never heard of a form where you can ask for a reduction in fine. I learn that, contrary to what the officer told me, I can only pay the fine or request a court date at the Drivers Service Center. However, she was very helpful and looked up the number of the transit customer service line.
The next day I call the customer service number. I hate automated phone systems - why won't they just let you talk to a person? Anyway, after going through a five minute long menu, I finally get a woman on the other end of the phone. She too, has never heard of the form and suggests I call the transit police and talk to a sergeant. Luckily, they do not use an automated phone system, but I do get voicemail. By Monday, I still haven't heard anything back so I call again. This time I get a sergeant. Unfortunately, he tells me I should call the ICBC (insurance Corporation of British Columbia) violation ticket line but was nice enough to give me the number.
So I call ICBC and... the automated phone system puts me on hold. For ten minutes I listen to a twenty second byte of elevator music interspersed with an electronic voice telling me to keep holding - great. Finally I get a guy who also hasn't ever heard of the form. He tells me I should call the Vancouver Courthouse but was kind enough to give me the number and warn me about their five minute long recorded introduction. I call the courthouse, wait through the recording, and get a woman who - get this - tells me where to find the form!! It was online the whole time! Of course, its not easy to find and the web address makes absolutely no sense, but its there!
Apparently I actually have to fill out two forms. The first contests the ticket but states I don't want a court date and will fill out the second form. The second form allows me to request a reduced fee and explain why. Then once I mail them in, it will take six to eight months of moving through the court system before a judge even sees them. Go efficient systems!
The Wednesday after I got my ticket I went down to a Driver's Service Center after work. Of course, the office just happened to be a 20 minute trip in the opposite direction from home. When I get there and the girl helping me tells me she's never heard of a form where you can ask for a reduction in fine. I learn that, contrary to what the officer told me, I can only pay the fine or request a court date at the Drivers Service Center. However, she was very helpful and looked up the number of the transit customer service line.
The next day I call the customer service number. I hate automated phone systems - why won't they just let you talk to a person? Anyway, after going through a five minute long menu, I finally get a woman on the other end of the phone. She too, has never heard of the form and suggests I call the transit police and talk to a sergeant. Luckily, they do not use an automated phone system, but I do get voicemail. By Monday, I still haven't heard anything back so I call again. This time I get a sergeant. Unfortunately, he tells me I should call the ICBC (insurance Corporation of British Columbia) violation ticket line but was nice enough to give me the number.
So I call ICBC and... the automated phone system puts me on hold. For ten minutes I listen to a twenty second byte of elevator music interspersed with an electronic voice telling me to keep holding - great. Finally I get a guy who also hasn't ever heard of the form. He tells me I should call the Vancouver Courthouse but was kind enough to give me the number and warn me about their five minute long recorded introduction. I call the courthouse, wait through the recording, and get a woman who - get this - tells me where to find the form!! It was online the whole time! Of course, its not easy to find and the web address makes absolutely no sense, but its there!
Apparently I actually have to fill out two forms. The first contests the ticket but states I don't want a court date and will fill out the second form. The second form allows me to request a reduced fee and explain why. Then once I mail them in, it will take six to eight months of moving through the court system before a judge even sees them. Go efficient systems!
Monday, February 5, 2007
And you thought a speeding ticket cost a lot....
Picture this... Saturday morning, on the Skytrain, heading downtown to meet my friend Ingmarie who's in town for the weekend. Except it starts off all wrong.
One stop after I get on the skytrain, two police officers board the train and announce that they're going to be checking peoples fares. No problem, I get out my monthly pass and hand it to one of them when he comes by. He looks at the pass, looks at me and says: "This is January, I need to see February." I was speechless. I'm so used to just having a U-Pass built into my student card that I'd completely forgotten I needed to buy another month. Next he says: "You'll have to get off at the next stop with me." The guy sitting next to me commiserated with me by saying he'd had the same thing happen to him and that they should have some sort grace period for people who buy monthly passes.
So we get to the next stop and the cop comes back to me and motions for me to get off the train. I follow him out and he asks for my driver's license and starts writing me a ticket! Here I thought he was going to realize I made an honest mistake, be a nice guy, give me a warning, and let me go buy a fare! So he finishes writing the ticket and has me sign it. You think it'd be for 50 bucks, right? I mean it's only a $2.25 fare. Wrong! ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY THREE DOLLARS!! That's like a speeding ticket! And I only made a mistake, I wasn't even endangering anyones life.
I kind of felt like he strung me along by only saying I'd have to get off with him, not that I'd have to get off and receive a ticket. Maybe he would have let me off the hook if he hadn't pulled off a seventeen year old girl at the same time, I don't know. In talking with her afterwards (she decided to sit and chat with me even though the train was mostly empty), it became fairly obvious that she often rode without paying. That kind of pissed me off even further - I don't want to be associated with some teenage airhead delinquent when I only made an honest mistake (and believe me, she was an airhead).
So anyway, as the cop explained to me, I have three courses of action. One, if I pay within 30 days they will reduce the fine by $25 (big deal). Two, I can go to a Driver's Services Center and request a court date at which I could explain to a judge what happened and hope for a reduced fine. While this likely would be the best option for reducing the fine, it doesn't make a lot of sense for me since A) the court date likely wouldn't be until after I've gone back to Victoria, and B) even if it was scheduled in the next three months I'd have to take off work to be there, thereby losing more money. Or three, I can go to Driver's Services Center and sign something that states I agree I'm guilty but I'm asking for a reduced fine. This is what I will likely do. Hopefully, there will be a section where I can explain why I'm requesting a reduced fine (honest mistake, had a January pass, bought a February pass, just moved to the city, poor student, all that jazz).
Anyway, after the rough start the rest of the weekend was really great. Ing and I shopped Robson street, went to an h'our dourve reception for her work, had yummy Italian for dinner, and went to IKEA.
I'll keep you posted on my fight against "The Man".
One stop after I get on the skytrain, two police officers board the train and announce that they're going to be checking peoples fares. No problem, I get out my monthly pass and hand it to one of them when he comes by. He looks at the pass, looks at me and says: "This is January, I need to see February." I was speechless. I'm so used to just having a U-Pass built into my student card that I'd completely forgotten I needed to buy another month. Next he says: "You'll have to get off at the next stop with me." The guy sitting next to me commiserated with me by saying he'd had the same thing happen to him and that they should have some sort grace period for people who buy monthly passes.
So we get to the next stop and the cop comes back to me and motions for me to get off the train. I follow him out and he asks for my driver's license and starts writing me a ticket! Here I thought he was going to realize I made an honest mistake, be a nice guy, give me a warning, and let me go buy a fare! So he finishes writing the ticket and has me sign it. You think it'd be for 50 bucks, right? I mean it's only a $2.25 fare. Wrong! ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY THREE DOLLARS!! That's like a speeding ticket! And I only made a mistake, I wasn't even endangering anyones life.
I kind of felt like he strung me along by only saying I'd have to get off with him, not that I'd have to get off and receive a ticket. Maybe he would have let me off the hook if he hadn't pulled off a seventeen year old girl at the same time, I don't know. In talking with her afterwards (she decided to sit and chat with me even though the train was mostly empty), it became fairly obvious that she often rode without paying. That kind of pissed me off even further - I don't want to be associated with some teenage airhead delinquent when I only made an honest mistake (and believe me, she was an airhead).
So anyway, as the cop explained to me, I have three courses of action. One, if I pay within 30 days they will reduce the fine by $25 (big deal). Two, I can go to a Driver's Services Center and request a court date at which I could explain to a judge what happened and hope for a reduced fine. While this likely would be the best option for reducing the fine, it doesn't make a lot of sense for me since A) the court date likely wouldn't be until after I've gone back to Victoria, and B) even if it was scheduled in the next three months I'd have to take off work to be there, thereby losing more money. Or three, I can go to Driver's Services Center and sign something that states I agree I'm guilty but I'm asking for a reduced fine. This is what I will likely do. Hopefully, there will be a section where I can explain why I'm requesting a reduced fine (honest mistake, had a January pass, bought a February pass, just moved to the city, poor student, all that jazz).
Anyway, after the rough start the rest of the weekend was really great. Ing and I shopped Robson street, went to an h'our dourve reception for her work, had yummy Italian for dinner, and went to IKEA.
I'll keep you posted on my fight against "The Man".
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