AIBU to be fuming at this CF and my lack of rights?! (Parking thread)

[jessebuni]

OK so I come home from taking the kids to school and when I arrive home someone is parked in my space. Not just anyone but the little black car that had 3 students in it I had seen driving in on my way out. Now normally student park in our residents only visitors bay which is annoying enough but this time they have parked in my privately owned and numbered parking space. So I cannot use it!

The council won’t do anything the police won’t do anything and even the college won’t do anything!

I honestly can’t believe the lack of rights people have on their own properties! This car is going to be in my space for at least 6 hours!

Why can’t there be some new system where people can call and report vehicles to be towed from their property at a smallish fee and then the owners of said cars have to pay the remaining fee to retrieve their cars?

Hopefully they'll have talked to enough friends about it that the student body as a whole will avoid parking down that close. Which is why it's worth being a bit U occasionally for the greater good.

We used to live near a sixth form college with a similar set up. It was rarely a problem except when it was total carnage - typically on Open Evening where it wasn't even teenagers parking but of course the parents of Y11s.

I did say to the car owner I never had any intention of ripping anyone head off. And I despite thinking it would be satisfying would never deliberately damage someone else’s car. All he had to do was knock. At which point his friends were laughing. Whether or not he is genuinely sorry, I sort of doubt it but he was genuinely scared that he got caught out as he knew he was wrong to park there so if only by embarrassment at least he might think a bit more in future before parking.

Hopefully they will be so embarrassed that they will never park like cunts again

It's some of the people on this thread that should be embarassed. Keying cars, setting them on fire, taking a bat to the windows? Are you ten years old?

As for the harass the college until they do something about it, the college has nothing to do with students parking anywhere other than university property. All they would do is to tell you to stop calling them.

Get lots and lots of white sticky labels, write residents parking on them and stick all over windscreen- they won't do it again - trust me. At an office I used to work at we had people park in our car park and we did this and I stopped within a few days.

swingofthings

... all this because OP had to park behind her space (but still in front of her house

But she'd be blocking the road if she did that.

OP actions were best.

Perfect, Thank God for not father involvement!

On a more serious note though, people do get hurt in things matters like this that do escalate needlessly and sadly too often then necessary. The saddest case I can think of is the attack on the motorway some years back when a guy got stabbed in front of his girlfriend over someone as frustrating at that time, but meaningless enough that the reason got forgotten in the first place.

I really am glad that the guys apologise and who knows, maybe they really will bring OP flowers tomorrow!

The only reason I’d be okay with this is in case of exams. Colleges/unis make it insanely hard to get a parking permit and if they missed their bus ( yes stupid but it happens) then they may have had no choice but to drive and park wherever they can to get to their exam.annoying and shouldn’t happen but I know a few people who’ve parked on double yellows to get to an exam in time.

Any other reason and they can fuck off.

I did say to the car owner I never had any intention of ripping anyone head off
Well, I think you did calm down as the hours went by, the title of your thread says a bit different, so really, they did the right think going and coming back.

Bet you're gutted swingofthings!
Where did you get this from what I've written? The matter is over, just a few hours later than I think it could have been but as I expected from my first post, ie. that they would just apologise and OP should let the matter go after that.

Also, us millennial are renowned for being terrified of confrontation.

One of my housemates stole another housemates kettle and the housemate so wanted to avoid a confrontation that she just secretly seethed FOR A YEAR. And never mentioned it to him.

Did you put your house number on the note?

And I once got in a row with another housemate over the phone until she sent our third housemate downstairs to ask me to leave her alone as I was making her cry.

She was in the wrong btw, have had it confirmed by 4 different people, including messenger housemate.

@swingofthings

On a more serious note though, people do get hurt in things matters like this that do escalate needlessly and sadly too often then necessary. The saddest case I can think of is the attack on the motorway some years back when a guy got stabbed in front of his girlfriend over someone as frustrating at that time, but meaningless enough that the reason got forgotten in the first place.

My point exactly. OP should have gone out when she first saw them. As I said, I get her frustration, and she is entitled to be pissed off, but she took it a bit too far IMO. And hopefully, there are no repercussions for her.

I really am glad that the guys apologise and who knows, maybe they really will bring OP flowers tomorrow!

I doubt it. She may get 'YOU ARE A TWAT' daubed on the car in shiny red metallic paint in a few weeks, but flowers, no.

One of my relatives growing up had anger issues and shouted lots and I learnt very quickly once you start shouting usually things digress very quickly and people often stop listening so whilst I was still absolutely livid and gobsmacked that he got a friend to knock the door for him I honestly didn’t intend to go in shouting. I prefer quiet anger. It tends to work better it certainly does with my child’s and obviously I wasn’t going to damage their car because I don’t want to do anything that crosses that line. I probably did sound a bit petty when I asked him if he could perhaps read the giant signs right there though... I’m not exactly proud of it but I am still glad I did something about it rather than nothing. And yes obviously I am still half expecting them to start parking there out of spite now but I’m hoping that won’t be the case. And funnily enough the polite lady I spoke to on 101 just to double check there was nothing they could do said that if the same vehicle continues to do it multiple times it can cross into antisocial behaviour and then they sometimes can get involved. Aw well...back to the ironing then

The aim is to get them to not park in private spaces and inconvenience people.

Aim is achieved - they will now not do this again as a. they know it's likely you'll block them in, as you've shown you will and b. it's quite likely that next time you'll be telling them you won't move until you feel like it. So they won't take the risk.

Simple clicker training for cheeky fucking people :)

@LemoneysSnicket

Also, us millennials are renowned for being terrified of confrontation.

Speak for yourself.

Every millennial I know, including my kids, and my nieces and nephews are not 'terrified of confrontation,' and will happily stick up for themselves.

Maybe you could consider an assertiveness course?

My dd was almost late for a mock exam in a Monday because she (&dh) witnessed a motorcycle accident & stayed until the emergency service came.

But they would never have parked in a private space even if it meant being late - (can't swear to the same if it was an actual exam mind but there would have been a note & apology etc)

Well done OP. You have taught them an important lesson in accountability.

Take their windscreen wipers off and leave a message telling them to come and collect them from you and pay for their day's parking. Then remind them that this is a private parking space

Also, if he is a sixth former would he even be a millennial?

Millenials can be sixth formers:

Millennials - Wikipedia - Millennials (also known as Generation Y) are the generational demographic cohort following Generation X. There are no precise dates for when this cohort starts or ends; demographers and researchers typically use the early 1980s as starting birth years and the mid-1990s to early 2000s as ending birth years.

Good for you, I'd do the same maybe. The only word of caution I would throw you way is not to do something unless you are prepare and willing for escalation. Not everyone sucks up rightful justice well and these things can escalate into very inconvenient and/or vicious battles. These students apologised and where nice but not everyone is. Especially people who having nothing to lose and no respect.

Dd was born in 2001 & is in Year 11. A year older born in 2000 & she'd be Lower 6th

Gosh, so many threads on here with people getting walked all over CFs and them doing nothing about it while increasingly frustrated MNers try to give advice on how to deal with a situation and stand up for themselves. Here (and on the Air BnB thread) an OP actually does something and stands up for themselves and people are saying they should be nicer to the special snowflake CFs.

Bonkers.

Alexander - my DSS was born in 2001 and is a 6th former!