This call took place about 1 year and 9/10 months ago now, while I was still fairly new to my current job. I am a dispatcher for a parking company that manages parking for a big university in my state. My primary job is to take calls from people stuck in parking garages where I either fix the issue or send someone out, and also make sure inter-department stuff gets sent to the right place but that isn’t really relevant for this. My least favorite part is that after our customer service closes, all those calls get routed to me despite a big automated announcement saying I can’t do jack for most issues.
There are two actors in today’s performance. Me, and Angry Lady. Onto the tale.
Like most big universities, we have a football team that is a pretty big deal and has a huge crowd and parking woes for home games. To help handle that, a large number of parking lots and garages are cleared out via tow truck and closed the night before a game. To park in those cleared lots, you need a special permit issued by the university, and not one of our parking permits that can be bought for normal parking. Despite signs out a week in advance, and the fact that this is how home games have worked for 20+ years, we still end up towing around 100+ cars every time. It was around 10:00pm when I got this call. Dialogue is by rough memory.
Me: Hello, ParkingCompany Dispatch, how may I help you.
Lady: Hi, yes I saw that there was a sign at the GarageName gate when I came in saying that I had to be gone at midnight?
Me: Yes ma’am, we are clearing out that garage and several other lots due to the home game tomorrow.
Lady: But I need to park here tonight, can’ you do something for me?
Me: Sorry ma’am, but I won’t be able to do anything for you.
Lady: Why are they clearing the garage?
Me: That garage will be for game day specific permits only.
Lady: Oh!, well I have a permit!
Me: A ParkingCompay permit?
Lady: yes!
Me: Okay ma’am, the permits I was referring to are special game day permits issued by the Athletics Department.
Lady: So your saying I can’t park here at all then?
Me: You can park until 12:01am ma’am, after that your vehicle will be towed at some point in the night whenever our enforcement officers and tow trucks get to the garage.
Lady: Well…who can override that?
Me: Only a manager might be able to do that ma’am.
Lady: Okay, put a manager on then please.
Me:….(its 10:00pm lady, really?) I’m sorry ma’am, but there are no managers in the office at this time, only myself.
Lady (utterly shocked she can’t get a manager on demand) What, why not!?!
Me: They all have to be in at 3:00am to work they game ma’am. They are all sleeping at home right now I imagine.
Lady: Well, call one right now!
Me: (a brief pause as I process the entitlement) I’m sorry ma’am, but I won’t be able to do that.
Lady: (title drop) D…Do you want me to repot you!?!
Me: (absolutely over this lady) Report me for what….ma’am?
Lady: (sputters a bit as I didn’t cave to the threat of a complaint about doing my job) I’ll just stay parked in here then, and you can’t do anything about it.
Me: Okay ma’am, you can park your vehicle, but as I said before, it WILL be towed if it is still there when the tow trucks get there, and there will be a towing fee applied to the vehicle that you will be responsible for.
The call ends there with her hanging up in a rage. I checked again on monday , and two cars were hauled out of that garage at about 3:00am, but I don’t know if one of them was hers or not. Suffice it to say, I heard absolutely nothing from my manager or HR about this, so I imagine she didn’t “report” me in the end…too bad really, I could have used the performance boost. Anyway, thanks for reading my 3:00am story, and have a good weekend fellow redditors.
Tl;DR. Don’t be lazy, go read it.
submitted by /u/Adric_01
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