Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with ticket

Taking a later train

Brennus — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 11:27:29 -0800

Are amtrak tickets train specific? I am a little confused as to how the amtrak ticketing system works. Is it like an airline where I buy a ticket for a specific train and the ticket is not valid on any other trains? Or is it like some of the commuter trains where you buy a ticket for a certain destination and can ride any train that goes there?

Got a speeding ticket in Oregon. What options do I have?

Takeyourtime — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 15:18:44 -0800

Got a speeding ticket in Oregon. What options do I have? I took a trip the other day, first road trip to be exact.

As I was driving through La Grande I got pulled over for going 78 in a 65 MPH zone. It was my fault as I was previously driving in a 75 MPH and didn't notice the speed limit had changed. Plus I was a bit nervous and wasn't really paying attention.

Anyway the fine is $287 dollars (ouch). And of course no doubt an increase in my insurance rates. Now my question is. Is there anything I can do to get this ticket reduced or possibly not have an increase in my insurance?

The last ticket I got was over 10 years ago. My record is very clean. I would be willing to drive to Oregon if need be (I live in Idaho).

I do feel very sorry for what I did and accept full responsibility. I just don't think one honest mistake should cost over $1000 dollars (287 + insurance hike).

I heard there is an option to take driving school. If I do that do I have to pay the full ticket and take the driving school?

Basically if you can tell me my options. Or should I just plead guilty and suffer the consequences?

I got the ticket just 6 days ago.

Also any advise to help me stop beating myself up for this mistake? I can't get over it and its driving me crazy.

What will happen in court?

lwclec072 — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 15:09:55 -0800

I got my first ticket ahh! What will happen? Today I got a ticket, for expired tags, licenses and insurance. They all expired within the last month but I've been having a very rough time personally and financially (not very smart at all financially, i know). The cop only told me to make sure I had all of them renewed by the court date and then he let me go, thankfully. I do not have any police record, never have had a ticket before. What will happen in court? My friend said they would suspend my license, make me pay a fine and send me to classes. Is this true? If so around how much will the fine be?

If it helps at all I live in Louisville, KY.

Bait-and-Switch or ineptitude?... WTF Travelocity!?

blueberry — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:27:45 -0800

Buying a ticket to Bangkok—is there a dependable online ticket-searching service that is all about getting the truly cheapest fare? Skinflint-In-Coach.com? Argh!, I spent over an hour today working on the Travelocity site, trying to find a low-priced ticket from Portland to Bangkok. After noodling around with my Portland/Bangkok departure dates I finally found a reasonably priced ticket that I could afford. However when I clicked to order it Travelocity said Sorry, that ticket's not available, please go pick another one—all of the other tickets being at least $500 more. (And annoyingly, when I went back to look at the other tickets, that cheaper un-buyable ticket was still listed as being available)

So, I tried Kayak.com and found that while it searches across four different ticket sites, each site finds fares that differ from each other by thousands of dollars. That is, each site is saying "This is the absolute cheapest flight out there" but actually the ticket prices vary from $1900 to $4000. To my mind, there should be only one "cheapest flight"—you know, hence the "-est" suffix.

So tell me hive mind, is there one ticket-finding site that
A: doesn't advertise tickets that it doesn't have (Travelocity), and
B: searches all flights all through one interface—so you don't have to dig through several different sites and windows wasting time with their laughable ideas of what they call "the cheapest flight"?

[For reference, I'm looking to leave PDX on Dec 9th, and leave BKK on any of the days between Dec 31 and Jan 3]

Speeding

yoyo_nyc — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:40:24 -0800

How can I find out if I have a speeding ticket in California? I once may have been cough at night speeding in Silicon Valley (automated system, flashed).

* The car was not rented by me but by a company that interviewed me (yeah, I know, bad idea to speed in this car).

* I got the car with my EU drivers license that does not have an address on it.

I never heard anything. How could I find out if I got a ticket and am obligated to pay it? It has been a couple of years already.

What do you do when the court has no record of your "crime"?

Anonymous — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 12:12:00 -0800

I received a traffic ticket for driving without headlights on in Los Angeles, but now the court has no record of my citation. What do I do now? I was cited during the evening of October 4th for "Driving without Lights on During Darkness." I had only been driving for a few blocks when I was pulled over and hadn't noticed my lights weren't on. For what it's worth, it was a fairly busy street that was well-lit at the time.

Anyway, the ticket says that I must appear at the courthouse by November 18 but I haven't received a courtesy notice in the mail yet. Assuming that the notice must've been lost in the mail, I checked the court's website and they have no record of a citation. I've searched the database with both my driver's license and citation number, but nothing comes up, even though it's past the "21 days" it sometimes takes for the citation to appear in the system.

I've called the court and navigated the automated phone system, but they have no record of it either. I tried to speak to an operator but the system was "too busy" so an automated message said to try the call at a later time.

Is it possible that the police officer, after the fact, realized how brightly lit the street was and decided to discard the ticket or not process it? Incidentally, I later learned that there was a full moon that evening, which could be counted as an extenuating circumstance, something which the officer might have realized himself. I don't know how likely that is or if it's even possible (or just wishful thinking on my part).

Does anyone have any experience with this or advice about what I should do? At this point, I'm leaning towards just going to the courthouse, which is a hassle, but would presumably settle the matter once and for all. On the other hand, I would like to avoid bringing the ticket to the court's attention if it somehow fell through the cracks and there's otherwise no record of it. Please help me, hivemind!

If anyone has any follow-up questions or would like to reply anonymously, my email is wheresmytrafficticket@gmail.com.

Thanks!

Is a ticket equal to a "crime"?

Anonymous — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 10:33:55 -0800

Is an underage drinking ticket a crime, for application purposes? I am afraid I might have answered it wrong and now I have an interview. I got a ticket for underage drinking about 6 or 7 years ago. It was not a misdemeanor, it was a ticket for violation of municipal code. I was not driving. Fast forward to now- I am applying to medical schools this year. On the primary AMCAS application (the first app that gets sent to all schools) it asks if you have been convicted of any misdemeanors or felonies, so of course my answer was NO. Because I haven't.

Anyway, after schools get this application they send you a 'secondary' which asks for more info. Some of them don't go into any more depth regarding this issue. Some schools ask if you have ever been convicted of anything at all, ever (and in these cases I did bring it up and explain.) One in particular has me confused though. I recently got an interview invitation from a school and I went back to reread my secondary application with them and found this question, to which I answered NO:

"Have you ever been convicted of a crime, or pleaded guilty and been placed on probation, court supervision or another preconviction program? A "Yes" answer does not automatically result in your disqualification for admission to X Medical College."

i filled it out months ago so i cant remember my thought process, but I guess when I see the word "crime" i think of shoplifting, or drugs, or something. Or as the other application says, felonies and misdemeanors. I am confused as to whether my municipal ticket is equal to a crime and whether I should have answered this question accordingly. I'm also nervous now because I am afraid if I bring it up after having been invited to interview, they will think I was trying to be sneaky and dis-invite me (yes, schools can un-invite you.) Should I just forge ahead and hope for the best, and be prepared to explain if it comes up? Is this less of a big deal than I think it is?

Many schools run background checks on applicants who are accepted, but this school doesn't, so if I don't tell them they would probably never know. Also for what it's worth, I have another interview at a different school that I DID disclose this incident to, so I guess its not a dealbreaker there. Should I stir the pot to try and cover my ass, or did I answer it right? Should I just let it go? I don't want to make it a bigger deal than it should be by calling attention to it unless I feel like I really was misleading. Was I?

Thanks.

Your honor, the speed limit was too low!

relucent — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 09:27:59 -0800

Are there any legal grounds for challenging a speed limit as being unreasonable? I drive through a very small town on the way to work. The 2-lane highway is 55 mph before and after the town, but once you get inside the town, the road splits into 4 lanes and the speed limit drops to 45, 35 and then 20 within the span of about two city blocks. There is a stop light at the one intersection, but it is almost always green, so it doesn't do much to curb the inertia. No school zones.

I don't know if this is the same for everyone, but I normally have an intrinsic sense of the speed limit, such that I will almost always drive close to the speed limit even if I didn't see the sign. The road through this town is definitely a "35" road, and in fact I can't even drive under 30 unless I hold down the brakes the whole way through the town. 20 is nearly impossible for a 6-cylinder car. I typically catch myself going 40-42 mph because it feels natural.

This got me wondering: I could conceivably get my license suspended if I was clocked going 42 in a 20. There's always the route of challenging the cop's radar calibration, but I am wondering if there are any legal grounds for challenging the speed limit itself as being unreasonable. I realize this would require a more well-thought-out argument than "the speed limit was too low", but is there any way this could stand in court?

This is hypothetical, YANAL, YANML, etc. I'm just curious.

How do i prove I paid a speeding ticket 3 years ago?

Anonymous — Sun, 16 Aug 2009 17:39:49 -0800

How do i prove I paid a speeding ticket 3 years ago? Guess we'll start with the violation, driving through upstate NY, got a ticket (for no reason, of course), speeding, in a "work zone" (there was a sign somewhere).

Fine, the cop wants to give me a 2nd ticket when I tell him that the address on my VT license isn't my home address (he asked me if it was, but I'd moved about a year before). Apparently in NY it's illegal not to get a new license with the new address, but in VT if you notify the DMV they don't give you a new license till yours expires (which could be several years). Anyway he refused to take my actual mailing address so it made this whole process a lot more difficult

IIRC, I ended up on the phone with a woman at the clerk's office in the small town this ended up in. I got it paid after mailing a certified letter w/ a cashier's check. It was really difficult to get in touch with this office too, a lot of running around with other phone centers, and since I wasn't getting letters from the court, I didn't know even which court had the case, or how much they had wanted me to pay.

I got a letter today, after the violation in Februrary of '07, and conviction in May, saying I owe $300. The letter was addressed to the address I had on my license at that time (which I haven't lived in in 4+years)

I know I paid it. But I don't have the receipts anymore. How can I contest, dispute, or prove that I don't owe this money? Especially since their refusal to take a new mailing address made this get drawn out and add $100 per year since the conviction, which is now the bulk of the cost.

Can you help me decipher this airline ticket code?

mrunderhill — Tue, 04 Aug 2009 13:59:41 -0800

Can you help me decipher this airline ticket code? Penalty
CXN BA 100 EURFL RESTRCD/CHG BA 100 EUR

Thanks!

money for nothing

12%juicepulp — Fri, 31 Jul 2009 10:12:05 -0800

How can I contest a fixit ticket and not pay $500? To make a long story short I got a fixit ticket on my car, took care of the problem but didn't realize I had to go to court. Fast forward to now I have an $800 bail from which they will kindly remove $300 if I pay in the next ten days. This is still a lot more than I can afford. I plan on trying to get a court date but don't have any idea what to expect and how to pay as little of this as possible. Any personal experience or advice appreciated! Cops were from Beverly Hills so it's Beverly Hills Court if that makes a difference.

do your worst copper!!

oblio_one — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 18:37:19 -0800

Can a New York Transit Authority ticket catch up with me back home in Los Angeles? Have received a ticket in NY but am a CA resident with no ties to the NY area.

When filling out the ticket the PO took down my SSN, Ca driver's license number, cell phone, and the address of our host. My partner's ticket has only the host's address and license number, no SSN or phone number. The driver's license state is not recorded on the ticket, and the violation is 4(a) entered without payment.

Our host insists we ignore the ticket, that nothing can happen. I will without any question pay the fine to avoid even the possibility of trouble, but am now looking into the issue for purely hypothetical / curiosity reasons.

It seems from Internet searching that since CA and NY are both members of the DLC a traffic violation could prevent license registration in CA, but it's not clear if this qualifies. It also seems clear that were I to travel back to NY at any given time in the future I could find a warrant issued over the violation, and that another worst case is getting calls from a collection agency. Again I will pay the fine regardless of what I learn about it, am just interested in knowledge for it's own sake. Has anyone experienced this or have any insight?

Ticket please

nam3d — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 12:06:23 -0800

Could someone reccomend me a lightweight/easy to use web/email based support ticket management tool? Preferebly open source.

How to get cheap tickets for Broadway shows?

howgenerica — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 11:33:23 -0800

A couple of my friends are coming to New York to visit near the end of July, and we want to take in a show (preferably a musical). We're all students and we're trying to find cheap tickets, but we want to have this sorted out in advance instead of waiting to buy tickets day-of. Does anyone know a good way to do this? I'm in New York if it's something that needs to be done in person, although through a website would be preferable. We're just looking for good deals or discounts, or something. Also I know nothing about Broadway, so recommendations for fun shows would be very welcome!

Flight cancellation

a womble is an active kind of sloth — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 11:26:01 -0800

[airline flight filter] If you cancel a flight, but are not refunded, do you still have a legal right to the seat? Asking for a friend.
My friend thought she was not going to be able to fly as she had not received the necessary visa a day before traveling (today). So she contacted the airline to see if she could get a refund, and canceled her flight. However, she received no refund, and since then received her visa.

Now, she wants to travel but the airline said that as she canceled her flight she cannot travel. Which is true, but they did not return any money, so is she entitled to travel? Are there any negotiation techniques that would help?

(she's currently on her way to the airport to see if she can get on a plane, and I thought I would ask to see if the hive-mind has any suggestions. She has email access. Thanks)

I fought the law...who won?

Anonymous — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 07:47:40 -0800

What happens if I plead not guilty to my parking ticket, even though I am essentially guilty? I live in New York City, and I was in a traffic jam the other day and I went around some cars into a part of the street that had white diagonal lines on it and got pulled over. Apparently, this is a moving violation which means 2 points on my license and a $120.00 fine. I'm really pissed about it, even though I pretty much knew I wasn't supposed to drive on it, though I had seen about 15 motorists do the same before I took the leap (I understand that this is not a valid excuse to fight a ticket).

I do not want to pay for this ticket, and I especially don't want to have two points on my license for going 15 miles an hour in a "non-driving area."

What happens if I plead not guilty? I have to go to court? If they find me guilty anyway, do i have to pay court costs?

Thanks, MeFites

is this a good price for my CO flight?

krautland — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 08:10:31 -0800

is this a good price for my CO flight? I'm looking at tickets for a flight from HAM to NYC in late august but since I'm not originating from the US I'm kinda lost on whether the local (=german) websites are offering me good deals here.

a return business flight to EWR on continental, which is the only airline offering a direct connection, is being offered at €1,682. not too bad but again I have no comparison when it comes to european tickets. does this strike you as a reasonable offer or do you think I could make it cheaper (in business or premium eco) to NYC?

I'm okay with stopovers, btw.

Help! I've gotten a ticket and I don't know what to do!

Groovytimes — Fri, 05 Jun 2009 08:55:46 -0800

Could I argue this handicap parking violation? I recently got a ticket for parking in a handicap parking slot. It occurred around 8:30 pm and I truthfully did not notice it was a handicap spot when I parked in it (I know this is not a valid reason for contesting it). The only reason that I am considering contesting it is the fact that it was not properly painted. There is a sign, but the curb is extremely faded and there is no painted symbol on the ground. Just down the street in the same square there are multiple cases of properly painted and signed spaces.

My questions are:

Is it the law to have these spaces properly painted or is it just enough to have the sign? What are the regulations for a handicap space? Do State regulations or Federal govern city regulations? If I go to court, could I plead “no contest” or just “not guilty” and how would I argue this? (If in fact it is arguable).

Here here here and here are pictures of the spot I parked in

Here and here are pictures of a spot on the other side of the square.

I live in the Bay area in California. The ticket is $308.00. The ticket tells me to write a letter first if I wish to contest it, then I’ll receive a letter back if I can, isn’t that weird?

$25 ticket turned into $426

SpacemanStix — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 13:51:44 -0800

Is it worth showing up in court to see if a citation fee (that I don't contest) might be reduced? I live in Los Angeles county. I was recently cited for having a burnt out headlight in Los Angeles County. I was given time to get a confirmation that it was fixed, and I had the choice to either show up at the courthouse with proof that it was done, or to simply send in a $25 fee with the proof of correction.

I got the light fixed and the confirming signature, but forgot to send it in on time and mailed it in two weeks late.

I received a letter in the mail today returning my check and proof of correction and saying that the new fee accrual was $726, which includes the court bail of $300. If I don't contest the fee, I can mail in a check for $426, which is less the bail amount.

The letter said this: "You may pay the reduced amount of $426 by 6/12/2009 in full or see the judge for payment arrangements (The judge may or may not reduce the citation amount)."

Is it worth setting up a court appointment to see if there might be a reduced amount? It's hours out of my day if I were to make arrangements to go, so I'm trying to weigh if I should go or just pay the fine. I have no previous citations, if that matters.

Thanks for any feedback.

Should I get a ticket if the sign wasn't visible?

panorama — Mon, 25 May 2009 08:16:30 -0800

First speeding ticket. Should I go to court and try to fight it or just pay out and take the hit? I was leaving my school from the east entrance (there are two) headed west and got clocked as going 41 in a 25 mph school zone (normally the speed limit is 45 mph). The officer pulled me over and gave me a ticket for doing 34 mph, just $160 and 1 point. Had he not lowered it, it would have been $300 some and 4 points.

However, there are some other reasons why I think I may be able to get out of the ticket:

I am normally a very good driver, I keep speeding to an absolute minimum (2-3 mph over)

This is my first infraction of any sort

No accidents

MOSTLY: The flashing sign that tells you that the speed limit is 25 mph is 275 yards west from the exit where I turned out of

I think that I may be able to get out of the ticket because the speed limit sign was not visible.

If the judge were to say that I should know when the school zone time were, here's my defense to that:

In the morning traffic is so thick coming into school that nobody really goes over 10 mph anyway, so the speed limit signs don't do very much anyway.

In the afternoon, I make it a point to either leave before (last period) or after all of the traffic is cleared out (and I'm guessing the school zone flashing lights are over, but I'm not sure because you can't see the signs) [reason why I was leaving at that time below]

I had just finished a calculus final, and my brain was a bit frazzled to remember the non-visible flashing lights. Had there been a sign telling me school zone, I'm almost positive I would have slowed down.

I'm almost positive that the sign has to be visible for the ticket to be valid

I don't know if it matters why I was leaving then, but I was taking my brother and his friend to a sports practice across town immediately after school, otherwise I wouldn't have been leaving at that time anyway. I don't normally take them, but my mom had chemotherapy that day so she needed me to give them a ride.

I am not familiar with the "get a ticket, go to court" gig. I've never done this before. If I were to go to court, could the court argue that I was actually going 41 when the cop only wrote on the ticket 34? I would much rather just pay what I have now than possible face paying that much and that many points. Or is my defense solid enough to not worry about it?

Last minute pertinent information:

I am already planning on calling and rescheduling my court date (thanks past MeFi's!). I live in Colorado. I am 18. Again, the normal speed limit in that area is 45.

Speeding tickets inside construction zones

ascetic — Wed, 20 May 2009 10:02:38 -0800

Are the lowered speed limits enforced after a construction job is finished? Read on for a better explanation. After a highway construction job will end, and everything is cleaned up and gone, they will occasionally forget the signs that say the speed limit has been lowered and the tickets for speeding doubled.

Can the police still enforce this when the construction team has so clearly packed up and left? (Cones removed, machinery gone, etc)

Is it possible to buy Coach Canada tickets when I board the coach?

caek — Mon, 18 May 2009 10:45:42 -0800

Is it possible to buy Coach Canada tickets when I board the coach, which will be late on a Sunday night at either Toronto Pearson airport or the Toronto downtown bus station (depends on what time my flight gets in), or do I need to book in advance?

OK, so what you gonna do?

ignignokt — Mon, 11 May 2009 18:32:25 -0800

What are the consequences of not paying a parking ticket issued in a city you don't live anywhere near anymore? I moved from the Chicago area recently and have received forwarded mail about parking tickets. They're ridiculously priced and mention that they'll be referred to a collection agency if I don't pay them. I haven't dealt with a collection agency and don't know how good they are at finding and effectively harassing people.

I'd prefer not to pay these tickets, so what will consequences will I face if I don't, keeping in mind that I no longer have the same license plates or driver's license?

Let's stay away from whether or not I should pay these tickets and focus on what will realistically happen if I don't.

DC photo speeding ticket and insurance rates?

Anonymous — Mon, 06 Apr 2009 14:00:13 -0800

Will a DC photo enforcement speeding ticket affect insurance rates? I know that it will not increase the number of points assessed on my license, but is that definitely synonymous with not affecting insurance rates? Or is the information public for the insurance companies to do with as they see fit?

NY MeFites: what to do with an affidavit for a traffic ticket?

kosmonaut — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 14:40:26 -0800

NY MeFites: I got a traffic ticket for non-functioning equipment, along with an affidavit of repair. What am I supposed to do with the affidavit? I got a ticket for a non-functional taillight, and I made the repair myself. The police officer gave me an affidavit to fill out once I made the repair, which would cancel out the fine. The affidavit has no instructions about what to do with it after filling it out, and neither the ticket nor any NYS websites seem to have any info about an affidavit like this.

The obvious thing to do is to mail the affidavit to the place where I am supposed to mail a payment for the ticket, but I'd hate to be wrong and have to pay a fine. Also the affidavit has a blank space where I am supposed to fill in the "court" that my affidavit is addressed to. Am I supposed to bring it to a court somewhere?

(I'm specifically on Long Island if that makes a difference.)