(no subject)

[mon-deluge.livejournal.com]

So I got a parking ticket about a month ago in Davis Square. I was about to pay it online, but I  see they have a $3 convenience fee (yikes!). I was going to pay by phone but the number that they give is (617) 625-1951 is out of service. Is there a number that anyone knows about that I  can call. Perusing the Somerville site hasn't been terribly productive and I'm out of state, so I can't go in person or anything.

I know it may seem like I'm being cheap, but I'm a student, unemployed, and 3 bucks for a 20 dollar ticket seems a bit...excessive. I may just suck it up and do it, but I'd rather send a check and pay about forty cents for it due to postage than to pay 3 bucks for a convenience fee (the highest I've seen out of the 3 cities I've gotten parking tickets in).

Comments

[anomie666.livejournal.com]

I'd call 311. I'm sure they would help you or give you the correct number to call. :)

EDIT: Outside of MA, call 617-666-3311.

[mon-deluge.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I wasn't sure if 311 was a number I could use for parking issues.

[tamalinn.livejournal.com]

I went to the Somerville website, and it took me two seconds to find this:
http://www.somervillema.gov/Department.cfm?dept=TRAFFIC
Call them and ask your questions. If it's been more than 20 days since you were ticketed, your fine probably went up.

[douxquemiel.livejournal.com]

I actually think that there's a charge to do it by phone, too. Your best bet would probably be to mail in a check.

But tamalinn makes a good point; if it's been a while, your fee probably went up.

[mon-deluge.livejournal.com]

Yeah I just tried calling and after succeeding after the 5th try they told me AT THE END they're adding a 3 dollar fee.

Luckily the price hasn't gone up yet, so I guess I'll have to run to the post office today.

I was hoping paying by phone would circumvent the convenience charge. So much for that.

Wait

[silveraeroguy.livejournal.com]

They adding $3.00 to the ticket even though you're still mailing it in?

Perhaps I would understand better if they decided on "waiving" a late fee charge.

IIRC, 20 days = 20 business days. Also, if you entered the ticket # into their request form online it'd tell you prior to paying if there were any late fees.

I used to work 4 or 5 blocks away and, thanks to T&Ps hours, found it easier to accept the $3.00 fee for paying online.

Re: Wait

[mon-deluge.livejournal.com]

Ohhh, no they were adding it when I tried to pay by phone. I don't think it's when I mail in.

Have you had bad luck mailing it in? I am trying to squeeze every penny possible because I just got majorly screwed over financially recently and I just wanna try to be as cheap as possible.

Re: Wait

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

pay in person?

or better yet, fight the ticket ;)

#

Re: Wait

[mon-deluge.livejournal.com]

I'm in NJ. Paying 35 bucks to fill my tank and to make the round trip kinda trumps my cheap ass not wanting to pay the extra 3 bucks.

haha I wish I could fight the ticket. =P

Re: Wait

[perspicuity.livejournal.com]

ah, well, a friend could do it, but the convenience ;)

well, mail it is then. depending on the time involved, calling them to let them know you've sent the check might be useful. otherwise, i played bingo with the idiots once, and they sent back a bill for something like $2 late fee. which i paid. then got a refiled fee or some shit. i had to call a human to have them knock it off.

#

Re: Wait

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

If you can get a friend to go to the parking office for you, there is a machine in there that, IIRC, can be used to pay off tickets, excise tax, and the like. I think all you need is the citation number and a credit/debit card (can't remember if it takes cash). Alternatively, someone could probably wait on line and give cash to the people in the office as long as they had the citation number (and maybe your plate number as well, just for extra confirmation). Know anyone who's willing to front you $20? :-}

Re: Wait

[mon-deluge.livejournal.com]

Haha I may ask one friend to see if she can do it for me and Paypal her 20 bucks. Thanks for the info :)

Re: Wait

[intuition-ist.livejournal.com]

you may want to have her go, pay the thing, and then tell you how much it will be. they apparently want the whole thing (ticket + late fees) paid at once, so much so that if you'd mailed them a check for the amount on the ticket, they might actually mail it back to you.

Re: Wait

[mon-deluge.livejournal.com]

Well when I called today there was no late fee instated yet, so if it appears on Monday when I arrive I'll be mighty pissed. Hopefully with the holidays and whatnot it hasn't been 20 business days yet.

[m00n.livejournal.com]

What I do not understand is how they've managed to arrive at a setup where it is somehow more expensive to do the automatic online transaction than to pay someone to open your envelope and process your paperwork by hand.

[mon-deluge.livejournal.com]

Me neither >:|

If the convenience fee was $1.00-1.50 like it is in Jersey City or Hoboken, I wouldn't think twice. But three dollars seems a bit much for a cheaper ticket. I can't imagine VISA taking that much commission for that charge.

[yourenotwithme.livejournal.com]

I paid a parking ticket last month and there is not a fee for parking tickets. It may have just changed but I paid the $20 flat.

[mon-deluge.livejournal.com]

How did you pay? When I called and tried to do it online they tried to charge an extra 3 dollar convenience fee.

[yourenotwithme.livejournal.com]

Online. Sorry, I meant to clarify that!

[jamiesquared.livejournal.com]

I paid a ticket in the spring online and did not pay a fee. I wonder if this is a new fee.

[mon-deluge.livejournal.com]

Damn it, of course this would happen when I need to pay a ticket. I have the worst luck everrrrr

http://www.somervillema.gov/paybills.cfm

[mon-deluge.livejournal.com]

Pay real estate, personal property taxes, or water and sewer bills
25 Cents per transaction, if you pay by electronic check. 3-5% surcharge for credit card transactions ($1 min charge)

Pay excise tax
50 cents per transaction, if you pay by electronic check, 3.2% surcharge for credit card transactions ($3 min charge)

Pay parking tickets
$3.00 per transaction

Appeal parking tickets online
Ticket must have been issued with the last 30 days.

Pay library fees
No service charges for credit/debit cards!!


Dicks.

Re: http://www.somervillema.gov/paybills.cfm

[laryu.livejournal.com]

I thought explicit credit card surcharges were illegal in Massachusetts?

Re: http://www.somervillema.gov/paybills.cfm

[boblothrope.livejournal.com]

It's a surcharge for paying online, which isn't exactly the same thing.

Re: http://www.somervillema.gov/paybills.cfm

[pushupstairs.livejournal.com]

even though it essentially is just that because that's how you pay for things online. but if you call it an "online transaction fee" as opposed to "credit card surcharge" it's legal!

Re: http://www.somervillema.gov/paybills.cfm

[hrafn.livejournal.com]

Real classy, Somerville!

[masswich.livejournal.com]

I don't pay any tickets on line in Somerville- the $3 is ridiculous. Boston doesn't charge anything.

I can't imagine why Somerville thinks it makes any sense to make it harder to pay tickets- the logic is probably that the service costs the city $3 so why not pass it on. But if they want to save money in the long run, they do want to have fewer tickets arriving by mail.

Also, what about the whole "we're progressive and hip and savvy" thing? You can pay a ticket for free in Boston but only if you pay $3 in hip, savvy Somerville? I don't get it.

[mon-deluge.livejournal.com]

I don't get it either. I'm glad I'm not alone in thinking a 3 dollar surcharge is ridiculous. I have noticed that somerville often has the govt often saying how up and coming it is, but is making things so expensive! I live near nyc and the ticket payment is cheaper and the parking overall will be cheaper, too. 15 min per quarter until 10PM?! Wtf?

I was wondering too why online payments...

[nvidia99999.livejournal.com]

Have such a steep fee. I'd pay my water bill online, but I don't want to pay the extra fee.

Re: I was wondering too why online payments...

[mon-deluge.livejournal.com]

Yeah it just makes it seem like they're trying to make money off of people using their website to pay? Don't companies encourage online payments and don't charge an additional fee? I'm already kinds annoyed by the upcoming sommerville parking changes. It's like they're thinking they're NYC or something