AN unlabeled parking spot caused a major issue for one motorist last weekend, costing her a thousand dollars in the end.
She and many others had their cars towed by a local sports facility which was frustratingly low on free spots due to a busy weekend schedule.
Cristina Rivera was forced to extend a weekend trip in Kansas after her car was towed from Stryker Sports Complex, leaving her unexpectedly paying for Ubers, meals, and housing.
However, the spot Rivera chose to park in did not have any signage indicating it as a no parking zone.
“This particular spot, where you see my car, is not labeled at all ‘no parking,'” Rivera told local CBS affiliate KWCH.
When she returned to the spot, she found her car gone, with the complex towing it due to it apparently being a no-parking zone.
Rivera also emphasized that, while other similar spots in different parking areas on the complex were labeled no parking, the one she chose to park in was not.
She, like many others in town for a youth soccer tournament, were resultantly left stranded in Wichita for the weekend since the towed cars couldn’t be picked up until Monday.
For Rivera, the situation was particularly disastrous. Left inside her car were her and her children’s belongings, car seats for the kids, and her medication.
In total, she spent over a thousand dollars on getting her car back on Monday, as well as the necessary accommodations for her and her children in the meantime.
Stryker Sports Complex’s response to the situation was simple and straightforward.
“If it’s a proper parking stall, park in it. If it’s not, don’t. That’s when you’re going to get yourself in trouble,” said Larry Inlow, the director of Stryker.
“We don’t want to make anybody go through a hardship. However, if somebody’s mad because their car got towed, but it saves another kid from getting hit, or a car from being hit, so be it,” he elaborated.
Inlow confirmed that Stryker makes no money from towing the cars, with the City of Wichita also emphasizing that the issue is one of safety rather than financial opportunity.
“This is not something we want to do. It is necessary for the safety of our parking lot and the functionality of the parking lot,” Inlow added.
Stryker Sports Complex did not immediately return The U.S. Sun’s request for comment.
Wrongfully or not, retrieving a towed vehicle can be a hassle.
If your vehicle is towed after parking in a “No Parking” zone or other legitimate reason, there are a few steps to take to get it back.
Steps to take when your car is towed:
If you feel your vehicle was wrongfully towed, contesting the action can be done with the following steps:
Source: Oregon Department of Justice, National General, Rak Law Firm
Part of the parking stress at Stryker last weekend stemmed from a high school football game going on at the same time as the soccer tournament.
Inlow added that while they’d love to add more parking, the towing will not stop, and that incoming organizations are sent detailed parking procedures well before arriving at the complex.
While Rivera’s story highlights the horrors of having a car towed, some states like Connecticut and California are restricting general tactics and specific fees in ways which ultimately benefit drivers.
General parking reform is also sweeping cities across the nation, with one of the most notable examples in Santa Monica stemming from the discontinuation of the Clean Air Vehicle Decal program.
Other cities are enacting complete overhauls, updating fines for old laws and adding new ones alike as was the case with a major Florida tourism destination.
A major New Jersey city is taking a different approach by using traffic cameras to automatically send drivers in violation of certain parking rules tickets, giving them no immediate notification likewise.
AMAZON is rolling out a new perk for its Prime members that allows them to add extra items to upcoming deliveries without needing to make another one.
The e-commerce giant is making the Prime experience more accessible than ever, and it’s all tied to one new blue button.
Amazon has made huge changes to its services recently, after it ended its Prime Invitee Program that allowed members to share their perks with those outside of their household.
In its place, the comapny is now touting Amazon Family, which only allows sharing with those inside the same household.
With its latest change for Prime members, the company lets shoppers add extra items to their incoming deliveries.
The feature, called “Add to Delivery”, doesn’t make users go through the checkout process again to add the spare items, either, nor does it charge a second delivery fee.
Amazon says in a company press release that this perk gives shoppers the freedom to order more when they need it.
If shoppers change their mind, there’s an “undo” button to remove the item immediately.
A company spokesperson said: “With this feature, Amazon is adapting to how people actually shop: one need at a time, as they arise.”
All users need to do is tap the button, and the item or items will be added to their existing order automatically.
The button will only appear if it is still possible at that moment to add the items.
The perk is exclusive to Prime customers in the US and covers a wide array of product types.
Shoppers can add items from departments like pantry staples, pet toys, electronics, clothing and books.
Amazon recently expanded its delivery network to include tens of millions of new customers across roughly 4,000 communities.
The company said that it was investing more than $4 billion to triple the capacity of its delivery network by the end of 2026.
The investment is also going to “regionalizing” its supply chain, to move inventories closer to rural communities that are benefiting from the expansion.
Amazon will also utilize AI technology to make sure that items that are high in demand are in stock.
Check these out...
*If you click on a link in this article we may earn affiliate revenue.
First up is Prime Try Before You Buy, which is a Prime exclusive.
This lets you try new styles and sizes of clothes before buying them.
You can return them within seven days at no cost – and you’ll only have to pay for the products that you keep.
It’s a thriftier way to try on clothes, as it means you’re not fronting up money every time.
Second is Amazon Photos, which is extremely handy if you’re a serial snapper.
This gives you access to unlimited full-res photo storage, plus 5GB of video storage.
Third is Prime Reading, which serves up “a rotating collection of over 3,000 digital books, audiobooks, magazines, comics, and more”.
Fourth is another perk for book-lovers: Amazon First Reads.
This gives you early access to a brand new book for free every single month.
Fifth is a brilliant perk called Prime Gaming.
This gets you free games and in-game content every single month, as well as a free Twitch channel subscription to use each month.
You’ll also be able to play a rotating selection of free games on Amazon’s cloud gaming service Luna.
Sixth on the list is Membership Sharing.
This lets you share your existing Prime membership with your family – specifically between two adults, four teens, and four children under 13.
Seventh on the list is Amazon Music.
This gets you ad-free listening to over 100 million songs, along with thousands of playlists and popular podcasts.
And finally, don’t forget to unlock Grubhub+.
If you’re a Prime member in the US, you can get a one-year Grubhub+ trial, which normally costs $9.99 a month.
This gets you unlimited $0 delivery fees on any order over $12.
Jamil Ghani, Amazon‘s global vice president of Amazon Prime, said to USA Today that artificial intelligence can be used as a management tool.
He said: “Our AI systems help us manage our inventory and put it as close as possible to the customer based on the demand that we see from those customers”.
To find out if your household is benefitting from Amazon‘s expanded delivery network, you need to head to the website.
Free same-day delivery is available to Amazon Prime members who place an order of over $25.
If they do not meet this threshold, they are asked to pay a $2.99 delivery fee.
The option for same-day delivery is available to non-Prime shoppers, too, but they have to pay a flat fee of $9.99 no matter the price of the order.
