Feeling Abandoned

For the last three weeks, this eyesore has been sitting on Poinsettia Street while at night attracting taggers that use it as a canvas.

Last night I walked over to write down the license plate of this truck to report it to Santa Ana Parking Enforcement, where hopefully they could have it removed.

Turns out that what I thought would be the easiest part of having this truck removed was a frustrating experience that made me question why no one bothered calling to have it removed.

To place a complaint about a vehicle, you first need to dial (714) 245-8200, listen to an answering machine while weaving through prompts with multiple options (including pressing #1 for English which irritates many). My first try resulted in me getting hung up on where I thought I was going to be leaving a message.

I immediately called back (having written down the sequence to bypass the prompts made this call go a little faster) and instead of being hung up on, I was transferred to a general operator. There, that person listened to the minimal amount of words before transferring me to another department.

Here, another operator took my call and information, but not without telling me that I should be calling another number, which turned out to be the original number that I dialed in this call! The operator then said that she would be transferring my call to that department. She did so, and I was once again listening to a dial tone.

Normally I don't call Santa Ana Police Dispatch for non-emergencies, but this was getting ridiculous. I explained my reason for the call only to again be told I wasn't calling the right department. I asked the operator if he could just transfer me into the mailbox so I can leave my message and get on with my day. He did so, but no one ever picked up after three minutes of ringing.

I took a deep breath and once again, dialed the number for Parking Enforcement. #1 for English, #2 to report an abandoned car on public property, #0 to leave a message–I've got it down now. Surprisingly, instead of leaving a message on an answering machine (that may or may not be listened to), a very polite Officer picked up the phone and took my call.

After four attempts and thirty minutes, my good deed for the day was done. Too bad the truck will most likely be staying there for another 72 hours. Santa Ana Police must first try all avenues in contacting the mothertrucker before they can have it towed. Ugh.