Monday, November 5, 2007

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.

4 comments :

Stephen Manning said...

How about getting the steel company at santa ana and poinsettia to facilitate parking for their employees somewhere other than poinsetta st? When Phase 6 starts, the Street Facing Plan 5 homeowners are gonna be pissed off!

Anonymous said...

Somehow I doubt that'll be an issue for quite a while. Unless someone else knows something, I'm only guessing that's going to stay empty for a few years, until the market can support it. It's too bad, I'd really like to see some other development in the area.

Anonymous said...

RE: Including pressing #1 for English which irritates many...

Um, you have NO IDEA...

Trust me, I'm someone who hears about it sometimes a dozen times a day. ;-D

Ben Dayhoe said...

I agree with you Stephen about the steel company and the parking situation.

On one side of the coin, you have the steel company who's been operating here for years while employees have been using Poinsettia for parking. On the other end, how will the new residents operate businesses out of their units when there is no parking for their customers.

I'll look into this potential problem and get back to you. There has to be something in the works.

SA Slim, I've heard five different stories from 20 different people about the final loft phases. What you are saying makes 100% sense (sadly). But when it comes down to it, no one really knows what's going to happen over there. Don't get too down until you hear the truth. Trust me, the minute I have something concrete to post, you and everyone else will know. I too hope that doesn't stay an empty lot for long.

Mad Macedonian, you've put some serious time into your blog! I love it! Hopefully pressing #1 isn't the real reason why your are Mad.