I swear, people’s ability to park should be a part of personality testing. Just think about it: you can easily determine what everyone is like by the way they drive. This includes the way they park their car: if it’s parking across 4 spaces, it’s probably a jerk; if it’s parking illegally in a prohibited area, it’s entitled; if it’s on the line, it’s petty.

And the same goes for the other way around: if a person parks properly, within the lines, considering that the doors should be able to open as well—that, sirs and ladies, is a good guy. But even good guys get parking tickets because the universe likes chaos and some parking officers hate their job. Probably.

More Info: Reddit

Sometimes it doesn’t matter how well you park—you might get fined for it anyway

Image credits: lee (not the actual photo)

And if you do, despite all the evidence defending your case, you can then get your hands dirty and apply for a maliciously compliant refund

Image credits: u/Sufficient-Forever11

In the end, the trick was to call up VISA and have them refund for a service that was, technically, not provided

Image credits: Ashley Coates (not the actual photo)

This one woman recently went online to share a tale of malicious parking compliance. The story goes that around 10 or so years ago, Redditor u/Sufficient-Forever11 went to a concert and decided to make a day of it. Throughout her time in the city, she visited loads of sites and parked in loads of places. And once tourist time was over, she went down to the concert venue to a designated parking spot and paid for it.

Much to her surprise, however, she got a parking ticket. Well, this couldn’t be right, right? A short back-and-forth with the parking vendor went nowhere and they stood firm on the $25 fine. Despite photographic and physical evidence, their argument was that she didn’t pay for one spot, when she actually parked and paid for another, so it didn’t count. Mind you, OP had already spent $50 on parking that day, so you can imagine just how unfair all of this really was.

And then a light bulb moment hit her: if she paid for a service she didn’t get, i.e. for a parking spot that the vendor claimed was not where she parked, when she did, but instead got a fine for not paying, then she didn’t get her service. She quickly wrote VISA to revoke her payment, provided all the same evidence, and, even more to her surprise, they gladly satisfied her claim. Not only that, but they also sent a note to the vendor as to why all this happened. So they knew exactly what went down.

Image credits: Luis Tamayo (not the actual photo)

This is usually where we approach the topic of Redditor reactions, but we’ll skip a little bit to one particular comment that adds even more maliciousness to the mix. Not only did OP get back her $50 worth of parking, which, mind you, was a sum of several parking services in various locations, but this commenter explained that VISA charges a $40 administration fee for each refund. So, that means the vendor had to pay several $40 fees across OP’s several parkings. While the fee is not disclosed, the charge itself is actually true, according to the Merchant Maverick. Malicious, indeed!

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As for other reactions, many folks were surprised VISA was down for an ordeal like this. Most assumed that large corporations typically don’t meddle in mortal affairs that they don’t have much to gain from. But, as it turns out, those refund fees were probably a lucrative argument in and of itself.

Yet others shared their own tales from the parking lot. Not necessarily maliciously compliance, but still a testament not to mess with folks on matters of parking as most folks understand rules and tend to follow them because [1] most are sensible, law-abiding citizens and [2] money is precious, why give it away?

In any case, folks loved the story. So much, in fact, that it got nearly 12,000 upvotes with a 97% upvote rating. You can check out the post here.

Image credits: Dean Hochman (not the actual photo)

Now, in order to maximize your chances of avoiding parking fines or a series of scratches on the original paint… or a brick through the windshield… you get the point. Get yourself well versed with some parking etiquette brought to you by the ParkingSpot.

Some pointers are fairly obvious, like park between the lines, only use one spot and don’t block other cars. But then there’s lesser-known rules or rules folks tend to break all the time. These include tailgating drivers, using and minding turn signals, and not jumping the front line. Each of these are there to make maneuvering lots and parking efficient and faster (not to mention orderly).

And then there’s rules like not touching any other car but your own. And this actually goes double for anywhere, not just parking lots, as people love touching exotics. And then jumping away scared. It’s also important to note that some parking lots might have their own rules, so check those on your way in or out of the parking area so as to not get fined for something unorthodox. Because safety!

So, what are your thoughts on any of this? Have entertaining stories, or mayhaps ideas on how to one-up malicious parking compliance? Share it with us in the comment section below!

Folks online enjoyed the story—enough to net it nearly 12K upvotes

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