PARKING GARAGES 101
I'M NOT GOING to belabor my most recent life lesson in this vast city, except to say I got royally fleeced yesterday in Manhattan at a parking garage. Like taking candy from a baby. In the end, the bottom line remains: I need to read all, ALL, the small signs posted in the entrance. For this garage, the posted daily rate was just the beginning. Add ons included taxes, fees for size (evidently my Escape was several inches above the posted daily rate and was pentalized every 12 hours with a $5 surcharge! That's every 12 hours rather than 24.) and penalties for various other things. Note to self: Read all signs and the fine print in these clip joints. And get an estimate when you drive in, the bottom line cost with sales tax and additional fees.
I left this lot after a $23.99/per day sign became over $40 per day and found another one that, so far, charges what it says it does But I have to pay them in cold, hard cash---small unmarked bills.
Different story, but was reminded of this:
ReplyDeleteI went to the New Orleans Worlds Fair (1984?) with friends. We were very young and very inexperienced. Went to grab a cab. My girlfriend leaps to the cabbie's window before allowing us to get in; suspiciously asks "How much to take us to Pat Obrien's?" She has heard we should bargain with the cab drivers. Cab driver tentatively answers. She bargains and settles on $25 price with the cab driver. Later that night, we grabbed a cab back to our car at the World's Fair. No bargaining. Price: $17.
You probably had to have been there and have seen her earnestly bargaining with the first cabdriver. We teased her mercilessly. Partly because it was fun to tease her. She would get genuinely embarrassed, yet retain the ability to genuinely laugh at herself - a fun combination of personality traits.
The best combo!
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