This Is Daylight Robbery!
My brother-in-law just paid me a visit. It was strange to see him during working hours but he just dropped in to bum one of my old phones.The traffic department confiscated his phone because he used it while driving. He got a R500.00 fine for his trouble. Now I don’t have a problem with that. It is his own fault. It is against the law and he knows it. And the worst of it is that he has a hands-free setup working through his car radio but it was switched off. Silly!
As I said, so far I have no problem. He got what he deserved.
When he inserted his SIM card – they allowed him to take it out – into the phone I gave him, he discovered that his contacts were saved on the phone and not on the SIM card. So all his contacts are lost.
But now listen to this!
In order to get his phone back he needs to pay, over and above the R500 fine, an additional fee of R1,100.00 while the phone is not even worth half of that. And this fee will escalate if the phone is not claimed in reasonable time. If the phone is not claimed within the next three months it will be sold by public auction to recover their expenses. What expenses are they talking about; except for those self-inflicted by the confiscation of the phone. Surely a fine is enough punishment.
I can tell you now that that phone will never see a public auction. It will end up being pilfered by some employee and the traffic department will have nothing to show for their trouble. So, if they must hold the phone to ransom, why not demand a realistic fee of say R250.00? In that way people will pay the ransom and the traffic department will also get something out of it.
This place is getting more interesting by the day,
Enjoy the rest of the day!
Comments (31)
Calling them stupid is treasonous. We cannot let out state secrets, can we?
Ok, that is a safer statement but idiotic will be a better word. By calling him stupid, you may upset some of our government officials. I believe they have the copyright on that status.
I had no use for it and he's not such a bad guy. And he makes my sister happy. That counts for something.
I can say the same about government officials here too. No wait a minute, they’re more on the ‘being lazy’ than anything else!
I don't think it will be necessary for me to tell him because the phone he lost was a birthday gift from my sister. She'll probably give him a piece of her mind.
Being lazy is one thing but being stupid is another. Laziness only causes delays but stupidity can cause irreparable damage. Then of course there is the inevitable gravy train. I'm surprised that they did not set that alight yet. Some are stupid enough to do that.
When the MiMi gets and her voice is thundering loud when scolding her kids...
Even her neighbours brush their teeth and get dressed!!!
You must count your blessings, You'd still have your contacts.
Here they won't dare to impound your car because it is likely to be stolen while in their possession. Not too long ago a recovered stolen car was stolen again from the police.
My father - he will be ninety later this month - is very hard of hearing and I'm sure he does the same for when you want him to hear something, he cannot but just dare to say something that is not meant for his ears and you'll know all about it.
Hell, we have something in common. I cannot see in the dark either. Come to think about it, lately my eyesight is not so good during the day as well.
No, the Afrikaans word 'doof' (Eng: deaf) translates to 'taub' in German and the Afrikaans word for the German 'doof' is 'dom' (Eng: stupid).
Here In The USA! I Know 2 More Ways Your Contacts Can Be Recovered!
1. You can go online to google and have them to download Your contacts to a file.
2. You can go to your cell phone company and have the phone company to download your contacts into another phone. I have had it done those two ways!
Ps. Maybe! You all there can do it that way too!
Now! Just Pay Me $250........
I don't know if I can agree with those statistics but that is besides the point. And the fine he got was deserved.
But why demand more for the phone than what it is worth?
The only reason I can think of is that they want to keep the phone. why?
I don't know if he is that worried about his contacts anymore. Its all stuff that he can get again. but thanks for trying to help,
Unfortunately your fee is a bit steep. US$250.00 translates to ZAR3547.24 and at least 70% of the South-African population earn less than that per month.
I'll have to file for bankruptcy.
Hmm, that is just a little mean. He's not such a bad guy and If I had to ask him he would have helped me without thinking twice. And I had no use for the phone. He'll probably buy a new one tomorrow.
Besides, I think his main punishment will be at home. The phone he lost was a gift from my sister.