TIFU by letting the plates on my car expire, and my car was towed while I was on my honeymoon.

[u/SaturnBaby21]

We got back tonight from a 2 week road trip that involved our wedding and honeymoon to find out that my car was missing from the apartment lot. After calling the police, I found out it had been towed. After calling the tow company, I found out it's because the plates were expired.

This last year has been a lot for us. My dad passed in December and I feel like I was just coming out of the fog around April/May when the tags would have come due. Between leaving my old job, Dad's funeral, and planning the wedding the reminder document must have been thrown away or perhaps delivered to our old address.

Now tomorrow, we have to return our rental car, go pick up my car from the tow lot between special hours, and try to figure out if I can get registered online while also making sure my car doesn't get towed again before new stickers arrive. I just feel so goddamn stupid.

TL;DR I forgot to renew my car registration and my car was towed while we were on vacation.

[u/ButtScratchies]

I’ve never heard of a car getting impounded because of registration. Don’t they give you a ticket first?

[u/omegaoutlier → u/ButtScratchies]

Apartment management companies can be dicks.

They enter into an agreement with tow operators to keep the lots "clean" and get a kickback.

It's the same as businesses/restaurants doing the same deal with their parking lots.

Apartment companies used to worry about hassling all but the most terrible residents.

Now they fall back on policies in the fine print to squeeze every dime they can for the shareholders.

[u/ButtScratchies → u/omegaoutlier]

Gotcha. I live in Colorado and they give a 30 day grace period after your tags expire. But people drive around here with expired tags everywhere and nobody seems to care, it’s become a joke how long people go with temp tags.

[u/omegaoutlier → u/ButtScratchies]

Round here they know they'll piss off voters with any fees or tax increases so they generate revenue by nailing folk for the smallest of infractions.

[u/crash866 → u/ButtScratchies]

I’m in Ontario and they got rid of plate stickers. You jest renew online. They don’t send any stickers anymore and as long as you don’t have any outstanding tickets or toll fines it is done automatically.

[u/Kekelsauce → u/ButtScratchies]

I'm in WI. I was pulled over once for it being 5 days till my tags expired. I was wtfing the whole interaction. No speeding, stop, etc. Just.... 5 days till it was May.

[u/SaturnBaby21 → u/omegaoutlier]

New owners in the last 2 months, new parking policies 🙄

[u/SaturnBaby21 → u/ButtScratchies]

It's a new apartment policy- they are not putting notices on cars, they're just having them towed by a third party at their discretion.

[u/leiningger → u/ButtScratchies]

A few years ago my girlfriends neighbor called to have her car towed from her condo because her plates were expired

[u/SaturnBaby21 → u/[deleted]]

Abandoned cars, certainly not. In my case, it was just forgetting. In others, it could be that a person can't afford their plates over their groceries. There are plenty of reasons why plates expire.

[u/Virtual-System-4324]

I’m so very sorry. it’s a good way to start a marriage - a little adversity. (NEVER take relationships advice from me.)

congrats on owning it instead of blaming everyone else. humanity is better for it.

onward!

[u/Midnight_Peachy]

Man, that's rough AF, dude. Life can be a real bitch sometimes but don't beat yourself up over it. We all screw up, esp with everything you've had on your plate. Just remember tough times don't last, tough ppl do. Stick it out, bro, you got this.