Stuff That Irks Me - Continued

Yesterday I shared with you my disgust over a limo that was parked over three handicapped spaces in the parking lot at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia. After I posted that entry I went to the website for Luxury Limousine of Harrisburg and sent them a message through their contact section to politely inform them of what I had seen and why it was upsetting, as well as directing them to my post about the vehicle.

I even gave Luxury Limousine of HGB an opportunity to apologize publicly for the incident. Perhaps I was on the harsh side of my initial contact with the company, but I do not think I went too far over the line. You be the judge. Below is the message I sent Luxury Limousine of HGB;

I wanted to alert you that I saw one of your vehicles parked over not one, not two but THREE handicapped spots Tuesday evening in the parking lot for the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia. I made sure to publicize this illegal act at the following web address; http://kevinmcguire.blogspot.com/2009/04/stuff-that-irks-me-parking-in.html Feel free to leave a public apology there if you wish.

I left the above message with them in the morning, briefly after posting my rant. Yesterday afternoon I received a response from the limo company and I was left wondering if somebody had actually taken the time to visit the URL I sent them. The link would have provided them with photo documentation of the vehicle in question. Below is what I received from Luxury Limousine of Harrisburg;

In the future, You should make sure that you send your e-mail to the right people. We are luxury limousine of HGB. and we didn't have a vehicle anywhere near PHILADELPHIA on Tuesday evening 4/29/09. You should try Luxury Limousine Co. in the Philly AREA-First. CHECK the vehicles out better before you accuse people the next time. You feel free to leave a public apology to LUXURY LIMOUSINE of HARRISBURG if you wish!!

Alright, I'll be fair and balanced. Let me go through this e-mail line by line and see if I have been mistaken based on what I saw...

"We are luxury limousine of HGB. and we didn't have a vehicle anywhere near PHILADELPHIA on Tuesday evening 4/29/09."

Ok, so this vehicle, labeled with "Luxury Limousine of HGB" on the side with the Wachovia Spectrum in the background, is NOT yours? I remain somewhat skeptical, but let me keep going. Never mind the fact that this picture was taken on Charlie Manuel bobble head night at the Phillies game, which according to the promotional calendar on Phillies.com was Tuesday April 28, 2009 (I'll just assume that the claim about the 29th was a typo).


"CHECK the vehicles out better before you accuse people the next time."

Uh...I did.


Last but not least I wanted to confirm that I had the correct web address. I will not share with you the actual e-mail address that I received this response from, but I will tell you that the domain of the e-mail address was "@luxurylimoofhbg.com." Do I mean the same "luxurylimoofhbg.com" that was printed on the back window of the vehicle...


...why yes I certainly do!

By all accounts I seem to have done my research on the vehicle and personally I feel that the response that I received yesterday was in poor judgement from the individual who sent it. I am not really out to fight a war against a limousine company, although if I somehow get a free or discounted limo out of the deal I would not be upset. Instead I state that I am fighting a battle against rudeness and disregard for those in need and showing no respect for the rules of the road.

What if a police officer had seen what I had seen. Would Luxury Limousine of Harrisburg try to convince the officer that they did not have a vehicle "anywhere near PHILADELPHIA"? Probably not. I realize that I may have gotten the response I did because I am a "blogger" and businesses should not bother with such little quibbles. Is that fair? No, but that is not the issue at hand.

Is it fair to force up to three cars of handicapped drivers or passengers to park farther away from their destination and travel between rows of cars in a full parking lot at a sports arena complex so one limo company can show off their large vehicle. No. Handicapped parking spaces are for drivers and passengers in special need. It's just that simple. Don't park in them!

That my friends, is the issue I am concerned with.