Author Topic: Is this true ?  (Read 863 times)

  • Offline bear

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Is this true ?
on: January 27, 2010, 11:09:06 AM
Quote
Outside Englands Bristol Zoo there is a parking lot for 150 cars and 8 buses. For 25 years, its parking fees were managed by a very pleasant attendant.  The fees were B#1 for cars ($1.40),  B#5 for busses (about $7).
Then, one day, after 25 solid years of never missing a day of work, he just didnt show up; so the Zoo Management called the City Council and asked it to send them another parking agent.
The Council did some research and replied that the parking lot was the Zoos own responsibility.  The Zoo  advised the Council that the attendant was a City  employee. The City Council responded that the lot attendant had never been on the City payroll.
Meanwhile,  sitting in his villa somewhere on the coast of Spain (or some  such scenario), is a man whod apparently had  a ticket machine installed completely on his own; and then had simply begun to show up every day, commencing to collect  and keep the parking fees, estimated at about  $560 per day -- for 25 years. Assuming 7 days a week, this amounts tojust over $7 million dollars!    
       And no one even knows his name.

  • Offline zpyder

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Re:Is this true ?
Reply #1 on: January 27, 2010, 11:33:56 AM
First Ive heard of it. The one thing that makes me suspicious though is that they say about a villa on the coast of spain and then say how they dont know his name?

  • Offline Bacon

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Re:Is this true ?
Reply #2 on: January 27, 2010, 12:14:16 PM
Quote from: zpyder
First Ive heard of it. The one thing that makes me suspicious though is that they say about a villa on the coast of spain and then say how they dont know his name?


In the original story (ages ago), the villa was never mentioned, and no investigative followup story was ever told so no idea if they actually found out what happened here.

My guess is, he was taken on by either the Council or the Zoo and they simply lost or didnt do his paperwork correctly or someone did in fact know about him, because there is no way a man can work 25 years without someone asking who he is employed by.

PS Urban Legend
http://www.snopes.com/crime/clever/carpark.asp
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  • Offline bear

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Is this true ?
Reply #3 on: January 27, 2010, 14:06:49 PM
I didnt think it was true (if it had been in a more corrupt country perhaps)

  • Offline zpyder

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Re:Is this true ?
Reply #4 on: January 27, 2010, 14:44:10 PM
Wouldnt surprise me if a few people have tried it, but would imagine theyd have been found out fairly quickly and done for impersonating a government official or something.

Re:Is this true ?
Reply #5 on: January 27, 2010, 15:25:11 PM
its one of those which keeps circulating because you read it and WANT it to be true.

LOL at the guy on Snopes who tried it in NYC.

Re:Is this true ?
Reply #6 on: January 27, 2010, 15:26:08 PM
Was going to say....
I dont remember parking at bristol zoo when I went 10years ago

  • Offline Mark

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Re:Is this true ?
Reply #7 on: January 27, 2010, 22:58:05 PM
Quote from: Bacon
Quote from: zpyder
First Ive heard of it. The one thing that makes me suspicious though is that they say about a villa on the coast of spain and then say how they dont know his name?


In the original story (ages ago), the villa was never mentioned, and no investigative followup story was ever told so no idea if they actually found out what happened here.

My guess is, he was taken on by either the Council or the Zoo and they simply lost or didnt do his paperwork correctly or someone did in fact know about him, because there is no way a man can work 25 years without someone asking who he is employed by.

PS Urban Legend
http://www.snopes.com/crime/clever/carpark.asp


It is entirely possible in the civil service.


  • Offline neXus

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Re:Is this true ?
Reply #8 on: January 28, 2010, 00:18:55 AM
I think  it probably is one of those cases where it could very well be true, it could happen but actually isnt.

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