Here's my University of Hawaii parking story.

On August 12, my son and I went to the lower campus to watch the UH Football practice. I paid the $4 to park in the structure. We got to the practice and stayed for 90 minutes or so. When we got to our car, there was a parking citation on the windshield. We got it because I didn't display the ticket clearly on the dashboard.

The parking rules & regs at UH allow for an informal appeal. But you have only seven calendar days to initiate it. In the meantime, I misplace the citation. I find it on Wednesday August 19. Just in time, seven days later.

First thing I do is call the phone number on the citation envelope. No answer. I get the recording that mentions an email. I email UH Parking that I got the citation and but I paid the ticket upon entry. Please waive the fee. And I also offer to send them a copy of my parking ticket that documents when I entered.

A day later, I still don't have a reply from the UH Parking office. I call again. No one answers. Somewhere I find a new phone number to call, one specifically for appealing citations. I call that one. No one answers. The outgoing message mentions another email and the ability for appeals to be made via this email address. Ok great. Efficiency!

I write my email and make scans of my citation and parking ticket. I send it off to citation@hawaii.edu. Very soon after that, I get an email from the UH Parking office. I thought, “Hooray! A quick reply back.” Not to be. It's an automated response that says, “this email account is no longer being monitored, please make your appeal using this link...” Arrgghhh!

Ok, so I click on the link. It brings me to the citation appeal page. I click through and enter my citation number. Good news: my citation is in the system. Bad news, the system says I'm too late and I have to pay the fine and the late fee.

Am I expecting too much? A system that works? A system that can handle automation and personal customer service when it's warranted?

More calls to both the UH Parking office and the Citation office. Neither is answered. I'm beginning to wonder if anyone is in the office at all. I know someone is working. After all, I did get the citation!

It's 4:17p as I type this. One more try to both numbers before the office “closes” for the day at 4:30pm. No answer at the Parking office. No answer at the Citation number either.

No doubt, I made some mistakes. I should have put the parking ticket on my dashboard like I normally do. I should have put the citation in a place where it was more easily found. I probably should have left a voice mail with my citation number in the message to further document my attempt to appeal in time.

Now I'm butting up against a system that has no leeway, no human interaction, no avenue for special cases.

Do I pay the fee and the fine and be done with it? Or do I stand up for the principles involved? Is it worth $25 to fight this?

Conspiracy theorists will say, “that's what they want you to do. It's only $25, just pay it and forget it. Multiply that by a few hundred instances and you've just paid an assistant football coach.”

My guts say to fight till I at least talk to a human on the phone in real time. We'll see what happens in the next few days.