$120 Fine for Vaping In Starbucks

[Can_supplier]

You're not issued a ticket without a name on it. If someone, bylaw officer or cop, comes up to you and starts writing a ticket for smoking and asks for ID, you tell them to kindly go stuff it, you're not breaking any laws. Grow a backbone for gods sake, they're not going to arrest you.

As enjoyable as using that advice is, one needs a bit more information before using it.

If it is a by-law officer, or rent a cop, go stuff it, is always the correct answer as they have no more power than you or I. This applies even if you are doing something wrong.

As for the police, if you do not identify yourself, and they believe you are committing an offence, such as this is, they have the power to arrest you for the purpose of identifying you and investigating. If you have some time to kill and want to waste their time, go for it, they will take you to the station and you will be out in a couple of hours. Means you wasted a few hours of their time, during which they are effectively "off duty" as all their time is spent on you, and costs the system more than they can make on the ticket. Again the option of civil disobedience, if one feels like making a point about this issue.

I have no idea why anyone finds this story unbelievable.. Openly vape in an enclosed public space in front of a police officer. You are going to get their attention and they are going to look into the matter.. We all know there are two types of them, the ones who are question what is going on with an open mind, then decide their actions, and there are the power trippers out looking for a problem, which will most certainly end as described here.

 

[wood]

if u dont pay and the send u to collections it will effect your credit , been there done that

 

[MikeDeason]

yes he asked my name and asked for id.

I gave it to him as he was a real cop in uniform.

I've given bogus names to by-law officers who want to give me ticket for walking my dogs off leash or for them to not have their money grabbing licences but this guy was the real deal.

Regardless, I will continue to vape anywhere I please. Been doing it for a year and this is the first issue.

 

[Can_supplier]

if u dont pay and the send u to collections it will effect your credit , been there done that

1) Many collections agencys will not report small amounts like that. They are out to make money, reporting cost them time and money.

2) If your credit is effected by $120 to collections, it wasn't very good to start with, or who you are trying to get credit from is using that as an excuse to put the squeeze on you. Negotiate better...

Your credit score is nothing more than a scare tactic to scare you into complience for stupid charges. Try cancelling your bell phone line, that takes 30 days you have to pay for. No most likely you don't have a contract either, but you end up paying the randsom because you fear your credit score. That is all it is about.

You will have a great credit score if you have 5 cards, at 75% of their limit, where you are paying 50% of your income to make the min payment, while adding the same amount back to the cards in purcahses (very poor financial management). You will have a lower credit score if you pay off your cards in full every month.

 

[wood]

it doesnt take much time or money to flag your credit report
and my credit is fine , i just bought a new house last month
but what u say about the 75% full making your credit better is true if u pay off everytime it is worse for your credit score

 

[wood]

same with if u get those no intrest for 6 months cards and pay them off before the 6 months is over

 

[Neon]

So whats the update? have you gone to court yet?

keep us informed on this, interesting to see what comes of it.

Neon

 

[kingcobra]

I admit that this whole thing is a bit hard to believe, but perhaps there are cops out there this ......ed. This comes down to a gross factual error on the part of the officer, and is similar to being alleged to violate an anti smoking bylaw by any one of the following means:

Using a nicorette inhaler
Chewing nicorette gum or wearing a patch
Chewing on a candy cigarette
Holding an unlit cigarette in your mouth
Using an asthma inhaler
Breathing out steam from eating soup too hot

There is no relation at all between vaping and smoking since smoking by definition involves smoke being emitted by way of the burning of something, e.g. tobacco, marajuana, tea bags, whatever. Not only do you need to fight this, the officer should be reprimanded. I'd even go to one of the local papers and tell the story, we could use the publicity as well by the way. Stick it to them though!

 

[TrevorLocher]

I have to point something out in my own case. I work full time at a Tim Horton's, usually I'm working the night shift. Now on the night shift there are only two people in the store at a given time servicing people. The rules state that there has to be two people inside the store, so when I take my break I love to pour myself a coffee and enjoy a nice vape inside. I have been sitting and having conversations with the police officers that work the night shift who come in on a slow night and enjoy a coffee. Usually sitting one or two tables away from me I haven't even had to explain once what vaping was or how I wasn't smoking.

My point in this whole thing is, that cop was uninformed like everybody else who jumps on the "Vaping is smoking! it must be the devil" bandwagon.

 

[EvilGnome6]

walking my dogs off leash

I was feeling sympathetic until I saw you're one of those kinds of people.