Editor: As a small business owner, who has been conducting my business in the City of Langley for almost four years, I am utterly disappointed with the treatment of the small businesses in the area.
The City of Langley handcuffs our hands, and has made doing business almost impossible here.
I have noticed customers running out of a hair salon half way through their appointments, with towels wrapped around their heads, to quickly move a vehicle so as not to get a ticket. This makes zero sense, as we are to trying to provide the best service. How can we compete with this kind of nonsense?
We should be able to validate a customer so they are not afraid to leave a place of business half way through a visit, worried about the chance of a ticket. This makes working closely with our customers and providing them quality service nearly impossible. They wonder after going out and looking for a new parking spot is worth their time.
On many occasions where a customer has left and moved their car so they will not be fined, they are still fined as the so-called chalk line did not disappear. This only frustrates the customer more, causing them to take it out on small business owners. They question why, if we saw them leave, we can’t get this ticket cancelled.
Families have come to restaurants, sat down, placed an order of appetizers, had a drink and even before a food order is placed had to run and find a new parking spot. This is unacceptable and ridiculous. How are we expected to work with these restraints?
The City of Langley puts more emphasis on harassing good paying customers, rather then having the loiterers move on. It ignores those who hang around the buildings and scare off our paying customers.
Then there is the harassment of small businesses over signs.
I have had my signs placed on the front of my business the same way for well over four years. Now it has been forcefully removed without my permission, and taken without notification. I first incurred a financial cost when the building I am in had its awnings removed and upgraded without any approval or input.
I lost space and went almost close to three months with no signage, costing me a fair amount of business in the summer months.
When my awnings and signage were taken down, I had to replace it at a cost of $1,400. Now the signs that were placed on the building have been removed and taken without my consent and knowledge. I consider this to be theft.
H.S. Mobileworld and
Electronics Service,
Langley City