Getting a fine is rarely a cause for laughter. That is, unless you are the woman featured in the viral TikTok post by Defelas. In her case, her fine was an inexplicable nothing. Unfortunately, we don’t know who the original poster is, so we don’t have any context for the situation. However, the TikToker repost still reached over 2.9 million views as people watched the woman try to purchase a money order for $0.00. As the caption stated, “That makes zero dollars and zero sense.”
The video kicks off with the customer in an unknown grocery store, telling the cashier she needs a money order for $0.00 to pay a fine she owes. She starts to explain that her license was suspended, but then she pauses to dig into her bag. As she pulls out the official letter, the person filming quickly pans the camera to the cashier, who looks completely stunned.
The customer points to the document and says, “$0.00. Here’s my letter. My license was revoked for $0.00.” She points to another section and repeats the amount again. As she tucks the paper away, the cameraperson is heard laughing in the background. The customer then looks at the cashier and completely deadpan repeats her request. “So I would like to have a money order for zero dollars and zero cents.”
A hilarious request with an equally hilarious response
The cashier just gapes at her for a few seconds. Then, he responds equally deadpan, “I’ll do it. But what the f—.” Both women immediately start laughing at his response. He waves his hand at them and says, “All right!” At the same time, his customer gleefully responds, “Do it. Please, do it.” He just assures her: “I will take care of that.”
The internet had plenty to say about the clip. Some were completely tickled by everyone’s behavior. One user commented, “The way she stopped talking like hold up I sound insane let me get the evidence.” Another person wrote, “Bro had the most appropriate pro-customer response in history.”
Others shared their own experiences with petty or confusing billing. One user told TikTok, “I rented a dumpster for a remodel once. I ended up slightly overweight, and they sent me a bill for $0.19. I’m sure it cost them more to send the bill. Since I can be petty, I paid online with a credit card, so that they would have to pay a transaction fee as well.”
While this makes for a hilarious video, it’s not always a joke. The City of La Crosse Police Department has actually addressed the issue of $0.00 parking citations on Facebook some time ago. They wrote, “If you received a parking citation, looked at it and saw a fine of $0.00, it was not a mistake. Back in June the Police Parking Utility recommended a $0.00 parking citation for FIRST offense violations of the alternate side parking and overtime zone parking.”
The post noted that the goal was to simplify the process, and these citations reset at the beginning of each calendar year. However, they explicitly warned, “please don’t send a check for $0.00!!”
One commenter, however, noted that even with a $0 fine, not addressing it could still lead to trouble. They wrote, “I called the police dept and was told it was a warning and didn’t have to pay it, so I didn’t. 3 months later I got a ticket for $60.00 in the mail for failure to pay my $000 ticket.” Of course, this is just in La Crosse, so in other cities, it won’t necessarily mean that it’s a warning. So, you should definitely check with the court or the traffic department.
Money orders are a handy tool when you need to pay a legitimate fine. According to US News, a money order is a prepaid, guaranteed form of payment backed by a financial institution. Jack Prenter, CEO of DollarWise, explains that “a money order is like a prepaid check.”
Per the outlet, they are often used when you need to send money securely without using a bank account, or if a recipient doesn’t accept personal checks or credit cards. You can buy them at places like post offices, Western Union, convenience stores like 7/11, pharmacies, or retailers like Walmart. When you purchase one, you pay the face value plus a fee, which can range from $1 at Walmart to around $5 at some banks.
US News wrote that you need to fill out the recipient’s information, your own details, sign it, and keep the receipt for tracking. It’s a handy tool for specific situations, even if it’s usually for a lot more than zero dollars.
Published: Sep 5, 2026 10:20 am