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Posted: 11/20/2005 9:47:05 AM EDT
I just returned home after spending $100 and an hour of my time getting my car back from the fine & upstanding folks at the local towing impound lot down the street.
They state that I do not have a permit to park in the parking lot where I live. They are right - I have two permits. One on the dash board & one in the back wind shield. I called the fine folks at the local towing impound lot and I attempted to explain the situation to them slowly and in easy to understand terms. They returned the gesture by stating that if I want my car back that it will be $100 today, or $150 tomorrow, etc... I said how about I call the police and report the car stolen. They then hung up on me. I called a cab, went to the lot, paid the $100 and drove away with my car and the two permits. It is still a beautiful day outside. Looks like Christmas came early for me this year...  ETA Update: The fee is in dispute with the CC company & an appeal letter has been submitted to the HOA, so we should come out ok. ETA Update 2: Unfortunately, the car was stolen this morning. Just got done filing a report with the police department and calling the insurance company. Just had about $700 worth of work done on it last Friday. I got a new radiator, etc for Christmas! Now I am really pissed off! At least they had the decency to take out our baby's car seat and leave it where the car was parked!  Happy new year, eh!   Is it 2007 yet? |
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Posted: 11/20/2005 9:48:50 AM EDT
[#1]
Small claims court. Sue the little fucks.
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Posted: 11/20/2005 9:49:03 AM EDT
[#2]
Who had your car towed, or did they just do it under some sort of authority?
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Posted: 11/20/2005 9:49:53 AM EDT
[#3]
Wooooohooo, Im excited to be the first to say that you should have..... DUN DUN DUN......
 DRAWN DOWN!On a more realistic note, bummer. I'd do everything in my power to stick it to them in a wholly legal and civilized manner. |
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Posted: 11/20/2005 9:50:03 AM EDT
[#4]
Dont worry if your car had been actually stolen you would have gotten the same response.
Makes you wanna have something horrbile happen to thier rollback doesnt it |
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Posted: 11/20/2005 9:54:36 AM EDT
[#5]
I paid with a CC. I am thinking that I may have to dispute the charge, but who knows...
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Posted: 11/20/2005 9:55:26 AM EDT
[#6]
You dont seem pissed enough about this situation |
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Posted: 11/20/2005 9:57:23 AM EDT
[#7]
I would, if just to piss them off.
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Posted: 11/20/2005 9:58:57 AM EDT
[#8]
[Marth]Emotional control is a good thing.[/Martha]
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Posted: 11/20/2005 9:59:23 AM EDT
[#9]
In some jurisdictions, towing companies are regulated/monitored by the local police department. I would have made a criminal complaint. Your car had the permits required to park in the lot and they had no legal authority to tow it away.
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Posted: 11/20/2005 10:03:07 AM EDT
[#10]
If you do get your money back, then let us know. I've never heard of someone winning a fight against one of those guys. Well, my nephew did once against a towing company Athens, GA. They towed his car from his driveway. He worked for a lawfirm, and his boss got a refund. Of course, less than a month later the car just disappeared from his house so the towing company won in the end.z
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Posted: 11/20/2005 10:03:56 AM EDT
[#11]
+1 and if that didn't work i'd have made their lives miserable in other ways the COC will not allow me to explain. |
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Posted: 11/20/2005 10:07:05 AM EDT
[#12]
You can judge the size of the man by the size of what angers him. Definately deny the charges on your card. Hopefully you signed in another name......that always helps if the person taking the receipt does not check........ |
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Posted: 11/20/2005 10:15:02 AM EDT
[#13]
You're right - I am a big'un at 6'3'' & 255lbs. I also like long walks on the beach, sipping pina coladas, getting caught, uhm, ah, nevermind...
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Posted: 11/20/2005 10:58:02 AM EDT
[#14]
The condo HOA has contracted w/ the towing company to tow any violators. I guess it was my turn to pay the tax... |
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Posted: 11/20/2005 11:14:16 AM EDT
[#15]
When you picked the car up, didn't you point out the permits in the damn window?
Hell yes you should dispute the charge - are you crazy? I'd call the police NOW and file a report for theft of your $100. |
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Posted: 11/20/2005 11:17:48 AM EDT
[#16]
Yes, yes I did. The one on the dash had fallen from the dash to the floor when they towed my car. The one in the rear wind shield is a sticker. They replied that it would still be $100.
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Posted: 11/20/2005 11:18:38 AM EDT
[#17]
Next time call the cops and have them respond to the tow yard to keep the peace while you pick up your unlawfully towed vehicle. When the police get sick of it they will start cracking down on the tow drivers. I assume you will be suing the tow company and your property management company in small claims court? it would also be a good ide to file a written complaint with the state attorny general's office as well as the BBB. There is a shady tow company operating in my area and they get zero tolerance. One of my partners arrested a tow driver for auto theft following an unlawfull tow. Charges didnt stick. The DA refused to even consider the charges and was very unhappy about the arrest. In my state tow drivers have relative immunity from prosecution. |
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Posted: 11/20/2005 11:20:42 AM EDT
[#18]
Dispute the charge and let them eat a cold bowl of fuck if they don't like it.
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Posted: 11/20/2005 11:21:15 AM EDT
[#19]
+ 1 on small claims court. At the very least, make them EARN their $100.
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Posted: 11/20/2005 11:21:52 AM EDT
[#20]
Wow. If that were me, the situation would have ended.....badly. |
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Posted: 11/20/2005 11:24:58 AM EDT
[#21]
Inform the condo HOA of the situation and let them know that you will be deducting the $100 from next year's condo fees. |
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Posted: 11/20/2005 11:27:17 AM EDT
[#22]
I got sent to a tow yard one and the operator wanted a report for auto theft. A car owner had snuck into the yard at night and drove his truck through the gate. he wanted to report the truck stolen. "Sir, the truck does not belong to you you cannot report it stolen."
Then he wanted a vandalism report for his gate. "Sir, vandalisimn is a specific intent crime, I see no evidence that the truck owners intent was to damage your property. everything you are telling me indicates he simply wanted his truck back." I told him to pursue it in civil court, the same thing i would have had to tell the truck owner had he called to complain about the towing. Now when i get dispatched to that tow yard a supervisor has to go with me <G> |
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Posted: 11/20/2005 11:27:39 AM EDT
[#23]
Find the cars of the people on the HOA and peel off their permit tags.
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Posted: 11/20/2005 11:30:24 AM EDT
[#24]
What did the police say? What did your CC company say? |
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Posted: 11/20/2005 11:33:04 AM EDT
[#25]
I currently rent the condo. The current viable legal options are, in no particular order: Dispute the charge w/ the CC company and/or File a claim in small claims court and/or Send a bill to the HOA/owner of the condo and/or File a complaint w/ the BBB/Police/etc... So far, I am leaning w/ disputing the charge - quick, relatively painless, and precludes the involvement of additional parties. Additional advice/options are open for consideration. |
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Posted: 11/20/2005 11:35:22 AM EDT
[#26]
I did not call the police - I made a tactical decision to use the CC company to recoup the $100. I was going to wait for the statement to come in the mail, unless there is something to gain from acting now. |
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Posted: 11/20/2005 11:36:40 AM EDT
[#27]
The problem with using dispute as your solution is that often times CC companies will simply credit your account for the amount of the dispute and never go after the tow company to recover the disputed amount. The credit card company eats the cost. The end result of this in the long run is higher interest rates on your credit card (as the CC company needs to recover those disputed charges that they just ate in one way or another). Plus it gives the asshole towing comapny a free pass. |
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Posted: 11/20/2005 11:37:53 AM EDT
[#28]
I'd involve the HOA for sure. They retained this company, so this shit can happen again if they don't know about it. I'd raise holy bloody fucking hell about it, and let them worry about making it right with their vendor.
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Posted: 11/20/2005 11:38:53 AM EDT
[#29]
Yes, dispute the charge NOW!
What authority did they have to tow your vehicle? They can just drive through the lot and pick out vehicles they feel are in violation and tow them? In my experience with private prop towing/impounding usually there is a precipitating phone call by the landlord or manager about a vehicle they don't recognize or doesn't have proper permit. I'd think you should atleast be compensated by building owner/landlord/etc.. You are a paying tenent in good standing and they accidentally towed your vehicle. But start by disputing the charge right now. Get that ball rolling in case...... |
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Posted: 11/20/2005 11:42:18 AM EDT
[#30]
The HOA office is closed today. The property manager rarely ever answers her phone when she is in the office, and I doubt that she would on the weekend. The spousal unit will reign down her righteous indignation w/ the owner/HOA beginning tomorrow. I will call my CC and start disputing the charge now. Thanks for the advice. |
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Posted: 11/20/2005 11:42:48 AM EDT
[#31]
Felony car theft.
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Posted: 11/20/2005 11:44:39 AM EDT
[#32]
Plus extortion. You could realyl try and ruin someone's day at the tow co. |
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Posted: 11/20/2005 11:45:52 AM EDT
[#33]
Oh dude!! They are sooo "F"ed if they piss off your old lady! When my wife gets that look I just cower and pity the fool who insigated it!
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Posted: 11/20/2005 11:51:40 AM EDT
[#34]
+1, as someone who's ridden shotgun hooking cars that had no stickers from a complex where We left the valid tag holders alone. Even if there was a question - if there was a tag, we left the car. No tag & parked in a resident marked spot? Pick up your car tomorrow, amigo. Your best chance is to complain to the HOA - bring pictures of your stickers / tags, etc. on your vehicle in plain sight. If they do this (car sweeps) frequently, it's probably an easy night of cash generation for the tow operator at $100 a car. If he hooks enough wrong cars, he'll lose the contract - and the cash. |
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Posted: 11/20/2005 11:54:42 AM EDT
[#35]
tag for outcome
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Posted: 11/20/2005 12:00:22 PM EDT
[#36]
Cold bowl of fuck??? Never heard that. Kinda like it. Mind if I work it into my vernacular? |
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Posted: 11/20/2005 12:04:38 PM EDT
[#37]
Feel free...I borrowed it from a news story about private contractors in Iraq. A group of them were under fire and one of them told another to take a few guys and go up on the roof of a neighboring building to try to get fire on the terrorists shooting at them from the street. The other guy asked what he should do if the residents of the neighboring building didn't want him firing from their roof and the guy in charge said "Let them eat a cold bowl of fuck if they don't like it." |
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Posted: 11/20/2005 12:07:01 PM EDT
[#38]
Classic. Simply Classic. |
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Posted: 11/20/2005 12:09:42 PM EDT
[#39]
Turnabout is fair play.
"Boot" the towtruck.
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Posted: 11/20/2005 12:18:16 PM EDT
[#40]
What if the fence gate at the impound yard accidentally fell down allowing everyone to get their car back while keeping their wallets intact? 
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Posted: 11/20/2005 12:23:34 PM EDT
[#41]
Criminal damage to property. Keep in mind that many yards have taken advantage of the "tech explosion" and bought cheap "10X" cameras. Then there's the "pet" factor...  
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Posted: 11/20/2005 12:25:02 PM EDT
[#42]
Our local lawmakers fel a need to kiss the ass of the tow companies, so if it was taken from the lot, there's some wording to our law that allows the tow company to report it stolen, even if the owner was the one who stole the vehicle.
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Posted: 11/20/2005 12:28:13 PM EDT
[#43]
I hear dogs have a strange craving for anti-freeze. |
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Posted: 11/20/2005 12:34:46 PM EDT
[#44]
Shit like this doesn't happen in my area. If it did, all tow truck drivers and repo men would be wearing kevlar and charging a lot more for their services within a week. I don't know anybody who'd stand for that.
Now add in the number of professional car thieves who use tow trucks to simply drive away with your vehicle and you'd likely have a gun in your face if you tried towing away anything in my neighborhood. |
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Posted: 11/20/2005 12:41:36 PM EDT
[#45]
I have no plans to do anything criminal. I have a wife, a daughter, a career, and enough common sense to afford me the ability to think & act in a rational manner. |
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Posted: 11/20/2005 12:56:53 PM EDT
[#46]
You mean tow truck drivers are NOT the rescuing heroes of the road???
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Posted: 11/20/2005 1:00:30 PM EDT
[#47]
It's one thing to be in control of your emotions.
It's another to allow some motherfucker(s) to steal your money and waste your time and still have a smile on your face. Had I been in your position I would have notified the police, local AG, BBB, damn sure disputed the charge, and probably taken the motherfuckers to court, including the HOA. |
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Posted: 11/20/2005 1:03:23 PM EDT
[#48]
I once repossessed my car from a tow yard. The gate was open, and I had a friend drop me off at the entrance. Fuck those assholes. I was fully prepared to drive through the gate if they closed it on me.
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Posted: 11/20/2005 1:05:34 PM EDT
[#49]
So what kind of paperwork did you sign when you picked it up?
I bet you shot yourself in the foot. You should have reported it stolen and started the paperwork. |
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Posted: 11/20/2005 1:12:29 PM EDT
[#50]
Who said the issue is a done item of business? The Spousal Unit is certainly not done with this item of business. As I understand it, this type of activity is fairly common in this area. As much as I would love to go Ezekiel 25:17 on them, it just won't be the case. The reason I smile is because I know that I will come out ahead and in the end that they will be infested by the fleas of a thousand camels as the roast on a spit in Hell. |
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