Towing charges

[Farang]

I live in a busy part of town, and coming home this Friday night at 9pm there was nowhere to park. Impatient, I finally let my car down at one of two private spaces owned by my apartment building. Nobody is usually here, they are reserved for the nightly rental suites in

I'm wrong etc. etc. but being unfamiliar with towing ripoffs, anything I can do here to mitigate the damage? The tow lot is less than a mile away so I know this is ridiculous, but knowing the reputation of towing companies I imagine I have no recourse.

 

[Farang]

Looking into the law it seems private property tow fees are not regulated by the state.

But parking/towing policy has to be posted.

The sign is not visible from the parking spot, it is almost completely covered by a tree. So I'm going to take them to small claims and (probably) lose, but at least I'll waste their time.

 

[Rifter]

Thats insane.

I work for a towing company and our average charge for a private impound is in the $150-200 range.

Also NEVER, EVER, park in a reserved spot at any apartment/condo, they all seem to have super bitch's on the Strata(or building management comitee or whatever you want to call it) that have nothing better to do that watch the property all the time and report people who illegally park immediatly.

I've been asked by said super bitches specifically to send out a truck without a backup beeper and wait till late at night so they are alseep to insure that we actually get to tow the vehicle. Now dont get me wrong if you illegally park you are a moron and its all on you but to go to the level of trying to get someone to sneak in and tow the car is a little much.

 

[Zebo]

Been there done that. Ahh apartment living. Don't miss it one bit.

That is outrageous. One time when I dunked a F350 in the drink I got it towed out of the sticks 200 miles for that price ~700. Bet they split the enormous profit they are making off you.

 

[Newbian]

Looking into the law it seems private property tow fees are not regulated by the state.

But parking/towing policy has to be posted.

The sign is not visible from the parking spot, it is almost completely covered by a tree. So I'm going to take them to small claims and (probably) lose, but at least I'll waste their time.

And by waste their time you mean pay more?

 

[manlymatt83]

Pay them in all quarters. I did that once. Guy almost had a heart attack. But he was a dick. I hate tow truck drivers with a passion (well, the ones that prey....).

 

[Murloc]

lol you're going to lose money and time, but you can try.

Next time, park somewhere else and take the bus.

 

[edro]

I have a limited knowledge of tow fees, but in my experience, they are usually <$200 if you pick it up the next day. (towed twice)

Did you get your car out yet? Can you pay with a credit card and reverse the charge?
They would just submit you to a collection agency though...

Your best bet would be to pay whatever it costs and then sue in small claims, as you said.

Arguing at the glass definitely won't get you anywhere.

 

[the DRIZZLE]

IANAL but even if towing fees aren't regulated by the state I'd go small claims court anyway. You can probably use some generic principal like unjust enrichment or something.

 

[CraigRT]

That is an asinine amount of money.
I'm glad at my condo complex its fully open parking and you can go anywhere.
First come first serve is clearly the way to go. No preferred spots that people never give up etc.

 

[Shawn]

Sheesh, when my sister's car got towed it was $80.

 

[crownjules]

Got towed at my GF's apartment complex a few weeks ago because the visitor parking spots were full. Cost me $135. But the towing guys told me to give them a call whenever it happens again so they don't tow me and I've done it a few times since.

 

[Farang]

Ended uthe AG says first.

 

[jersiq]

Ended up paying $798.00. Tow was about 10 miles.

So far all I've done is submit a complaint to the attorney general. I named the landlord as the primary person in the complaint, for contracting out such an expensive company. I'm not sure targeting the towing company will work because the landlord basically said 'Come get this car' and they tell them 'this is how much it costs' and the landlord approves.

The apartment manager has been here 12 years so it is pretty clear to me that he contracted out this towing company on the condition he gets a cut of all tows.

It was funny after I had paid, in this little box with a glass window, dude comes out and tries to give me advice. 'I talked to your manager and I said 'You know he seems like a good guy, he knows he parked illegally, and bla bla bla.' This being on CCTV (signs posted), I'm sure he was trying to get me to admit fault on camera (my argument is that the tow-away sign is blocked by a tree). This makes me think I have a case, but I want to see what the AG says first.

So you are basing this on the idea that the Apartment Manager should go "towing company shopping" to find the best rates?

Good luck on that one.

 

[GundamW]

Ended up paying $798.00. Tow was about 10 miles.

Wow. $800. That's just flat out robbery.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

The last time I illegally parked was about 15 years ago. Was going into a bar just to meet somebody, couldn't find a spot and figuring I was just going to be in there for 2 minutes decided to dump my car in a no-parking area. Wound up having one beer, came out 15 minutes later and the car was gone. At that moment I felt dumber than I have ever felt in my entire life because I knew it was a big risk for little gain and did it anyway. Cost about $200 in fines and towing which was a shitload of money at the time.

That was the last time I ever illegally parked and I'll never do it again no matter how long I live. It's an expensive lesson, but at least it's a lesson that I learned once and never forgot.

Try taking some pics of the blocked signs and go the small claims court route. If they don't show up you win by default and maybe they'll be willing top settle for a smaller amount just to avoid the hassle. It's cheap enough and easy enough that there's no harm in trying. Other than that though you don't have a leg to stand on. If you wind up getting dinged for the whole amount I'll bet you'll never do it again.

 

[edro]

Holy crap. You need to call around to various tow companies and see what they would charge to make the same tow.

You can ship a car cross country for that much.

 

[Farang]

So you are basing this on the idea that the Apartment Manager should go "towing

 

[Genx87]

Make sure you take pictures of the hidden tow sign.

 

[Farang]

Make sure you take pictures of the hidden tow sign.

I did, and submitted along with my complaint to the AG.

I've heard good things about Washington state's AG office so we'll see.

 

[911paramedic]

Do you know how many other tow services are near your apt complex? Ten miles seems like a long way to respond for an illegally parked vehicle and tow it that quickly.

See if they are related.

 

[dabuddha]

GL OP. 800 bucks is fucking highway robbery. I hate tow fuckers.

 

[the DRIZZLE]

Ended up paying $798.00. Tow was about 10 miles.

So far all I've done is submit a complaint to the attorney general. I named the landlord as the primary person in the complaint, for contracting out such an expensive company. I'm not sure targeting the towing company will work because the landlord basically said 'Come get this car' and they tell them 'this is how much it costs' and the landlord approves.

The apartment manager has been here 12 years so it is pretty clear to me that he contracted out this towing company on the condition he gets a cut of all tows.

It was funny after I had paid, in this little box with a glass window, dude comes out and tries to give me advice. 'I talked to your manager and I said 'You know he seems like a good guy, he knows he parked illegally, and bla bla bla.' This being on CCTV (signs posted), I'm sure he was trying to get me to admit fault on camera (my argument is that the tow-away sign is blocked by a tree). This makes me think I have a case, but I want to see what the AG says first.

If you go to small claims name them both. Let the judge sort out who is ultimately responsible. Don't expect the AG to do shit for you.

 

[dainthomas]

You can take consolation from the fact that scummy tow truck drivers accumulate so much bad karma during their pitiful lives that they'll probably end up reincarnated as a tape worm.

 

[Farang]

If you go to small claims name them both. Let the judge sort out who is ultimately responsible. Don't expect the AG to do shit for you.

The tow guy said on the phone that they 'go to court every day' and that they end up charging $550/hr for whoever they have to send to court. Any validity to this?

I've heard stories about the AG threatening fines for private parking company violations (issuing tickets), so I hold out some hope.