My car was towed at 9:50 PM last night from the driveway for my condo building in, and it was at least 4 feet from the sidewalk, parked legally in a location where other people park regularly.
I called the towing company to ask them why I was towed from my own parking lot. They said that I was parked in a position where I was blocking the driveway. Note from the pictures at the link above that my car was in a location in which there is regularly a car parked there. Even though I was remaining relatively calm on the phone, the lady I was speaking with ("Nora") ended up hanging up on me while I was trying to explain my point to her.
I went to the towing company at midnight or 1AM and all they had to argue the position of my car was a picture that was taken in a diagonal and did not give a good perspective of the location of the car. I snuck a picture of their photo that they had taken with my iPhone to help me further prove my point. I had to yell at these people for a good half hour.
Unfortunately, I took pictures of the spot where the car was towed after I had argued with the towing company instead of before. However, these pictures provide more than sufficient evidence to prove that:
1. I was well inside the driveway when they towed my car. Just check out the skid marks that are at least from the 2nd curb mark up the slope counting from the sidewalk all the way out to the street.
2. I was not blocking any sort of entry by large vehicles who would need to get into the driveway. A wide vehicle would hit the lightpost well before my car. I also took a picture of the empty spot from their angle, which shows that they could hide where my car really was (although just look at their photo where the sidewalk was and extrapolate downward).
3. I am not parked in a fire lane (fire lanes are clearly painted and marked).
4. The towing company's photo is clearly flawed as they took the picture at a diagonal and tried to hide the location of the nose of the car in relation to the sidewalk. Look at the pic of their computer screen that I took with my phone.
The pictures of their representation of where the car was placed, and my photos of the exact same location show that they tried to dupe me into paying for their wrongful tow by taking their picture at a diagonal.
My car was parked at least 4 feet from the sidewalk inside the driveway. The arguments that they gave during our in-person argument are below, as well as my response.
"You were parked in a fire lane."
- Then why isn't the curb painted at all or marked to indicate a fire lane? Because it isn't a fire lane.
"According to the picture, you were parked past the light post."
- That argument and that picture does not agree with the other pictures taken of that spot. I was at least 4 feet away from the sidewalk.
"A delivery truck would not be able to make it into the driveway."
- At the location where my car was parked, the delivery truck would hit the light post and hop over a ton of sidewalk well before hitting my car.
"You were parked too close to the street."
- The pictures of the spot, plus the location of the skid marks made by my car as a result of the tow, indicate otherwise.
The towing company's photo, and all of my photos are up at this link:
http://gallery.me.com/patandlaila/100056
Neither the condo board should be responsible for paying for this tow, nor should I as we have all had our cars parked (residents and Board included) in the exact same location before and have not had any problems. This towing company is trying to strongarm residents.
I filed a complaint online with the BBB regarding this issue. I'm surprised this place doesn't have more people complaining about how shady they are, although Googling around does show a lot of other people who were taken advantage of by them.
2 Updates & Rebuttals
Beatnikjd
wynnewood,Pennsylvania,
U.S.A.
Typical towtard
#3General Comment
Wed, May 25, 2011
Brookie is a typical towtard. Notice he acknowledges that most towing companies are predatory and wrong and his/her response is to 'get over it' and accept the violation of personal property. This attitude is typical of the meth heads and retards that dominate the non consensual towing 'industry.' These people are vermin of the lowest order! Sorry you were a victim.
brookie
United States of Americayou don't get it.
#3General Comment
Wed, February 02, 2011
as a family memeber of the company owner and as a person being raised in the towing buisness you can not hold the company responsible. At the time the incident occured they were under the influence of a crooked cop. i do know this first hand. we used to own another towing company that advanced was founded from. now, no matter what towing company you deal with it will happen that you are not the only person this has happened to. it happens, no matter where you are and that times are hard you will be towed wrongfully because impounds is where towing companys make their money. so, get over it.