Complaint Review: Sergeant's Towing

I don't understand how a company could be allowed to function the way Sergeant's Towing does. When I first moved here I legally parked, at least as far as I know (friend had given me permission - it was his house) but blocking a driveway, but was towed by one of their charm school graduates. I heard him while he was hooking up and went outside (with my friend) in an effort to get him to cease and desist, and got a surly load of crap from a nearly toothless and obviously brain damaged driver. To make a long story short, nothing we said or did could prevent him from hauling my (maxi) van away, which at the time was my home and contained virtually everything I owned. I hit on some hard times after I lost my business (had a cabinet shop for 27 years, and at one time had 32 employees, but I was barely squeaking by when I moved here, doing cabinet work here and there.

I had a bunk in the van, as well as all my tools. I had bought it from a friend in Colorado only two weeks prior to this incident, and not not gotten around to transferring the title. When I went to retireve the vehicle, I was told by their equally charming "tow manager (who goes by the name of Jesse Copeland, I'm inclined to say after my dealings with him that "James" would be a more apt surname, but the truth is I feel that would be grossly unfair to the former Confederate raider. From what I've read, he never plumbed the depths of slimery and scumbaggery that this Jesse does routinely) that he "didn't believe I owned it." I told him all the obvious things, call my friend, look at the signed over title, etc. No go.

So I went down to transfer the title, but the people in the office informed me I had to have a vehicle inspection done, and I had to bring the vehicle in. And, of course, Jesse refused to let me take it out, and the police would no longer do on site inspections. I doubt he would have allowed access even if they did.

So I aksed if I could at least retrieve my tools and other personal property from the van. The answer once again was a resounding no. In the following days I tried everything. Called everyone, including the police, that I thought might be able to help me. To a person, they offered condolences (including the cops I tlaked to), and admitted the whole thing was horrible, but that Sergeant's behavior was somehow within the law.

All other things failing, I tried to get them to behave like human beings by acting like one. I told them what a devasting personal loss this would be, and begged them to reconsider stealing all of my stuff. I suppose the reader can guess how that turned out. I asked them if there was any of my stuff I could retrieve at auction. They said they were going to throw everything inside the van away (right - a table say, chop say, routers, plate jointer, planer, hundreds of bits and hand tools, a goose down sleeping bag, etc., etc.) but that I might be able to buy the van back. I called them every week to see when it would be up for auction, and one week they flat out lied to me and told me it was not up that week, and I found out the next week that it had been.

In the end they stole it all. Including lots of irreplacable personal property.

Anyway, the bottom line is, I've put my life back together since this incident, replaced all my tools and whatever else I could. I have another van, and h***, things could have been worse. I could have been born one of them. Sleazy bottom feeders, dirtbags and liars benefitting from loophole licenses to steal.