The Daily Ping

Yeah………

“I’m a tOw truck driver and I’m a badass, and I dont give a damn bout youu cuz I gots my edukashun. I hoap you need a tow in the rain one day. BLAH BLAH BLAH”

Clearly, there is a division here. Those who do patrol towing…and the ENTIRE POPULATION OF THE REMAINDER OF THE GLOBE. Tow truck drivers – love em’, patrol towers – touch my truck again, and your house will burn. This type of garbage is typical of the patrol tow industry, look at some of the above comments.

“I’m just enforcing parking regulations”; No, your just making money. If you try to tell me that you would tow away and store a beat up 1991 Caravan with reflective “Mexico” and “Al Salvador” stickers on it before you tow a brand new BMW with “VCU Medical Center” parking stickers on the back window, YOU ARE LYING!!!! It’s called “White Man Tow”, you know the Beamer’s owner’s gonna come get it. You know the Guadalahara Slingshot won’t go anywhere, and the owner’s just going to get another one for $300 tomorrow. Outcome – Bullshit.

“If you illegally park, there’s nothing I can do to help you”; Prove illegal parking. The truth is that most patrol tow companies manipulate situations to allow them to collect. Go Jacks are easy tools to use. So easy, you could jack up a car and roll it right into a no-parking zone. Slim Jims will bypass locks wonderfully, allowing removal of parking passes. Where’s the signs? In most cases, there are none, or they are improperly placed.

“I got a contract, so I can tow”; No, you can’t. In many cases, towing requires the direct consent and presence of property owners/managers/agents, or a cop. Try getting either at 3am on a Friday.

“I can’t understand why my condos/apartment complex managers would allow this”; They make money too. I know it’s hard to grasp that slum lords are not honorable, but most in the property management business are slum lords. Although it is illegal in many states, it’s a safe bet that your property managers are getting a percentage kickback per impound fee charged.

“Don’t tell us where to set fees”; Yeah, we shouldn’t have to, because state code does that. Please bear in mind that the vast majority of patrol towers actually charge more than the maximum allowed amount.

This ping has gone on for 6 years because the people of the world are tired of being victimized by dodgey, legalized auto theft.

I have to hand it to you Ryan… impressive Ping to have lasted this long! Over six years and counting!

I came across this and all I was looking for was some cheap towing.

It is true that there are a some pretty POOPY people out there who use their occupation to prey on the poor, powerless, or just plain preoccupied.

Just remember… What goes around comes around, and when it comes around it usually hits a whole lot harder than when it went around in the first place!
FYI – That also works inversely of charity 🙂

Besides if you really want to complain about ‘SCUM of the EARTH’ you need look no further than the entire INSURANCE industry.

Just think of the poor couple who lose everything (including a Daughter) to a house fire that started through no fault of their own, then get F##KED over by an adjuster who is ‘just doing his job’, just to be treated like they should be thankful they are getting anything at all!!

Sick Bastards who only care about keeping their grubby little jobs the only way they can… at the financial (and emotional) expense of others!!

But like I said ‘What comes around goes around’

There that ought to keep this going for another six years!!

Thanks Ryan, now what were we talking about?

As a tow truck company employee I can see where a lot of peoples points are taken, however here in the UK it’s usually the tow truck companies who take all the flack not the customers.
The company offer roadside recovery and rescue to all major companies AA – RAC – Mondial – Brittania – Greenflag etc etc, also a division of the AA is the AADL “Police”.
And this is where the problems lie, the AADL ring us to when an accident has occured, uninsured vehicles, burnt out vehicles, stolen etc, most are ok with no problems but the ones causing problems are the Police impounding vehicles that are uninsured usually 3 or 4 at a time, especially ones advertising for sale on the side of the road, as we usually get irate garage owners saying that they are insured on a “Traders Licence” policy.
When I say irate it’s usually accompanied by loads of verbal abuse when we need to take £105 for the recovery off them, however it is not our fault, the fault lies with DVLA or Police for not having updated records, or indeed 75% of the time it’s the customer who has not insured the vehicle either on or off the traders policy.

But hey where just here to take the shit right?

how about in Queens, astoria,ny, when the business closes across from the movies theater: Kaufman studios cinema, and where the “towing company” probably tape their ‘posted’ business sign around the business entrance and watch people illegally park in a lot after hours. then wait for the car owner to come back(in our case it was 2 hours later and his ‘bill’ stated he put the car on the lift minutes after we left the car) and try to charge them double of what the sign says (even though the sign states that to drop the car is $50 and he wanted $108 cause he said he moved it 2 feet) though i looked it up on the nystate vehicle code site that if they havent moved the car onto a public highway, it is a drop(they can though charge up to $12 for services and for tolls). then when we told him to just take it(cause we knew he was trying to scam us, regardless if he worked privately for the business, he was trying to make extra money on the side and why would he wait?), he waited around while we were at the cafe across the street(adding a total of 3 1/2 hours of waiting around on us, i would think that a business would want him out there towing other cars trying to make them money and not just waiting on one owner to come back). then finally after and hour and half and him being rude and contradicting himself over and over again (oh its $200 to pick the car up, even though the sign said $100) (oh he was going to tow it, then he said a flat bed was coming and that was why he was waiting) (asking us if we were from around here, which we didnt answer) (his response to asking him why he knew every single person that walks by when his company is in brooklyn, and his response was that he was just a friendly guy)(oh he admitted to waiting around for an hour and half in the parking lot, then later said he was towing another car back to brooklyn during that time, then later we see the bill says he put our car on the lift during that time, then he was waiting for the flat bed to come, how can you do both?) (first he said he didnt deal with AAA because we wanted a reciept,then he said he did deal with them an a receipt was useless which is when he proceeded to get flustered because we were just going to let him have the car, obviously he didnt want to tow it or couldnt tow it) then we went across the street to the cafe and called the cops, they didnt seem to care but they said they would drive down there and after awhile of waiting we gave up. since he saw me take the phone book from the pay phone, he suddenly comes up with a deal that he would drop the car for the ‘ladies cause it was cold out side’ but for only $50 (wow, exactly what the sign said). then we asked why he was trying to charge us $108 when the sign said $50 to drop it, and he changed the subject by pointing my friend and saying that he was drunk (which wasnt the case, my friend was just trying to ask a question, which he never answered). Beware of such scams unless you dont mind parking for $50. The name of the company: Red’s

Movie-

More of these assholes need to be taught lessons, one way or another. Next time, just drive the car off the lift. Unbelt it, and drive it off. If it damages your car, sue the property owner and the towing company. With any luck, it will break a stringer bar or other expensive chunk of towing equipment.

Chino- The only thing that is going to break is your car!! Then who are you going to call to move your car with a broken axle? Try suing for your own stupidity. If you ever feel you are being taken by a Company, Towing or not, maybe just pay the bill get the Reciept for proof and then take them to court. We happen to run a very honest towing company along with a large percent of the rest of the industry. Our company has dropped all of our private property accounts over the past 10 years. each owner needs to make a proffessional choice on how they want there company run. Most companies are here to help the public and make some honest money. Not just “steal your illegally parked car”. If you find yourself in need of a tow truck the first thing you should look for is a national or state certified company. If you dont know, ask them for their certs when you call. A good website to find a company in your area is wreckmaster.com. If someone is worried about their car getting towed at their apartment complex CAlL the listed company and talk with the owner and document what they say will get your car towed. If anyone feels that all tow truck drivers are idiots and undereducated then the next time your bently or BMW or honda gets a flat at 3am on the side of a busy interstate with your loved ones inside and 4 inches of snow outside just remember that the guy changing your tire got out of bed, left his loved ones, drove 20 miles in a storm that you shouldnt of been driving in, stood on the traffic side of that busy highway to change your tire, that you had directions to change in your glove box, so that you and your family could stay safe in your vehicle and get on yuor way to safety. Maybe not the smartest person you met today but he was there because you were in need not because he was going to make maybe 30% of the $45 service charge $13.50. It wasent all about the money that is for sure!!!!!!!

I have had some good and some bad experiences with towing companies/drivers.
Right now I need some guidance. I am looking for info on tow companies that charge excessive towing fees in Missouri, specifically St. Louis and KC. I heard there was some legislation (didn’t get passed of course) that was trying to stop these outrageous charging practices. Can anyone share? Thanks much!

I have a problem with the towing company that our apartments hired. I live in basically in a complex that is low income – we have to be under a certain income to live there. Well, this towing compnay gauges us and preys on us and the neighboring low-income apartments. Their towing fees are double the going rates. They tow for the most ridiculous reasons, like parking on the white line, of a parking space, flat tires, etc.

I have had my car towed three times in the last six months. I have extenuating circumstances on my car – expired tags because my military ex-husband stuck me with the car and no paperwork and I had to get all the paperwork from another state and it was a pain and a long process. After the first tow, I explained my situation and the tow guy – manager – he said that if I just put their card up on my windshield, that I would not get towed again. Well, I have been towed two more times by he same company and they will not give me my car back until I pay their ludicris charges. They are relentless… they take several cars out of our complex a week.

The 2nd time they towed it, they brought it back for free – their mistake since they towed after they aid they wouldn’t – this time they will not and won’t let me talk to the manager or anything.

Our apartment complex only states that unauthorized vehicles will be towed, they state nothing else about any other reason.

Do I have a good reason to sue?

I have to pay to get my car back and you don’t know how bad that hurts a wallet of someone on a fixed income – the freaking theives! Our apartment complex hired them and condones their actions, so they must be getting a kickback.

Able Tree Service and ARC towing in central florida are the scum of the earth. Able Tree took my vehicle in payment of tree work, which they did not finish, in removing a tree that fell on my car and blocked my driveway. I caled them as my father, whom I was a caregiver, lay dying in the hospital ( I had to remove support). I called them when I received a notice from ARC towing and Linda said take care of it. She didn’t. A year later I try to renew my registration and have almost a $500 lien on it. I called Able Tree in Lakeland at the end of November and Linda said she would personally take care of the amount after she received money on the first of December. After that no calls. The towing company could not give a dman and alledgely sold the vehicle which was a six year old Ford Taurus. Come on now-aalmost $500 after the sale of six year old car? Scrao of that had to be worth at least five or six hundred dollars.

May you be blessed enough to be raped by 100 tow truck drivers the next time your stranded on a lonely highway, Ryan. Go in peace, keep that ass tight for me, and God bless.

Love you, too!

By the way, I have been stranded on a highway waiting for a tow truck before. Sat there for almost three hours after being told it would be 30 minutes.

hi d where are u and why u are running away from me ?

is anybody there ?? its me khalid

I am a poor college student here in Tallahassee, Florida going to Florida State University. I have my car up here for 2 reasons: Work and going to PT with the Coast Guard, as I am planning on going into the military after college.

I have been towed 3 times, 2 of which were for stupid reasons. I was towed from my own apartment complex twice. The first time, I had come back to my parking lot to find it full of nonresidents. It is because my apartment complex is directly on FSU campus. Now since there were no spots, and I live there, I decided to park in the grass and leave a note on the dash explaining why I was there…in case a tow truck drive came by. My spot in the grass was not in anyone’s way. So I got towed then, and get this…the people who didn’t live there WERE STILL THERE! Now logic would say you would tow the people who don’t live there, BUT NO, they tow the residents who only want to go upstairs to their apartment for food.

The second time the sleezy Professional Parking Services took my car was at midnight when I quickly parked my car in the maintenance man’s spot…because I doubt he was that dedicated to his job to do work at 12midnight. I put my blinkers on and ran to check the mail. In the 3 minutes it took to read my mail and go to the bathroom in my room, I was being towed. Then when I ran after the tow truck and knocked on his door at the stop sign, he just looked and continued driving.

And the most recent time was the other night…which was legit. I was at my girlfriend’s apartment and they towed me from it. The only thing that pissed me off was that the old smoking whore at the front desk was refusing to swipe my Visa card because it doubled as a Debit/Check card. I kept arguing with her to swipe it as credit, and she kept refusing to. Finally she did, and to her amazement, IT WORKED. Wow…who would have thought the owner of a card would know how it works?!? Then she said, “Next time, you better have a PIN number because I won’t do it as credit.” I said, “According to Florida law…yes you will!” (I actually did the research into Florida to find Sec. 20-168-(b)(2) to find they MUST accept credit cards. In your face you old whore)

My last thing I dont appreciate is that they charge almost $100 to take a vehicle from a college student. I think that towing companies should find a reason NOT to tow, and not look for every opportunity TO tow. If the person is a resident, maybe take some consideration. Especially with college students, and ESPECIALLY with someone who is currently and will be serving his country. It is because of the scum like that, that I am ashamed to put my life on the line to protect their freedoms that they are obviosly taking advantage of with an unethical practice. It is one thing to take a vehicle that doesn’t belong in the lot…but it is another to take a college student who LIVES at the apartment.

Professional Parking Services is even hated by local police officers, who have had to give me rides to their office. They tell me stories of how they enjoy arresting them when they tow illegally…because they do it quite often. Just more proof they prefer to TOW TOW TOW, without looking for a reason. It is no wonder that they have bullet holes all on the building…I wouldn’t doubt it that they pissed off the wrong person who just went gun crazy on them. The fact that someone can sleep at night, because they towed a college student/military serviceman’s car is pathetic. But you know…I am not all upset, because I believe in everything the Bible teaches, and I am almost certain that the people who participate in sleezy towing like them will only spend eternity in one place…and I doubt it’s entrance is a Pearly Gate.

“is anybody there ?? its me khalid”

Isn’t that the name of a Beverley Cleary book, “Are You There, God, It’s Me, Khalid?”

Some one I love , dropped me in here and she did not realise that I cant swim ? I need help where is she and why she dumped me here , what so special to bring me in here ??? help help D

What a hoot! This has to be the longest gripe I have ever read.Having been on both ends of this industry I have to say this. Those of you with expired “tags”. You have all been WRONG!!!! It is up to the property owners to tow your car. And if you are at a mall because your kid is potty training does not give you the right to drive a car without a tag. If you had gone home you could have had as long as you wanted to put your tags on. As for the jerk that was just checking his mail and went for a piss and was only gone for 3 minutes, I would like to know how you did that? It would take at least 3 minutes to get the door of your house open, so you would of had to piss yourself on the way in order to be done in 3 mins. Parking on the line, LEARN how to drive. Better yet save the rest of us from having to put up with you twits and stay out of the malls. As for MAD your personal/family problems are yours not the property owners problems. The last thing the owners want are a shitload of abandoned vehicles making the property looking like a dump site for abandoned cars. If you can`t be responsible for what you own then you deserve it. How would you feel if somebody left a fridge and stove in your lawn because they didn`t have time to get rid of it? For the most part the towing industry has been shit on, and I agree there are a lot of bad apples out there. But (and- no disrespect you can`t call everyone a nigger just because they are black. The next time your car breaks down. Call your relatives. Or better yet. Hold your breath and maybe the good Lord will wave a hand and your problems will be solved. If you want to BITCH like so many of you seem to want to, why not complain about the price of fuel while you drive your teenagers to the mall 5 blocks away in your SUV`s. Or complain about how much it cost to fix that “little” dent in your front bumper from hitting the tree in your front yard because you were on your cell phone when you parked and spilt your coffee on your lap top causing you to miss that big pedal on the left. Most of you jackasses deserve being towed. As for what you paid, SKYFORUM seems to have summed it up. If you think these trucks come at a discount you are way out of line. Do you pay less for your fancy car because you are on welfare? If you do then I`ll tell you what. Put your tooth back in and I may even consider gettin` hitched. NOT!!!!! Please break down. then try and find help. Better yet, get a flat on the left side of your car on the highway. Then read your owners manual (assuming you asses can read) and change your own tire. If you don`t have a spare, call the bastard that sold you the car and tell them they should change it. Stand on the left side of your car on the highway and tell me if you want to change some whining assholes tire for $20. Oh and they don`t even have a jack. To the honest people that are ROAD ANGELS. May you stand tall and proud, The hell with these jerks. As for the BANDITS as we call them in CANADA may you get what you deserve.These are the BASTARDS that give the rest of us a bad name. Thats my rant!

SO THEY SAY TOW TRUCK DRIVER ARE SCUM? WELL MY SCUMBAG HUSBAND OF A TOW TRUCK DRIVER MADE OVER 100,000.00 LAST YEAR AND YOU MADE WHAT? THAT IS WHAT I THOUGHT.

IN FACT IT IS THE SCUM TOW TRUCK DRIVER WHO RISKS HIS LIFE TO CHANGE YOUR TIRE IN THE FAST LANE BECAUSE YOUR NOT SMART ENOUGH TO GET OVER IN THE SLOW LANE NOR DO YOU CHECK THE CONDITION OF YOUR TIRE. MIND YOU THIS USUALLY HAPPENS ON THE NIGHT OF MY DAUGHTERS SCHOOL PLAY AND DAD HAS TO LEAVE TO HELP YOUR 4 YEAR COLLEGE DEGREE HOLDING SELF CHANGE A TIRE IN THE RAIN!!!! YES WE ARE THE ONES WHO SEE THE LIFELESS BODY OF A CHILD IN THE MIDDLE OF THE HIGHWAY ALL LANES CLOSED BECAUSE YOU DROVE DRUNK AND HIT SOMEBODY ELSES FAMILY NOW HAVING TO PLAN A FUNERAL WHEN THEY WERE ON THEIR WAY TO DISNEYLAND TO TAKE A GLEAMING 6 YEAR OLD FOR THE FIRST TIME!! THINK BEFORE YOU SPEAK……………

Read before you speak.

That is all.

hi guys i is an intelijunt profassional from Greg’s Tow N’ Strip Down Co, and befor u guys criticitisize towing profesionels u should realize that it costs us hundreds of millions of dollers just to buy a truck and maintain a truck and hire drivers and buy a truck…. so next time u have 2 pay 150 dollers remembar that thats only just the cost of gas for us 4 the day!!!!1!!

Just kidding, I hate towing companies and I think I have more of a reason here than anyone. If you have any aftermarket electronics in your car, be careful never to allow it to get towed and if it does then get it out as fast as possible. I had over 6000 dollars worth of stuff stripped from my car, as well as windows and even the automatic shifter were damaged. It took me over a year before I saw my money and even then not all the damages were covered. And I see a lot of complaints from people from the south… at least you guys don’t have to worry about ‘snow emergencies’ (aka, police/towing company lottery). A few flakes of snow from the sky, and every on the main street is parking on your street. There is nowhere you park, so you park on the now already clearing up main street and wake up to find your car towed, no way to get to work, and the towing company wants 150 or whatever outrageous price they charge for YOUR trouble. If these people, be it the towing companies, police, or the politicians who make the laws that “tax” innocent hard working people just looking for a place to park… if they had any guts they’d be out stealing for a living.

I am sorry you had your things stolen from your car, if you live in ca. I can tell you go to the department who stored your car and they have the 180 from when they stored your car on that it should say what was in the car when it was towed, with that you will be able to go into small claims, like I said in CA you can sue the company for 3 times the amoumt of the products stolen from your car, again I would like to say there are companies out there ( MY self being one) that do all the can to keep this crap from giving the towing industry a bad name. you have to remember most of the freaks that get their car stored are not the most responsibile citizens! Most owe their drug connect or someone else and that is usually the one who steals the 6000.00 of aftermarket equip. Personally my response has always been you have no licence no reg. no insurance what in the hell do you have 6000.00 in stereo equipment for 9 times out of 10 6000.00 means 50.00 and the car is some old pos that we will never get our money for so you think you lost your car but in reality I lost money towing your POS!

Well last night an old friend invited me to go to a show at the Gothic Theater in Denver. I have never been to the Gothic, so it sounded like fun. I arrived at 825pm, parking in a parking lot where there several other vehicles parked and assumed that since it was on the same block as the theater, and it was after hours witha sign stating “FOUR HOUR PARKING…WEEKENDS AND HOLIDAYS EXCEPTED.” After entering the show and watching the first three songs of the first band, we go outside to smoke during an intermission, I realize my smokes are in the car and THANK GOD I walked out when I did cuz I approached my car with all four tires in the ground still but hooked on the tow truck. I ask what the problem was and if they could please explain why they were taking my car, and the rude man replied with, “CALL THE NUMBER ON THE SIDE OF THE TRUCK”. He wouldn’t say anything else. I offered the men one hundred dollars a peice to leave my car and they refused and sound like a broken record, repeating themselves again. Finally I got the other man to say where they were towing it to and the minimum charge for getting it out. LYONS towing at 4300 elati st. and the minimum charge would be 260.00 to get it out this evening.

I think your site should develop some professionalism and filter messages that are put to damage companies reputations on facts built on lies. This reflects poorly on your site and the comments posted. This site should develop some class…
thx

S&S Towing is doing things ILLEGALLY is all I have to say. They are a bunch of liars and scum buckets of the Earth. Did they hire these people straight from prison is what I want to know? The nasty skanky Harley chick at the office, I hope I see outside of that place one day. I’d love to shove my boot up her A$$! Anyhow, they have their signs posted everywhere, which also say they accept credit cards. Well… yeah, they told us CASH ONLY to get it out (which I wasn’t going to wait any longer). Which of course, got them another $800 in their pockets for the time we had to run to the bank and get enough cash. I won’t go into great detail, because I am in the process with Attorney General and Springfield at the moment because of them. oh BTW… did you know they have been on the news for SCAMMING people?? Also, like I said, they are LIARS. They say they do things, which they didn’t. As I said, I can’t say much, working on a case right now. Just really glad I have some connections to some good politics outside of Melrose Park!!! S & S Towing S&S Tow S & S Tow (sorry, putting some good key words for people searching for them 😉

Our 8yr. old Hyundai compact car was towed when we were out of town over the Christmas holidays. When I returned to our home in FL there was a notice in the mail where to pick up the car. I went to get it, BUT since it was registered in my husband’s name I could not pay the bill and pick it up even though I showed proof of auto insurance in my name, marriage proof and a key that worked. Unfortunately, my husband was out of town on business and would not be back for another 2 weeks. By the time he returned it would be 3 weeks and the tow charges and storage charges ($875+)would about equal the value of the car. We were forced to tell them they could keep the car as payment which they seemed to agree to…..However, a couple months later we were billed for the full amount of the towing and storage AND they had taken our car. They are still hounding us and have messed up our credit….It is a nightmare with collection letters and calls constantly… TOW COMPANIES SUCK BIG TIME !!!!! HELP……….

Ahh how adorable. Tow truck companies chiming in acting like they are UNICEF or something. Please, you guys help out no one, you get paid top dollar to do business. Tow Truck companies are the scum of the Earth. Most of the comments here are about how it was wrong for them to even get towed. Hell, I can live with that for the most part. My problem is the damage and the theft that occurs afterwards. I was towed today. My registration had expired. Citizens pay people to enforce the law, they are called the Police, not the tow truck company. If my registration expires it’s no one’s business except mine and the Police (so stay the F*** away from my car). Anyways I knew I would get towed very soon and was planning to sell the car within a week. Knowing how disgusting TT companies are I cleared everything out of my car (the night before, I’m pretty proud of myself). I talk to my apartment manager and she tells me “well it’s our policy to tow vehicles that are out of registration”. Oh my, do you wanna check my cellar in case I’m hiding any Jews down there? OK fine, these things happen. Call, 100 bucks to get it out, ok, will do. I’m still in pretty good spirits. Like I said, these things happen from time to time. Get to the rancid impound yard. I am met with the same chain-smoking 40 y/o looks 60 y/o women that works at every TT company in the nation. Pay, get taken out to this landfill called an impound. Rocks that could snap your ankles and weeds that could cover the Chrysler building. See my car and it is buried with cars millimeters away from it. WTF, it just got here. My car had obviously been rifled thru. The split seat in the rear is never down which it was. I look and they had stolen my antenna. OMG, this guy was so mad I had nothing to steal he takes the antenna! Forklift operator comes over and to get my car out and has to move this pretty decent Celica. Jethro, the company ape picks up this car and drops it. I look to see if my car got smashed. He waves me off like I’m an idiot. Oh, i’m sorry, I get a little weird when someone nearly drops a 2 ton car on mine..sorry bro. We spend about 45 seconds staring each other down in the process (good business practices here). To re-grab the Celica he starts bouncing (yes bouncing) it on the extended forks. Holy crap dude, it’s a car, not a box of diapers. Tow truck companies are disgusting, shady places filled with employees who are the same. They get paid to tow and store vehicles for a good fee. They do not get paid to pilfer thru cars and damage them. Oh, btw, all three people I dealt with at this place were all wearing IPODS. Hmmmm, how’d ya get those. I know of not one single person who hadn’t had belongings stolen from their car at an impound.

I still can’t get over all the “try changing your tire in the rain” nonsense. I have changed my tire in the rain. It wasn’t that hard. You are not Angels of the highways. You are getting PAID to preform a service. Get over yourself’s. It’s not a public service. And to the lady who bragged about her hubby making 100k last year from tow truck driving. I bet he’s got 50 IPODS for sale on E-bay that he stole. Lady, you don’t realize you just admitted to the same thing we are all complaining about. We didn’t say they were poor. We said they were scumbags and thieves. Making 100k driving a tow truck leads me to beleive he is both.

hey next time when you have to spend 100+ for a vehicle and hear people whine and complain about a 40-50 bill, maybe you will feel the tower’s lives. In some cases these trucks are worth over 300K+. Ya real losers and scumbags hey. Please all you posting these lame comments sound like little babies. Tow truck drivers are put at risk everyday during there jobs. For all you so-called intelligent people who complete mindless posts, check the news. Tow truck drivers are killed everyday because of people like you, who are not smart enought to watch the road. Keep banging on these guys though, because obviously you have nothing else more important to do in life. And in every industry there are shady characters (medical, legal, real estate, police), but don’t write about them, bang on the guys who work 15+hours per day doing jobs like changing tires/boosts/unlocks and the unfortunate part of the business, private impounds. You folks that whine and complain reflect your ignorance and poor educations within your posts. keep posting though as you provide comedy on long nights.

I was touched by the scum today. My wife parked her car in our residential parking space late at last night and the car stood over the white line. It was towed this early morning. The towing company fined us for $250! Unfortunately we can do nothing for it. They took pictures to proof that they are doing the right thing. We have signed contract with the manager that we are not suppose to do anything wrong. I found these from our contract (Hamlet West Apartments 1729A Champlain Dr., Baltimore, MD 21207, tel:410-944-5100):

1) All vehicles must have current and legal tags and inspection stickers;
2) All vehicles must be in operational condition (no flat tires, no missing parts, no broken windows, and no wrecked parts causing vehicle to be inoperable);
3) No double parking.

So they have all the legel weapon, and we are the helpless lambs.

I say that you all need to quit complaining about what they charge,and get over it. Thank about fuel cost, cost of the employee to be there, and not to mention the cost of repairs. I’m not saying that you may not have a a right to some arguements, but come on, take a look around @ whats going on these days. Look @ the fuel prices, ciggerett taxes, prices in the store how come no one is attacking them? Sure maybe some of the towing companies charge alot, but so do other buisness. How about Court houses, police,Fire departments ect. and that is just a few that I can think of.

Wow. I recently had my car written off by ICBC in Kelowna. The car was at another towing compound where I went and took out my Ipod and other valuable personals. After my appointment I went to the ICBC salvage yard to retrieve my stereo and my subs. The salvage yard was run by Kelowna Auto Towing and was quite an unorganized mess. They had no idea where my car was and were quite rude. When they finally found my car, I went and found out my stereo/subs and cd’s were missing. When I asked them they were quite rude and blamed everyone else involved. I phoned ICBC and received little response. This is crazy and from what I have heard from others is quite consistent with Kelowna Auto Towing’s business practices. So advice to others, when your car is written off in Kelowna, collect your personals immediately as Kelowna Auto Towing appears to have security problems within their yard. I wonder why I paid insurance for my belongings?

Advanced Towing Company in Arlington, VA is full of crap towing company in the business. My car was towed away 10 minutes earlier than agreement they have with Management Company (move away cars without permit after 11:30pm). Can you imagine a feeling when you get out of building at 11:20pm and see that your car place on hook and move away… Of course there is no explanation and even look to my side. There is no luck to argue or dispute with dispatcher of the towing company when your car has been already moved. Even I have timestamp of 911 call at 11:25pm and around 11:30pm to the towing company, I still lost $100 for nothing. And a great wish to that bold fat moron track driver to die his own death. Fu**er!!!

Gotta say this about Arlington Police…

Locked myself out one afternoon with light drizzle and walked 1/2 mile to a school ballpark to look for help. Police person on duty called it in and after 40 min or so wait, the police person with the right skills & a slim jim made his way through traffic (and after dealing with an arrest) and the long distance to me at the other end of the district and quickly unlocked my car. And no one made me feel like an idiot for being well, an idiot. They said it was good I hadn’t walked further to the gas station because they all stopped doing this sort of stuff a while ago.

Now getting my car towed was a different story…the guy was nice and cheaper than the rest, but I did mind parts of my car being knocked off in the storage lot, like the license plate holder. And the direct pay rates are ridiculous. Does it really cost $120 to pick up and drive a car 10 minute away during non-rush hour?

Living near D.C your complaints about the wait time aren’t valid. You couldn’t get through a previously called in tow and then out to your car – in what passes as moving highway traffic around here – in any less time. We’ve all sat still looking at 65mpg signs. Can’t say any of them estimate accurately, which is annoying, but it’s a once in a while experience so a little more wait time isn’t a big deal.

The home owners associations are another trip. My expired non-starting car was tagged for towing in a parking lot with plenty of spots. They wouldn’t extend it the couple of days I needed to donate the car (I’d been debating what to do with my baby, and the sticker pushed the issue, but I’d already lined someone up to take it who could come two days later). The supervisor said no, but finally a lowly clerk kept moving my name to the bottom of the list until for two days so I’d have time to do something good with it. Now that’s beuracratic stuff.

So here’s to cars that work… and that have the good sense to “hide” when the insane parking monitors come around.

Seanp1

“check my cellar in case I’m hiding any Jews down there?”

What kind of disgusting bigot are you? Your complaints about towing companies ring disingenous when you paint some people as scum that needs hiding.

You hide.

Know the expression enie minnie minie mow, catch a tiger by the toe, if he hollers let him go…
Are you one of those who’d still use the original? Catch a n-word by the toe. If not, then leave off your anti-Jew phrases too. If so, then get a soul.

Well, story of my own. I have an Escalade EXT that got towed recently by a company called Circle City Recovery out of Indy. Long story short son was in an auto accident, I was freaked when I got to the hospital, parked where I wasn’t supposed to. Ok, inside my truck was a $749 Garmin Unit, in console and about $300 worth of CD’s in a case. Not to mention, I own a business and I had a briefcase full of papers, that included company checks, timesheets, personal info. on my employees.

The kicker? The next day was Sunday. Closed. Had to wait for Monday. Get there…All my belongings had been put into a trash sack. The panels that cover my truck bed were out that day. All the belongings from the briefcase were wet (it rained) scattered in the bed of truck, briefcase gone, CD’s gone and my freaking Garmin!!! They denied that anyone had gone through my stuff. Which I want to know why it was removed??? Was told they were not responsible. I was told they used numerous subs to tow for them and…they didn’t have record of who’d towed my truck in…BS!!!! You have to pay someone for it, right? Lawyer…!!!!!

ok just read your statement, and I gotta say I agree with you on that girlfriend thing. but well I work for a towing company. first off we have contracts with various condo’s apartment building, banks, shopping mall and other groups. WE DO NOT PATROL, who has time for that???? they call us, and only those names given at the start of the contract can call us. if you park in a tow away zone, Than you should get towed. no matter what the excuse. I towed three sheriff cars last month. hey they were parked illigally and they knew it. that does not mean I am a towing nazi I just tow. so leave us alone thank u.

I happen to like s&s towing keep up the good work

LOL at some of these pro predatory towing comments. Oh, the best is the “I make $100,000 a year so I’m really smart.” “Or we are not scum charging $150 for a tow.” Get over yourselves, earning capacity does not determine class, drug dealers make a lot of money, are they upper class too?

Towing does serve an important purpose in a civilized society. The problem is the practices that are employed by the companies, such things as predatory towing, outrageous fees and rude if not incompetent employees have turned most people off from the valuable services that your companies do supply. I have an idea, if you don’t want people to think poorly of you and your profession do something about the way you operate. Or just keep pissing people off… You might regret it when they elect people who pass ordinances that hammer you for your unethical practice.

You tow truck drivers must be joking! “We are not all scum”. What a joke! You chose to earn a living ruining hard working peoples lives. While we are out making the world a better place, you are out prowling for your next meal. Scumbags. Why dont you just sit at home and wait until my car breaks down, ill call you and gladly pay you. Until then stay the hell off the streets.

I just found this site and thought I would add my expearince I got towed last week in Calgary,Alberta,Canada.. The towing firm was called Billys Towing Ltd..To make a long story short he quoted on the phone a set price I met him he demanded my C/C and told me he had to hold it..I thought this was strange but went with it after we got to the shop he told me the price was 3 times more then what I was quoted .. I was floored when I tryed to reason with him he went crazy and told me i was trying to skip out of my tow bill and he was going to call the police th charge me with fraud! he said and I quote ” the last guy that did not do what I told him is still in the hosp… I guess i had to pay him so I did .. I mean i kinda feared for my life he had knives stuck in the dash and such.. well to make a long story short I found that there is noone to call on this matter to complain and since he did not hurt me the police wont get involved.. I guess all i have to say is There are a lot of very good drivers and companies out there. They have a job that is potentially very dangerous, and the working conditions tend to be poor. Most of them do not make a whole lot of money. They are working to provide a living. There a bad drivers out there too, and there are some out and out criminals…and this guys one of them

I own a wrecker service that performs towing of ilegally parked vevicles from private property. #1. Yes a towing company has enforcement powers when ir comes to vehicles on private property. #2. 99% pecent of all people that get towed desreve it! #3 1% percent of towing companies are crooks and don’t stay in business very long. #4 If a person has a drivers license here in Texas, they agree to obey all traffice signs, in Texas towing signs fall under TXDOT and are traffic signs. #5 The property owners have rights and trespassers do not! #6 If you were towed from an apartment community, then more than likely you signed a rental agreement and that agreement has parking rules, and all residents are responsible for their guest. Quit crying and bi_ching and start following the law & rules. On this site I have not read one reply from a person stating that they deserved to be towed, YOU KNOW WHY? Because they didn’t get towed to begain with, they knew better. People pay to go to college to learn, well if you been towed then you paid and you shold have learned. “DON’T DO IT AGAIN”

I had my car written off and delivered from a tow company to an ICBC approved salvage yard. The yard was run by Kelowna Auto Towing. When i went to my car to retrieve my personals my ipod, stereo and valuable sports equipment was missing. I asked them what had happened and they were extremely unorganized. They tried to blame everyone else especially the other towing company, they even mentioned that the police might have taken an item. I had spoken to the other company who did the initial tow before my car went to salvage cand they were nice enough to offer me lots of time to come and retrieve all my personals. Due to personal reasons (work) I could not attend. They took an inventory before delivering the car to the ICBC salvage yard. They would not say but I assumed they had concerns about the ICBC salvage yard as well. When I called ICBC, it did not seem like this was the first time they have encountered this with this salvage company.
I have no recourse now and will be without my gear. I have asked around and it seems quite apparent that this company is quite famous for these actions. I wonder if I have any other options for insurance and storage of my items if an accident occurs. And why does ICBC work with such an unorganized mess?

I have a little story for you readers as well. I dont think all Tow truck drivers are scum, but there are a few companys that sure dont help the Industries reputation..

I live in Squamish BC.
I had a accident with my diesel pickup, and we thought it was a possible write off. So we had it towed through Payless Towing , and then towed to icbc and then to a auto body shop.
Now somewhere between the three stops. I had 70.00 worth of fuel syphoned out of my tank.. Did ICBC take it. I think not, The Auto body shop take it.. I think NOT, so it leaves it to the Payless Towing who had it in a locked compound for three days…….Did i get it back, NO did they admit to taking fuel ..of course not.. DO i hate all tow truck drivers NO but I DO not trust these guys here……..But i do appreciate the tow……. so thanks for the tow but not for the missing fuel but I am greatful they left me enough to get to a service station to refill my tank.

Yes, tow trucks are there for emergencies. However, they know amongst themselves that the real money is with police tows. In Boston, these guys (of course under city contracts) charge a small fortune – $110 standard- to retrieve a car. There should not be utter disregard for the parking rules. But a lot of the time there are defendable actions. At least with moving violations you can go to court and defend yourself. With parking, even if you manage to defend yourself to city hall, you will never recover the tow fee. And you better pay fast b/c it goes up every day. I read some of these stories. I’m not surprised at all that some of them say ‘Well, you deserve it’ or ‘We don’t prowl’ What I have to say is that with the city/police is doing, THAT is organized crime.

Thursday, Feb. 21st.2008..
My friend, fiance, and new born baby had a blow out on the side of I-5 in washington. After trying to get the tire off, and finding out that the bolt was to tightly on and it was severely striped! We had to call a tow company that works with AAA. Carl’s towing came out and tried to help get the tire off. Now he came to the conclusion he couldn’t that we needed to be towed to the nearest city. We were in the middle of nowhere. As he persisted to hoyst the car (with me & the baby in it!!)My fiance asked if the baby and I could ride up front in the cab with the tow truck driver.
He said No you are fine where your at, just stay in the car..The baby and I were in the back seat of a 96′ 2door Acura Integra low profile. I was terrified as my anxiety set in.. He proceeded to reel the car up onto the flat bed with all 4 of us in it. We drove 8 miles being shook up like as if we were on a rollacoaster ride! Now how many people take thier babies on a rollacoaster ride????
She was cryin the whole ride. My freind was having a panic attack scared for her life as was I! When I tried to call and file a complaint, they told me to call an attorney to file a complaint. And wouldn’t even hear me out!! Talk about scum of the earth..I have nightmears about the car falling off the truck and being trapped in the back with my baby ever since.

I had to pay $366 to pick up my car 10 miles away.

Hey thanks for stealing my car, have some money.

B***hes I hope they rot in hell. Either that or I will see them in court.

I HAVE SIT AND READ THE GOOD AND BAD ,SOUNDS 2 ME WHEN ITS 2AM ANDIT WONT START, US SCUM AS U CALL US ,TURN OUT 2 B YOUR BEST D… FRIEND SO ALL OF U NAME CALLERS GUESS WHERE U CAN JUMP & IM BEING NICE

Predatory Towing a live and well in Secaucus New Jersey

I was out late and parked in the CVS parking lot in 1300 Paterson Plank Road Secaucus, NJ 07094 ,and my car was towed by Atlantic Towing 230 W Forest Ave Englewood, NJ 07631(201) 567-5330 and charged $250 to get the car and when I objected she was told she had to wait till Monday to get the car. There are NO “no parking signs and the only sign says 1 ½ hour parking I was not parked that long I had to be some where else in lass than that amount of time.

What was done was in violation of the Governors PREDATORY TOWING PREVENTION ACT on many counts, see the bold!

These are the violations:

1) Under the new legislation, if a motor vehicle is to be towed from private property without the vehicle owner’s consent, there must be conspicuous warning signs posted detailing parking rules and towing conditions. No such signs exist, the signs simply say only 1 1/2 hour parking only and I was not there for that length of time.

2) The tow truck must affix a decal stating that the truck is registered with the Division of Consumer Affairs, No such decal.
3) It unlawful to give an advantage or preference to any person who provides information about vehicles parked for unauthorized purposes on privately owned property. The bill will require operators to release a vehicle subject to non-consensual towing if the vehicle had not yet been removed from the property. If this occurs, the towing company must charge no more than a “decoupling” fee. The bill also prohibits refusal to accept payment for towing services by debit or credit card, if the towing company regularly accepts these forms of payment. Landlord uses a spotter! If not the tow company was engaged in “cursing the parking lot looking for pick ups”
4) They must also provide reasonable accommodations for after-hours release of stored vehicles and are prohibited from charging an additional fee for releasing a vehicle after normal business hours. When I challenged the towing, the tow company help the car till Monday!
5) The bill also prohibits refusal to accept payment for towing services by debit or credit card, if the towing company regularly accepts these forms of payment. Atlantic wanted cash only exact change!

Well, well, well. As an owner of a company owned by my family since 1986 please hear me out. In this entire world a certain amount of people are scum, I dont deny that, and any one can buy a tow truck and work. When you are in need of a service remember you get what you pay for! Most people want the cheapest service and wonder why they sit on the side of the road for 3 hours. While I believe that is unacceptable it happens. Look for a company with EXPERIENCE NOT CHEAP WORK! As for all of you who have motor clubs that handle your tows expect a long time because they pay $15 for a tow 5 miles away. Well it cost me $5 a mile to run my truck with all expenses. So if you are 4 miles away, and need to be towed 5 miles that HONESTLY cost me $45 so that is why you should expect to pay $45-75 for a tow. My company prides it self in providing the best possible service but 1 out of 10 customers will end up angry at my company because 1.If you are on the side of the road chances are so are not happy. 2.If you get your vehicle impounded because YOU BROKE THE LAW chances are you are upset. 3.If you are involved in an accident you are mentally and physically upset. So please hear me out I have been called a thief, liar, idiot, attacked, threatened, and even ran off of the road. But If I was a terrible person I would not have been in business for 22 years. Most companies in my area are descent, and a lot are just people who own tow trucks who really hurt our industry WE ARE Humans, mistakes are made but MOST of us are not the scum of the earth. If you have any questions please let me know I will be happy to help!

First off all towing companies are not bad. That is like saying you recieved your food wrong at a fast food joint that all fast food joints are bad.

Being a wrecker operator is very hard stressful profession. A profession with long hard hours.

It cost a lot of money to be in this industry. Truck , insurance, trained operator fuel equipment,ware and tare on your trucks.

There are a lot of Quality towing companies in the states. We provide a service to the motoring public at the best rate we can afford. We are here to turn a profit, that’s called buisiness.

If you did any research on towing, and recovery you would see how many lives we save lifting heavy vehicles off trapped victoms. How we donate time, and vehicles to fire departments to train on. Working witn MADD setting up wrecked cars in front of high schools to edecate the young motoring public.

Myself I do not believe in patrol towing. To me it should be left up to a police agency to have a vehicle towed because the sticker was expired. That is just my opinion thou.

So please before you streo type us please get all the facts gathord. I am sorry you had a rough expirence with towing, but please believe me when I say all we really want to do is help people in need of our service at a fair rate. A rate allowing us to turn a profit.

There are good and bad in every profession we are sorry to hear you had a bad experiance here at TLC Towing & Recovery our goal is to help people we are a Non-Profit organization and have steered clear of the any bad practices.

Dont let some of these tow-truck drivers pretend like they are out to help people. They might tell themselves that so they can sleep at night.
They get paid to tow people when they’re broken down. It’s not like pro-bono work or anything. They’re not cruising up and down the road looking to help people out of bad spots. Somebody foots the bill, whether you or your insurance company.
On the other hand, tow truck drivers know when they start that they will be towing people indiscriminately. That means a mother working her ass off to feed her kids, or maybe somebody who didn’t even know they were illegally parked will have their own property taken by some dirt-bag stranger.
It’s easy to say “well they are breaking the law, they should follow the rules”, but honestly once again just using that to justify their slime-ball lifestyle.
Towing wouldn’t be such a big deal, but these tow companies charge astronomical fees. $200 to tow somebody 2 miles down the street. Dirt bags.

I love this site. Really, where else can a tow truck scum rant go on and on. Being from Kelowna as well, yes they are scum. They will tow you, steal whatever is of value. Not all of them are this way in Kelowna, B.C. but a lot are.

Cool store representing our favorite towers

http://www.threadpit.com/store/product.php?productid=77

In Kelowna, some of the tow companies have side deals with security and so on so when a vehicle is parked illegally or even somewhat illegally, the security guard will then phone the tow truck company with the contract for said area an tow the guy and split the profits.

There was a very cool job site called Mario’s towing that a lot of you here would get a good laugh out of. It was even set up so that if anyone had a complaint about any of the Kelowna and area tow truck companies, the comment would be immediately sent to Kelowna City Hall. Very classic site, but of course it was taken down when Mario’s Towing Complained. “From Rip-Jobs to Hand-Jobs, we do it all” was the slogan of the site.

Craig

Hello my name’s Joseph Rodriguez and my age is 35 year’s old and I’ve been driving A tow truck since I was seventeen year’s old, at A couple of companie’s that I worked for, I was the only driver. And worked about 110 hour’s A week.Since then I was in A motorcycle accident and it has placed me in this wheel chair. And receiving physycal therapy to help me walk again.I am getting sick of working b.s. office job’s for next to no pay. I guess I miss towing so much I need to be part of A company somehow, even if it’s not in A truck doing repo’s and illegally park’ed car’s and accident’s. I do have my class B and after failing the class A test, Once I am walking again I’ll be able to start my own company finally. I’m done talking smack, If you would’nt mind hiring A injured old school tow truck driver to be part of your business call,1-347-964-5322

Well im not above bashing people no ones perfect but i was a victim of what some call theft .. fraud… and vandalism. This right now is in civil court as of jan 5th Im a kelowna resident and I was actually spending the weekend at my gf’s. I was gone for two days and only to come home to find my car gone .. get this .. it was parked on my front lawn .. its legal and it was on a street where most people park thier cars …On MY LAWN and yes my name is on the title to the house i own it … now this is what gets to me .. they towed it cause the plates don’t match .. umm no shit mario’s towing i recently purchached the velicle and legally LEGALLY im allowed to have the plates on there for 10 days they where off my mr2 .. they where on my 89 honda accord a cop who pulled me over about it said it was perfectly legal after i showed him my proof of purchace , now they refused to return my velicle after they took it off my front lawn .. this is my property .. when i called the police about it they released the velicle after the police demanded that the velicle is returned , as i went to the lot to retrive it … both my front tires where flat… the rims where bent my front bumper was ripped and torn several places .. and low and behold .. my reverse didnt’ work it got jammed in reverse and yet didnt’ work .. when i parked it .. the reverse did work … there is an estimated 3200 dollars in damage for a car i paid 600 for. Ladies and Gentlemen this is mario’s towing in kelowna b.c … this isn’t the first time they’ve done this .. and this isn’t the first time they’re going on theft charges .. so becarefual on who you choose to tow… incidently on my way from calgary back to kelowna i slid in a ditch .. i didn’t have any money on me but 40 bucks enough for gas for the trip home ….a tow truck stopped and he said he couldnt’ do it with out being paid … he started to drive off and as he did he stopped .. backed up and pulled me out of the ditch ….free of charge .. he said he couldn’t leave me on the hwy like that. I can’t remeber the name of the towing company but i thank him if he ever reads this

It is really funny to see posts and more posts coming out of Kelowna, BC, Canada. This is where Mario’s Towing lives and thrives. This is one of many of their tricks. They don’t want to give you back your car because they want to be paid for the low. They are predatory towing and love towing vehicles parked at residential properties, the the various beaches and public parks, and so on. So earlier reviews on this blog and your see Mario’s Towing mentioned again again and again. They are notorious for damaging vehicles when they don’t get their way(money).

Sorry to hear about yoour bad luck with this company. You should take some pics and post them online so people around the world can see thier decrepid building and all the vehicles they have towed.

John

So many people are ready to attack the towing industry when they do not follow they themselves are the ones who did not follow the rules and regulations. You speed, you get caught speeding, you get a ticket you pay the fine. You illegally park, not register your vehicle when and how you should, you get towed and fined. Do you really think that some guy out there really wants to go out and work as hard as it is to tow a car with no keys (which means it is stuck in gear and no tires roll) and then know that latter he is going to get yelled at for something that is just his job? He is probably only getting paid minimal for this job and might even get paid by the hour by the company he works for and would rather be out resucing someone, but instead he has to go out and work really hard and tow your stink’n car cause you didn’t follow the rules. I mean if you don’t want to be fined then just follow the rules. If, when you were a kid and got in trouble with your parents for whatever you did, wether it be ditching school, staying out too late, whatever it is, would you then turn around and get mad at them for getting mad at you for something “you” did wrong. Get over it, grow up. I bet you love the tow truck when you need help with you car, right????

umm whatsittoya…. they stole my car off my front lawn, read before you type

Predatory Tow Truck Drivers are the scum of the earth. The only think worse are child molesters. Drug dealers have superior morals than tow truck drivers because predatory tow truck drivers prey on people who are parked legally and look for some “technicality” for which to exploit so they can grab the car. Some times, they do it without a reason at all. Once they have possession of the car…they can get inside the car and alter the permit or remove it or throw it on the car seat and say it was not displayed properly. The legally abiding car owner is screwed.

If there was an illegal organization that I could give money to to go around and shoot tow truck drivers…I would give heartily.

I once had my hummer limousine towed when l went to a wedding venue, there was no where for me to park outisde the church and l disputed it

ok so hears the deal when you brake done you call do you honestly think your the only one caling us. or that we sit in our trucks waiting for you to call so we can speed to your rescue. it’s not our fault you cant seem to follow the parking rules either . so if you think we are really that bad why dont you call someone else when your car brakes down cause there is nothing worse then having a retard yelling when i’m loading there car be thankful we are there at all

In the UK there are very few complaints about operators.The vast majority are courteous and helpful.

wow, so in reviewing your complaint about your kia roadside experience, correct me if im wrong, but you said during your 3 and a half hour wait, and let me quote you exatcly here…During those 3 1/2 hours, I went to the police station across the street to see if they could help me (“Nope, we don’t do that anymore” — thanks to all my pals at the Arlington Police for the help).

uhm…wait a sec….
if you went somewhere else, why are you mad that they said the driver was already there waiting for you? also, sounds like they didnt have a direct call back # to get to you, as you mention they called the company you went to visit to pass a message along to you.

heres another direct quote from your text….At 2 1/2 hours, I called the towing company and they tried to tell me “Our guy was there, waiting for you!” I told him that he was full of crap because I had been there the whole time.

ok,l so who is full of crap here? im having a hard time figuring this out…wait, no im not, its pretty simple to see, you left, you were not there the whole time. none the less, you deserved to have your car towed because of your stickers. its not the fault of your neighbors, the tow company, or the owners of the property that ‘you forgot’. not their fault the girlfriends car was parked on the line, you got lucky with that one not paying for it. agreements ive got with local lots and businesses are set up in a few different ways. after business hours, keep the lot clear. some places are only if called, and others are only if the supervisor on duty signs a tow sheet. dont want towed? keep your stuff current. you know how much it costs to license a tow truck, and keep all the proper stickers on it? more hoops than your passenger car. and your kia being 2000 miles out of warranty? well, they do have to draw the line somewhere. your mad about being charged 40$ for someone to come out to jump start your car? how much should a company charge? figure theyve got a truck that cost 60k, insurance at about 2k a month, gas at 3$ a gallon, 7 or so miles per gallon, and they have to pay the emplyee to do the work. not only do the trucks carry insurance comparable to your auto insurance, they also carry shop-keepers insurance, which protects YOUR car while they service it. it sounds to me like alot of you folks expect to find your car sitting still while you shop, while parking directly in front of a sign that says something like ‘no parking, you will be towed’. the signs are there for a reason, its not your property, and you dont have a right to park there. wake up, quit being butt hurt.

advice from a tow man in the business for over 20 years…

if your car breaks down and you feel you need a tow, call us. know where youre at. the more details, the better. good phone numbers help, as well as answering your phone when an unknown number calls you. when the driver gets there, if you do need a tow, let him do his job. yes, your key would help. no, you dont need to lock your doors while your car is being loaded onto the truck. let the tow guy do his job. if you think you can do it better than he can, ask if his company is hiring. you can also tell him how many years of experience you have in the towing business before asking. it is best to let him do his job, and not distract him. your car is heavy, and there are alot of things that could go wrong. dont take his attention away from the task at hand. all the tow companies ive ever worked for require experience, as well as having to prove your skills and abilities to the hiring staff/boss/manager, whatever. companies are not going to pull a guy off the streets without a clue and put them behind the wheel of a 60k truck to service a 30 or 40k car. lately, tow companies are getting cheap with pay, last few places i contacted pay 10$ an hour. hmm…10$ an hour to tow your car, change a flat tire on the side of the highway….doesnt sound too good to me. 10$ an hour for a tow guy was 10 years ago or better, in my opinion. the local pizza guy will make more than that, dealing with a 30$ food order. the company i work for requires experience, clean driving records, and drug tests, which are issued from the same medical facility that provides the department of transportation physical examinations. we have new trucks every 3 years or less, so the equipment is always up to date and maintained properly. something else to keep in mind, when you call your roadside assistance, not all companies contract work with them. the companies like to pay less than half rate for services performed, sometimes even 25%. how inclined would you be to work for 25% of your wage for an hour or so? how much time would you invest in looking for someone who isnt there, at a rate of 25% your normal pay? personally, if youre not there, ill call. if youre 15 minutes away from your broken down car, i call your company, and get paid for showing up. you want me to go back? well, theyre gonna pay me again. first question i ask of all these motor clubs is ‘are they with the vehicle, and are they ready to be towed’. that way, when i call back and say youre not there, i tell them to pull the tapes, and pay me for showing up. this saves me also from wasting time with you waiting for a ride, or waiting for you to figure out what youre going to do. if youve been waiting for 30 minutes already, why wait til i get there to think of a plan? anyhow, im gonna get off my soap box. people like you just really piss me off.

stl tow man — Simple answers to your questions, though I think I may have already answered them elsewhere in the thread.

(Keep in mind this event happened ten years ago.)

When I went across the street to the police station, it was literally steps away from where my car was parked. And the policeman was outside on the sidewalk, not inside the station. I could see the car and the parking garage the whole time and the conversation took all of 30 seconds. So the tow truck company was full of crap, as I said.

I understand you wanting to defend your industry, but you’ve gotta admit: there are a lot of shitty people in the tow truck business.

I am a former employee of in-line towing in Calgary!
The drivers are not properly trained, or skilled. They don’t care about your vehicle, and they only want to get as much money out of your pockets as they can.

The owner teaches his guys how to legally STEAL property from innocent people, and generally doesn’t care about you, the customer.

His guys are never paid properly, and he never pays them their last two paychecks!

He is the most crooked business owner I know, and I have known some creeps!

None of his trucks would pass even a light DOT inspection, and are almost all ill-equipped to safely tow your vehicle.
Did I mention that he doesn’t even train his drivers!!!!

Inline SUCKS. I would ABANDON my vehicle before allowing it to be towed by them, and I used to work there!

STFU. Stop complaining and blaming towing companies. theyre jus tryin to do their job. and your girlfriend didnt have to pay anyways. stop feeling sorry for yourself.

One day last year my brother went home and shockingly saw his car disappeared from the driveway. Not knowing it had been towed by some scum bag from a crooked towing company, he called the police and reported his vehicle was stolen. About 4 weeks to a month later, he received a call from the thieves demanding him almost $2000 to redeem his car at their lot, citing towing and storage fees, all for an expired tag. They went to my brother’s driveway and took away his car without a police officer’s citation or anything. And this happened in a very well off private neighborhood with million dollar homes. When pressed about not leaving any paper letting the owner know what had happened to his car, they said they did leave the papers at the house but “the wind may have blown them away” and insisted he must pay and would not let the car out of their lot without paying. The promised to “discount” my brother $200 if he came within 3 days.

Needless to say, my brother refused to pay them and brought the matter to his lawyer who called and talked with the district attorney. The scum bag towing company ended up getting only $300 from my brother. After this incident we all loathe the low-life scum bag towing companies with a passion.

I have a question…I live in newjersey I was towed from my friends apartment complex for being parked in a reserved spot that I. Thought was hers Honest mistake my question is does a tow company have to have a contract with the apartment complex stating the fees they wil charge? because grones in tomsriver charged me 278.00 to tow my car 3 miles up the street and a few days earlier charged another women 350.00 for the same tow! My understanding was that by law they need to have a contract which they do not! Grones also made me pay cash I. Researched the law and again to my understanding if they normally except other forms of payment it is against the law for them to not except it for a non consensual tow and they do except credit card payments so their for I believe they broke the law? So if anyone can help me with the laws I would greatly appreciate it and is just not right for these tow companies to rip hard working people off I’m. Very upset about this whole situation!!!!

Don’t fail to renew your registration NJ or you will get towed. Then the “state registered/municipality chosen” towing companies allow the towing companies to hold your car hostage and extort money from you (government supported extortion). The will charge on average more than $350 and Law enforcement loves to say not my problem, just pay da man. So if you miss your registration in the mail, (and they don’t allow auto pay), be prepared to hand at least $350 cash (they don’t take credit cards) to “state registered” towing companies to tow your car less than .5 miles because you missed a little slip that cost $70 in the mail. Once again NJ gives it to the people but claims they are protecting us. Really it is state promoting thuggery and extortion in the guise of protection of the people (you). Thank them for making more laws, seriously though, what really need is for them to eliminate some laws, especially ones against the people.

I can’t believe this is still going. Towing companies are always rude and never there to be helpful in any way. That’s my experience. And why does every tow truck driver HAVE to be over 6’3″ and 250 lbs? Is that a requirement? It’s Bubba every time!

What I really like while reading through these comments is the attitude from towers saying not to judge them all over a few bad apples; but then turn around and claim that anyone and everyone who parks illegally are scum who don’t deserve sympathy. Nice hypocrisy! Sure, not all towers are evil. But neither is every single person who parked their car but didn’t get back before the meter ran out. I’ve had my car towed as abandoned because I was gone for a 3 day weekend. That sucks, but no I wasn’t screaming injustice. But then I talk to the tow company and they want to charge me $250 for the tow and $50 storage per day. I call the company asking how much a standard tow costs. They say $55 for the first 15 miles. I call the local police and ask how much the company charges them for an impound tow. After some run around (I assume it’s not a common question) they say $100. Aside from the fact they seem to be ripping off the police by charging nearly double what they would a private citizen; (paid by my tax dollars of course) I find out they’re *illegally* overcharging me as well! According to the laws of my state, (oh the power of Google) legally they cannot charge me more than what they would charge the police for an impound tow.

So this company was trying to charge $150 more than they *legally* are allowed, and nearly $200 more than what I’d pay if I just called them for a tow. And I’m sure many, many people just pay it to get their car back, no questions asked. The towers are banking that people are ignorant of the law, to collect money that legally they can’t charge. Tell me those people aren’t scum.

Anyway, when I brought the copy of the law and hinted I might talk to a newspaper or such about it, they quickly dropped that $150. I then paid what I actually owed and got my car back.

Okay,let me just say this to all you so called non scum wrecker drivers who claim i may need you someday. First off this is directed mainly towards you scum turds who drive around looking in parking lots for a prime target to be towed. My main point to you wrecker drivers is that when i need my truck towed I will be the one calling you. When you tow a car or whatever that was a decision made by you to do so. What really pisses me off is most of you couldnt care less about any of these words based on my experiance with you and your proffesional standards. When i place my name phone number on a trailer that i parked in an out of the way part of a parking lot to get my tractor fixed and I find out its not there, no phone call from you inconsiderate sh##s only to find out after paying 1,000 i can get my trailer back…….Im sure i think your mode of operation is honest. Cry your blues to someone else, scum might be alittle less then what i think of you wrecker drivers….. If i need you i will make the phone call……

What a bunch of whiners. Tow companies are on contract to do a job. They do not set the rules the parking lot owner, city, municipality or Province or State or whoever has control over the place that you parked sets the rules – they hire a tow company and tell them what to do.
If you screw up and park where you shouldn’t it costs you some time and a few bucks. It is not a tax grab – it is more of a stupidity tax.
Hopefully you are intelligent enough to learn from the experience. If tow truck drivers screw up and don’t do their job, by not towing you, it costs them their job. That price is a little steep all because you think they should feel sorry for your “oops”.
It is like speeding – we all do it but only idiots get bent out of shape when they get a ticket. You gambled and got caught – it’s quite simple – man up and quit your whining.
As far as waiting to get your car jumped – why didn’t you call KIA every 10 minutes – you paid for the service when you bought the car. Better yet join AMA or any of a number of auto clubs – they have designated tow companies who do not want to lose their contract either. Unfortunately a jump start is not a high priority when you have accidents closing down streets and highways.
Finally put yourself in their shoes. How many happy people do you think they meet in a day while doing their job? If you want a real eye opening ask a tow truck driver about some of the wrecks they have attended and the bodies of men, women, and children, they have seen because of the driving habit of people with the same entitled attitude that I see from the people posting here.

This is a really great website. I love to go back to see rants about to truck that goes on and on. Yes, towing companies will tow you, steal whatever is of value but not all of them. There are still legitimate and good companies out there who offer great service.

Tow truck company’s are gypsy’s and their legally allowed to be for one reason. They get away with anything and everything because they are needed by law enforcement. Basically their just trying to make a living. By making it impossible for other people to live life on a daily basis. There kind of like the communist that says hey if everyone gave me one dollar I wouldn’t have to work for a living. Oh yeah and no tow company is doing the community a favor by towing cars. The apartment people use innocent peoples money to get away with the fact that their to cheap to buy enough land tso there enough parking. Or fix the security gate.Its like America is a communist country.