Got my S5 towed last night...

[VicTorious1]

No signs in the parking spot that cars parked in that space will be towed. What's problematic for the towing company is that they don't comply with state law. Unfortunately for them, they towed an attorney's car and will bear the brunt of their state law violations which can be as much as $1,100 per violation and by my count they are in violation of at least 3. I'll be filling a complaint on Monday. For future reference, do not mess with my baby.

[TehC0de]

Go get em!

[S5xy]

Did they use a flatbed?

[Okan509]

No signs in the parking spot that cars parked in that space will be towed. What's problematic for the towing company is that they don't comply with state law. Unfortunately for them, they towed an attorney's car and will bear the brunt of their state law violations which can be as much as $1,100 per violation and by my count they are in violation of at least 3. I'll be filling a complaint on Monday. For future reference, do not mess with my baby.

what happens if there are signs as you enter the garage/lot but not at the individual space?

[Italiano]

I hate tow companies even more then lawyers LMAO

Sorry that was just to easy, no hard feeling some of my best friends are lawyers (they are not all bad) lol

[b4thea4]

what happens if there are signs as you enter the garage/lot but not at the individual space?

The signs are removed and pictures are taken, right?

[builditup]

That sucks for the towing company...They thought they could make a quick $300, yet they just opened a can of whup-ass! haha Good luck man.

[ActivS5]

Nice! That's really funny, but sorry about the car.

[Mops]

Ugh, hope the car is just as it was when you parked it. Git r dun lol.

[Beast]

make sure you check your car over for any damage

[VicTorious1]

what happens if there are signs as you enter the garage/lot but not at the individual space?

They generally can tow your car if there are signs in the lot when you enter. This lot had no signs when you enter, but had individual signs at the designated parking spots except for three, which is where I parked.

I hate tow companies even more then lawyers LMAO

Sorry that was just to easy, no hard feeling some of my best friends are lawyers (they are not all bad) lol

Ha, me too.

The signs are removed and pictures are taken, right?

Yep, pictures taken and I just found a 4th violation. These guys are idiots. If you are going to run an operation that deals with the law, it seems like you would at least try to comply. The person who was parked next to me was picking up his car when I was. Got his info also same story, which doubles the damages paid.

[ActivS5]

Can't wait to see how this unfolds. Please keep us updated if possible!

[rebelbowtie]

Curious as to the laws they broke

[John P.]

I really hope they flatbedded it. Have you seen the car yet?

[VicTorious1]

Curious as to the laws they broke

Could not provide proof of storage liability insurance to show coverage for the dates the vehicle was stored as required by law. Could not provide proof of agreement between property owner and towing company as required by law. Would not accept all forms of payment required by law. The other violation is federal (i.e. Consumer Protection Act) and I'll disclose once resolved.

[S5xy]

why r u ignoring the comments about if it was flatbedded? u know how bad it is if it was towed on two wheels right? lol

[VicTorious1]

I really hope they flatbedded it. Have you seen the car yet?

why r u ignoring the comments about if it was flatbedded? u know how bad it is if it was towed on two wheels right? lol

They towed it using a wheel lift and dolly from the back of the car (i.e., they towed it in reverse). I'm taking it in on Monday to have my shop look at it to make sure the transmission is okay. I have a 6MT and I'm not sure how that would affect it. Since we have Quattro we don't have a manual transfer case and manual lockout hubs, so shouldn't a manual transmission be able to be towed with out damaging the tranny?

[bader.abbas]

hope all goes well

[VicTorious1]

hope all goes well

Looks like they scratched my side skirts on both sides. How the hell would they even do that? Good thing I was obsessed with taking pictures of my car as I have several before and afters.

[John P.]

Looks like they scratched my side skirts on both sides. How the hell would they even do that? Good thing I was obsessed with taking pictures of my car as I have several before and afters.

I would expect some damage for sure. How about under the front and rear bumpers? Especially if they 2-wheeled it ....

Bastards.

[VicTorious1]

I would expect some damage for sure. How about under the front and rear bumpers? Especially if they 2-wheeled it ....

Bastards.

Scratches under the front bumper as well. I was going to file a small claims case simply to get my towing fee back, but now I'm going all out. These guys have an F BBB rating and over 20 open complaints for damaged vehicles. They couldn't provide liability insurance, which they must upon request, but I hope they have insurance as I expect to collect damages which exceed an amount that they likely keep in their working capital. I've got info of 4 others who were towed by them last night so their damages amount keeps mounting.

[TurboChris]

Go get em...I hate those bastards with a passion.

[John P.]

You're an attorney, too, so you probably already checked into whether tow truck operators need to post a bond, but just in case it might be another place to grab their $ (not sure about your state).

[rebelbowtie]

Could not provide proof of storage liability insurance to show coverage for the dates the vehicle was stored as required by law. Could not provide proof of agreement between property owner and towing company as required by law. Would not accept all forms of payment required by law. The other violation is federal (i.e. Consumer Protection Act) and I'll disclose once resolved.

all of this seems very shady, i dont understand why a towing company would fail to follow these simple guidelines. my personal opinion is that you did know you werent supposed to park there, thats just me though. however i do feel you have every right to hammer them if they damaged your car, and from the sound of it they may have considering how they towed it on a dolly.

[VicTorious1]

You're an attorney, too, so you probably already checked into whether tow truck operators need to post a bond, but just in case it might be another place to grab their $ (not sure about your state).

Yeah, they must post a $50,000 bond for any civil claims resulting in damages arising from judgments against them by the commission.

[Mops]

Damn Vic...this has not turned out well at all:( Good luck bud.

[Vinchenzo51]

I love where this is going.

[B1T1M3]

I want an attorney to ride with me everywhere now.

[VicTorious1]

I spoke with the towing company today and they used two dollies as the car was on the list of all-wheel drive vehicles that's provided to the tow truck drivers. So no wheels were on the ground as it was towed.

[HiTMaNN]

all of this seems very shady, i dont understand why a towing company would fail to follow these simple guidelines. my personal opinion is that you did know you werent supposed to park there, thats just me though. however i do feel you have every right to hammer them if they damaged your car, and from the sound of it they may have considering how they towed it on a dolly.

+1

It is like when a cop busts you for speeding and you bitch and complain about it to the cop about how he isn't doing his job.

When I get tickets I just shut up take the ticket and dispute it 29 days later hoping he won't show up in court.

[VicTorious1]

+1

It is like when a cop busts you for speeding and you bitch and complain about it to the cop about how he isn't doing his job.

When I get tickets I just shut up take the ticket and dispute it 29 days later hoping he won't show up in court.

I appreciate your sentiment; however, I've never had this happen before because I'm super cautious where I park. It's not like we drive jalopies here. I've reviewed the pictures and gone back to the scene and it's clear they will be required to put up signs. In addition, 6 people who attended the same event parked specifically in the lot without signage and were towed. Oftentimes, businesses such as these (including municipalities) make revenue expecting people to just shut up and pay the ticket or fine.

[HiTMaNN]

I appreciate your sentiment; however, I've never had this happen before because I'm super cautious where I park. It's not like we drive jalopies here. I've reviewed the pictures and gone back to the scene and it's clear they will be required to put up signs. In addition, 6 people who attended the same event parked specifically in the lot without signage and were towed. Oftentimes, businesses such as these (including municipalities) make revenue expecting people to just shut up and pay the ticket or fine.

Fair enough good on you brother!

[UbiquitouS5]

I hope you come out Victorious in small claims court.

[VicTorious1]

So I filed a complaint with the state and I'm getting my money back for the towing fee. The refund process will take a while, but the state commission in charge of towing companies acknowledged that the towing company did not comply with state law while towing my vehicle. Now I have to pursue the towing company's insurance carrier for the scratches to my side skirts. Does anyone know the OEM price for replacing side skirts? The damage isn't major and I'm wondering if I can take it to a body shop to have them sand the scratches out as the side skirts and bumper are plastic.

[ExhaustNote]

Awesome, that's great news! If their insurance is going to pay, just make them get new ones. Alex@Europrice should be able to get you a quote.

[NYSpeedRacer]

I would get new skirts. I believe they're 350ish


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[dorokusai]

I'm ok with being wrong when I am in fact wrong but the same thing goes the other way, you know? Good on you for taking them to task and ensuring that they are doing their job properly. Towing is a business and as valid as the next one, when done correctly. You're the exception here since you are within your rights but keep in mind the amount of work these folks do regarding ppl that flagrantly disregard parking guidelines and restrictions. No one likes the tow man but he's not always the bad guy. At least they did some things right and not everything wrong so consider yourself a bit lucky in that respect since they could have ruined your entire vehicle easily. I wish you luck and hope you come out on top while being vigilant and within the confines of the laws of your given area.

Mark