QuestionQUESTION: My friend's car was recently impounded from a convenient store lot for exceeding the 15 minute limit. She followed the tow truck to the impound yard in a cab(roughly 5 miles away) and got there at the same time, so there was no need/time for storage. She paid the exorbanent price of $375 for the tow which he seemingly made up on the fly. He did not reference any standard rates and there was no published pricing visible. It seems as if he charged whatever he felt like charging at the time. I called today looking for some validation of the price and spoke with the owner of the lot. I was told that the city government sets the price for impound and that his pricing reflects those government set rates and pricing. However, he was unable and unwilling to tell me specifically what those rates are or what governemnt agency sets that price so that I could contact them directly. If those are the set prices by the state, then that is fine, I will have no quarrel. If those are his standard rates, then I have less of an argument. But it baffles me that tow companies have no obligation to display publicly their rates on their warning signs or in any other obviously visible place. Is there any city ordinance that prevents an impound yard from collecting arbitrary fees? If not, there has to be an ordinance that at least requires him to display his standard rates publicly? What type of reprieve is there, besides sending out the lawyers, for those who have been taken advantage of by crooked impound yards?
ANSWER: In most cities and states, tow companies that provide non consent towing are required to post fees for service at the tow lot or office. The priced paid does seem above average. Also, the lack of or unwilling information by the tow owner does seem questionable. Since the city, county and state were not mentioned my suggestion is contacting your state towing association. They are helpful and also the watchdog for unfair business practices in the industry, should one exist. Another suggestion is contacting the community or permits police officer in your city as they are resourceful and usually helpful as well. Good luck and hope some of this information helps.
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QUESTION: Sorry I didn't mention before, the incident took place in Seattle, King County, Washington.
I have tried contacting a couple of towing associations in the state. The TRAA contacts for Washington are no longer accessible and the others seem as though they exist for the protection and assistance of the tow companies themselves. Maybe I'm missing something here, but I was hoping that there was some sort of consumer protection against unfair practices.
I'm very grateful for your assistance, just a little confused by the suggestion.
AnswerMy suggestion is researching some of the laws in your state and county. Try contacting the county agency regulating towing companies and ask for specific information regarding fees for service. Here's a link for Washington state laws http://apps.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=46.55 Also here's a link for the state towing association http://www.itow.org/ The suggestion of the towing association exists for the sole protection of towers is a wrong assumption. The purpose of a towing association is for promoting professional standards and regulations within the industry. The problem is most people don't know how to report unprofessional standards if one exists. This is one of the goals for most towing associations which are reporting and routing problems to enforcement and regulatory agencies. As for consumer protection against unfair practices the Better Business Bureau comes to mind. Should your research hit a dead end newspaper and television investigative reporters are always looking for a good story BUT I would NEVER suggest that tactic. Good luck.
