QuestionI know first off that I was illegally parked. I payed the fee and that is past. My questing however is about the way they conducted themselves.
I live and this occured as well in Tucson, Arizona. It was around 11 and I was going to a coffee shop however their parking lot was full so I parked next door in front of a closed business. Well I found out by calling the police that the car was listed as towed. I went and retrieved it the next day.
However here is where my confusion starts, first off they made me pay in cash which I thought was weird but didn't dwell on it. Then when the man arrived he asked for the 200 for the towing fee in cash only of course and simply opened the gate and let me go in, get in my car, and drive away. I never once gave my name, never provided any proof of ownership of the car aside from the fact I had the keys.
This somehow seems not quite right to me. Also though probably not illegal I asked him why he towed my truck and not any other vehicle since the parking lot was full. He simply said it was because I was the only truck and therefore easier than the other cars in the lot to tow. I know he is likely bound to a contract to that store and it's parking lot, but is it more non-ethical than illegal that he only tows the cars that are easy to deal with rather than the BMW taking the spot immediately next to mine or any of the other spots that were taken.
What I'm wondering is did the guy who towed it maybe not notify his company and simply pocketed the money and that's why he wanted cash.
Is it illegal for them to not file any additional paperwork. What if I had sent a friend to retrieve my car, they would not have known since they never even asked my name.
Please help me out with any answers, I am not looking to reimburse myself the $200 fee but trying to figure out if I just payed a ransom fee for a car that shouldn't have been towed
AnswerWell this does sound a bit fishy to me, but it does also sound legal...
If the police knew it was towed, then they were following the law by notifying them..
Now as to not getting information from you when it was released, that is strange, but as a tower I have seen or heard all the scams used by crooked towers, but this is kind of new to me... I got an idea of what is happening there, but since I am not there I can not prove it...
As to asking for cash, well that is generally the rule when dealing with towed vehicles, as people can cancel checks, credit and debit cards and the practice of accepting cash is the only "TRUE MONEY" which can not be cancelled... But yes it also opens up all kind of shady or crooked things also...
As to towing your truck, instead of the BMW, that is correct, when I used to do lots of impound towing, I would take the quickest and easiest vehicles first as it made more money to be fast and not caught spending time hooking up.
Not sure what to say or where to point you in this issue, as it would be a lot of "his word, verses your word" type of issue.
Sorry but it just sounds like you were parked wrong and someone seen a easy buck to make under the table..
