QuestionHi! Have some questions regarding towing charges...Tell me if it's reasonable or not. If it's not can I contest the towing company?
It happened on new year's morning. Have a guest in my apartment and they cannot find a parking so I gave my carport and park my car just for a short time infront of a garbage cart (this happen by the way in Northern California). It's not even a fire lane...it's just a big space good for 2 cars, purpose mainly for the garbage truck to get to the garbage carts during collection. Anyway, vehicle got towed at 130am and I claimed it at 354am on the same morning...here are the charges...
Hook-up $195.00
Dolly $75.00
Gate fee $97.50
Storage $55.00
Total $422.50
For me it's rediculously over priced! I even ask since it's not even half a day to give me any discount (because I admit I have a mistake for parking in a no parking zone of the complex) but paying that amount for only 2 hours...it's a crap! It's new year's morning so I don't want to argue with the towing people and I paid the whole amount but I am very disturbed of how they charge me.
Thank you for your time.
AnswerWell sorry that you had the experience of being towed.
First of all California has some tough rules and regulations regarding towing from private property and some of them changed 1/1/2007.
Rates were not regulated or set as far as I could tell in most areas, I think that San Diego, Los Angeles and a few others have rates controlled on these kinds of tows.
Now other than the rates being higher than what I would get down here in Alabama they look good to me.
I know you are complaining about the storage for one as it was only 2 hours, but storage if figured on a calendar day. Any part of the day gets charged for the day in normal circumstances. The gate fee, yeah that's about right, its usually 1/2 of the tow fee, and that is for the convenience of the vehicle owner getting the vehicle out after normal business hours. Usually State allowed rates for this are allowed. This is for the first 24 hours I do believe.
Now back to the state laws, I do belive that California has set the rules that they charge what a normal police tow for the service would be. I will add a link at the end here for you to check and see. I am reviewing the new rules and as such have not got all the answers yet .. I am waiting for a few towing companies out there to answer a few questions on things for me.
IF you feel its all wrong, you can always contest it in small claims court or if your local police department has someone in charge of towing problems you can check with them.
But bottom line is that if its illegally parked then it gets towed. I also wish to mention that the garbage companies do work on holidays as I had to go tow a broke down truck on Christmas day here.
http://www.dmv.ca.gov/pubs/vctop/d11/vc22658.htm
