I am a nationwide contractor and i park my car at my company in atlanta.I live in arkansas and curently I am in cali.Around Jan 10th i parked my car in the company parking lot with permisson.I was going to drive it home but they told me to leave it in the parking lot and they would over watch it.My mother called me today and told me that i got a certified letter in the mail from the towing company, saying that I owe them 500 bucks cause they had my car since the 1st of feb and its the 27th now.I called my company and talked to them, and they said that no one should of towed it.The towe company said that someone reported it to be towed.My company said that they dont know anything about it.I am on the road 13 weeks at a time and come home for only 2 weeks. I still got another month to go, but what should i do and who is resonsible for my car getting towed?
2007-02-27 13:51:37 · 4 answers · asked by Warren J 2 in Politics & Government ➔ Law & Ethics
Who actually authorized you to park there? Was it the business owner, or just a co-worker? And what happened to the person who told you they would watch out for your car? They did not notice it was missing all this time?
There are a few possibilities here. One, you did not have the actual owner's permission to park, and he called it in. If that is the case, you'll have to work it out with him and the person who told you it was ok to leave your car there.
Two, there are signs posted on the property that restrict you from parking there overnight, and while the owner didn't call it in, the tow company has prior authorization to tow without needing a specific request from the business owner. If this is the case, you'll need to work it out with the owner, if he did give you permission.
Three, they were "patrol towing," meaning they drive around parking lots looking for easy targets to tow at their discretion, which is completely illegal. In this case, the tow company needs to give you your car back and you don't owe them anything.
You need to demand the tow company provide you with the name and contact info of who supposedly called it in. If the tow company can't or won't give you a valid name, you know it's a scam.
You should be able to have your mom get your car out if you name her as your authorized representative. You'll need to put it in writing, and have your signature notarized. I'd suggest you verify this with the local police department before sending her, just in case. She'll need the insurance and registration, if they're not already in the glove box. And make sure whoever picks the car up checks for damages done by the tow company, and verifies that nothing was stolen from inside. If so, she can make a police report.
Good luck.
2007-02-28 02:14:57 · answer #1 · answered by LF_Family 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
the first thing that you'll want to do is get a hold of the towing company to find out who told them to tow your car from the company parking lot sense you had permission to leave your car there. And if they refused to give you that information then the next step is to obtain a court order along with a police officer to serve such paper. Once the information is given then the person who had your car towed is responsible and must pay the towing charge if he/she refuses to pay the amount of the towing and storage then and only then that you take him/her to small claims court to get your money that is if you paid for the towing and storage.
2007-02-27 14:17:55 · answer #2 · answered by doubleg2006 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I just saw a case like this recently on the People's Court. The tow company needs to be able to prove that it was someone from your company. They can't just SAY someone called it in. Apparently tow companies do this a lot to make money.
The person on the show paid the fees, took the tow company to court, and got their money back.
2007-02-27 14:00:47 · answer #3 · answered by lovetoplayfantasyfootball 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would contact the person who told you it was about to park the vehicle there. The guard or whoever looks at the vehicles may help also. You may also call the towing company and asked who asked them to tow the car away (insist on getting a name) and make that person pay for your vehicle.
Also, check your vehicle to see if there is any damage to it and if so, make the company or whoever requested your vehicle to be towed away to pay for it.
I would even charge them a rental, for at least the time that your vehicle was on that towing place.
2007-02-27 14:03:39 · answer #4 · answered by F B 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋