ComplaintsforL&I Towing and Recovery

• Initial Complaint

  02/08/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  This whole nightmare began on the morning of February 2nd when I was greeted with a tow notice on my vehicles driver side rear window. The reason given on the notice was for under inflated or flat tires. The notice also stated that the vehicle would be towed on 2/4 if the situation was not corrected. Well, that day I went and purchased a vehicle jack in order to inflate the tires to the desired liking of L&I towing. Fast forward to Sunday (2/5) and my vehicle was still in the parking lot of my apartment complex, like it should have been, as the tires were properly inflated. So based on the fact that my vehicle was still on the lot, I figured I passed their little test. The next morning (2/6) as I am walking to my other vehicle, I notice that my ******* ***** **** was not in its parking spot. At that moment I contact the towing company and they confirm that they towed my vehicle. Their reasoning was that the tires were flat. That statement was certainly contradictory to my visual inspection, conducted less than 12 hours prior. In speaking with the employees at the towing facility, they informed me that in order to get my vehicle back I would need to pay their ransom of $******. ********** ** *** ****** **** ******* ******** *** ******* **** ***** ******* ******** ******** That is not an amount of money I just want to give away. So, I asked that they waive their fee, as they should not have towed the vehicle in the first place. They rejected this and said something to the effect of, if you want the vehicle, it's $******. On 2/7 the vehicle was picked up ***** ************ ** ***** ********* ******  What I am requesting is a refund of $******, as my vehicle was towed without sufficient warning. The notice I received appeared to expire on 2/4. As my vehicle was still in my possession on 2/5 and the tires were inflated. If they really needed to take any action in that situation, they should have issued another tow notice.

  Business response

  02/13/2023

  The tenant in this matter was stickered for a flat tire, we given them 48 hours to correct this issue. He could contact management or L&I to resolve the issue or be placed on a no tow list. The vehicle had a flat tire 2/6/23, and was impound for the flat tire. We give individuals a minimum of 48 hours to fix the issue or make contact. After 48 hours we will tow the vehicle, it is not picked up on the exact of time expiring. The ******** management told the individual that he had to pay the fee to pick up, and it was part of the agreement for the property. I did explain to him that if it has a slow link please get it patched and it would fix the problem. If he would have reached out we could have worked with him

  Customer response

  02/13/2023

  (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)
  First of all, the ******** management team was not the party(s) who informed me that the fee would need to be paid. They informed me that there was nothing they could do about the situation, and it would need to be worked out between myself and L&I towing. I spoke with several members of their (L&I) staff, all of which neglected/refused to offer any sort of apology or refund.
  
  The version of the tow notice that was placed on my vehicle specifically stated that the vehicle would be towed on 2/4. There is no addendum or amendment article on the tow notice that denotes the vehicle could be towed after the date listed. Therefore, this omission appears to nullify the "legality" of the service that L&I towing and recovery rendered on 2/6.
  
  I still contend that the proper course of action that needed to be taken in this situation, was placing another notice on the vehicle. The reasoning for this, is because of their own implied agreement or deadline that they put in place to tow the vehicle, had passed.
  
  I believe that the only fair resolution in this matter, is to provide a refund in the amount of $***.
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  

  Business response

  02/23/2023

  We do not have to do an amendment to the sticker, you have a certain amount of time to correct the violations or call us to resolve the sticker. As we previously discussed. I know based on our conversation you do not have the funds to fix the tire, and trying to sell it. As advised please do not park the vehicle on the premises if unable to fix the vehicle. We could have placed you on a no tow list if anyone would have reached out prior to the tow. We have a contract with ******** properties they are our customer and we are only upholding our agreement with them. It is always a good idea to reach out and get the accurate information in stead of assuming. It was also added for dead storage, due to the vehicle never moving on property. Again part of our agreement with ******** properties. I wish this individual all the best and hope things get better financially.

  Customer response

  02/24/2023

  
  Complaint: ********
  
  I am rejecting this response because: 

  The vehicle was towed after the date listed. The notice left on the vehicle specifically stated it would be towed on 2/4. There was not another notice placed on the vehicle after that date. The vehicle  was simply removed without proper notice. If a refund is not issued in the amount of $***, this will be filed in small claims court. Simple as that. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  Justin ******

• Initial Complaint

  02/02/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Sales and Advertising Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  This company used a sticker warning attached to my car (which damaged the window when trying to remove it) saying that because my registration was expired they would be towing my car within 48 hours. They have done this to my car once before and other cars in the lot many times. My registration was not expired, my stickers simply had been stolen. They do not have permission from my leasing office to tow cars with expired registrations. Doing so is in fact against the law, according to an ***** Municipal code which states that cars cannot be towed out of a private residence for an expired registration without the permission of the owner, lessee, or otherwise accountable party. When I called to ask for an explanation they could not give one, continued to argue with me and plainly admitted that they did not get permission from the leasing office of the apartments. This business is ********* and has completely unlawful towing practices.

  Business response

  02/13/2023

  Contact Name and Title: Ian ***** Co/Owner
  Contact Phone: **********
  Contact Email: ***************
  L&I towing has a contract with ******** properties to monitor and patrol there lots. We work exclusively with that management team there, and have a contract on what they want done on each property. We are contract to sticker vehicles that have expired plates over 6 months, we do that by looking at the vehicles plates. We sticker them and give residents 48 hours to fix the issue or resolve it by calling in to the property management or ourselves. We have a no tow list that vehicles are put on or we resolve the sticker either by tenant, management calling in or a tow. If vehicles have plates that are up to date we do not charge the impound fee, if the tag was stolen we wouldn't charge if we can run it to verify by office staff during regular business hours. We also have each phone conversation recorded to ensure our protection and proper communication to individuals

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