ComplaintsforPrairie Land Towing

• Initial Complaint

  01/15/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was in an accident on 1/14 due to ice on the roads. Police declared the vehicle not a hazard and I was told to abandon the vehicle while waiting for a tow truck. FD came along 2 hours later, declared it an emergency, and requested prairie land towing. When I called Prarie Land, it took the police talking to them to locate the car. I was also charged above the legal fee for outdoor storage (item was picked up by truck 1/14 at 5:53pm, I have proof, and I paid for the vehicle on 1/15 before 11:30am. They also are charging over the legal amount for towing and other necessary equipment. This business is cash or money order only so you cant dispute the charge ad they do not tell you when you ask where your car is. I showed up there just to find out. 0/10 stars. I have the itemized receipts and all.

  Business response

  01/18/2024

  We are sorry to see your complaint but are happy to explain this incident.  We, among other towing companies, are contacted by local police departments to remove/recover/transport vehicles that are considered hazardous or blocking the roadways.  In this incident, the local sheriff's office contacted our company to remove your 2022 ***** CX-30 from the ditch way and impound it so other motorists would not hit it or cause another accident by going into the ditch themselves.  Often motorists are traveling and see a vehicle involved in an incident, try to slow down and they too create another accident.  So in efforts of safety police departments remove these vehicles.  We have no control over why or when, we merely respond when called in as an emergency response. At approximately 4:20 PM the sheriff's office deemed this a hazard more than likely due to snowplows working and roadways in extremely poor condition.  We in turn responded, removed the vehicle from the ditch and transported the vehicle back to our facility.  Each line item is for a service provided.  The accident fee is the company emergency response which includes the truck/equipment towing response, mileage and enroute mileage fees (similar to a trip fee at a heating and cooling company or plumber).  The disposal fee is an error and we will credit this amount as the pictures that we have do not show any damages to dispose of ($54.04 credit).  The environmental fee is for any vehicle that comes to our lot as this is maintenance fee for EPA containment/cleanup as required.  The accident labor fee is for the trained towing operator labor to spend the time on site processing the vehicle from the ditch line, loading, transport and unloading.  The safety apparel is the fee for damage to clothing, jackets, gloves, safety gear and emergency deployment of cones/flares/lighting.  The fuel surcharge is an 11% fee assessed to all services for diesel fuel prices, diesel exhaust fluid liquids and up keep of emission products (this is standard in a trucking/transportation company).  The cleanup/snatch blocks are additional tools required to remove your vehicle from the ditch way.  Lastly the winch out fee is the truck fee to recover the vehicle using scotch blocks, synthetic rope, transport chains/soft straps and other tools specifically used for winching.  The State Statute that is listed in your complaint is for private property parking only.  There are no regulated fees for towing, transport or storage for motor carriers that derive from emergency incidents.  Our storage fee, as other companies, is a calendar day charge. If you would like to discuss this further feel free to reach out to our management team directly so we may help you.  We understand accidents happen and usually insurance companies are working through these billing items.  You are able to turn this into your comprehensive coverage for reimbursement by your carrier as this was a reported crash.  For over 40 years we have provided towing and recovery services to the *********, **** and ********* markets.  Understandably rates have changed quite a bit in this timeframe with inflation, equipment costs, labor costs, insurance and more.  We employ the best people with the best technology similar to that of a police department or fire department 24 hours a day.  Emergency response incidents do carry a higher cost due to the nature of the response and the type of necessary labor to clear the incident.  Let us know how you would like to receive your credit so we may process this timely and go over your storage concerns directly.  

• Initial Complaint

  08/23/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On August 5th, 2023 I was on 90 going towards *************** when my windshield got hit by a rock that came from Prairie Land Towing Truck #***-21 with ********* plates #RB *****, The truck driver pulled over and said his insurance should take care of the damage done to my vehicle.

  Business response

  08/23/2023

  The roadways are littered with road debris all over the State. Our trucks can hit things but are not responsible for a vehicle following too close or damage to a vehicle from road debris. We will look into your complaint to see what happened on our video system in the truck. 

• Initial Complaint

  08/10/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I just moved into my apartment complex one day ago. I had not yet received my permit for my vehicle, but thought Id be okay parking in the lot as I had just moved in. This predatory company came and started to tow my car, however, I had already got into my vehicle and locked the doors BEFORE my vehicle was connected to anything. I asked nicely several times for them to stop hooking things up and allow me to move my vehicle. The tow employees said I had to pay a $195 drop fee, even though my car wasnt connected and I was already inside. I declined to pay and they continued to connect things to my car and proceeded to lift my vehicle off the ground WHILE I WAS STILL INSIDE. They threatened me by saying theyd call the police and continue to tow the vehicle while I was inside and that I could no longer pay the drop fee; they were going to tow anyway. My roommate approached with our leasing papers and the tow drivers then refused to speak to me at all, even though it was my car. It was highly racially charged. They eventually agreed to let me pay the drop fee and moved their truck so that I could leave.You violated several laws. -You never contacted law enforcement BEFORE hooking anything up to my car. -I was already in my vehicle before anything was secured to my car, you had no right to continue hooking things up and moving my vehicle off the ground while I was inside. -Your drop-fee is way more than allowed by state statutes and you had no right to charge a drop fee in the first place. What I should do is file a police report for robbery, because you illegally tried to tow my car and then forced me to pay you an illegal amount (that you werent supposed to charge anyways) in order for you to allow me to move my car. However, Ill settle by filing a dispute. If your company refutes dispute, I will follow up with a lawsuit. Thanks!

  Business response

  08/10/2023

  We are contracted to remove any vehicle without a valid permit present in the vehicle. You admit you parked without a permit. This is why you were ultimately towed/charged. You cannot lawfully park in a lot without a valid permit. The drop fee is not required by statute as it is a courtesy to retrieve the vehicle versus impounding. Statute allows up to $300 for fees and police are not required to be contacted to authorize any towing rather we notify that we are impounding prior to leaving the lot. Our job is clear, to impound unauthorized parked vehicles whom do not display a permit. Unfortunately you violated your parking rules by not having a valid permit which is how authorized vehicles are identified. We do not authorize refunds for vehicles who cannot produce a valid permit at time of violation. 

  Customer response

  08/10/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  [Please type your response here.]
  
  Like I said, you had no right to continue to tow my vehicle and hook things up while I was still inside. At that point, you had NO legal right to continue to tow my vehicle. Your response of the fee is still incorrect as it is still ILLEGAL. You NEVER towed my vehicle, meaning you could only legally charge me up to $150 as thats the legal maximum in regards to fees related to a tow. Theres no mention of a drop fee because once Im in my car, you are REQUIRED to stop hooking stuff up and let me go. THAT is why you never called the police, because you knew youd have no power to take my car. I have all of this on video and my friend as a witness. I do not accept this response, and will actually just go ahead with the lawsuit because I think its about time YOU got preyed upon. 
  
  Cant wait for your bankruptcy! 
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************************

  Business response

  08/10/2023

  Thank you for your response. 

  Customer response

  08/11/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  [Please type your response here.]
  
  Regards,
  
  *********************************

• Initial Complaint

  03/11/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I was recently towed by this company from a poorly marked lot on *************. The lot had many, many spaces and I parked there in part due to plowed snow blocking a lot of nearby street parking. The duration of my parking was 7-11:30 on a Friday night. Im not sure why any action was necessary at all. At worst a ticket would have sufficed. This action feels predatory and deliberate. Staff at the company was unhelpful.

  Business response

  03/11/2023

  Unfortunately we do not make the rules of the lot. We are directed by property owners and managers to follow very specific rules. Parking lots may look clear at times but there is never a case where a complex will have enough parking for all of its tenants and outside parkers. There is not enough land to create parking lots and build an apartment complex. This is why most new complexes have under ground parking. Most any complex is parking by permit only. There are signs, it will be in the lease and there are plenty of notices that go out and are posted in common areas.  As for our staff they are doing their jobs just like any other person going to their workplace. We are a neutral party and do not have any ability to change the rules or provide leniency as we are contracted to enforce these rules.   We are sorry to see your review as we are only doing the job asked of us and we are poorly reviewed for doing it. Seems unfair on both sides if you think about it. 

  Customer response

  03/11/2023

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  I would like to know who you are contracted with for the lot on ************* in ******* so I can lodge a complaint with them as well. 
  

  It feels like youre hiding behind just doing your job when I have no doubt you have some input on the situation. Even if policy enforcement is 100% outside of your control, you should at least be responsible for making sure signage around the lot to reflect that policy. If ticketing isnt an option, a sing with your logo and branding on it shouldnt say towed and/or ticketed, it should just say towed.0

  And you are absolutely responsible for the behavior of your staff. I was more than civil with the person I talked to. Im not expecting individuals to be able to do anything about individual situations, but I am expecting them to be professional and to effectively communicate next steps to those being forced to interact with them.
  
  Regards,
  
  ***********************

• Initial Complaint

  03/13/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Prairie land towing works hand in hand with lower income apartment complexes to come tow cars that have no parking permit without any warning & from Middleton to sun prairie for over $350. We dropped a residences car off tonight and before we could go back down and put the permit in the car they towed the car & told us too bad.Cant get it back until 9am and it will cost ****** How on earth are we allowing companies like this, that take advantage of people, especially people just trying to line their pockets? In this economy these leasing *************** companies are working together to take even more money that people dont have out of their pockets. They arent allowing the tow trucks to go around their more affluent residences just towing cars ***** nilly in the middle of the night. Theyre predators.

  Business response

  03/13/2022

  Our services are contracted by property owners, leasing companies and property managers to ensure tenants who lease have adequate parking. Permits are issued at time of lease and it is the responsibility of the vehicle owner to park with a permit or do not park on site until they do. Many parking lots have non tenants who park without a permit. This is not about a low income or predatory practice it is merely following the rules of the property in which we are hired to enforce. Like a security company we enforce the rules that are created, in this case, parking with a permit displayed. The fees are regulated by State Statute and have not changed, not even a CPI increase, since 2014. All of which can be avoided if the driver takes responsibility and does not park without a permit. Like an emergency room we do not decide who comes to us for service. We are providing a 24/7 emergency response to each and every client regardless of background. In this case the client is not the vehicle owner, it is the property. These types of towing events/agreements would not be necessary if the property did not have legitimate parking issue. Likewise the State of ********* would not have created a specific statute to address this if parking on private property was not a major concern.

  Customer response

  03/13/2022

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  
  [Please type your response here.]
  This response is rejected. This company knows that these leasing companies only enact this policy on lower income establishments. This may be a legal practice, but it is not an ethical practice. They know its unethical & on top of it being unethical to begin with, they hoagie people they know are barely affording to get by. I will be contact an attorney, this is a prwsaroey & discriminatory practice. Apparently as long as its legal to steal from people companies like this will continue to do it & prey upon lower income people to make a Buck. 
  Regards,
  
  *********************

• Initial Complaint

  02/08/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  The place where I live requires a parking permit I had a parking permit visible I was in a regular parking stall they told my car on Sunday night of this month and they told me that they took it because even though I had a parking permit and was not in a handicap parking stall that I shouldve been in a handicap parking stall even though I did not have a legal placard hanging to be visible or handicap plates so theyre saying they seen some kind a old expired placard laying around the car so they towed it because it should have been parked in a handicap stall

  Business response

  02/09/2022

  This vehicle was towed for not having a valid permit.  The permit that is in the window is invalid since 10/14/2020.  The vehicle was not parked in a handicap parking space and was parked in a general space without a valid permit. The vehicle would not have been towed with or without a permit had it been parked in a valid handicap parking space with handicap placards.  The picture attached shows a permit with the work "Blue" on it.  This permit expired in 2020.  All new permits say "Harm" on them which is short for ***************.  This would be something the tenant needs to speak with the landlord to get a new permit that is expired for over a year.

• Initial Complaint

  11/07/2021

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unresolved

  More info

  On the evening of Tuesday 11/2 around 11:30 PM our car was stolen from our apartment's lot. We borrowed another car from family on Wednesday 11/3 since we need a method of transportation. Our landlord said that he was out of parking passes to provide to us, so we did not have one to hang in the rearview mirror. However, he sent an email to this towing company and copied me on it. It reads "Temp vehicle ***** Malibu Blue WI Plate # ***-VVB"My wife and I left to visit family in another vehicle on the morning of Saturday 11/6. Upon returning to our apartment complex around noon on Sunday 12/7, we noted that this car (the Blue ***** Malibu) was no longer where we had left it parked. Our landlord called this towing company, and they stated that they had improperly towed it, but offered nothing other than apologies. They won't allow us to pick up the car before 9 AM tomorrow, which is problematic since we both have jobs/school that we need to attend by 7 AM. They have offered no resolution and have refused to help right the wrong that they have done. They have no reasoning for why our car was towed, and they are not helping to resolve this solution. We are asking for a form of settlement that restores not only the possible damages (as towing is not completely benign or harmless to vehicles), but also the missed work, and the rudeness of staff when trying to come to a solution.

  Business response

  11/08/2021

  We apologize for the inconvenience of the vehicle being towed.  This information was not rendered received on our end but we are returning the vehicle at no charge.  Emails after business hours (9:52 PM) are not rendered valid until the next business day with a response.  We will take this information to help address concerns moving forward internally.  Compensation while you were out of town is not something we will address.  The vehicle information is required to be given to a live person with a phone call during normal business hours from the property with a PIN number for verification purposes.  Parking without a permit this late is a risk the motorist is taking on any private property.  

  Customer response

  11/08/2021

  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.
  

  Message from business:

  "We apologize for the inconvenience of the vehicle being towed.  This information was not rendered received on our end but we are returning the vehicle at no charge.  Emails after business hours (9:52 PM) are not rendered valid until the next business day with a response.  We will take this information to help address concerns moving forward internally.  Compensation while you were out of town is not something we will address.  The vehicle information is required to be given to a live person with a phone call during normal business hours from the property with a PIN number for verification purposes.  Parking without a permit this late is a risk the motorist is taking on any private property."

  My response:

  If you are aware that the problem was on your end, you should be doing more to make it right. The email was sent on Wednesday at 9:52 PM, but by your own admission this should be rendered valid the next business day (Thursday 11/4). However, the vehicle was towed between noon Saturday (11/6) and noon Sunday (11/7) much after you should have rendered this valid. By all accounts this was a mistake solely on the part of your business. You also neglected to even notify that you had towed and possessed our vehicle, which I believe is incredibly neglectful on your part. Your employees also confirmed that we were on an email list of vehicles that should not be towed from the property.

  We are incredibly dissatisfied and disappointed with your inability to admit to your mistake, and the rudeness of downgrading this to just "an inconvenience" or a "risk the motorist is taking" when we followed all proper channels, methods, and protocols to notify that our vehicle should not be removed from our parking lot.

  
  Regards,
  
  *********************

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