Consumerist
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class action
Chicago Impounds Your Car As Part Of "Investigation," Holds It Hostage
A class action lawsuit has been filed against the City of Chicago on behalf of people whose cars were impounded as part of a police investigation — and then charged outrageous fees to get their vehicles back. The lawsuit covers 15,000 people whose cars were impounded by the city over a five year period. More » -
pennies
8800 Penny Prank Takes Paying In Cash To Extremes
What do you do with your pennies? Consumer Reports suggests saving them and depositing them in your bank, or exchanging them for a full-value gift certificate in a Coinstar machine. But Jordan had a much better idea. He tried to use them to pay the impound fee after his car was towed. Video inside. Remember: it's not a real prank until the cops show up. More » -
White Castle has apologized and donated $5,000 to the National Guard after having 25 guardsmen's (and their family's) cars towed while they attended a welcome home ceremony at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis. The manager had given permission for the cars to be parked there, but White Castle had them towed anyway. [Chicago Tribune]
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oregon
Oregon To Consider Predatory Towing Ban After Meals-On-Wheels Is Almost Towed During Delivery
Remember Andrew? His car was towed from Starbucks while he was inside sipping a latte. He isn't alone. In mid-August, a predatory tow-truck driver set up shop outside a retirement community and waited for local meals-on-wheels driver Marie Phillippi to leave her car. As she made her deliveries, the tow-truck driver latched on and prepared to tow. He was stopped only when a retiree ran out and splayed herself across the car's hood until the Marie could return. The tow-truck driver's actions were entirely legal under Oregon law, although that may soon change... More » -
scams
Towing Chicago-Style: Put Up A Sign After Hundreds Of Cars Have Already Parked
If you're from Chicago and have ever parked an automobile, this has probably already happened to you 6 times and you'll be wondering why this story is even newsworthy. Feel free to go get a sandwich. For the rest of the country... The Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that hundreds of people who drove to the 79th annual Bud Billiken Parade got a nasty surprise when they found that a towing company had posted a notice after the parade started and towed all of their cars. More » -
secrets
Confessions Of A Tow Truck Driver
CNN interviews a former tow truck driver to get the dirt on how the business works. There's not a lot of new info here, but it may be useful to know that just because you see some un-towed cars in a towing zone, it doesn't mean it's safe—usually, drivers leave some cars alone to entice fresh vehicles: "It's kind of like fishing, you want to keep some bait out there." More » -
florida
Predatory Tow Trucks Steal, Sell Cars To Junk Yards
Predatory Tow trucks are prowling about Florida, looking to gin up extra cash by hauling perfectly good cars to salvage yards. The tow truck operators make up to $100,000 each year by preying on seemingly abandoned cars. By the time the rightful owners start asking questions, their cars are already cubes.Investigators say salvage yards aren't held responsible as long as they get the proper paperwork.
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videos
Woman Googles Way Out Of Illegal $600 Tow
After this woman's car got towed (from what looks like what might be her driveway), she did some Googling and found the towing company didn't have a moving license at the time she was towed. She also found the company hadn't notified the city of the tow, as required by law. After complaining to the Texas Department of Transportation, the consumer got her car back, and the $600 the company had charged her. Now that's using your noodle!
North Texas Towing Company Impounds Cars Illegally [cbs11] (Thanks to Reni!)
UPDATE: Midas had her car towed from her driveway because she bounced a $39.50 check for a state car inspection.
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