$300 For Tow And Parking Ticket.

[towedandpissed]

What is the name of your state? CA

I admit I parket in a small shopping mall parking lot that said 'customers only.....blah blah will tow' but they charged me $300, half for the tow and $150 for the security company 'parking citation'. They aren't cops. Can a security company charge for parking illegally in a parking lot??? Can they charge anything they want???

[seniorjudge]

Originally Posted by towedandpissed

What is the name of your state? CA

I admit I parket in a small shopping mall parking lot that said 'customers only.....blah blah will tow' but they charged me $300, half for the tow and $150 for the security company 'parking citation'. They aren't cops. Can a security company charge for parking illegally in a parking lot??? Can they charge anything they want???

Q: Can a security company charge for parking illegally in a parking lot?

A: Yes.

[CdwJava]

Originally Posted by towedandpissed

What is the name of your state? CA

I admit I parket in a small shopping mall parking lot that said 'customers only.....blah blah will tow' but they charged me $300, half for the tow and $150 for the security company 'parking citation'. They aren't cops. Can a security company charge for parking illegally in a parking lot??? Can they charge anything they want???

CAN they charge for parking against policy in the lot? They can give you the ticket (more of a civil request for payment). But, the real question is: Can they compel you to pay? The answer is: Probably not.

The security company can take you to small claims court to get payment, and they might be able to send it to collections, but I have never heard of either event occuring.

And WHO told you the fee was $300? Was that the tow company? I presume they took the money from you and said that half of it went to the security company? If so, I would be very suspicious of this as I do not think the property owner or its agent can charge what is effectively a release fee, nor do I believe they can compel such payment by tacking it on to the tow charge. My search of the Vehicle Code has failed to find any authorization for a private entity (i.e. non-governmental) imposing a release fee for such a vehicle.

Admittedly this is a new one to me, so I would have to look in to the matter. But, as is common with private tows, I suspect that the shopping center or the security company is looking at this as an easy buck ... it's too small an amount for you to get an attorney over, and most people would just pay it and get it over with.

- Carl