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Illegally charged by tow truck?

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logdog

Junior Member
What is the name of your state (only U.S. law)? Birmingham, Alabama

A few weeks ago i was unknowingly parked in a tow zone. A silly mistake, i know but I was visiting a friend for about 10 minutes when i heard a tow truck outside. As i ran outside i saw the truck parked behind my car, blocking me in. My car was NOT YET on the truck. I then told the driver and his female "co-worker?" that I would move the car. They then both essentially said that "it's too late. The car is already in the system and we have no choice but to tow it." So at that moment they hastily put my car on the tow. I then asked them what I could do to not have it towed. They then told me that the only way they would let it down was if I payed $285 cash and nothing less. The only option i thought i had was to pay the fee. My car was on the truck and they were going to tow it either way. So i payed the fee and they left me with a receipt with a company name and other information. I feel like i should've called the cops, but i'm so unsure of the laws on this in alabama so i didn't know what to do. I now feel like this was illegal. How can they charge me a fee that high just to take it down? And is it legal for them to put my car on the truck when i'm telling them not too? I don't understand how it's under their possession if it's not on the truck. If this all was illegal what should i do now? The whole situation just sounds way to sketchy to me.

I have also heard from a friend that the same towing truck towed her car and when she went to get her car they gave her the address to the lot. Apparently the tow truck was in a random car shop. So when she got her car she went inside the shop and asked the front desk if that was their tow truck. They then told her that they didn't even see they truck and that they don't tow cars. Is it just me or does this sound like a predatory tow truck scamming people?
 
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logdog

Junior Member
I'm 20 and i can admit that i'm pretty naive sometimes but I would've done whatever i could to prevent them from hooking up my car but there really was nothing i could physically do to stop them. I found out today that it was a private lot so the question I mainly want to know is: In Birmingham alabama, if i am technically illegal parked in a private lot and my car is not hooked up to a tow truck when i am present, do they have the right to hook my car up to their truck? And even if it is not hooked up do I still have to pay a fee?
 

davew128

Senior Member
I'm 20 and i can admit that i'm pretty naive sometimes but I would've done whatever i could to prevent them from hooking up my car but there really was nothing i could physically do to stop them.
Which is BS since your car wasn't already hooked up. If you were serious about not letting them tow your car I can think of several ways off the top of my head you could stop them without laying a finger on them physically.
 

wiseguy

Member
So there you go logdog. All you need to do is find a time machine and go back and stop your car from being towed. What valuable advice that is!

Is this all you guys can offer? Telling someone what the SHOULD have done. Just how is that helping them in their present situation?

logdog, it's obvious that none of the respondents here actually know anything about the law in your case. I wish I did so I could offer some HELPFUL advice.
 

davew128

Senior Member
So there you go logdog. All you need to do is find a time machine and go back and stop your car from being towed. What valuable advice that is!

Is this all you guys can offer? Telling someone what the SHOULD have done. Just how is that helping them in their present situation?

logdog, it's obvious that none of the respondents here actually know anything about the law in your case. I wish I did so I could offer some HELPFUL advice.
I couldn't help but notice that you said nothing of ANY help. OP paid cash on the spot. OP has the car. Exactly what legal advice are you expecting to be given and for WHAT purpose?
 

The Occultist

Senior Member
I couldn't help but notice that you said nothing of ANY help.
You did the same thing, and my calling you out on it resulted in "concern".

OP paid cash on the spot. OP has the car. Exactly what legal advice are you expecting to be given and for WHAT purpose?
He wasn't asking you for advice, he was saying he wished he knew enough in order to give advice to the OP.
 

wiseguy

Member
I couldn't help but notice that you said nothing of ANY help. OP paid cash on the spot. OP has the car. Exactly what legal advice are you expecting to be given and for WHAT purpose?
My response wasn't meant to offer advice although some good advice I could have offered would have been to ignore anything you had to say.

The OP was asking if what the tow truck driver did was illegal and whether or not there is some action that could be taken. Instead all they got was lip service from you.
 
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