My stolen vehicle was towed and now I owe all kinds of fees but I was never notified.

[teraphin]

I live in the county of Los Angeles, California. And over a year ago my honda scooter was stolen. I didn't think to report it because I had stopped using it and I was very busy with school. Just recently, I recieved a letter from a towing agency on 5/19/04 stating that they had come into posession of my vehicle on 5/01/04. The agency stated that they intend to sell my vehicle which is fine with me but if the sale does not meet the cost of the tow and the storage which is now over $600 that I will be charged the difference. What I don't understand is how they can charge me from 5/01/04 to the present if they did not notify me that they had my vehicle until 5/19/04. I had no idea where my vehicle until this letter arrived stating that I may owe money because it had been stolen over a year ago. The letter they sent also states that the tow was not authorized by a public agancy if it makes a difference. Is there anything that I can do in order to avoid paying these fees?

Thanks So Much

 

[JETX]

"Is there anything that I can do in order to avoid paying these fees?"
*** Gee, and what praytell did they say when you asked THEM this question???

 

[CdwJava]

If it was not authorized by a public agency, what vehicle code authority do they cite as the authority to tow it? If it was a private property impound (it was abandoned in an apartment complex or private personal/commercial property) then they are probably blowing smoke when they say they will assess you for the difference between the price of the sale and the cost of the tow.

And since you say this was a motor scooter, I would guess that its not a registered vehicle (since motorized scooters do not have to be registered). If that's the case, how did they find out about you?

Personally - unless there is something missing here - I would think that they are trying to extract blood from a stone and can try to take you to small claims court ... but I would think you have a reasonable argument to avoid paying the difference.

Carl