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tow truck messed up my car

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battlesar

Junior Member
Michigan

I want to know how to go about filing a lawsuit against a tow truck company who caused over 800 dollars worth of damage to my car. I have no insurance, and I am not sure the tow truck company is legit. I think it might just be a guy doing it out of his home. My car is front wheel drive. It was parked up to a building and he didn't use a wheel lift bar to tow it. He connected his hook to the track arms and drug it away from the building so he could get in front of it to tow it. He bent both track arms. I didn't sign a waver saying that they were not responsible for damages. Do I have a case?
 


battlesar

Junior Member
I was parked at a store. It was towed because someone apparently picked up & walked off with my keys and I didn't have a spare set.
 

justalayman

Senior Member
you go down to the local (to him) courthouse and grab a form to file a complaint. With this, small claims would do nicely. Then, follow the directions for how to serve the guy and go from there.
 

HighwayMan

Super Secret Senior Member
If you have a local consumer affairs agency and/or an agency which licenses tow trucks you might want to go that route as well.
 

FlyingRon

Senior Member
Next time, call a locksmith. For a price that will certainly rival the towing charges, they will come out 24/7 and open the car and punch you a new key with no damage to the vehicle.
 

WaltinPA

Member
Next time, call a locksmith. For a price that will certainly rival the towing charges, they will come out 24/7 and open the car and punch you a new key with no damage to the vehicle.
Yes, calling a locksmith may be a good idea. If the car is a GM make with OnStar, the OnStar operator may be able to unlock it. If the vehicle has one of the newer microchips in it, the locksmith may not be able to make a key that works on the vehicle. Some vehicles now require the microchip-key to have the correct code or the vehicle will not start.

Unfortunately, it's not so easy these days to open a locked vehicle.
 

FlyingRon

Senior Member
Yes, calling a locksmith may be a good idea. If the car is a GM make with OnStar, the OnStar operator may be able to unlock it. If the vehicle has one of the newer microchips in it, the locksmith may not be able to make a key that works on the vehicle. Some vehicles now require the microchip-key to have the correct code or the vehicle will not start.

Unfortunately, it's not so easy these days to open a locked vehicle.
It's pathetically easy to open a locked vehicle. Getting a key that will start it takes a little more work for the reasons you state, but a good locksmith, should be able to do it.
 

ecmst12

Senior Member
AAA can get the door open too, but he didn't lock the key in the car, he lost it. So calling the dealer would have been an idea if the locksmith couldn't help.
 

battlesar

Junior Member
yes my car was unlocked, in the ghetto, with the windows down, it was late friday afternoon and I had my 3 month old son with me in the scorching heat. I couldn't leave my car because I am pretty sure whoever took my keys was going to try and steal it considering my trunk was popped when I came out of the store. And like someone else stated I have a chip in my key which requires the right key code in order to start. I was able to go to the dealer and get a new set made but not until after the weekend, and I couldn't leave my car there with the windows down and some stranger in possession of my keys over the weekend.
 

HighwayMan

Super Secret Senior Member
I'm sure you realize it now, but it's always good to have an extra key. Something alot of people don't think about. I have separate key rings for my house keys and car keys and keep my spare car key on the house key ring. It's saved me a bunch of times when I have locked myself out of the car.
 

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