My city, Tulsa, still charges the victims of stolen vehicles for towing and storage if they’re recovered. I had to pay over $450 to pick up my stolen motorcycle, and my buddy had to pay more than $1000 to pick up his stolen Raptor pickup. It’s absolutely absurd. You’re literally being victimized twice, once by the city in which I pay taxes.
Because the owners of the towing company owe you free towing and storage of your stolen vehicle, right? Or are you saying the tax payers owe you free towing and storage of your stolen, recovered vehicle? In reality it is people who stole your vehicle that should be liable for the towing and storage fees. And if you can't recover from them, your insurance company should be paying... You do have insurance, right? Or perhaps you are saying the police shouldn't bother recovering your vehicle, rather they should leave it where it is and just leave a voice message for you? That is what happens in many jurisdictions, but if the police can't contact someone immediately, then they have it impounded so the thieves can't take it again, assuming it is still running, or that it doesn't get further stripped, or if it is parked illegally. Or maybe you are just complaining about how big the fees are, which would require more information on the specific circumstances to have a rational discussion.
@@jpnewman1688 how many politicians make it a campaign promise to turn the towing system into a corrupt mess? How do you actually vote against something like that? Then are you going to vote someone in just because they promise to revamp the towing system? That's how we end up getting corruption somewhere else.
@@markdsm-5157 well, did you know that being politicians is a favorite job for narcissists/sociopaths/psychopaths, along with being bankers, cops, CEOs, doctors, generals, judges, lawyers, preachers, media, sales, etc..?? Do you know that real leaders do not seek authority??
If I remember correctly, a 60 Minutes type program did a story about Detroit towing corruption. They focused on a McDonalds restaurant. I believe the manager had a deal with a towing company. People would go in to have a meal, would come out and their car was either being towed or already gone. This was a customer who parked on the McDonalds lot property and within 10 to 20 minutes their cars were being towed. Guess the manager felt underpaid. Apparently that was happening all around Detroit.
I’ve seen this happen at A McDonalds in Oklahoma about 8 years ago. Customers started looking out for each other and stopping them from hooking up. Finally they figured out the McDonalds manager was a brother to the tow company owner. The business dried up shortly afterwards
I'm a tow operator in Fort Worth, TX. I perform several police tows everyday and it blows my mind how often cars seem to get damaged. My truck is a flatbed and I would have to make major mistakes to damage a car. There's absolutely no reason a car should be damaged. It's extremely easy to hook up to a car and winch it onto the bed without a scratch. Getting a vehicle back off the bed can be a little bit more difficult but it can always be done without causing damage. We also take many pictures before and after loading.
I remember the Rob Wolchek videos of him blowing the lid on the corruption of towing companies. It's not just the city, but private businesses in cahoots with towing companies creating cash cows for both.
If I remember right, one of the big people involved was a Deputy Chief of the DPD, and at least one of the two companies was using spotters, which was a big no-no as well.
I had this issue when my car was stolen. It was an old car and the fee they tried to stick me with was more than the car was worth. Fortunately when I complained the victimization I was getting from the police was more than the thief they chose to cover it. It wouldn't surprise me to find out that they are keeping this on the down low so people like me who might raise a legitimate stink about this just go away.
In 1980 my 1967 Lemans was stolen. Sat for over a week 15 miles away a few blocks from a guy that wanted to buy it, and he drove right past it every day going to and from work, and never recognized it. On a Sunday night criminals double parked their car next to it and started taking it apart and loading their car with everything. They had one guy taking the interior, another under the hood and a guy underneath. One guy took one of the bucket seats that was hand painted on the back, and he got caught carrying it home because it weighed like 60- 80 pounds, and would carry it a block or so. Then put it down and sit in it. Then carry it again and so on. He got caught because a police man driving by recognized the hand painted back of the seat. The people living at the house where it was parked. Noticed what these guys were doing to my car at 2am and called the police. When the police drove up the car with all my parts took off and the police took chase, until the criminals negotiated a turn the police couldn't at whatever speed they were going and they drove into the front of a store. Soon after I got a call my car was found and for me to come get it. This was on Long Island in New York and I wasn't charged anything in order to claim my car back. And thanks to the observant officer I got my driver's set back, so I had something to sit in while my friend flat towed me home. You know, ropes pulling and me on the brakes. Luckily for me, when I got home I opened my trunk and it was still filled with my tools and so much more. Probably more in value then the whole rest of the car. During that week+ I needed a car to get to work and had already bought one so I sold the Lemans as I got it back and sold it for over 3 times what I paid for it 5 years and 80,000 mile earlier. Maaaan I miss the old day and cars and how things worked back then.
I worked for a tow company that was on five different police lists. All of them worked on rotating calls. We were required to have set pricing that included storage fees. We were also required to have certain clean up materials and drivers had to clean accident scenes. It worked very well most of the companies worked together to keep it fair.
A few years back there was a story out of Washington state where a guy had his truck stolen. It was stripped and sat in a tow yard for almost a year. They auctioned it off and it got almost nothing. The tow company then took him to court to pay the difference, somewhere in the $10,000 range. They notice to appear in court was the first time he heard his truck had been recovered... Made the news, his insurance company agreed to pay even though the cost was way outside of policy limits.
I remember when I was recovering my truck that was stolen. The lot said that I had to pay for storage since it was there for several days. Mind you, they generated the letter on a Saturday, it went into mail on Monday and delivered to me Tuesday. I was there Tuesday afternoon.
Many years ago there was a corrupt tow company in my city who were known for illegal towing amongst other things. My car was taken to their yard after being stolen, I inspected my car the only thing missing from it were the tires and wheels. When I got my car back more had gone missing. I was assured they would take of it, after many non returned calls I kept getting stonewalled. I worked for a service company and one day the tow service called for service… I took that call. Their invoice reflected my losses plus. It was an annual service so the invoice continued to have special fees the fourth year they phoned again and asked “are that expensive company?” I said “no” and raked them over the coals one more time.
City of Seattle used to own tow trucks then sold them: "private is cheaper". Now it's costing the city even more in judicial fines. Seattle had a paving department. Got rid of it "because private is cheaper". Now even fixing small potholes is a major $$$ City contract.
Am curious where your information is from. I worked with various Seattle tow contractors since the seventies and in all that time the only tow truck they had was for their own vehicles and they still mostly used contractors for those. Also I know that for decades before I got in the business the city tow contractors were Lang and Thor's towing, I worked with guys who used to drive for them.
Also, I haven't talked to him for a couple of years, but there's a CDL instructor that also works in city dept that does paving. He did say that any paving that covered more than 4 of those expansion sections had to be put out for bid, but the city was doing the pot holes. Now he did comment that there was a chemical treatment that would make the patches last longer but Seattle didn't spend money for that...
Buddy Cianci, long-time mayor of Providence RI was finally convicted on federal racketeering charges for requiring tow co's to pay CASH into "campaign fund" to get their name on the tow list for the city. That was from the 1980's to the late 1990's, it took them almost 30 years to get him.
I remember that well. Quite a controversy! Many people still loved him and wanted him back in office after he got out of the slammer. I also remember hearing him on the radio on WPRO.
He went to jail the first time for beating his ex-wife or her boyfriend with a tire iron. After getting out of prison he was easily re-elected for mayor again. Providence went through a renaissance under his control. He stated that to accomplish what needed to be done, illegal activity would have to be condoned and he would probably go to jail for allowing it. It did, he did go to jail again, but the city was transformed. He actually wrote a book about the whole experience.
Looking forward to the headlines in three years: "Detroit municipal towing database manager arrested for receiving bribes for towing database manipulation."
This happened to me in Atlanta in the early 2000’s, Cutlass was stolen, found a week later and I was notified a week after that. The towing and impound fees were more than I paid for the car, $2500.
I’ve been following Detroit news for 50 years, this is the first time I’ve heard them planning to actually do something about corruption. And the plan sounds very reasonable.
We should start a contest to determine how the next corruption charges will play out. Remember, it was just a few years ago where officials/cops were busted for "misidentifying" stolen cars as abandoned cars because they could go to auction quicker. And yes, they just happen to go to auctions that had little attendance and those in attendance knew who the "preferred" buying official was. If I remember correctly, the one that was highlighted was a $20k car that went at auction to an official for $2.5k.
I suspect if the people who broke the law when they towed cars went to prison, including the mayor or police chief, the problems would stop. Honestly the new system sounds like a different scam.
Prison or the grave. I don’t know about you but if they steal my car or truck and want me to pay something bogus to get it back there’s very little keeping me from taking it over their dead body.
@@jpnewman1688 I vote regularly. As a libertarian it doesn’t do much but give me a clean conscience when it’s time to kill. I do what I reasonably can when I reasonably can. Unfortunately reason only works with the reasonable. For the unreasonable, there’s force.
My brothers Taurus got towed from his apartment due to a missed payment "sketchy dealer to begin with"....and when we went to retrieve it, all of his belongings that were in the car were rummaged through and thrown in the trunk with several items missing and the rear bumper was caved in. When we raised a stink about they threw us off the lot.
In 1984 I went out to Phoenix looking for work after I left The Marines. I slept on my uncles couch but it was a small house so He set me up with a "Position" at the body repair shop He worked at. The Position was as someone who stayed in a camper in the "Police Impound Lot" at the back of this garage. It didn't pay a cent but it did have water/electricity. My job was to warn people trying to climb into the Lot trying to retrieve things in their cars. I had no weapons or even a phone line so I couldn't call the cops either. But soon I found out who the real worry was for the cops and that was "Tow Truck Drivers" who would go through the vehicles for anything of value. Still caught a family of 5 attempting to get kids over the barb wire to fetch something from their car once.
@@scottkraft1062 So do I. Call me and give me a chance to figure it out. I have towing insurance. Also, my car says in the manual to not tow it without pulling a fuse first; otherwise it can be a hazard to the tow truck. (You could always put it on a flatbed to avoid issue.)
Thanksgiving Day I was 44 miles into a 98 mile drive when my clutch failed. I was lucky to be at a restaurant, got a meal and called the Motor Club for a tow, after 8 hours, my brother got me in contact and I got it home for $472. I live a short .2mile walk from a repair shop, but that tow was another $87. You can find the average cost per mile. It was in the shop for a week and cost $1,929 in my Zip Code. Amazingly, that didn't come close to the worst day of my life.
@@jpnewman1688jesus would you shut up. Every comment you make is more nonsensical and pointless than the last. The guy is talking about an expensive tow not bankers.
Back in high school I drove a tow (legal then) truck in Jefferson Parish, LA. We were heavily regulated by both the Parish Police and State Police. If there was a complaint one or the other would investigate depending on where the towing occurred.
Bell County Texas does this. When PD or Fire requests a tow it goes to a system that determines “next in line” so that the participating tow companies each get their fair share.
My truck was stolen on a Friday morning, on Monday I got to the tow yard and all they wanted was for me to take it. Thief was kind enough to to leave a screwdriver on the seat so I could start it. I never noticed anything missing.
Plot twist they use that truck to drive to another area to steal a lot better one .. happened by my house, stolen older jeep was on cameras being used to drive to steal a hellcat.. jeep on cameras came back as reported stolen a day or so before.
My sons car (jalopy) was towed from his work parking lot when the property manager tagged a bunch of cars that looked ‘abandoned’. He went through all kinds of hassle getting it back and the property manager did cover the bill. Apparently this happens a couple of times a year at this location. It’s just easier to accidentally tow the wrong car and cover the fees than to verify the vehicles are actually abandoned.
It would be even cheaper to just issue parking permits. They are cheap and easy to update. And they would cost a lot less than paying for an innocent's car being towed.
@@KameraShy Good thought, but that’s probably too much bother for a property manager who operates that way. The area is a bit of a ghetto. My son solved his problem by finding a better job. 😊
You would be shocked at how many tow companies that have exclusive tow contracts with LE for counties and towns are owned by the chief or sheriffs brother or other family members and charge 3x what any other company would charge.
yea and they make it difficult to get vehicles out i had to get mine from a lot i went to the police to ask where my car was they said it was at the lot didn't say anything else so i went to the lot they said i need to a paper signed to release the car so i had to go back the the police office then they said i need my current registration to prove i own it, i went back to the lot it was closed. i went the next morning at 9 when they opened despite the sign saying they open at 8:30 get my registration went to the police got it signed but the lot closes for lunch so i had to wait until after 12 about $355 in cash later I finally had my car back. Of course they have a contract with the local police office and have for at least 15 years.
You're right that JPL developed the computations. They were in charge of the project, but they were substantially supported by Sandia National Labs, who provided the most of their supercomputer time, a laser, and twelve square miles in the desert. On another note, this is what happens when for-profit businesses control public utilities. Every public-private partnership suffers the same fate: Excessive cost to the public, corruption and theft, someone in prison, and a public with even less confidence in their government. Capitalist enterprise and government have completely different missions, and they're often opposed. It's the owner class who should stop thinking they can suck off of the government tit, and the People should take responsibility for themselves. By the way, I always enjoy your video. I learn a lot, and how not to tell a joke. Thank you, really.
Bad City Planning leads to lack of parking so City contracts company to hire car thieves to quickly and efficiently (if not legally) free up space. Legit background check wouldn't hire car thieves. Legit City Planning would not have parking problems
@@SIGINT007 those scumbags don't exist without the narcissists/sociopaths/psychopaths running the corrupt system.. And ironically, they exist because 🐑 🐑 voted to give them the power.. 😂😂
City Officials and Police Officers were convicted of crimes?? But...but...They are held to "Higher Standards" - how is this even possible?? I am dumbfounded!! 🤔 [satire]
I'm only 27 so it was well before my time, but I gotta say that muscle shoals sound shirt is amazing. Muscle shoals and especially the swampers really did create some of the best sounding music ever recorded
We kept a list by area and had standards that tow operators had to meet to tow for us...wasn't hard and we sure as hell didn't need a computer system or website to keep it straight...what a crock!
A cop once came to me when I needed a tow. I didn't have a cell phone at the time. I asked the cop if they could call a tow truck for me. They told me that if they call one it will cost a whole lot more.
I think they should require tow companies to make installment plans available to people who can't afford to pay everything up front. I'm a truck driver, in the trucking industry most tows are paid for by insurance companies and most insurance companies have an attorney on staff to scrutinize non consensual tows to make sure the insurance doesn't get over charged. The OOIDA makes has a reputation for suing tow companies that overcharge their members, then they publish the lawsuit in their Land Line magazine.
It is funny this is about Detroit and how backwards they are. I was a tow truck driver a few decades ago and there was a system in place even back then that did what this new system in Detroit is going to do. The area was divided up into zones and each zone had a list of approved towing providers that were required to maintain a secure (relatively) impound yard within that zone. All calls for towing were done on a rotational basis, call by call. This applied to police referred private calls as well, e.g. you aren't being impounded but you broke down in the road or even just need help to change a tire. All calls made or referred by the police had a fee schedule that was below the market rate. When police impounded a vehicle they noted on the form authorizing the impound any obvious damage, and I would walk around the vehicle and point out anything they missed, we would both sign the form and they would give me a copy. Any vehicle that went into our yard (generally due to a police call or private property impound) was registered with the state police database (back then we faxed a form, so it could take a few hours for them to enter it) and you could call the state or local police agency and find out where it was. Again this was a long time ago. Don't know what took Detroit so long. As for going to auction... We had very specific rules, set by the state that said what had to happen. We had to send by registered mail (no later than the first work day following the day of impound), to both the owner and lien holder, notification that the vehicle was in impound. Only when the notification had been delivered or after three failed attempts, did the clock start on the auction process, at it would be at least a month after that. If the vehicle sold at auction for more than the accrued fees, the overage had to be sent to the lien holder and the registered owner in that order. Most vehicle that made it to auction were truly junk and were bought for scrap by junkyards. Also note, that in special circumstances, even way back then, the police would have some vehicles towed to their own impound and pay the towing fee directly. This was usually if they wanted to keep the vehicle as evidence or if they didn't get to complete an examination of the vehicle; like if the vehicle was stolen from someone important and the police were actually going to go to the trouble of looking for evidence in it.
I hit a dear on my motorcycle and had to pay $300 in storage fees because the facility was closed. It was a holiday weekend and the clerk was off, so nobody could get their vehicle. They still charged for those days. AND, they only accepted cash (no credit). They are in the middle of nowhere and I had to drive 40 minutes to a bank. Glad I went early and found that out because it would have cost me another day!
There should NEVER be any charge to someone whose vehicle was stolen then recovered. I remember a story from St Louis MO about ten years ago. A lady's car was stolen, a few weeks later it was found by police and put in storage. They called her a she went to get it but was told it would cost her 1500.00 dollars to get it back. The city and tow company only backed off a let her get it back for free after a local news station did a story.
@@davidh9638 when the 🐑 🐕 🐕 park next to the road for speed traps, they create road hazard for other drivers. Legally, government agencies have no duty to "serve and protect" people from harm as SCOTUS has ruled repeatedly..💯💯
@@davidh9638 If the police leave a vehicle before someone has taken possession they are legally liable for further damage or re-stolen, at least in my state. So in the case of a stolen vehicle if the owner doesn't respond within a reasonable time they impound it so they can handle other calls. The good news is you can protect yourself from these to fees by buying comprehensive insurance.
Never? Who should eat the cost? Tax payers? The private towing company? I agree that an attempt should be made to notify the owner first, before the impound, but if they can't get in touch with a responsible party they still have to do something. I agree, $1500 for towing and storage sounds excessive unless the vehicle sat in storage for quite a long time, or it was an extremely difficult recovery. But it is the thieves who should be on the hook for the fees, and if you can't find them, your insurance should cover it.
I've always wondered why the police victimize car theft victims a second time when towing the car (even when you clearly tell them DO NOT TOW.) Lynnwood, WA police did that to me. They said they didn't want it to get stolen again (even though the tank was empty).
In Washington State police have been held responsible for further damage/loss by courts for not maintaining custody of stolen vehicles. If the owner doesn't take custody in a reasonable time so the officer can handle other calls, they have to impound it or risk getting sued no matter which box was checked. I used to work for a Seattle tow contractor, I know a lot of people took the tow fees to court over those check boxes, a few of them won.
@@jpnewman1688 Oh, yeah. But when they ask and you make a choice, it seems suspicious for them to suddenly decide to have the car towed. Makes me think they know the owner of the tow company or something like that. That's all.
@@shorttimer874 Yeah, but I was on my way out there to get the car and they decided to call me and tell me it was towed instead. I left the minute they called and said they found the car. There was no reason for them to have it towed, unless they were friends with the tow company that was in the rotation for that day. 😒
@@rgnestle I did know and socialize with officers back in the day. I'd think that might have affected private accidents, which weren't part of the tow contract in Seattle, more than impounds.
City employees always get their cut from towing. I don’t mean the city. I mean the employees. We get these people down here on HOA boards who try to implement the same thing until they get caught.
And to anybody who believes this automated system cannot be cheated, i have a bridge to sell you. But i do think this is at least an honest attempt to fix the issue. Weather it works or not is another question.
Ex tow operator who my little brother is getting hounded by a guy who didn’t recover the vehicle but wanted to be paid 2k to pick it up. Also wanted 2k for picking him up without the vehicle. Drove it out under its own power after tossing chains on it.
There's a company in San Francisco that is supposed to automate the towing/recovery process for the police departments. I've been in calls with their salespersons, but don't have a lot of knowledge of the product.
Toronto On has zones for towing. Only 3 authorized companies for the city. Flat rates for towing and storage. Only time another company can be used is if the first one cannot do it (Underground, too heavy etc).
My 12 year old work truck was towed while I was away on a weeks vacation. My building has no garage but it was legally parked on the street. Truck got towed because of a water main break. When I got home the towing and storage were more then the truck's value. Both the city and tow company said nothing could be done and I had to borrow to buy a replacement.. Definitely felt like a scam. They could of just moved it up the street..
I've only visited a tow yard once. A friend had his brand new car towed from his own home. He rented the basement, three girls rented the rest of the house upstairs. They saw a car they didn't recognize parked in "their" space and called the tow truck. They blamed my friend. "You should have told us you got a new car." And refused to pay the bill. I had a nice interaction with a dog while waiting for the tow guy to come release the car at 10pm. I commented "dog seems too friendly to be a watch dog" and the guy said "doggo knows his job--he is super friendly when you're on the correct side of the fence, but if you climb it his demeanor instantly changes. He's a GREAT watchdog." I didn't test it.
In Detroit Michigan you have to pay $75. just to look at your car after it was recovered when stolen. You don't know if it was wrecked, stripped, burned, or whatever after being stolen.
In the UK, specific companies will be contracted by Police. Charges will be reasonable. Last I heard was a tow was £250, storage was about £30/day that was 4 yrs ago. Allowing for a 30%inflation, that’s £325 tow & £39/day. Edit, I don’t know about stolen vehicles. I think insurance will pay tbh
I live in Vancouver BC, Canada, and we have one authorized city tow company. The city owns the property that the cars get towed to, and every few (I think 4) years the contract comes up for renewal. This company charges a set hook up fee and a per kilometer rate. The impound/storage fee is flat rate. Of course there are add on charges such as recovery, dollies, and stand by time if the police call and the driver has to wait until the police say they can leave. They also do retail work and if you call for a truck, you can get an estimate of your cost. We also have a government run insurance company and the city tow charges are comparable to what the insurance would pay for a second tow. A first tow is from a collision, which takes into account the waiting to be told to hook up, and scene clean up. The second tow for example would be from the tow company yard to the insurance company estimating center or from there to the body shop or salvage yard where auto body shops and wreckers can buy vehicles that the insurance company has written off. The city contract is up for bid every few years and the various tow companies submit what they feel is a reasonable rate to charge and the city would then pick one company to do the towing for on street bylaw towing, (rush hour no parking, too close to a corner, blocking a fire hydrant etc) police impound such as DUI arrest, and other city required towing including a special rate for city vehicles. If the contract changes companies, the car stays in the same impound yard and the new company collects the fees. I am not privy to the finer details but it all seems to be very fair in the long run. Having driven for two of the contracted companies, the rates as set will provide a reasonable living for both a truck owner and a driver. Unlike some of the stories one hears about some companies and their exorbitant charges, our system won't make you a millionaire overnight, but over time it could be possible, just so long as business keeps picking up. Other local tow-ers may charge less, but most rates are comparable.
Yeah car stolen one night, Someone just needed a ride home (close to county jail) took car to other side of town left behind a grocery store. A week later got a phone call it was at impound. Police find it call ( and wait) for tow to impound $300+ i ha e my car back and have to replace ignition. So Question is If police can call tow truck why cant they call me . If I dont answer or cant come get it right then fine tow it . But at least try and save me an impound fee
Wow! Amazing changes to policy that other jurisdictions have been successfully using for decades! Such innovation! (Though the website is a good thing)
For the past 100 years or so, it has been the norm for tow companies to have to "grease" city officials to get on the city towing list. They still do today, without question due to the value of being on the list. Then, like any Ponzi, tow companies figure out their best methods to upcharge the bill to help fund what they pay for the privelidge. In CA, tow lots have so many days to store vehicles until they have to complete lien sale documents per the county etc. That notifies the owner by mail they have their vehicle and can be subject to a lien sale. I'm not very sure but I believe the daily storage rate is now $60/day ! So, if a vehicle is towed this morning for $200, it's also $60 for that days storage plus the lien fee and anything else they can think up such as "labor, extra truck, winching, clean up" etc. It's a gold mine business however, its also 24x7 hours and a tough crowd of customers, just any kind of vehicles, pissed vehicle owners, tow truck drivers and their clusters, keeping the trucks serviced and running, fuel etc. It's not for everyone however, the payoff is extremely good compared to just any automotive business. I do see how a tow company will deal with complete turds often but when a responsible person in society shows up that one time to get their vehicle, generally they do not have a good experience. Sad that those who work there can't see that in advance and treat some customers with better respect, fees and service. Oh, BTW, the charges for a city/police initiated tow has price caps yet guess what? The simplist tow ever will generally have the maximum charge assigned to them, thats how cities write rules, like mobsters.
Laws have changed. Now an enclosed storage facility is needed to get on the police tow list. The cops and tow companies target Fridays to grab cars. Violators get relaxed during the normal weekdays not seeing towers then on Fridays the cars are grabbed. It is because above the tow charge, they also charge for the day they put it in storage as one day and the day you take it out as one day plus every day in between. They are closed after 5pm, they are also closed for the weekend so you will have to pay 4 days to get it out on Monday. They will offer a way to get your car out asap but they will charge you a special price for overtime similar to a road service call.
That’s super easy. Any tow requires the owner’s registrations. Any tow without registration need a police incident number (it’s a phone call away). Any other tow is car theft.
1) still possible and likely to 'game' this new system. 2) this doesn't even remotely do anything for the multiple other predatory towing schemes/scams that are known in Detroit and the industry at large. The entire towing industry is effectively unregulated. The few regulations that do exist are used by towing companies to fleece people of their vehicles ( i e exorbitant towing and storage fees couples with liens in most states).
So question. What happens to the title of a vehicle that is impounded, abandoned then sent to auction if owner is holding the title legally? Does the original title become invalid at some point in the process?
easy. generally, the tow company puts a storage lien on it and sells if at a pubic auction. likewise the LEO. the buyer takes the paperwork to the DMV and pays sales tax, registration, plates, etc, and that's it. here in Texas the tow company is obligated to send letters (certified, signature required) to the registered owner/lien holder within 5 days. there's 10 day letter to the sheriff if the vehicle is still in the yard, and then a second letter to the owner/lien holder at 15 days. this business is heavily regulated in Texas by the TDLR and DMV. Detroit should send someone out to Austin to see how we roll.
The auction and new registration will generally negate the original title. While that can pose some problems when the original title is held in another State, usually, the new registration and title becomes the only valid title. I've heard of one car that was auctioned off in Illinois and the new owner took it back to Indiana. When he tried to register it for Indiana plates, it came up on the system as stolen. Since no one could show the original owner was ever notified, he reclaimed his car. The new owner had to go back to Illinois to sue for his money back. To complicate matters, the car was uninsured as the guy was rebuilding it when it was stolen so it was never written off.
I had a stand-up old school jet ski get stolen. 2 people can pick it up. I was out of town when the police found it when someone tried to register it. The tow company charged me for 2 tow trucks and $35 a day for 2 weeks. It was more than it was worth. The tow company sued me and won, I had to pay them $2k for something that was worth $1200 before it was stolen.
Sue the criminals, win a big settlement, then sell it to any of thousands of companies who turn them over. They crook will be hounded for the rest of their lives, and you'll never worry about it again. Also, your community may have a victim compensation fund. Sensible communities do. Learn how the system works. Your situation isn't unique.
@@eveningstarnm3107 This was many years ago. The police would not give me any information on the guy that tried to register it. I was younger and meaner. I would have got the information of the thief one way or another. They stole a lot more than the jet ski. I lost sentimental items. I was single and worked out of the country for months at a time.
There are about 10 companies on our rotation tow list. Unfortunately there is no regulation on how much each company can charge. It ranges from $175 to $560 depending on the company that tows a car off the street. Its like Russian Roulette on who is going to get screwed. That is just the tow and doesn't include storage. Stolen cars go to the Police Department impound so the victim doesn't have to pay storage. They do have to pay for the original tow though. Sucks but you cant expect the tow company to work for free and the taxpayers shouldn't be on the hook for it. (99% of stolen cars in our area had the keys left in them)
I saw a video a few years back about a towing scam A particular towing company maybe in detroit had a guy driving around picking out random cars then the driver would tow the selected vehicle well they tried to tow a vehicle from mcdonalds parking lot while the owner was inside ordering a meal The driver claimed they had a call about the car I dont recall the exact outcome but i remember being outraged that a scam like this could go on for any length of time without the police being involved
Won't that brush up against 4th amendments protections? Hypothetical Steve... Someone has something illict in their car. It's stolen or towed. But some how end's up in the city impound. They inspect for damage and find the illict item... Now can they turn around and charge the car owner?
It depends on who finds the contraband and when it is found. If the search is done before being towed, no problem provided it is a legal arrest and search. Employees in a towing company's yard have no business going through a car. The police are entitled to inventory a car and its contents. If the car is taken to a city / police owned impound yard they may inspect the car at their leisure. It becomes a lot more problematic for police to search a vehicle after the fact in a private yard without a warrant. While there may be little stopping them, the admissibility of any evidence might be a problem.
"... claim the new system will be fair". Well, maybe. Sounds like they may have shed some of the shady towing companies. I don't have much confidence that once you strip away the fine words it isn't just the same old crooks still in city hall and signing the towing contracts with the same old crooks running the towing companies. Hope I'm wrong.
The easiest way to fix a corrupt system is to set the prices. Letting the company set its own prices necessarily results in screwing over the consumer. Or let the consumer sue for unfair undickered prices well above the cost of providing the towing service. Open that open to exorbitant ambulance prices too. Those need to come down. And let's face it, since you never chose to have your car towed, these charges are being FORCED on you against your will for the benefit of a third party, this is theft via unjust fines.
So you're telling me the city was suspected of favoritism, and then picks a list of only 7 companies, out of every company on the city? That still reeks to me.
Lets be clear. You may get that call year plus later. You go to the lot and it will be a burned out shell they hauled off some abandoned lot your gutted car was dumped a year prior. You have to pay storage and impound and pay them to move and 8x market rate to dispose the car. Even if you pay another company to trash it other than them you still have to pay them to haul it off their lott to the street where the other company can haul your car away and only if you stand there and wait.
