[LAW] A few tips for dealing with tow truck operators in TX

Good to know. But if they are addendums who knows if they were on the books a few years ago.

 

i've heard if you get in the car they can not tow you. and will eventually just let you go. never tried that, or checked to see if true though

 

You should print that on the back of your business card.

 

a few years back my sister got in an accident with a car registered in my name and hers. she wasn't hurt but the car was basically inoperable. she called me but i was 45 minutes away. told her i'd be there as soon as possible. the tow truck driver, instead of towing the car immediately, waited for me to arrive. he asked me to sign over "permission" to tow the car. not knowing any better, i did it.

the next day i drive over to the lot to see how bad the damage was in daylight. i asked the person at the window what were the towing charges. he said $650. WTF? at that point, i didn't think much of it since the insurance company was going to pay for it. well, the adjuster called me up to ask that i send a letter to Attorney General about the exorbitant fee. basically, i had given permission for them to tack on an extra $500 for their service. he couldn't ask my sister to sign because she was a party to the accident.

 

Hope they all die.

 

Peacefully. In their sleep. So they can burn in hell!

Seriously though, tow truck drivers are the worst. The prices those ****ers at the impound lots charge are truly outrageous. Talk about a foolproof "business plan." One of the last great American rackets going.

 

This is pretty much how the industry operates, especially in Houston. In fact, Houston has the highest tow fees in the country because of how the city and county regulate them.

Not uncommon for me to ask vehicle owners to 1) File complains and/or 2) Assume some of the inflated charges.

 

Tow truck drivers piss me off for a different reason.

They camp out near my place and sit idle in their trucks, and when they get a call/tip, they haul ass down my street to get to the highway to go collect the spoils.

So every 30 minutes, these loud ass trucks go screaming by. Not only is it seriously noisy, but it is super dangerous, because they drive like bats out of hell and this is a very pedestrian heavy area.

 

Ths why you get a chl license and pull a 9 on those dirtbags. Fight trash with trash!!!

 

Every time I see one they're hauling ass and driving recklessly. I've never seen one pulled over. Coincidence?

 

I live on a very busy street. You can hear them at night driving at least 60MPH in a 30.

I can't stand tow truck drivers. They are just as bad as city workers and the post office. I remember when truck drivers had to clean up the debris when they were the ones taking the vehicle. Not anymore.... They leave all the debris on the street. Glass, bumpers, headlights, and screws... you name it.

 

I hates them. /gollum


Another service the city should provide for it's citizens via taxes. De-privatize and get some sanity back into the equation.

 

Cleverly disguised D&D button...

Must... not... push.

 

Good to know. And I concur. Them dudes suck ass.

 

Good useful info. Thanks for the research.

 

Bumpin dis here threadz.

One thing occured to me, how do you force the truck driver to stop towing your car if they haven't completed the their hookup yet?

These guys, most likely, would come to blows with you if you tried to stop them.

How does a court expect you to gather evidence that he didn't have it hooked up when you arrived?

 

You're gonna have to hope you have a camera phone or camera around. Take a pic. He'll still tow it, but you can fight it after the fact. Or get a witness. You'd think if it was his word against yours, (I assume most tow truck drivers have a criminal record) you'd win, but who knows.