Dependable Tow, Inc.

Response to *** ***’s message of December 21, 2014.The facts are:The California Highway Patrol authorized the tow under 22651(b) vcThe rates charged are within the approved CHP ratesMs*** was not present to witness the recovery or see the position of the vehicle located on the USFS (forest service road) The hill was steep enough that the wheel drive Jeep Liberty was unable to successfully climb the hill and slid off the edge of the dirt road while trying to doing soSections to 3074, inclusive, of the Civil Code, a towing company may sell your vehicle and any moneys received will be applied to towing and storage-related fees that have accumulated against your vehicleThe services performed were done in an efficient manner

Response to *** ** ***On Saturday, July 26, we, Dependable Tow were contacted by the California Highway Patrol at 12:pm for a vehicle recovery and removal at USFS Road West of Fairway Drive in Tahoe City, CaliforniaDue to the extreme situation the CHP Officer on
scene requested a cell phone call for special situation information.The vehicle a Jeep Liberty was over a bank looking like it could roll over at any minute, locked up in park with the wheels turned on a rocky x dirt road trailA flatbed tow truck would not have the ability to access the vehicle in these conditions and required a x tow truck for extrication to the non x roadway access first.The CHP ordered the vehicle removed and stored under the vehicle code section 22651(b) vc Blocking/HazardThe Fire department on scene mentioned that both shifts had been called out on a emergency for this same vehicle.In general most tow companies would dispatch tow trucks; a driver with a x to do the recovery and the second driver with a flat bed tow truck to tow the vehicle to storageThe client would then be charged for both drivers and tow trucksThe recommended way to tow an all wheel drive Jeep Liberty is on a flatbed tow truck.Instead of sending tow trucks Mr*** the owner loaded up the x tow truck on the flatbed, towed it to the scene to do the recovery and then used the flatbed to tow the vehicle to storage once the recovery was doneThis was an extremely complicated recovery to do safely and without further damage to the vehicleAs noted on the invoice there was traffic back up on Highway as it was midsummer in the late afternoonHighway is a lane highway and the only access between Truckee and Tahoe City both of which are popular tourist destination.As per California State Law we are required to start a lien sale of any vehicle that comes into our possession within the first days of that vehicle coming into storageThis is the Law, set forth to protect the consumer and the business ownerOnce a lien sale is completed it is a legal avenue for disposal or sale of that vehicle.I have no knowledge to address what Ms***’s son the vehicle owner may have been told by the Placer County SheriffI do know that the California Highway Patrol ordered the vehicle removed and authorized our company to do so in writing.Points to note:We did not charge Mr*** for the return trip to Tahoe City to retrieve our 4xtruck that had to be left behind while his vehicle was towed to storageThe storage yard is within the Town of Truckee’s Town limits and approximately miles from Old Historic Downtown TruckeeIn July of our CHP approved rates became $per hour and $a day storageDue to the poor economy and financial struggle most of us have these days we chosen not to raise the rates as of yet.Had Mr*** taken a second driver and charged our full rates Mr***’s bill would have legally been $1,and not $890.00.All of the towing charges are standard and customary to the towing businessAs is requiring that a credit card holder be present to present and sign for their credit card charges. We will not be refunding any monies

I am rejecting this response because:December 21, 2014Response to Mr. [redacted]’s comments:Mr. [redacted]’s description, “.....Jeep Liberty was over a bank looking like it could roll over at any minute”, is categorically untrue.  And neither my son nor I have any knowledge of the Fire Department being called out on one shift, let alone two shifts, for a 911 emergency regarding the stuck Jeep Liberty.  In fact, my son only knows that a County Sheriff told him the car would be fine until the following afternoon, when he planned to return with a friend to winch the car.  Mr. [redacted]’s description of the position of the car is dramatized and untrue.Mr. [redacted] also states that this tow, “…..was an extremely complicated recovery…..”.  This statement is also dramatized and untrue.  The Jeep Liberty was stuck a mere ½ mile from paved Fairway Drive in Tahoe City.Mr. [redacted] states that he could have dispatched two tow trucks and charged me $1,670.00.  This statement reveals and illustrates just how arbitrary and capricious his business practices and fee structure are and, perhaps, the business practices of the tow industry.  Certainly, Highway #89 between Truckee and Tahoe City can become very congested at times, but I absolutely question the veracity of Mr. [redacted] as to the severe back-up of traffic on Highway #89, on that date.  Traffic isn’t necessarily congested in late July during late afternoons.  I believe this is another excuse to inflate his tow charges.The $650 tow fee and the $240 vehicle storage fee are arbitrary, exorbitant and inflated for the recovery service requested by CHP.  This is why I requested a reimbursement of $500.    Additionally, Mr. [redacted] is not required by California State Law to start a lien sale on any vehicle that comes into his storage lot.  This statement, again, is categorically untrue.  And placing a lien sale on a vehicle does not protect the consumer, as Mr. [redacted] states; it obviously only hurts the owner of that vehicle.  A lien sale of my son’s vehicle would have financially benefitted Mr. [redacted] and hurt my son.  Disposing of a vehicle benefits the tow company, not the owner or consumer.  Mr. [redacted] is again, incorrect.Points to note:My son was told by an employee of Dependable Tow that they would not accept his parent’s credit card over the phone; the individual named on the credit card needed to pay in person toretrieve the car, and that PayPal or other payment plans were not an option.  This is an unfair business practice of Mr. [redacted] and, perhaps, the tow business/industry.  An entire segment of our society, lower wage earners, are targeted by this criminal payment practice because these folks do not have the cash or the high line of credit to recover their vehicles.  These folks lose their vehicles to the lien sale by Mr. [redacted].  Mr. [redacted] told me when I was in his office that he would sell my son’s car, if I didn’t pay the bill in total.It took me three days to schedule a trip to Truckee only to learn that Mr. [redacted] had assessed an $80 per day storage fee, in addition to the already exorbitant tow charge of $650.   The total bill became $890.  I paid the outrageously exorbitant fee because my son needed the car to get to his new job.  He had just graduated from college and had started a job at Tahoe.  He did not have the exorbitant sum of $650 in cash or a $650 line of credit.The $890 tow charges I paid to Mr. [redacted] are outrageously exorbitant and arbitrarily set.  Storage and other capricious and circumstantial fees were assigned to inflate the fee of recovering my son’s car.  I believe I am a victim of unfair, unregulated and unethical, maybe even criminal, business practices by Mr. [redacted], owner of Dependable Tow.If, as Mr. [redacted] states, “All of the towing charges are standard and customary to the towing business”, then I am also asking the Grand Jury and/or the Attorney General’s Office to investigate the business practices and fee structure charged by Dependable Towand the tow business.  An audit of Mr. [redacted]’s financial records may reveal the outright sale of vehicles simply because lower income folks could not pay the arbitrarily set, exorbitant,  unregulated cost of retrieving their vehicles  because they did not have the necessary cash or high line of credit.  Perhaps the entire towing business needs regulation and appropriate oversight.Please continue to contact me if you need additional information.  Thank you.  Sincerely,  [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:Second Response to Mr. [redacted]  -  We categorically disagree with Mr. [redacted].  The fees charged are outrageously exorbitant and arbitrarily set.  In addition, mandating that the credit card holder be present in Mr. [redacted]’s office to pay the bill and not offering payment plan options are schemes that allow Mr. [redacted] to sell the tow victims’ vehicle.  These are unfair business practices and, perhaps, criminal practices.  [redacted]

Review: I am writing: 1) to complain about the outrageous sum I was forced to pay Dependable Tow company, $890; 2) to ask for a reimbursement of $500 of the $890, I was charged; and 3) to suggest an audit and review of the tow company's business practices. Dependable Tow company's exorbitant fee of $890 and their unethical business practices indicate nothing less than unprofessional and, perhaps, criminal business practices on their part. My complaint is specifically against:

Dependable Tow / Mr. [redacted] My son stupidly got his car stuck while driving off road one half mile from a paved road in Tahoe City, CA. Since it was getting dark, my son and his friend left the car unattended, determining to winch the car on the following afternoon.

Since the car was visible from the paved road, apparently, someone called [redacted] to investigate the unattended car, and [redacted] allegedly called Dependable Tow. (However, my son had been told by a County Sheriff that his car would be fine until the following afternoon, when he planned to return to winch the car.)

When my son went to winch the car on that following afternoon, the car had been towed by Dependable Tow to a rural lot in Truckee, CA.My son tracked down the tow company and was told by a Dependable Tow employee that fee for towing the car was $650; this fee included an off road tow charge, plus charges for alleged time the tow truck spend in traffic.

My son had just graduated from college and had just started a job at Tahoe, so he did not have the outrageous sum of $650 in cash or a credit card with a $650 line of credit. My son was also told by an employee of Dependable Tow that they would not accept his parent's credit car over the phone; the individual named on the credit card needed to pay in person to retrieve the car, and that [redacted] or other payment plans were not an option.

It took me three days to schedule the trip to Truckee. When I arrived at the office of Dependable Tow, I was dismayed and further outraged to learn that Dependable Tow had increased the charges by $80 per day for storage fees. The total bill was $890!!!

I spoke with Mr. [redacted], owner of Dependable Tow, and he told me that $890 was a reasonable fee for towing a car one half mile from a paved road, for their time in traffic (alleged traffic on Highway 89) and for storage of the car in a rural unincorporated lot.I did not agree and I asked Mr. [redacted] to lower the cost, but Mr. [redacted] said that he would not negotiate a lower fee. Further, Mr. [redacted] told me that he could get this amount because people need their cars and that other tow companies in the area charged the same.

I paid the outrageous fee of $890 because my son did, indeed, need the car to get to his job and because Mr. [redacted] said he would just continue to add $80 per day to our bill for storage. Mr. [redacted] also stated to me that he would eventually sell my son's car, if I did not pay the bill.

The $890 fee I paid is simply outrageous. And Mr. [redacted]'s stated threat of selling my son's car was unethical and maybe, even a criminal business practice. I believe I am a victim of unfair, unethical and unprofessional business practices by Mr. [redacted], owner of Dependable Tow. And this is why I am asking for a reimbursement of at least $500.

Additionally, I am asking that the Grand Jury and/or the [redacted] investigate the tow practices and fee structures of Dependable Tow. An audit of their financial records may reveal the outright sale of vehicles simply because lower income folks cannot pay the outrageous fees required to retrieve their autos. An entire segemnt of our society seems to be targeted by Dependable Tow, the lower income wage earners such as my son. And payment plans based on just and appropriate fees for tow services must become an option.

I have just returned from a planned extensive trip, and this is the reason I am only now writing this letter of complaint. I can only wonder with great dismay, that Mr. [redacted] of Dependable Tow could have sold my son's car by now, if the car had been towed while I was travelling. My son could have lost his job over the unethical, unprofessional and simply greedy business practices of Mr. [redacted], owner of Dependable Tow. This situation was and is despicable, and I believe, perhaps, criminal.

Please contact me at ###-###-####, if I can supply an additional information. Thank you.

Sincerely,

[redacted]Desired Settlement: I am writing: 1) to complain about the outrageous sum I was forced to pay Dependable Tow company, $890; 2) to ask for a reimbursement of $500 of the $890, I was charged; and 3) to suggest an audit and review of the tow company's business practices.

Business

Response:

Response to [redacted]On Saturday, July 26, 2014 we, Dependable Tow were contacted by the California Highway Patrol at 12:57 pm for a vehicle recovery and removal at USFS Road 73 West of Fairway Drive in Tahoe City, California. Due to the extreme situation the CHP Officer on scene requested a cell phone call for special situation information.The vehicle a 06 Jeep Liberty was over a bank looking like it could roll over at any minute, locked up in park with the wheels turned on a rocky 4 x 4 dirt road trail. A flatbed tow truck would not have the ability to access the vehicle in these conditions and required a 4 x 4 tow truck for extrication to the non 4 x 4 roadway access first.The CHP ordered the vehicle removed and stored under the vehicle code section 22651(b) vc Blocking/Hazard. The Fire department on scene mentioned that both shifts had been called out on a 911 emergency for this same vehicle.In general most tow companies would dispatch 2 tow trucks; a driver with a 4 x 4 to do the recovery and the second driver with a flat bed tow truck to tow the vehicle to storage. The client would then be charged for both drivers and tow trucks. The recommended way to tow an all wheel drive Jeep Liberty is on a flatbed tow truck.Instead of sending 2 tow trucks Mr. [redacted] the owner loaded up the 4 x 4 tow truck on the flatbed, towed it to the scene to do the recovery and then used the flatbed to tow the vehicle to storage once the recovery was done. This was an extremely complicated recovery to do safely and without further damage to the vehicle. As noted on the invoice there was traffic back up on Highway 89 as it was midsummer in the late afternoon. Highway 89 is a 2 lane highway and the only access between Truckee and Tahoe City both of which are popular tourist destination.As per California State Law we are required to start a lien sale of any vehicle that comes into our possession within the first 15 days of that vehicle coming into storage. This is the Law, set forth to protect the consumer and the business owner. Once a lien sale is completed it is a legal avenue for disposal or sale of that vehicle.I have no knowledge to address what Ms. [redacted]’s son the vehicle owner may have been told by the Placer County Sheriff. I do know that the California Highway Patrol ordered the vehicle removed and authorized our company to do so in writing.Points to note:1. We did not charge Mr. [redacted] for the return trip to Tahoe City to retrieve our 4x4 truck that had to be left behind while his vehicle was towed to storage. The storage yard is within the Town of Truckee’s Town limits and approximately 1.9 miles from Old Historic Downtown Truckee.2. In July of 2013 our CHP approved rates became $280.00 per hour and $90.00 a day storage. Due to the poor economy and financial struggle most of us have these days we chosen not to raise the rates as of yet.Had Mr. [redacted] taken a second driver and charged our full rates Mr. [redacted]’s bill would have legally been $1,670.00 and not $890.00.All of the towing charges are standard and customary to the towing business. As is requiring that a credit card holder be present to present and sign for their credit card charges. We will not be refunding any monies.

Consumer

Response:

I am rejecting this response because:December 21, 2014Response to Mr. [redacted]’s comments:Mr. [redacted]’s description, “.....Jeep Liberty was over a bank looking like it could roll over at any minute”, is categorically untrue. And neither my son nor I have any knowledge of the Fire Department being called out on one shift, let alone two shifts, for a 911 emergency regarding the stuck Jeep Liberty. In fact, my son only knows that a County Sheriff told him the car would be fine until the following afternoon, when he planned to return with a friend to winch the car. Mr. [redacted]’s description of the position of the car is dramatized and untrue.Mr. [redacted] also states that this tow, “…..was an extremely complicated recovery…..”. This statement is also dramatized and untrue. The Jeep Liberty was stuck a mere ½ mile from paved Fairway Drive in Tahoe City.Mr. [redacted] states that he could have dispatched two tow trucks and charged me $1,670.00. This statement reveals and illustrates just how arbitrary and capricious his business practices and fee structure are and, perhaps, the business practices of the tow industry. Certainly, Highway #89 between Truckee and Tahoe City can become very congested at times, but I absolutely question the veracity of Mr. [redacted] as to the severe back-up of traffic on Highway #89, on that date. Traffic isn’t necessarily congested in late July during late afternoons. I believe this is another excuse to inflate his tow charges.The $650 tow fee and the $240 vehicle storage fee are arbitrary, exorbitant and inflated for the recovery service requested by CHP. This is why I requested a reimbursement of $500. Additionally, Mr. [redacted] is not required by California State Law to start a lien sale on any vehicle that comes into his storage lot. This statement, again, is categorically untrue. And placing a lien sale on a vehicle does not protect the consumer, as Mr. [redacted] states; it obviously only hurts the owner of that vehicle. A lien sale of my son’s vehicle would have financially benefitted Mr. [redacted] and hurt my son. Disposing of a vehicle benefits the tow company, not the owner or consumer. Mr. [redacted] is again, incorrect.Points to note:My son was told by an employee of Dependable Tow that they would not accept his parent’s credit card over the phone; the individual named on the credit card needed to pay in person toretrieve the car, and that PayPal or other payment plans were not an option. This is an unfair business practice of Mr. [redacted] and, perhaps, the tow business/industry. An entire segment of our society, lower wage earners, are targeted by this criminal payment practice because these folks do not have the cash or the high line of credit to recover their vehicles. These folks lose their vehicles to the lien sale by Mr. [redacted]. Mr. [redacted] told me when I was in his office that he would sell my son’s car, if I didn’t pay the bill in total.It took me three days to schedule a trip to Truckee only to learn that Mr. [redacted] had assessed an $80 per day storage fee, in addition to the already exorbitant tow charge of $650. The total bill became $890. I paid the outrageously exorbitant fee because my son needed the car to get to his new job. He had just graduated from college and had started a job at Tahoe. He did not have the exorbitant sum of $650 in cash or a $650 line of credit.The $890 tow charges I paid to Mr. [redacted] are outrageously exorbitant and arbitrarily set. Storage and other capricious and circumstantial fees were assigned to inflate the fee of recovering my son’s car. I believe I am a victim of unfair, unregulated and unethical, maybe even criminal, business practices by Mr. [redacted], owner of Dependable Tow.If, as Mr. [redacted] states, “All of the towing charges are standard and customary to the towing business”, then I am also asking the Grand Jury and/or the Attorney General’s Office to investigate the business practices and fee structure charged by Dependable Towand the tow business. An audit of Mr. [redacted]’s financial records may reveal the outright sale of vehicles simply because lower income folks could not pay the arbitrarily set, exorbitant, unregulated cost of retrieving their vehicles because they did not have the necessary cash or high line of credit. Perhaps the entire towing business needs regulation and appropriate oversight.Please continue to contact me if you need additional information. Thank you. Sincerely, [redacted]

Business

Response:

Response to [redacted]’s message of December 21, 2014.The facts are:The California Highway Patrol authorized the tow under 22651(b) vc. The rates charged are within the approved CHP rates. Ms. [redacted] was not present to witness the recovery or see the position of the vehicle located on the USFS (forest service road) 73. The hill was steep enough that the 4 wheel drive Jeep Liberty was unable to successfully climb the hill and slid off the edge of the dirt road while trying to doing so. Sections 3068.1 to 3074, inclusive, of the Civil Code, a towing company may sell your vehicle and any moneys received will be applied to towing and storage-related fees that have accumulated against your vehicle. The services performed were done in an efficient manner.

Consumer

Response:

I am rejecting this response because:Second Response to Mr. [redacted] - We categorically disagree with Mr. [redacted]. The fees charged are outrageously exorbitant and arbitrarily set. In addition, mandating that the credit card holder be present in Mr. [redacted]’s office to pay the bill and not offering payment plan options are schemes that allow Mr. [redacted] to sell the tow victims’ vehicle. These are unfair business practices and, perhaps, criminal practices. [redacted]