Kautz Towing & Recovery

On Tuesday March 3, 2015, Kautz Towing dispatch received a phone call from Grover Beach Police Department to tow and store a vehicle for them due to expired registration Two days later on Tuesday March the customer contacted us about their vehicle At that time, the customer was
notified that he had to obtain a vehicle release from the Grover Beach Police Department in order to get his vehicle He was also notified of the tow, storage, and lien charges owed to the tow company and that the storage fees go up daily The customer told our dispatch that he was not going to get a vehicle release or pay the towing feesThe customer went into the Grover Beach Police Department office on Friday March to obtain a vehicle release However, he went in after police department office hours During office hours, a clerk is available who is knowledgeable on vehicle releases After office hours, only the police officers are there Since the customer dealt with a police officer and not a clerk, he was misinformed and was told that he did not have the proper documentation needed to obtain a vehicle release (even though he did have the proper documentation) The customer was not able to get a release that day This is why Grover Beach Police Department waived their paperwork fee to the customer; not because the vehicle was towed illegallyOn Monday March 9, the customer called the police department during business hours and spoke with a clerk who informed him that he did, in fact, have the correct documentation Because the Grover Beach Police Department misinformed the customer the first time he went in, they contacted us to ask if we would be willing to waive the storage fees (and only the storage fees) from the time the customer initially went into the police department (Friday March 6) to that day (Monday March 9) And we did However, the customer did not go into the police department on that day to obtain a release After Monday March 9, storage fees started accruing daily again on the vehicle
The customer did not go back into the police department to get a vehicle release until Friday March By this time, the fees for the vehicle were up to approximately $ He then came to our yard that same day to get the vehicle out of storage; but he was unwillingly to pay the towing fees even though we did notify the customer that we waived the storage fees for those couple of days The customer left our yard and continued to procrastinate for four more days and did not return to our storage yard until Tuesday March to get the vehicle When he finally did pick up his vehicle on that day, the tow bill was approximately $ However, we only charged the customer up until that first Friday March when he initially went into the Grover Beach Police Department which was a total of $ We have already discounted the tow fees for the customer even though we were entitled to the full amount We have also been in contact with Grover Beach Police Department during the entire time regarding the situation and they have confirmed to us that the vehicle was not towed illegally and we are entitled to the full amount of the tow.
Now to address the customer's complaint about securing the property and damage to his vehicle Our storage facility is completely enclosed and locked It is fenced with barbed wire on top of the fence and we also have a camera system We have annual inspections done by the California Highway Patrol of our storage facility and it meets all security standards I am not sure what the customer is speaking of about damage done to his vehicle He is correct in saying that his vehicle did not have keys but we tow vehicles without keys almost on a daily basis so this is not an issue for us We towed and secured his vehicle on our flatbed and no damage was done during the tow or storage of the vehicle The customer did not say anything to us about damage done to his vehicle when he finally picked it up from storage or at any time after he had the vehicle in his possession
As far as the owner not returning his phone calls or a refusal to give him our business license, the customer spoke with the owner multiple times over the phone regarding his vehicle When he called and asked for our business license number, he called after our business hours and our dispatcher did not have it available at that time He then got upset that it was not readily available to him and did not even ask if somebody could call him back with it
I am not sure, again, what the customer is speaking of about not getting any notice He was in contact with the police department the day the vehicle was towed We also send out a lien notice to all interested parties in the vehicle to notify them of the tow and storage of their vehicleWe also do not release vehicles due to hardship
We

On Wed, Apr 9, 2014 at 2:50 PM, Pheasant Run Manager <[redacted]> wrote:
To whom it may concern:
 
This email is in response to complaint ID#: [redacted]
 
Pheasant Run Apartments has made contact with [redacted] on 03/18/2014...

twice and had tried contacting her again on 03/19/2014 four times with no answer and we were unable to leave a message. On 03/20/2014 [redacted] left Pheasant Run office two messages, the property manager made contact with [redacted] as soon as the property manager returned to the office that afternoon and spoke with [redacted].  The regional manager for [redacted] made contact with [redacted] on 03/20/2014 as well and asked [redacted] if she had gone to the doctor to which [redacted] replied, “No.”   When asked [redacted] was unable to provide any documentation to possibly settle a resolution because again she had not seen a doctor or taken time off of work since the incident on 03/17/2014.
 
Thank you,
 
[redacted] | Community Manager

Complaint: 10534786
I am rejecting this response because: it was a illegal tow, And I did not authorize the tow. I even told them not to tow it over the phone. There were no signs posted and I was never given prior notice. I was also charged a gate fee when I was there during regular business hours to pick up my property. Iook at a copy of the tow receive under reason for tow. It is marked" none ". That pretty much sums it up. I am requesting a refund of $570.00 or a penalty in three times that amount if not paid within 21 days for wasting my time. Sorry I wasn't able to get around very fast when I didn't have my pick up that was stolen. I am also very disappointed with the false statements they have now made. 
Regards,
[redacted]
All rights reserved

Review: On May 19th I was visiting my sister in law for her birthday. I am a disabled veteran parked in the only handicap parking spot with a my place card hanging on my rear view mirror. Sometime between the hours of 2am to 6am my vehicle was towed for no reason. The tow yard owner Jacob claimed they were "impounding a stolen vehicle" which is obviously not the case. He then claimed that the alarm was sounding off repeatedly so they had to tow it. The California Highway Patrol (CHP) stated that there was a call for a noise disturbance at 0200 and 0320 for an alarm sounding. The tow company claims they had nothing to do with that but that they were called by CHP to impound the "stolen vehicle". When this tow company took my vehicle they said that they had to disconnect my battery in order to stop the alarm. I have an analog clock in my vehicle which read 0531 which is the time that my battery was disconnected. The neighbors in the complex heard no alarms sounding through the night. I believe they were scouting for vehicles to tow for quick cash. When they towed my vehicle they broke into it causing my drivers side window to be inoperable as well as the power locks are not in sequence with each other any more which makes it difficult for a disabled person to go completely around the car to ensure it is locked when I leave my car. I would like my $350 for the tow which was not ordered by State police. State police had record of a noise complaint which could have been any vehicle with an alarm. My car was towed nowhere in that time frame and was towed as a "stolen vehicle". I want my money back and my window and locks fixed.Desired Settlement: A refund for the $350 illegal tow as well as payment to an auto repair center in Oxnard, CA to repair my drivers side window and power locks.

Review: My pick up was illeagly towed with out my consent and not released after the grover beach police department realized they didn't quite follow the statutes that they are supposed to follow. GBPD waived all there fees but kautz towing keeps on charging. On information and belief I believe they don't follow the statutes. They have not secured my property and damaged my pick up since they didn't have a key. The owner never returned my calls and there employee refused to give me their business licence number when I asked. They didn't give me any notice and refused to return my truck when I demanded due to a hardship. I believe that alone goes against the legislatures intent. I am very disappointed with everyone involved.Desired Settlement: To have my truck towed to 2340 Hausna road, Arroyo Grande, California at no charge and I will release all liability and claims against Kautz Towing and Recovery. This is done in good faith in a attempt to mitigate damages.

Business

Response:

On Tuesday March 3, 2015, Kautz Towing dispatch received a phone call from Grover Beach Police Department to tow and store a vehicle for them due to expired registration. Two days later on Tuesday March 5. the customer contacted us about their vehicle. At that time, the customer was notified that he had to obtain a vehicle release from the Grover Beach Police Department in order to get his vehicle. He was also notified of the tow, storage, and lien charges owed to the tow company and that the storage fees go up daily. The customer told our dispatch that he was not going to get a vehicle release or pay the towing fees.