McLaughlin Towing & Recovery

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because: In reviewing the timeline of this event, I called the resident (my daughter) at 6:47PM to let her know I was minutes from arriving and I have phone records to prove thisShe walked outside to meet me and we were outside for a few minutes before going insideAs shown on my receipt, the driver had my car hooked up and was driving off by 7:00PMI find it EXTREMELY difficult to believe that: 1) a phone call was made to the towing company 2) a driver was dispatched to that location 3) the car was hooked up and driven away all within 5-minutes of my arrival? No one else sees this as unrealistic and suspicious? And, if they got my car to their lot in minutes, why did it take me HOURS to finally drive my car out of their car jail? Therefore, a driver either just sits there waiting for someone to park in ANY of those vacant spots (which are ALWAYS VACANT as numerous residents have corroborated, guests always park there, NO ONE EVER parks in the spot I was in which is why I was told to park there, and the van next to that spot has not moved in 6+ months) or someone is getting a kickback from alerting this company to cars they can make a quick $CASH on I'm betting they're doing this all day, every day, at every apartment complex and parking lot in [redacted] And an all cash business? Seriously? Why is this business not accepting credit/debit cards? Should someone be looking into this? Would they make an elderly lady/gentleman WALK on that dark street to the ATM at the gas station down the road at 9:00PM? Thankfully I was not alone and had my adult son with me Their driver offered to give us a ride to the ATM because he could see the boss (or whoever that guy was), was being difficult since he did not tell me I had to bring cash onlyHe said he did but he also conveniently spoke very low on the phone and I could not hear most of what he saidIt took me a few calls to finally discern where my car even wasAs soon as we got in his driver's truck the driver said he understood why I was so upset and said, "Sorry my boss is a ***" and "I don't agree with his business practices"HIS OWN EMPLOYEE'S WORDS, NOT MINESo, if your own employee says he does not agree with your business practices, doesn't that mean there is something "unethical" happening? He was nice enough to offer us a ride to the ATM while the boss didn't care if I ever got my car or notWhy should he? I'm sure I would have been hit with an astronomical daily storage fee if I wasn't able to get the cash to bail out my car that night In talking to other long-time, honest and upstanding business owners in [redacted] , every single one agrees that this fellow is a "jerk" (and other colorful names I cannot repeat here) [redacted]

The towers do not collect money for vehicles that are not hooked and in the tow trucks possessionBased on the fact that you paid for the release of two motor vehicles, substantiates the fact that two vehicles were hooked Based on communication from the towers on scene, both vehicles were hooked You and your friend did not have the funds to pay for the vehicles to be released Under circumstances, both vehicles would have been towed to yard and you would have to find a way to get the funds and then come to the yard to pay and retrieve the vehicles You made a verbal agreement with the driver, which is against company policy, to have your vehicle released in order to take yourself and your friend to the ATM, to get the funds to have both vehicles released Therefore, both vehicles were hooked and the towers had possession of both vehicles that were illegally parked You paid for the release of your motor vehicle and your friend paid for the release of his, as per your verbal agreement with the tower The only thing the towers did wrong, was being sympathetic to your current situation and allowing you to leave and come back later to pay That you for making me aware of the situation

After reviewing this second complaint, I would like to point out some differences: Per your original complaint, it took you hour to get your car back and now the second complaint it took hours to get your car back Per your original complaint, the vehicle parked next to the spot you parked in has been parked there for + months and now months The complaint and the story continue to grow The facts are: You parked in a spot that you did not have the right to park in We are contracted to tow people who park in other people’s spots A phone call did come in and we responded to it If we did accept another form of payment from you, you would be disputing it As it pertains to the vehicle next to which you declare hasn’t moved in four months and now six months, that has nothing to do with you or this situation and you need not be concerned with it The fact of the matter is, that you are screaming from the mountains that everyone else must have done or does do something wrong because you parked somewhere you should not have parked and you were towed You need to accept responsibility for your part in this Own up to the fact that you cannot and should not park where ever you want If you are towed because you did something wrong, it is not anyone else’s fault It is not our fault because we have a quick ETA, it is not our fault because only a cash payment is accepted and it is not our fault that you are upset There is nothing that we can offer you We did our best to accommodate you the best way we could You were giving a ride to the ATM, your vehicle was released back to you in a timely fashion, and you were treated with respect from the drivers

This service call was dispatched by [redacted] Roadside Assistance for one of their vans in which a customer locked the keys insideMclaughlin Towing is a vendor for [redacted] & has contracted rates to perform roadside services &/or repairsWe were contacted by [redacted] to unlock their van in [redacted] **They informed us they would NOT be covering the costs for the service & that they would need an e.t.a along with a price to discuss with the customer prior to authorizing the dispatchI told them the charges would be the same as our contracted rate which is $150/hrfrom the time the truck leaves until it returns [redacted] then spoke with the customer, explained the charges & time, issued a reference #, & dispatched the callThe estimated price given was actually $but since it didn't take the amount of time ESTIMATED, the customer was only charged $ [redacted] has already refunded the customer $so the customer has only paid $for a service that took over an hour to complete

Complaint: [redacted] I am rejecting this response because:There was one tow truckOnly one car was hookedEither your information is wrong or you're not telling the truthI know the truth will not come out of the company Sincerely, [redacted]

Both vehicles were illegally parked. There was two tow trucks and both tow trucks were hooked to both cars. Money was collected to release the illegally parked motor vehicles

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:
 
In reviewing the timeline of this event, I called the resident (my daughter) at 6:47PM to let her know I was 5 minutes from arriving and I have phone records to prove this. She walked outside to meet me and we were outside for a few minutes before going inside. As shown on my receipt, the driver had my car hooked up and was driving off by 7:00PM. I find it EXTREMELY difficult to believe that: 1) a phone call was made to the towing company 2) a driver was dispatched to that location 3) the car was hooked up and driven away all within 5-7 minutes of my arrival? No one else sees this as unrealistic and suspicious? And, if they got my car to their lot in minutes, why did it take me 2.5 HOURS to finally drive my car out of their car jail? 
 
Therefore, a driver either just sits there waiting for someone to park in ANY of those vacant spots (which are ALWAYS VACANT as numerous residents have corroborated, guests always park there, NO ONE EVER parks in the spot I was in which is why I was told to park there, and the van next to that spot has not moved in 6+ months) or someone is getting a kickback from alerting this company to cars they can make a quick $100 CASH on.  I'm betting they're doing this all day, every day, at every apartment complex and parking lot in [redacted]. And an all cash business? Seriously? Why is this business not accepting credit/debit cards? Should someone be looking into this? Would they make an elderly lady/gentleman WALK on that dark street to the ATM at the gas station down the road at 9:00PM? Thankfully I was not alone and had my adult son with me.
 
Their driver offered to give us a ride to the ATM because he could see the boss (or whoever that guy was), was being difficult since he did not tell me I had to bring cash only. He said he did but he also conveniently spoke very low on the phone and I could not hear most of what he said. It took me a few calls to finally discern where my car even was. As soon as we got in his driver's truck the driver said he understood why I was so upset and said, "Sorry my boss is a [redacted]" and "I don't agree with his business practices". HIS OWN EMPLOYEE'S WORDS, NOT MINE. So, if your own employee says he does not agree with your business practices, doesn't that mean there is something "unethical" happening? He was nice enough to offer us a ride to the ATM while the boss didn't care if I ever got my car or not. Why should he? I'm sure I would have been hit with an astronomical daily storage fee if I wasn't able to get the cash to bail out my car that night. 
 
In talking to other long-time, honest and upstanding business owners in [redacted], every single one agrees that this fellow is a "jerk" (and other colorful names I cannot repeat here). 
 
[redacted]

The towers
do not collect money for vehicles that are not hooked and in the tow trucks
possession. Based on the fact that you paid for the release of two motor
vehicles, substantiates the fact that two vehicles were hooked.  Based on
communication from the towers on scene, both vehicles were hooked.  You and your friend did not have the funds to
pay for the vehicles to be released. 
Under normal circumstances, both vehicles would have been towed to yard
and you would have to find a way to get the funds and then come to the yard to
pay and retrieve the vehicles.  You made
a verbal agreement with the driver, which is against company policy, to have
your vehicle released in order to take yourself and your friend to the ATM, to
get the funds to have both vehicles released. 
Therefore, both vehicles were hooked and the towers had possession of
both vehicles that were illegally parked. 
You paid for the release of your motor vehicle and your friend paid for
the release of his, as per your verbal agreement with the tower.  The only thing the towers did wrong, was
being sympathetic to your current situation and allowing you to leave and come
back later to pay.  That you for making
me aware of the situation.

After reviewing this second complaint, I would like to point
out some differences:
1.    
Per your original complaint, it took you 1 hour
to get your car back and now the second complaint it took 2.5 hours to get your
car back.
2.    
Per your original complaint, the vehicle parked
next to the spot you parked in has been parked there for 4 + months and now 6
months.
The complaint and the story continue to grow.  The facts are:
1.    
You parked in a spot that you did not have the
right to park in. 
2.    
We are contracted to tow people who park in
other people’s spots.  A phone call did
come in and we responded to it.
3.    
If we did accept another form of payment from
you, you would be disputing it.
4.    
As it pertains to the vehicle next to which you
declare hasn’t moved in four months and now six months, that has nothing to do
with you or this situation and you need not be concerned with it.
 
The fact of the matter is, that you are screaming from the
mountains that everyone else must have done or does do something wrong because
you parked somewhere you should not have parked and you were towed.  You need to accept responsibility for your
part in this.  Own up to the fact that
you cannot and should not park where ever you want.  If you are towed because you did something
wrong, it is not anyone else’s fault.  It
is not our fault because we have a quick ETA, it is not our fault because only
a cash payment is accepted and it is not our fault that you are upset.   
 
There is nothing that we can offer you.  We did our best to accommodate you the best
way we could.  You were giving a ride to
the ATM, your vehicle was released back to you in a timely fashion, and you
were treated with respect from the drivers.

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response...

because:
There was one tow truck. Only one car was hooked. Either your information is wrong or you're not telling the truth. I know the truth will not come out of the company. 
Sincerely,
[redacted]

Complaint: [redacted]
I am rejecting this response because:There was one tow truck. Only one car was hooked. Either your information is wrong or you're not telling the truth. I know the truth will not come out of the company. 
Sincerely,
[redacted]

This service call was dispatched by [redacted] Roadside Assistance for one of their vans in which a customer locked the keys inside. Mclaughlin Towing is a vendor for [redacted] & has contracted rates to perform roadside services &/or repairs. We were contacted by [redacted] to unlock their van in...

[redacted]. They informed us they would NOT be covering the costs for the service & that they would need an e.t.a along with a price to discuss with the customer prior to authorizing the dispatch. I told them the charges would be the same as our contracted rate which is $150/hr. from the time the truck leaves until it returns. [redacted] then spoke with the customer, explained the charges & time, issued a reference #, & dispatched the call. The estimated price given was actually $225.00 but since it didn't take the amount of time ESTIMATED, the customer was only charged $200. [redacted] has already refunded the customer $150 so the customer has only paid $50 for a service that took over an hour to complete.

Review: This company took $100 from me without reason. At midnight on Saturday June 23rd a kids car I was parked next to was being loaded on the tow truck and I asked if I can leave. We were both parked in parking spaces that said "For customers only during business hours". It was not business hours and I was told I could not leave and had to pay $100. There was no hook on my car, but unfortunatly I did not know the law at the time and therefore did not get my car and simply drive away. My father called earlier in order to attempt to get the issue settled, however they were not truthful and claimed my car was hooked. I promise and guarentee this is not the truth and my car was not hooked. This is the absolute truth. I was told I could leave and get $100 and if I didn't the tow company would keep the other kids car as collatral. I went with the kid to get the $100 and paid the tow company. It is my fault for not knowing my rights, however this was a corrupt business practice and not moral by any means. I would like to reiterate there was no hook and absolutely nothing attached to my car, I was let go to get $100, but did not know the law at the time. I was taken advantage of.Desired Settlement: I am a college student who needs money for tuition and just want my $100 back.

Business

Response:

Both vehicles were illegally parked. There was two tow trucks and both tow trucks were hooked to both cars. Money was collected to release the illegally parked motor vehicles.

Consumer

Response:

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because:

Review: Someone seriously needs to look into the business practices of this place. I had my car towed on 8/26/14 from an apartment complex in [redacted]. I parked my car at 6:50 and by 7:00 (the time of the towing report) they had my car hooked up and were driving it away. It was told I was "in someone's space" but clearly, no one uses this space as the resident of the apartment told me to park there because visitors always park there. BTW, there is a car parked next to the spot I chose that has not moved in over 4 months! There is also a sign in the apartment lobby telling people what to do if their cars get towed so apparently, they've got this scam down pat. I seriously believe they have an unethical way of doing business and are most likely using spotters to alert them of vehicles they can tow who in turn, get a few bucks for making the call. These thieves charged me $100 - CASH ONLY (they would not take a credit or debit card). In the hour I waited to bail my car out, they hauled in 4 more vehicles so these shysters are making a serious killing EVERY SINGLE DAY! Also if the owner/boss whoever the guy I dealt with was a decent person, his own employee wouldn't have said he didn't agree with his business practices and say he is a "[redacted]". Also, if he's doing a legitimate business why does he need to protect himself with a pitbull and a handgun? I get comfort knowing there is a special place in [redacted] for people like this who prey on the misfortune of others.Desired Settlement: I want my $100 back - clearly they don't need my measly $100 bucks as they are taking in serious CASH every hour of every single day. At the very least I'd like to know that someone has seriously looked into the apparent unethical business practices of this place.

Business

Response:

After

reading the complaint, I find no unethical or illegal action by my

company. As per the complaint, the

complainant self-admittingly parked in a space that did not belong to them or

the person they were visiting. My

company is contracted to remove vehicles that should not be parked on the

property or vehicles parked in other residents’ spots. We acted well within our authority in towing

the vehicle. We also act within our authority to operate on a cash only basis.

Our

business practices are far from unethical and far from a scam. I understand that the complainant is frustrated

because they took the wrong advise of a friend, but they should be seeking

reparations from the resident who wrongly told them to park in another tenants

spot. Additionally, in the hour that the

complainant had to “wait” to get their car out, one of the driver’s was nice

enough to give her a ride to the ATM so that she did not have to walk.

Thank you

for giving me the opportunity to respond to this complaint. Please contact me if you should have

additional questions with regard to the matter.

Consumer

Response:

Review: [redacted]

I am rejecting this response because: