Shanks Towing

Review: This experience is by far the worst service experience I have ever had. I recently left my job in management with [redacted] Customer Service, and am now a business analyst for the company at our corporate headquarters. My car was towed yesterday from what was labeled as a VRE Commuter lot off of Lafayette Blvd. As it turns out, a few spots in the lot are not for VRE a commuters, and I did not realize this. I am experiencing a few major life events simultaneously and I have a lot on my plate and am under financial and personal stress. After explaining my unique circumstances to the towing company telephone representative and asking for her understanding and an exception, she told me, "There are no unique circumstances here," and that she had "had it with me" and was "through with me" when I asked her to please hear me out. I told her that I was trying to remain patient but I couldn't accept that there was nothing at all should could do to help me. She became rude, sarcastic, repeatedly talked over me, and was incredibly aggressive. I asked her if there was anyone else there who was more professional and helpful that I could talk to. She informed me she is the manager and then hung up on me. I called back to ask about how I could get my car back, and she told me I could pay the fee. I asked if there was any way possible I could avoid the fee because it was an honest mistake and she said, "If you don't pay, it comes out of my paycheck, and I'm not gonna pay for your mistake" and hung up on me again. I called a 3rd time to schedule a time to pick up my car and she told me someone could meet me at the lot now and hung up. When I arrived at the lot and no one was there, I called to ask if there was anything else I needed to do, and she said, "Ma'am, he won't be there for an hour, that's your appointment time." Since she never told me this, I expressed frustration over not knowing that and asked if it was possible for someone to meet me sooner. She hung up on me again.Desired Settlement: In total, the manager of Shanks Towing hung up on me 4 times. Finally, I called her a 5th time and begged her to please not hang up on me because I am her customer and was depending on her for help and information. She said, "I don't want to talk to you anymore and I already answered your questions." I told her my friend was waiting with me outside and then suddenly someone was magically available and came out of the building to help me get my car. After this horrible experience, my only option was to pay $104 to get my car back. I understand the mistake is mine. I never once blamed her for the mistake. Also, given my 10+ years of customer service industry experience, I am always careful to never be rude or impatient or unkind as a customer. I have been called terrible names and told horrible things by customers as a member of management in [redacted] customer service. I never once cursed or raised my voice or became aggressive. A refund of my towing expense and formal apology is expected.

Review: My car was towed by Shanks Towing on 3/29/15 from the [redacted]. Although my parking pass WAS displayed CORRECTLY because I was double parked, they towed my car. I accepted full responsibility for this, paid them $125 to get my car back and left. Less than 15 minutes after picking up my car, my passanger rear tire blows out while I am driving with my 18 month old in the back seat. These were new tires. I called and left a message for the manager who never called back. The result of Shanks towing towing my car led to my back tires being dragged and stripped. I called Monday morning 3/30/15, was asked to send pictures of the damaged tire and advised that they would call me back. I never received a call back. At about 4pm I decided to call Shanks towing, I spoke with [redacted] the manager who tells me my tires were old and it was not their fault my tire was damaged.Desired Settlement: I informed [redacted], Shank towing manager that I desired for a full refund of my car being towed since the results of shanks towing my car lead to a dragged, stripped tire, or that they credit me for a new tire replacement.

Consumer

Response:

[A default letter is provided here which indicates that the business has not responded to you directly. If you wish, you may update it before sending it.]

At this time, I have not been contacted by Shanks Towing regarding complaint ID [redacted].

Regards,

Review: On Monday March 2, 2015 I was driving home to [redacted] when my car started acting funny. As it was getting later in the evening was afraid to try to make home with car. So I pulled over in the [redacted] shopping center and placed a note on my car that it was broke down this was at 6:00 pm. I then called for my family member to come and get me. I was going to come back in the morning to figure out what was wrong with the car. When I came back to get my car not even 24 hours later to find my car was gone. I scrambled around parking lot to find one of the signs that had a phone number of the company as well as the name. I then contacted company to find they had towed my car almost 30 miles away and at a cost 160.00 . I ask why my car was towed since I did have sign stated car was broke down. I was told they didnt care if there was sign on there per the receptionist at Shanks. I then was told in further communications that the driver took pictures and there was no note on car. Which I advised them I had my own picture of the note at that it was time stamped and dated of the evening of Monday. I told them I didnt think it was fair that my car was towed from lot. I told them I would have to wait till Friday to do anything I was then advised as of Friday that it would be 567.00 to get my car out as they tack on a processing fee of 270 after three days. I then hung up with and started to contact the actual property manager of the shopping center. I sent all my information to him and he has tried to be as helpful as he possibly can as well as very kind to the situation. I called Shanks to tell them I had been working with property manager to find a solution to this situation for them to say they didnt care who I talked with that the amount still stands. As of today it is 860.00 to get my car back. Which I dont feel that is in anyway is right since I did everything I believed was correct by placing note on car since was broke down.Desired Settlement: All I want is to get my car back since I have been in contact with property manager and following up with everything I thought was right to handle situation.

Review: On the morning of 6/5/2014 at approximately 9:10 a.m. my [redacted] was illegally towed by Shanks Towing. I parked in a 15 minute parking zone in downtown Fredericksburg, and was out of my car for no more than 5 minutes, before I came back to find that my car was snatched and missing. After flagging down a Fredericksburg Police Officer, he then informed me that they receive several complaints, and that the company pays loiterers to call the company when someone leaves their car and doesn't go directly into the place of business. When I arrived at the towing company to address the situation, the receptionist was very rude and nasty, and proceeded to lie about the circumstances behind the towing from the beginning of the conversation. Her co-worker joined in and tried to "fix" her lies, and only contradicted themselves and made matters worse. They then claimed they didn't know their employee's name that towed the car. The also refused to give me my vehicle, which they illegally towed, and charged my $100. During the conversation, while I was explaining to them I was parked in 15 minute parking and was parked for no more than 5 minutes, the women turned to a large man sitting in the back and told them to "let out the dogs" on me. They were all very rude, they all lied profusely, they threatened me with assault by animals, and were racist towards me. I paid the $100 to regain custody of my vehicle, and left. At home, I looked up their company online and found many reviews in which other locals vehicles were illegally towed as well, referring to the company as "predators". This is a very bad business and I fully intend to follow through with criminal charges as well as a lawsuit.

Shanks towing is the worst. Vultures. Wait for a person to make a mistake and they pounce. The driver is rude told me to grow the [redacted] up. Was rude to my 80 year old mother. The office staff act as if you are bothering them when you call to complain about how their employee speaks to you. I would pay more money to use a different company than give them one red cent.

Review: Shanks towed my car. The operate with bad practices and some boarding illegal. They only operate "after hours," so they can charge $185. They maintain no regular hours at all to skirt Virginia state law. They towed my car from my apartment complex in an area with poorly marked faded signage. The signage is not in compliance with the law. It was parked at 3:00 after my husband worked a long late shift and it was raining. We have to wait till Monday to get the car back because no one is reachable at the apartment complex to call them and tell them to release it.Desired Settlement: I want my car released back to me at no charge, an apology and them removed from my apartment complex, [redacted] as their tow service.

Business

Response:

I spoke with [redacted] from the company and he stated that the car was towed and after several phone calls to the business and the property manager at the apartment complex, the car was released to the consumer with no charge.

Review: Shank's Towing of Richmond, VA towed my car on the evening of 9/11/15. I was out of town this particular weekend and did not discover my car had been towed until around 5:30AM EST on 9/14/15. I contacted the tow company upon my discovery and was told the fee to retrieve my car was $185.00 total, a $125 impound fee and $30 per night after the tow date. I called that same evening around 4PM EST to verify pricing and was advised I would have to pay $195.00 total. When I questions the $10.00 increase I was advised my previous conversation was with a dispatcher who was not educated properly on the daily fees of $125 for the impound fee plus $35 per night. I expressed my dissatisfaction with the price difference and the representative at the time advised me that she was the manager and prices were non negotiable making the $195.00 the finalized amount unless I picked up my vehicle after 10:30 PM EST. I then asked would I be able to see the pricing in writing and the representative told me I could retrieve the information from the employee upon arrival. When I arrived to retrieve my vehicle at 6:30 PM EST I was advised the price would be $231.00. The pricing had changed again with the greeting representative stating an additional $35 had been tacked on. I questioned how the pricing had changed when I called to confirm the pricing with a "manager" who told me $195.00 would be the correct amount. I was not able to retrieve my vehicle because I did not have the amount of cash the representative was asking for upon my arrival. When I requested to speak with a manager I was told by the greeting representative and a phone representative that no manager was available at the time.Desired Settlement: I want to pay only $195 to retrieve my vehicle, I believe I was misinformed twice which is no fault of my own.

Review: I bought a car at Shanks Towing through an auction. My brother had previously purchased two cars from their auction for less than $1000. He had to put a few parts on the car, but it had worked out fine. I first thought highly of this company because of the great success my brother had. I decided to do the same and bought a [redacted] for $700. I was completely aware this was a used car and anticipated it would need some parts/maintenance. I went to Advance Auto parts which is about 2 miles away from Shanks Towing. I bought new spark plugs and spark plug cables and put them in the car. After replacing the parts, I started the car and was leaving the parking lot when the engine ignited with a flame. The engine turned-off in the middle of an oncoming-traffic intersection. I was able to get it started again and drove it to a mechanic shop about 100 feet away. I was going to have the car fixed and paid $100 to have it evaluated by the repair shop. I was told by the mechanic that the car had been in a head-on collision and had a cracked radiator. He said the front would need to go to a body shop to get the frame fixed before they could ever replace the radiator. This would cost up to $3000! I called Shanks Towing (several times) to try and get some help and see what they could do for me. I asked if I could return the car and get a $700 dollar credit to try and get another car at their next auction. The staff answering the phone were completely cold and unconcerned with my situation. I called every day for a week and never heard back from them. They also had the audacity to tell me they check the cars before selling them, and make sure to tell people whats wrong with them before they buy them during the auction. Not only is that a lie, but selling cars that are totaled is dangerous and someone could get seriously injured or killed because of there negligence. Money seems to be the only thing this company cares about, not the loyalty, happiness, and safety of their customers.Desired Settlement: I would like to get a refund or credit for my car. I understand the no refund policy for people who might have had the car for a couple of days and could of trashed it themselves but my car did not even work for an hour after I purchased it. I deserve a response and a fair solution.

Business

Response:

Dear Ms. [redacted]:I am responding to your letter concerning a complaint from the above referenced case #[redacted]. Atthe time of our auction the vehicles are started and all potential buyers are able to look under the hood.They are also allowed to check any malfunction lights on the inside of the vehicle. If we are aware of anyproblems with the vehicle the auctioneer discloses this at the time of sale. I am enclosing the bill of salethat Ms. [redacted] signed stating all vehicles are sold "AS-IS WHERE IS". I have also included the auctionterms & conditions that was also signed by Ms. [redacted]. It is unfortunate that Ms. [redacted] had mechanicalissues with this vehicle as she was aware of the rules and regulations upon purchasing it.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer and/or response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

[Provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.]

Regards,

Worst towing company with illegal practices, They will willfully tow your car that was parked less than a minutes, wait bait and [redacted], and tow illegally out of parking spaces you pay for with tags in the car.

Nasty people to deal with and girl is office is just down right rude. They also ride around with children in the there trucks, office girl also has a baby on premise.

Review: My car was towed and I was never notified ;when I called the business they advised me they had placed a 72 hour notice on my vehicle. Which was not true and that because it had been at there business for several days I would have to pay $ 685 instead of the standard $185 fee. I advised [redacted]( I was told she was the Manager) that if I was not notified that it was there why should I be responsible for the $50 dollars a day extra. She could also not tell me what the DMV filing fee of $250 was for. She advised me that the only way to get my vehicle was to pay the full amount. I again advised her that if notification had been given I would have picked it up on the first day they had it, she again told me I had to pay the full amount. This must be illegal to take my property not tell me and then charge me for keeping it.Desired Settlement: I am honest enough that I feel I deserve to pay the $185 towing fee, but the rest of the fees are not warranted. this must be an illegal practice and they really are getting over. I would also like to know when and what they paid DMV $250 dollars for.

After looking at my receipt it says $135 for tow, $250 process,$250 storage and $50 N/W(no idea what that is), $27.40 because my father paid with his credit card for me. I want my money returned less the standard tow fee, which stated on the receipt is $135 not $185 as I was told.

Business

Response:

To Whom It May Concern,

Review: My car was towed and in the process of towing my car was damaged. I then paid for my car the next morning and had it towed home. I then contacted the Attorney General's Office and it is now under investigation. They have made up ridiculous lies to the Attorney General's office saying that my father and I slandered them, made threats and was very destructive doing burnouts and spinning gravel in their storage lot. Apparently they do not recall a police officer being there with myself while I had my car taken out of the storage lot and towed away. This business is disrespectful and will illegally tow your car to make money. Their signs are hidden well so you do not see them then once your car is towed they clear the signs and make them visible. Business like this ruins the trust for other similar business.Desired Settlement: New and better ownership that follows the Virginia State Law's.

Business

Response:

I spoke with [redacted] from the company and he stated that the parking lot that the consumer was parked in is privately owned by a restaurant. Their are signs in the lot that state the parking lot enforces towing. The consumer was parked there but was at the bar and not the restaurant. The company took pictures of the car before towing it. The car was towed and impounded. The consumer called the police and the police dropped the complaint. The consumer showed up at the towing company at 2am that morning and started insulting the window person. The consumer was then asked to leave. The next day, the consumer came back with her dad requesting the car back. The consumer paid for the car and the car was driven off the lot by the consumer.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

It

is not a hidden fact that I obviously was parked in a "tow zone";

there were no "tow away zone" signs clearly put up. My father,

friends and myself can verify that there were no signs. Could "Shanks" really have pictures? Yes. Could pictures show huge 9x9 visible signs even posted all around my car? Yes. But in fact there were no signs when I parked there, and there were no signs when I went looking for my car. Yes, there are now

clear visible signs put up there after I had made a complaint. It is unfortunate that "Shanks" can

not recall which customer I am since I did not even notice my car was towed

until AFTER 2am, my father came about 2:45am and the police, myself, my father

and my friends did not leave the parking lot until 4:00am. So I would advise

"Shanks" to properly resolve all issues he is having and stop

confusing myself with another customer, or stop deliberately attempting to make me

sound like a incompetent fabricator. He has already insulted my father and

myself, accused myself of harassing employees, coming to this company

intoxicated early morning/afternoon then leaving because I was unable to drive

due to intoxication, doing “burnouts” in the storage lot and while leaving the lot

coming up the driveway, I have no respect for “Shanks” towing, fortunately I

have respect and dignity for the other victims vehicles that were towed by “Shanks”. In

fact, I was only there one time and I had my car towed from Shanks by [redacted]

towing back to my house so no more damage could be done to my car. I had an officer

at "Shanks" to make a formal police report about the damage done to my car

before my car moved any distance. The

officer ended up staying and talking with my father and I the whole time we

were there. I’m not sure if “Shanks” is

aware how the judicial system works, if I had pressed legal charged for

prosecution, I would personally have to ask the Commonwealth to drop the charges since they

would be representing myself. I did not

press charges I filed a police report to have it on file. Which a report is taken by a representative of a police department

and filed according to said department's procedure. It is also known as an

"incident report." It

is not a legal procedure that can be “dropped”; it will forever stay on file

with the Fredericksburg Police Department. I would advise “Shanks” to reevaluate

his sources before accusing me of acts that were never committed.

Regards,

Review: Shanks Towing is contracted for [redacted]. Last night my vehicle was towed illegally. I was parked in a parking spot that use to be a handicap van accessible loading zone. It has clearly been black topped over and the white lines that use to be there are ever so faintly visible. They towed me anyway. I spoke with the maintenance manager for my apartment complex(who did a wonderful job helping me with this)and had him call the company and explain to them that they should not have towed this vehicle. They would still not release it. The lady there made some excuse that there was nothing to be done and that all management was in a meeting till 1230, sorry. My maintenance manager then called his Regional Manager for him to call them. The level of unwillingness to assist a customer is insulting. There is no care or compassion from this company. There have been nothing but issues with this company. I learned they even tried towing maintenance vehicles when they are clearly marked with VIP parking exempt stickers. The drivers they hire are only out to find any and every issue to tow someone and make money--legitimate or not. If I didn't have a rapport with maintenance I would be totally out of luck. This company should be investigated for legitimacy of practices, and should go through customer compassion classes. The worst, coldest, and most uncaring customer service I have experienced.Desired Settlement: This company needs to release my vehicle as they are holding it unlawfully.

Business

Response:

[redacted]from the business stated that without the date of towing and the type of vehicle they are not able to pull up information about a tow. Please provide the date the vehicle was towed, and the type of vehicle. The customer should also have a copy of the invoice for the service.

Consumer

Response:

The vehicle is a [redacted], it was towed on August 27, 2014 at 8:20 P.M.

Business

Response:

Revdex.com spoke with [redacted] the vehicle was towed, however after the mistake was brought up and after speaking with reps from the the apartment complex the customer was not charged and the vehicle was able to be picked up by the owner.

Consumer

Response:

I have reviewed the offer made by the business in reference to complaint ID[redacted], and have determined that this proposed action would not resolve my complaint. For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear below.

[Provide details of why you are not satisfied with this resolution.]

No where does this address the blatant lack of customer service now does this compensate me for 5 hours of my wasted time and stress and frustration. The general response that was given falls into the same lackluster attitude the company had when I was trying to have this issue resolved.

Regards,

Review: A car was towed from an unrestricted area and when asked about the towing fee they were unable to produce a bill and extorted cash payment without acceptance of credit. They did not provide a receipt and appear to be working without any verification system. When asked about possible damage to car and need to provide insurance information in case a claim would need to be filed they refused to provide any information and hung up.Desired Settlement: It appears since they only accept cash and are not using receipts they are essentially extorting money and running a cash only business to avoid taxes and this should be reviewed by the IRS.

Business

Response:

[redacted] from the business contacted the Revdex.com and stated that they have been unable to find this customer in their database. He requested a copy of the ticket number and the make and mode of the vehicle towed.