>:(

DampCat · 30 Mar 2009 at 21:11

Just caught a guy trying to tow my car out of a completely legal parking area. It's on the side of a side street, in a long dotted box (about 50 meters) and a sign clearly stating no parking before 6:30pm (it was 7:45pm). Jesus. They'll do anything for an easy £350. And i would have had no proof either.

Towing companies really are complete barstewards. They took my girlfriends car from a residential area when she was on an emergency call out to a patient/client. She had her permit displayed, but was in the neighbours bay as obviously the clients bay had a car in (since they were inside, dying).

"we dont care if you just saved someones life. You've commited a horrible, heinous crime. £290 please.".

Traffic Wardens? fine. But towing companies? Burn. Burn in a special level of hell.

NathanE · 30 Mar 2009 at 21:23

They should all be lowered into molten steel like the Terminator is.

Morba · 30 Mar 2009 at 21:37

report them to the police?

DampCat · 30 Mar 2009 at 21:49

I did before when they took my girlfriends car. The police woman said "off the record, i know that company and they do it all the time. If you dont pay within 5 days they'll crush the car and keep whatever is in it. we cant do anything because it's a civil matter".

This time im just glad i got there in time. 5 more minutes and i would have had a long walk home from the gym

Morba · 30 Mar 2009 at 21:56

surely its theft of a vehicle given that they are operating outside of the rules?

Overlag · 30 Mar 2009 at 21:58

DampCat said:
I did before when they took my girlfriends car. The police woman said "off the record, i know that company and they do it all the time. If you dont pay within 5 days they'll crush the car and keep whatever is in it. we cant do anything because it's a civil matter".

This time im just glad i got there in time. 5 more minutes and i would have had a long walk home from the gym

police said they couldnt do anything? So stealing your car then crushing it is a civil matter they cant deal with? Odd.

I suppose soon they will say murder is a civil matter they cant touch.

Tute · 30 Mar 2009 at 22:21

So you could thump them one and claim it's a civil matter so they can't report you?

Hilly · 30 Mar 2009 at 22:23

Tute said:
So you could thump them one and claim it's a civil matter so they can't report you?

No because Assault is a criminal matter, not a civil one.

Tute · 30 Mar 2009 at 22:24

hilly said:
No because Assault is a criminal matter, not a civil one.

So is taking someone's car but apparantly the police don't think so.

rG-tom · 30 Mar 2009 at 22:25

hilly said:
No because Assault is a criminal matter, not a civil one.

and grand theft auto isnt? :s

DB_SamX · 30 Mar 2009 at 22:27

DampCat said:
Just caught a guy trying to tow my car out of a completely legal parking area. It's on the side of a side street, in a long dotted box (about 50 meters) and a sign clearly stating no parking before 6:30pm (it was 7:45pm). Jesus. They'll do anything for an easy £350. And i would have had no proof either.

Towing companies really are complete barstewards. They took my girlfriends car from a residential area when she was on an emergency call out to a patient/client. She had her permit displayed, but was in the neighbours bay as obviously the clients bay had a car in (since they were inside, dying).

"we dont care if you just saved someones life. You've commited a horrible, heinous crime. £290 please.".

Traffic Wardens? fine. But towing companies? Burn. Burn in a special level of hell.

I assume he stopped towing then? Make sure you report him to trading standards either way just so that it can be on record for future cases.

DampCat · 30 Mar 2009 at 22:40

He was just grabbing all his straps when i got in and drove off. i just said "no thanks". He didnt seem too bothered when i looked back.

All i'm saying is what the police woman told me, that's all. The problem i have here is that I have no proof that i was parked in a legal area, or any proof of what time i parked there. I didnt notice any CCTV, it was a side street (service road kinda).

Trouble is, I assume, unless i have any proof that i was parked legally then for all intensive purposes I could have been parked anywhere. I cant see what the police could do, in hindsight.

So this was just a venting post i guess. Also a "be careful where you park" post. It happens a lot round here.

Tute · 30 Mar 2009 at 22:42

From what you say though, it does seem like anybody could grab a tow truck and start taking anybody, parked or not. And it would be perfectly legal.

I don't see how removing someone's car and crushing it is legal in any sense of the word.

Skeeter · 30 Mar 2009 at 22:50

If the car was parked legally, inst this theft? To be able to fine you dont they have to prove where and when you were parked?

DampCat · 30 Mar 2009 at 22:54

Tute said:
From what you say though, it does seem like anybody could grab a tow truck and start taking anybody, parked or not. And it would be perfectly legal.

I don't see how removing someone's car and crushing it is legal in any sense of the word.

No exactly, when they took my gf's car i was fuuuurious. I drove down there so i could go ballistic (im like a terrier... you'd hate me). When i got there all these cars were in a massive cage, with all these dogs roaming around. They guy turned up in a sodding great Lad Rover Vogue with privacy glass and all the crap. He was coated in gold chains and rings, and had a scar, no joke, like The Joker from Dark Knight. I didn't get as angry as i had originally intended. I'm not stereotyping here, but he was a chav ***** scumbag nobface git.

I imagine you need licensing and all sorts to do it, and to serve reciepts and all that jazz... but yes. Just like any job, as long as no one is watching, you could probably get away with an awful lot of naughty stuff.

Yes, it's theft and probably extortion, but no way to proove otherwise unless you photograph your car every time you leave it!

Griffo · 30 Mar 2009 at 23:05

DampCat said:
.

Yes, it's theft and probably extortion, but no way to proove otherwise unless you photograph your car every time you leave it!

Yeah, was thinking this. Seems the only way to be sure. Just make sure they don't help you drop the phone and stand on it when you show them the photo :/

Glad you stopped them in time Cats.

MikeHunt79 · 30 Mar 2009 at 23:28

Innocent until proven guilty? Obviously not

Rilot · 31 Mar 2009 at 08:31

I still don't see how it could possibly be a civil matter.
If it was just a fine from a parking company without the removal of your car, then yeah, civil matter.

Participant · 31 Mar 2009 at 08:42

Carry tow ropes around so if it happens again you can tow their tow truck away while they're trying to tow you! That should wipe the dollar signs from their eye balls. I bet in that situation the matter would magically become criminal.

DampCat · 31 Mar 2009 at 10:06

Rilot said:
I still don't see how it could possibly be a civil matter.
If it was just a fine from a parking company without the removal of your car, then yeah, civil matter.

That's just what she said, and I didnt question it. I's imagine because the towing company are just doing their job. Unless i have proof that they've comited a crime (all i have is my word) then there's no criminal case here. You could argue that the police could launch an investigation, but what would they investigate? Going to everyone that the company had towed and asking if they're innocent will probably result in 100% of people saying they were

This is just speculation of course. I suppose i could phone them again but since my car didn't actually get towed then I dont really want to be wasting their time. CAB maybe?

Makes me wonder just how any people are getting screwed though. I feel bad now because I doubted my girlfriend's story and at best thought it was a one off, but now it's happened (almost) to me too, it's opened my eyes to what is obviously a very lucrative criminal business.

Has anyone else been towed when you feel you shouldnt have?