A GROUP parked overnight at a 24-hour Walmart, having done so several times before – but all 30 cars were missing the next day.
Surprisingly, the city responded that it does not regulate overnight Walmart parking and has no plans to do so.
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Tracy Knox, a resident of Chattanooga, Tennessee, regularly left his car overnight at a local Walmart with his friends to go to a casino.
Walmart Supercenters are typically open 24 hours and so parking is overnight – but the Knox Walmart parking lot closed at 11pm, so he needed permission from management to park there without being towed.
He said one of his friends received written permission from a manager to park there overnight.
He and 24 friends – with 25 cars in total – had their vehicles towed while they were out.
Knox and his friends claimed they saw no signs saying overnight parking was not permitted and therefore had no idea where to go to get their vehicles towed.
After some searching, they discovered that American Recovery had towed their vehicles and drove to the posted address.
However, they discovered their vehicles were at a second location and had to use expensive Uber or Lyft rides to get there.
When they finally arrived, Knox and his friends said they were overcharged, with some friends charging between $200 and $290 to have their vehicles returned.
The group attended a Wrecker Board meeting in May, where they complained about a lack of signage, a lack of information on how to recover their vehicles and excessive charges, he wrote the Chattanoogan.
Gregory Black, owner of American Recovery, argued that signs were posted on every light pole in the parking lot, but the group said they never saw any or they were too high on the pole to be noticed.
It was later discovered that the signs were missing crucial information such as address and telephone number, adding to the confusion for Knox and his group.
Black was found to have violated city ordinances by charging more than $120 for a standard tow and not having the vehicles stored where they were supposed to be.
Ultimately, the group was reimbursed for being overcharged.
The board also unanimously agreed to suspend American Recovery’s ability to operate for 30 days.
What to do if your car is towed
Unfairly or not, recovering a towed vehicle can be a hassle.
If your vehicle is towed after parking in a “No Parking” zone or other legitimate reason, there are some steps you can take to get it back.
Steps to follow when your car is towed:
- Try to find out why your car was towed. Haven’t you seen a “No Parking” sign? Did you miss your car payment? Have you returned to a lot where there were unpaid citations? Finding the reason may narrow down the phone numbers to dial.
- Locate the vehicle. Most states, cities or counties require towing companies to leave some type of contact information via a posted or mailed sign.
- Recovery dates and times depend on the company that towed the vehicle, but these times will be posted on the website or may be provided by a representative.
- Pay the fees. Be careful to be as quick as possible, as some towing yards may charge daily storage fees.
If you believe your vehicle was improperly towed, you can dispute the action by following these steps:
- Be quick – many states have a small window of time in which it is acceptable to file a claim against a company that improperly towed your vehicle.
- Gather supporting documents: photos, emails, receipts, police reports, and witness statements, if applicable. The more evidence, the better.
- Familiarize yourself with local laws, as laws for towing companies vary by state.
- Try talking to the towing company. Sometimes it may have been a simple oversight and the matter can be resolved quickly.
- Contact your local Justice of the Peace as they may have more information or resources to help. They are often used for towing cases.
- Speak to a lawyer. Many lawyers offer free consultations and, depending on the case, it may be worth calling on a lawyer.
Source: Oregon Department of Justice, National General, Rak law firm
Vice President Vince Butler encouraged Black to “familiarize yourself” with city laws and charge fairly, consistently and in compliance with the law.
He was also told to store the cars where his website says they are stored, and not at a second location, although Black said this was due to the company’s change of address.
American Recovery was the subject of board meetings in early March of that year, with one driver saying he was overcharged for a non-consensual tow.
This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
