I was fined $298 for a tow despite having a parking permit – they blamed me

RENTALS are fuming over a new law that requires tenants to buy a parking permit and register their vehicles, including guests.

A simple mistake can result in a tow accompanied by a $300 bill.

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Renters at Tri Pointe Square Apartments in Mesquite, Texas, expressed their concerns after the state passed a law requiring drivers to register their vehicles through an online portal.

Registration is required after paying for a monthly parking permit.

Tenants were a little frustrated at first, with management adding another task to their list on how to avoid being towed.

However, they were furious when told that their guests, even for a short time, would have to register their cars and pay to park.

Jaqueline Jones said her family doesn’t come to visit her because of the obstacles they have to jump through to park.

“My sister can’t come see me,” Jones told the FOX affiliate KDFW in 2019.

“They don’t want to pay that $4.33.”

Another tenant, Tryhona Coleman, thought guests should be free after tenants paid for parking.

“I pay $10.15 and I feel like I should be able to have visitors,” she said.

Coleman’s family had a very negative experience with the complex’s towing company when a cousin came to visit.

Her cousin registered on the portal, paid the fine and discovered her car was missing just 30 minutes later.

“By the time she saw them, they already had her car,” Coleman said.

“She followed them to the location.”

Coleman’s cousin may have followed procedure, but was told she made a mistake when entering her vehicle information.

She typed a “B” when she intended to use an “H” and asked the Texas Parking Authority for help.

They responded by saying there was nothing they could do.

“If you insert the wrong license plate, this is 100% your fault,” the message said.

She was forced to pay $298 with no options to get her car back.

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 per-day 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

A similar incident happened to Nokesa Hillum, who also incorrectly entered her vehicle information and paid hundreds for it.

“Sometimes you have a spell checker on your phone. So if you type something, it will automatically correct what you are typing,” she said.

“So if I type in my license plate number and it corrects one letter, they tow our cars anyway.”

After hearing residents’ cries, State Senator Royce West helped pass a law banning monthly parking permits.

He said it targeted low-income residents, making it a “cruel” practice.

“This is an unnecessary and cruel add-on,” he said.

“It’s almost like we’re playing games with these towing companies. You solve one problem and they come up with another.”