BIKE WAS FOUND!!!
11-13-2013, 09:46 AM
#1
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Join Date: Oct 2009
Location: MN
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BIKE WAS FOUND!!!
so guys remember back on september 22 when my red 98 was stolen, i posted it up here and was all salty about it.... well turns out it was found.... on the 23rd....
after my bike was stolen i filled out a report with the city of saint paul where i live and it was stolen from, they assured me that they would find it and that they WOULD contact me asap when information was available... i then moved back up to northern mn where i work and called the PD every week to see if there was any information on the theft.
i got home after deer opener this week to find a certified mail slip with my name on it from the 1st of the month so i go pick up the mail from USPS and it is from a towing company in white bear lake (10 mins away from my house) saying they have property of mine, 1998 honda superhawk and that it has been recovered by the white bear police department on sept 23 from xxxxx address and that as of 10/22 i owed them $1462.50....
i call the company and they say technically THEY now own my bike since it is over 15 days past the certified mail was sent....BUT they still have it and IF i want to pay them what is owed on the bike they will give it back to me...
what is that total you ask????
$2407.50
more than i paid for my bike back in 09
i am livid... i called the saint paul police and according to their records the bike was never recovered!! so the woman at the PD gave me the number of the SGT who was in charge of the investigation and that she might be able to help me and that it looks like the white bear police dropped the ball
oh p.s. the tow company said that since they techinically owned it that i wasnt entitled to see the bike before paying for it and that all he knew was that it was in "decent" condition and the ignition was broken
rant over... any suggestions or experience with anything like this please let me know
after my bike was stolen i filled out a report with the city of saint paul where i live and it was stolen from, they assured me that they would find it and that they WOULD contact me asap when information was available... i then moved back up to northern mn where i work and called the PD every week to see if there was any information on the theft.
i got home after deer opener this week to find a certified mail slip with my name on it from the 1st of the month so i go pick up the mail from USPS and it is from a towing company in white bear lake (10 mins away from my house) saying they have property of mine, 1998 honda superhawk and that it has been recovered by the white bear police department on sept 23 from xxxxx address and that as of 10/22 i owed them $1462.50....
i call the company and they say technically THEY now own my bike since it is over 15 days past the certified mail was sent....BUT they still have it and IF i want to pay them what is owed on the bike they will give it back to me...
what is that total you ask????
$2407.50
more than i paid for my bike back in 09
i am livid... i called the saint paul police and according to their records the bike was never recovered!! so the woman at the PD gave me the number of the SGT who was in charge of the investigation and that she might be able to help me and that it looks like the white bear police dropped the ball
oh p.s. the tow company said that since they techinically owned it that i wasnt entitled to see the bike before paying for it and that all he knew was that it was in "decent" condition and the ignition was broken
rant over... any suggestions or experience with anything like this please let me know
11-13-2013, 10:07 AM
#3
Retired- but not tired!
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It's not even my situation and I am totally pissed off to hear a story like this. Un-freakin'-believable!! I am thinking the tow shop (or an associate of theirs) stole it in the first place to keep it. Sounds like something your local TV station could investigate. A lawyer would not be worth it.
It looks bleak now, but maybe it will still work out. I had a bike stolen many years ago and got part of it back years later. It was pretty obvious when I drove by a ****-brown kawasaki with the silver front end from my Suzuki 750 one day. I called the cops and proved the front end was mine by describing custom features not visible from the outside. The cops found the owner and we took him to court. The dude was supposed to pay up for the parts he "bought from a friend whose name he could not remember" but the judge gave me his bike from impound when he never paid. It was pretty lame vengeance as the kaw was a rusty POS, but it was all I could get. Hope your situation works out better.
11-13-2013, 10:18 AM
#4
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i sure hope so! the SGT didnt answer her phone... and i am definitely going to take the story somewhere if it doesnt work out. i cant BELIEVE how poorly the communication has been with me, i called weekly to the st.paul pd to check if there was updates and every week they said the same thing, they will call if they find it... well it WAS found the whole damn time and the other pd just didnt put it in the computer as found??? wtf? im going to show up with 112.50 in pennies for the tow and say you take it up with the police department....
the woman i talked to said there MAY be a way to have the city pay for it if the SGT didnt in fact know that white bear had found it....
if it doesnt work out im going to buy a 2000 aprilia falco....its cheaper than the impound fees
the woman i talked to said there MAY be a way to have the city pay for it if the SGT didnt in fact know that white bear had found it....
if it doesnt work out im going to buy a 2000 aprilia falco....its cheaper than the impound fees
11-13-2013, 11:44 AM
#5
Ditch Magnet
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Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Chapel Hill TN.
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Dude It pisses me and it's not my bike as stated above. But if there's no record of it being recovered isn't it still stolen? And not only that you know who has it? Take a deep breath and chill unless the pd is in on it you should be in good shape.
11-13-2013, 12:01 PM
#6
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i cant belive someone would want to put that much effort into stealing a 98 SH with 33k miles...
either way just got off the phone with the SGT from the white bear dept. he said they DID write up a report advising st.paul to notify me but st.paul has no records of the report.... the sgt talked with his supervisor and said he would call the towing agency but didnt expect much from their end... i dont know if that is ALL he is going to do is call and ask them to drop the fees? thats some bull .... i am more than happy to bay the 112.50 for the tow and 45 dollars for the 1 day it SHOULD have been there but more than that and ill be pissed off
i told the officer that i cant afford to pay for the miscommunications and mistakes between the two agencies and that there needs to be a better system in place so s%&T like this doesnt happen... if the SGT from white bear strikes out with the tow company i am going to go into st.pauls dept and talk with the SGT there in person and demand they fix it...
either way just got off the phone with the SGT from the white bear dept. he said they DID write up a report advising st.paul to notify me but st.paul has no records of the report.... the sgt talked with his supervisor and said he would call the towing agency but didnt expect much from their end... i dont know if that is ALL he is going to do is call and ask them to drop the fees? thats some bull .... i am more than happy to bay the 112.50 for the tow and 45 dollars for the 1 day it SHOULD have been there but more than that and ill be pissed off
i told the officer that i cant afford to pay for the miscommunications and mistakes between the two agencies and that there needs to be a better system in place so s%&T like this doesnt happen... if the SGT from white bear strikes out with the tow company i am going to go into st.pauls dept and talk with the SGT there in person and demand they fix it...
11-13-2013, 12:37 PM
#7
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Just gotta stay I feel for you. Don't take no for an answer. YOU own the bike and this is all THEIR mistake. Like u said u dont need to pay for them screwing up. Be persistent otherwise the tow company will sell YOUR bike and make a buck off your unfortunate circumstance. Good luck man
11-13-2013, 12:43 PM
#8
Well take off, eh.
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Bear, I hate to say this, but don't expect much. The SGT and towing company don't give a crap about your bike, or your story of messed up bureaucracy.
The police departement have plenty on their hands with drugs, murder, etc.
to worry about your theft, when they know insurance companies are their to wip the loss of your bike.
I had a car stolen a few years ago, they gave me my police claim number over the phone. Didn't even pass by to see. Even tried to explain I knew who it was (well, I was pretty sure. Guess what....TOWING CIE. They had my car keys for a complete week end) Anyway, just to show you how motor vehicule theft is way down on the list of priorities.
Good luck anyway....you may be one of the few lucky ones to manage negotiating your way through the BS.
The police departement have plenty on their hands with drugs, murder, etc.
to worry about your theft, when they know insurance companies are their to wip the loss of your bike.
I had a car stolen a few years ago, they gave me my police claim number over the phone. Didn't even pass by to see. Even tried to explain I knew who it was (well, I was pretty sure. Guess what....TOWING CIE. They had my car keys for a complete week end) Anyway, just to show you how motor vehicule theft is way down on the list of priorities.
Good luck anyway....you may be one of the few lucky ones to manage negotiating your way through the BS.
11-13-2013, 01:52 PM
#9
Rex Kramer-Thrill Seeker
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Join Date: Jan 2011
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That pisses me off to no end! I was even looking for your bike too! No wonder we couldn't find it.
If you get the run around, definitely get your local news involved, FOX 6 investigates or the like. They love getting stories like that to run on the nightly news. The police department and towing companies don't like the bad publicity.
If you get the run around, definitely get your local news involved, FOX 6 investigates or the like. They love getting stories like that to run on the nightly news. The police department and towing companies don't like the bad publicity.
11-13-2013, 04:18 PM
#10
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Call television stations. Here in Boise they have "News On Your Side" where they expose corrupt businesses in the area. It totally works...
Go in person to TV stations, dress nicely and look news worthy, speak with a rep there and tell them the story.
Go in person to TV stations, dress nicely and look news worthy, speak with a rep there and tell them the story.
11-13-2013, 05:02 PM
#12
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The way I read it, it really isn't the towing company's fault. It's more the fault of the PD because they were the ones that dropped the ball, towing company did everything they were supposed to
11-13-2013, 06:31 PM
#14
Retired- but not tired!
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11-13-2013, 07:48 PM
#15
evil man of nothing
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As for the PD don't get me started...
Last edited by captainchaos; 11-13-2013 at 07:54 PM.
11-13-2013, 08:12 PM
#16
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There is a paper trail to be followed.
1) When did the police find it?
2) When did the towing company pick it up?
3) When did the towing company notify the owner?
4) ***Are there missing steps that someone was supposed to follow, but didn't?
James
1) When did the police find it?
2) When did the towing company pick it up?
3) When did the towing company notify the owner?
4) ***Are there missing steps that someone was supposed to follow, but didn't?
James
11-13-2013, 10:43 PM
#17
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it is entirely the PDS fault, they just had a miscommunication and im on the crap end of it.... im hoping tomorrow yields better news... i have an uncle who is a lawyer and he said just document everything and send it in to the SGT's the cheif of police in both cities and the towing company and say i will pay the fines for the towing and two days of storage 1 on the 23rd when i realistically could have picked it up and another for today as i found out where it was this morning.... and say whoever was at fault needs to man up and take the blame instead of just pointing fingers... i just want my baby back 
11-14-2013, 01:26 AM
#18
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Wow... that's not nice These tow/storage companies are making a absolute fortune. They are as bad as insurance companies. It's in effect legalised theft. Is this tow company connected directly with the police somehow ie they only do police work, picking up stolen veihicles or veihicles parked illegally or have been involved in accidents.
I was once in a bike accident here in the UK, and to cut a long story short, ended up being rushed off and staying in hospital for over 2 weeks. At the time of the accident (not to my knowlage at the time, paramedics ket/morphed me). I was told by family memebrs a few days later that the police had my bike towed to a pound for storage. At the time I had knowone that could go and pick the bike up on my belhalf and pay the storage fees. Anyway I had other things on my mind while lying in a hospital bed either in pain or drugged up. By the time I got out of hospital the storage fees had risen to more than the value of the bike. I ended up loosing it to them. It was either loose it or pay more than what it was worth.
It really pisses me off that legalised theft like this goes on in the world by the authorities. It's wrong......they are taking advantage of people when they are most vulnerable. It's not your fault the bike was stolen, I had no choice whether to go to hospital or not. It's different if your guilty of parking illegally or something but still a rip off on towing and storage fees.
I wish luck Bear, lets hope you get a sympathizing cop who can have a word with the tow comany.
(:-})
These tow/storage companies are making a absolute fortune. They are as bad as insurance companies. It's in effect legalised theft. Is this tow company connected directly with the police somehow ie they only do police work, picking up stolen veihicles or veihicles parked illegally or have been involved in accidents.I was once in a bike accident here in the UK, and to cut a long story short, ended up being rushed off and staying in hospital for over 2 weeks. At the time of the accident (not to my knowlage at the time, paramedics ket/morphed me). I was told by family memebrs a few days later that the police had my bike towed to a pound for storage. At the time I had knowone that could go and pick the bike up on my belhalf and pay the storage fees. Anyway I had other things on my mind while lying in a hospital bed either in pain or drugged up. By the time I got out of hospital the storage fees had risen to more than the value of the bike. I ended up loosing it to them. It was either loose it or pay more than what it was worth.
It really pisses me off that legalised theft like this goes on in the world by the authorities. It's wrong......they are taking advantage of people when they are most vulnerable. It's not your fault the bike was stolen, I had no choice whether to go to hospital or not. It's different if your guilty of parking illegally or something but still a rip off on towing and storage fees.
I wish luck Bear, lets hope you get a sympathizing cop who can have a word with the tow comany.
(:-})
Last edited by cybercarl; 11-14-2013 at 01:29 AM.
11-14-2013, 06:31 AM
#19
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Join Date: Jul 2013
Location: Rome, GA
Posts: 458
Wow... that's not nice These tow/storage companies are making a absolute fortune. They are as bad as insurance companies. It's in effect legalised theft. Is this tow company connected directly with the police somehow ie they only do police work, picking up stolen veihicles or veihicles parked illegally or have been involved in accidents.
These tow/storage companies are making a absolute fortune. They are as bad as insurance companies. It's in effect legalised theft. Is this tow company connected directly with the police somehow ie they only do police work, picking up stolen veihicles or veihicles parked illegally or have been involved in accidents.If that bike goes to auction he may get 1k out of it, of which the auctioneer will end up with about 300, he's out at least 50 for the advertisement in the paper, plus the man hours that he had to put in and money spent at dmv to do all the paperwork there as well. plus what it cost him for the original tow in fuel and upkeep on his truck. Trust me, that towing company would much rather he come get the bike, but he's not in it to lose money either.
Anyway as the OP posted the white bear PD found the bike and hired the towing company to go get it, then they filed a report and sent it to st. paul pd who lost the report and didn't notify bearshawk that the bike was found and in fact told him the opposite that it was still MIA for several months. the St. Paul PD is really the one at fault here, everyone else did there job properly and as they were supposed to do from the looks of what has been posted so far
Edit: don't get me wrong, I'm hopefully that he can get his bike back for the tow and two days of storage as well, but I don't like it when people blame a business for doing things the right way when the problem isn't really their fault I own a small business myself and its not that easy
11-14-2013, 07:13 AM
#20
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so it turns out that the WBL pd broke state policy in towing my bike without confirmation from st.paul that it was indeed stolen and needed to be towed. they called st.paul twice on their tele-type information sharing whatever and after the second call they are supposed to call in person but it never happened.... they towed the vehicle anyway and broke the law.
the sgt i have been working with from st.paul is incredibly nice and has talked to the tow company owner and the captain of the WBL pd and she said she will work with the tow company on my behalf... the tow company is upset as they should be because he feels im just out to take my property back and not pay... that is far from true, i told the sgt that i am MORE than happy to pay the tow and any storage fees for the time i was aware of the location of my bike.... if thats not fair i dont know what is
im waiting on a call from the captain of the WBL pd and see what she says but if it goes poorly i have been advised by my uncle (attorney) and the sgt from saint paul to take action by writing up EVERYTHING that has happened from the moment i learned about the bike being found to the time i send the letter and send it to everyone who has been involved and to the mayor, county attorney and my uncle....i HATE how people are so quick to take legal action these days but honestly if that is my only option that is what ill have to do
crossing my fingers the bike gets returned AND the tow company gets the money out of someone....just not me
the sgt i have been working with from st.paul is incredibly nice and has talked to the tow company owner and the captain of the WBL pd and she said she will work with the tow company on my behalf... the tow company is upset as they should be because he feels im just out to take my property back and not pay... that is far from true, i told the sgt that i am MORE than happy to pay the tow and any storage fees for the time i was aware of the location of my bike.... if thats not fair i dont know what is
im waiting on a call from the captain of the WBL pd and see what she says but if it goes poorly i have been advised by my uncle (attorney) and the sgt from saint paul to take action by writing up EVERYTHING that has happened from the moment i learned about the bike being found to the time i send the letter and send it to everyone who has been involved and to the mayor, county attorney and my uncle....i HATE how people are so quick to take legal action these days but honestly if that is my only option that is what ill have to do
crossing my fingers the bike gets returned AND the tow company gets the money out of someone....just not me
11-14-2013, 07:40 AM
#21
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Join Date: May 2013
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Best of luck to you man. I really feel for you. I couldn't imagine how I would feel in this situation. Don't feel bad about taking legal action and following through. You didn't do anything wrong. Your bike was stolen. The PD didn't do what they should have done, and the tow company is just doing their job. Keep your head up and follow through. Keep us updated.
11-14-2013, 07:51 AM
#22
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Location: Phoenix, AZ
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Wow... that's not nice These tow/storage companies are making a absolute fortune. They are as bad as insurance companies. It's in effect legalised theft. Is this tow company connected directly with the police somehow ie they only do police work, picking up stolen veihicles or veihicles parked illegally or have been involved in accidents.
These tow/storage companies are making a absolute fortune. They are as bad as insurance companies. It's in effect legalised theft. Is this tow company connected directly with the police somehow ie they only do police work, picking up stolen veihicles or veihicles parked illegally or have been involved in accidents.I don't hold it against each of them personally, but man it sure does feel like legalized theft. I can't believe what they can get away with. Here's one of my somewhat winded stories:
I used to live in an apartment/condo complex that had a garage and living room on the 1st floor. It was owned by my boss and we used to work out of the garage and living room making various projects for clients (it was zoned as a commercial area so perfect for this sort of thing). One of my co-workers parked his truck outside of the driveway for another night project session. We have the garage door open, and living room door open. I'm in the living room and can see the front of his truck through the door and garage door. Just painting a picture here. Rob (the co-worker) is on the second floor doing some computer work.
Halfway through the night, I hear the truck door slam and I can see it being backed up out of the road. I thought to myself "Dang. Rob left early and didn't even mention that he was done for the night". Five minutes later Rob comes down the stairs and looks outside and says "Hey, where's my truck?!"
I'm say, "Dude, you JUST left. I swear you just drove out of here, how are you still here?" I thought he had just left but some tow company hooked up his truck and pulled it out. We run outside and they're in a side street hooking up the vehicle. They do this because they have to attach all the safety straps and such for legal towing, but usually get it out of the owner's sight by a short distance first. We grab them and tell them the situation and ask nicely for the vehicle back and basically they say, "You either give us $300 cash here, or you can come pay $350 at the tow yard." Needless to say we don't have $300 sitting around so we literally follow them to the tow yard across town (20 minute drive) to pick up his truck.
While Rob is filling out the paper work I start chatting with one of the drivers. At this point I'm in decent humor because the absurdity of it all is pretty funny to me (and it's not my $350). I essentially ask the guy, "So what's the point no return here? I mean, I was one room away and could see the truck, and all you had to do was lean over an say, hey, if you don't get this truck in 30 seconds I'm towing it. You actually had to make an effort to not see me in the living room." He told me essentially that if he thought he could get it out fast enough, he may have even tried it if I was in the garage. In other words, he wasn't concerned about the truck being a physical problem for society (the real reason that tow truck drivers should exist IMO). We were there. In the house. Being polite and would have very happily have moved the truck had we known it was parked illegally. The drive going through the complex was considered fair game apparently.
Anyway, the whole interaction was relatively pleasant. Took an hour and a half out of our night and lost some money. We didn't cause any kind of a ruckus or anything, but I did burn into my mind a deep disrespect for that business. People have to make a living, and they'll do whatever job comes their way in life to get food on the table, and there are many much worse people higher up causing more problems; But for someone to treat us like that on a personal level, essentially hiding under the law to steal $350 bucks flat out in front of our faces is hard to overcome. I know there are bad eggs all around, but actually have more stories like that (in different locations) and can't respect local tow truck drivers. Following the letter of the law and not the intent messes things up for everyone...
Last edited by 7moore7; 11-14-2013 at 07:53 AM.
11-14-2013, 08:18 AM
#23
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Location: Rome, GA
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No disrespect at all 7, there are bad apples in all forms of buisness and it seems you found one. Just like there are good cops and bad cops, good customer service reps and bad ones, ect.
Its actually illegal in most states for the tow truck to watch a lot like it sounds like you experienced. In a parking lot with signs about towing the owner of the lot has to call the tow company to come get a vehicle, they can't just sit and prey on them like that. But re-reading your story it sounds as he was parked in the street and not a parking lot so it sadly is legal in that case.
As I said, I just don't like people immediately blaming the towing company when from the sounds of it they were doing things the right way. I just try to judge a person/business on their actions and not on the assumption of they are all the same.
While I still think it would probably be in the towing companies best interest to compromise I can understand them being upset when they did things the right way and now have time and money involved in trips to the DMV and putting a lein on the title so they can start the process of getting the vehicle to auction. While its not Bearshawks fault the situation is as it is, it still doesn't seem that it was the towing companies fault either and they both are both on the loosing side of the situation unfortunately.
I might try calling the towing company again, letting them know what you are willing to accept responsibility for and letting them know who and where the ball was actually dropped. Let them know you don't believe it to be their fault but at the same time it wasn't yours either and you did everything you could and shouldn't be punished for someone elses mistakes either. Remember to be calm and respectful because its not the fault of the guy you're on the phone with and the more respectful you are to them the more willing they will be to help you out however they can
Its actually illegal in most states for the tow truck to watch a lot like it sounds like you experienced. In a parking lot with signs about towing the owner of the lot has to call the tow company to come get a vehicle, they can't just sit and prey on them like that. But re-reading your story it sounds as he was parked in the street and not a parking lot so it sadly is legal in that case.
As I said, I just don't like people immediately blaming the towing company when from the sounds of it they were doing things the right way. I just try to judge a person/business on their actions and not on the assumption of they are all the same.
While I still think it would probably be in the towing companies best interest to compromise I can understand them being upset when they did things the right way and now have time and money involved in trips to the DMV and putting a lein on the title so they can start the process of getting the vehicle to auction. While its not Bearshawks fault the situation is as it is, it still doesn't seem that it was the towing companies fault either and they both are both on the loosing side of the situation unfortunately.
I might try calling the towing company again, letting them know what you are willing to accept responsibility for and letting them know who and where the ball was actually dropped. Let them know you don't believe it to be their fault but at the same time it wasn't yours either and you did everything you could and shouldn't be punished for someone elses mistakes either. Remember to be calm and respectful because its not the fault of the guy you're on the phone with and the more respectful you are to them the more willing they will be to help you out however they can
11-14-2013, 08:41 AM
#24
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It was a drive through the complex... personal property but the owner had previously given them permission to tow if they saw a vehicle. They didn't watch the lot, but drove by it once or twice a night and it was apparently illegal for them to drive through it unless there was a car parked in the drive. Everything was perfectly legal that night.
One funny time there was a Rolls Royce parked a few units down and the towing company stopped and got out and walked back and forth a few times before driving off. I was laughing because I knew they didn't want to deal with the fallout of whoever owned that one (or possible damage from towing it). Looked really funny with my 1987 Toyota pickup leaking oil all over the drive a few doors down too...
I didn't own the place, and moved out before I had the chance to mention this story to the owner, but that's how I could have done it.
Another situation that I was in wasn't a towing company per se, but was just silly as well:
In college on spring break I was one of the only people to stay in our dorms and not go home for the week. We had a parking lot outside of this thing that you had to have a pass to park in certain hours of the day. I decided to go camping for a few days and came back and instead of parking in the lot 1/2 mile away and bringing my camping stuff in, I parked here and unloaded. In the dorms I unpacked and showered b/c that's the ideal thing to do after camping and proceeded to walk outside and have a $60 ticket on my car for being in this lot. I was the single car in there and it was there for less than 45 minutes. Out of like 30 parking spots. One car.
While this ticket was perfectly legal for them to give me, I couldn't believe that essentially the school was telling me that my car was so much of a problem that they staffed a parking attendant, whilst most students were gone for the whole week, who was on point within 45 minutes of me parking illegally on a Thursday afternoon. I took it personally and the attendant was just doing their job I'm sure, but something was missed in translation of the law. All in all, these are definitely first world problems but when the school does something like that and then calls years later asking for support from alumni, I give them the verbal finger and say "you got your money out of me while I was there, don't expect any more, and don't pretend to give me any respect because you lost that chance".
Hahaha, I sound super bitter today! Just really irks me when people who enforce or use the law don't take into account of why those laws are in place and follow it to the dot rather than thinking for themselves and making a judgment call on the situation.
One funny time there was a Rolls Royce parked a few units down and the towing company stopped and got out and walked back and forth a few times before driving off. I was laughing because I knew they didn't want to deal with the fallout of whoever owned that one (or possible damage from towing it). Looked really funny with my 1987 Toyota pickup leaking oil all over the drive a few doors down too...
I didn't own the place, and moved out before I had the chance to mention this story to the owner, but that's how I could have done it.
Another situation that I was in wasn't a towing company per se, but was just silly as well:
In college on spring break I was one of the only people to stay in our dorms and not go home for the week. We had a parking lot outside of this thing that you had to have a pass to park in certain hours of the day. I decided to go camping for a few days and came back and instead of parking in the lot 1/2 mile away and bringing my camping stuff in, I parked here and unloaded. In the dorms I unpacked and showered b/c that's the ideal thing to do after camping and proceeded to walk outside and have a $60 ticket on my car for being in this lot. I was the single car in there and it was there for less than 45 minutes. Out of like 30 parking spots. One car.
While this ticket was perfectly legal for them to give me, I couldn't believe that essentially the school was telling me that my car was so much of a problem that they staffed a parking attendant, whilst most students were gone for the whole week, who was on point within 45 minutes of me parking illegally on a Thursday afternoon. I took it personally and the attendant was just doing their job I'm sure, but something was missed in translation of the law. All in all, these are definitely first world problems but when the school does something like that and then calls years later asking for support from alumni, I give them the verbal finger and say "you got your money out of me while I was there, don't expect any more, and don't pretend to give me any respect because you lost that chance".
Hahaha, I sound super bitter today! Just really irks me when people who enforce or use the law don't take into account of why those laws are in place and follow it to the dot rather than thinking for themselves and making a judgment call on the situation.
11-14-2013, 04:37 PM
#26
mildly retarded
SuperBike
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 1,278
I would also look to talk radio as a helping hand. here in denver there is a guy with his own radio show named Tom Martino. he's a consumer advocate type guy. id call the station and ask for advice. look him up. people call his show with stories like this often.
11-14-2013, 04:38 PM
#27
mildly retarded
SuperBike
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: Denver, CO
Posts: 1,278
11-15-2013, 09:59 AM
#28
Junior Member
Squid
Join Date: Sep 2013
Posts: 17
I'm sorry to hear about that. I really hate tow companies and police in general. Tow companies are really ridiculous when it comes to fees. I feel that the attitude a lot of them have is just ridiculous too. A little trick that I like to do, is I keep an official city official parking permit on my dash/windshield. That way I know they won't be able to tow me...
11-17-2013, 12:08 AM
#29
Rex Kramer-Thrill Seeker
SuperBike
Join Date: Jan 2011
Location: Brookfield, WI
Posts: 2,312
11-17-2013, 05:09 AM
#30
Senior Member
MotoGP
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: NYC
Posts: 5,033
Wow, so I guess the "system" works the same in your part of the country as here. I had my bike in my van and the whole van stolen.
Only the van was recovered but same exact story. I owed more than its worth, since they only told me a month later. I wound up signing the title over to them just so I could walk away. (where am I storing an unregistered van?)
The sense I got was that cops hate bikers and enjoy bikes getting stolen. One bike I did get back was flogged beyond recognition. Looked like it did 1000 miles of burnouts then went off a cliff.
Big government sucks. This is not at all what a government by the people should be like. I figure just a few years and we are fully communist. (they already bailed out the auto & banking industries....method of production)
Only the van was recovered but same exact story. I owed more than its worth, since they only told me a month later. I wound up signing the title over to them just so I could walk away. (where am I storing an unregistered van?)
The sense I got was that cops hate bikers and enjoy bikes getting stolen. One bike I did get back was flogged beyond recognition. Looked like it did 1000 miles of burnouts then went off a cliff.
Big government sucks. This is not at all what a government by the people should be like. I figure just a few years and we are fully communist. (they already bailed out the auto & banking industries....method of production)
