Tow Trucks: They’re Like The Parking Authority, Only They Keep All The Money And Do Whatever They Wan- Oh Wait.
Raise your hand if you’ve ever fallen victim to Philly’s widespread and insane quasi-legal tow-truck scam. Traditionally, it goes like this: Landowners or developers partner with a local tow company to police wherever it is that they don’t want people to park. The reasons may be legit, but just as often, it’s basically a trap/scam (the property owners traditionally get a cut), as tow trucks usually lie in wait, out of sight from the offending party, who pulls into the spot to make a delivery or another quick errand. But boom: It’s too late, the car is towed and at that point, tow companies have a nasty habit of sizing up their marks and charging whatever they think they can get away with. According to city law, a tow company can only charge you $150 for a tow (still fucking outrageous), but Councilman Jim Kenney is hearing tell that the going rate is actually $175 or more, and he’s mad as hell. So for the time being, the heat is now on the tow companies, but really, the problem is more systemic, with property owners basically laying traps. Until that’s addressed, it’s, well, it’s this.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:16 pm
The tow truck companies are also supposed to accept payments other than cash while pretty much all of them have a policy of cash only.
November 11th, 2009 at 2:22 pm
I got towed once near the Art Museum. The lot was in Manayunk, and it was definitely more than $150, and I was required to pay cash. And this was 4-5 years ago.