BBB warns against 'trolling' wrecker services

If you're headed out to a fun evening in Charlotte this weekend or coming to Charlotte next weekend for the race, the Better Business Bureau has a warning for you: Be careful where you park, or you may come back to find that your vehicle has been booted or towed.

Towing vehicles from private parking lots in Charlotte has become big business – so big that consumers are filing complaints with the BBB and some are alleging predatory towing practices. Some of the city's trendiest areas, such as Dilworth and the South End, are hot spots for towing and booting vehicles because parking in these areas is limited.

According to The Better Business Bureau, there are 34 towing and wrecker services operating in the Charlotte area. The BBB has received 57 complaints about these towing and wrecker services in the last 12 months, and 112 complaints in the last 36 months. Not only are cars being towed from business lots, vehicles are also being towed from apartment complex parking lots, even when the owners live there, for simply having expired tags. Commercial drivers are also being affected by having their trucks booted or towed.

Most parking lots in the Charlotte area are managed by property management companies that lease space to businesses that may all share a common parking lot. The terms of the lease usually require the property manager to provide each business with a designated number of parking spaces for their customers. To insure that parking is available for all of the businesses, the property manager may retain a towing service to enforce parking restrictions within the common parking lot so that customers of one business do not take up all of the parking spaces in the lot. In essence, the parking lot is subdivided with certain spaces allocated to certain businesses. While this may seem fair to the businesses that share the common parking lot, it can be a shock to drivers whose cars are towed or booted for simply parking in the wrong spot in a common parking lot.

Several drivers, who parked in the Key Man Building Lot on East Blvd., filed complaints with the BBB after they had their vehicles booted or towed by United Towing (BBB Grade B). Many of these drivers were going to nearby businesses, but parked in open spaces in the Key Man Building lot and had their vehicles towed as a result. United Towing responded to these complaints by alleging that these drivers were "stealing parking" from the Key Man Building and that there is ample signage warning about illegal parking.

The City of Charlotte has a Towing Ordinance which addresses some of the issues raised by consumers. For vehicles under 9,000 pounds, the maximum booting fee is $50, the maximum towing fee is $120, and the maximum storage fee $15/per day. It also stipulates signage requirements for properties where towing is enforced and outlines other procedures that towing services must follow. While drivers may feel that the fees charged were too high, the towing services are following the City's towing ordinance.

Link Amendments to City of Charlotte Towing Ordinance: http://www.charmeck.org/Departments/CMPD/Ordinances/Towing+Ordinance.htm

Link City of Charlotte Towing Ordinance: http://www.charmeck.org/NR/rdonlyres/euwsimkjc6x34v4tgptdf4wvii7xejl6sd4cvz2js2tuxrab7rohiaeudu6eixlt7zguiowljrzceh6bjirgnqnkomg/Towing+Ordinance+Post+7-26-04.pdf

However, the City of Charlotte's Towing Ordinance does not limit the fees that towing services can charge for vehicles over 9,000 pounds. This loop hole makes booting or towing larger vehicles an extremely lucrative business. One company, Complete Wrecker Service (BBB Grade F), has generated more BBB complaints than any other towing service in Charlotte. Of the 57 BBB complaints filed against towing services in the last 12 months, 14 of these complaints were filed against Complete Wrecker Service.

Daniel Meredith of Charlotte was driving a vehicle hauler loaded with new cars when he stopped at a shopping center in Charlotte to run some errands. He returned to find that his truck was gone. Thinking the truck and cars had been stolen, he called the police and learned that his truck had been towed away by Complete Wrecker Service. The cost to get his truck back was $1,950!

John Whitlock of Charlotte parked his truck in an area near I-85 and Little Rock Road where he has routinely parked it many times without a problem. When he came back two hours later, it was gone. He quickly learned that Complete Wrecker Service had impounded his vehicle for illegal parking and they charged him $1,850 to get his truck back. Mr. Whitlock recently told the BBB that he has driven more than 3.2 million miles in the 44 years that he has been a truck driver and he has never had his truck towed before this incident.

The BBB has this advice for drivers:

Know the City of Charlotte Towing Ordinance – keep a copy of it in your car's glove box so you can refer to the maximum amount allowed for booting/towing fees and other restrictions should your vehicle be booted or towed.

Do not park illegally, even for a brief period of time. Do not "create" a parking space. Do not take up two spaces by having your vehicle's wheels over the white line of the adjoining space. Do not let your vehicle's tag expire. All of these actions could result in your vehicle being booted or towed and you incurring a $50 - 120 fee.

Look for signs in the parking lot where you plan to park and read them carefully. See if they designate certain spaces for certain businesses. Even if there is only one parking lot for the whole shopping center, there may be designated spaces for each.

If there is a towing company actively working the lot where you plan to park, ask the tow truck driver where you can legally park.

Don't delay retrieving your vehicle if it has been towed because you will also have to pay storage fees for each day your car sits in a tow lot. If your vehicle is towed at night, you will probably not be able to retrieve it before 7 a.m. the next day, and you will be charged for at least one night's storage fees.

If you have a dispute with a towing company and you are parked on private property (such as in a shopping center parking lot), the police cannot help you. However, if you are on public property, such as a city street, and you believe that the towing company is violating the City of Charlotte's towing ordinance, the police may be able to help you.

For more information, please visit www.bbb.org or call the BBB at (704) 927-8611 or toll-free in N.C. and S.C. at 1-(877) 317-7236.