If you read the general internet it's all mobbed up guys stealing cars from law-abiding single mothers for no reason at all but then again if I believed the general public about parking violation enforcement here in germany I'd come to the conclusion they're the new jews.

So how bad is that whole privatized towing / enforcement thing, really? Is there an actual problem beyond "it's a private company" or is it mostly carbrain tears?

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[–] ClimateChangeAnxiety@hexbear.net 22 points 11 months ago* (last edited 11 months ago)

It very much depends on the city, and even the area of the city. The tow companies in my town are a menace and in a just world the owners would be executed, in a normal world where state and federal law actually apply equally they would’ve been arrested a long long time ago for stealing fucking cars.

They’ve been caught several times towing legally parked cars. They’ve towed from lots they’re not authorized to tow from. They’ve been caught colluding with apartment complexes mark parking sections badly so people will be towable. At least once they got in trouble for towing a car with the owner inside.

One time my friend went to a cafe, parked in the lot that clearly said “parking for cafe and x other businesses only,” and did homework for about an hour. Goes outside, car’s gone. Finds out which company towed her car, tells them they towed a legally parked car, they go “Nuh uh.” Contacts them again, they sent her a security camera video of some random woman walking on the sidewalk next to the cafe and say “This is you leaving! Money now.” The only way she managed to get her car back without paying was by getting her cop uncle to go with her to the tow yard and threaten them.

They are the scum of the earth, and it’s one of the few businesses where the lowest level workers are just as soulless and slimey as the owners. They’re sharks who prey mostly on people who can afford to have their car towed the least - You never see them towing a fancy sports car. I have no sympathy for tow company workers, I sincerely hope you get shot by a pissed off victim.

Note, this only applies to roam towing companies. There is also one tow company and owner-operators who do on-demand tows and jobs for things like AAA, those guys are quite nice and none of this applies to them. Sometimes a car needs to be towed somewhere.

At the very least tow company owners should be held liable to normal laws. “Accidentally” towing the wrong car is called theft and it’s a felony that gets a normal person put in prison.