Got a predatory towing horror story?

Over at his blog, Sean Cruz - an aide to Senator Avel Gordly - is tracking the movement of the various predatory towing bills moving through the legislature.

People are coming from all over the state to tell their predatory towing horror stories to the Committee, chaired by Senator Floyd Prozanski. Senator Gordly also serves on the Commerce Committee.

The extra good news is that the Department of Justice is looking at each of those towing horror stories and opening new case files on the incidents.

If you have a towing horror story of your own, NOW is the time to send it in.

The towing industry is seeing the handwriting on the wall, and in workgroup meetings has conceded that regulation is needed, that these predators have gone way, waaaaayyyy too far.

Change is gonna come.

In addition to SB 116 from the DOJ, Senator Gordly has four bills addressing predatory towing:

SB 388 requires towers to provide printed rate sheets to vehicle owners who arrive to find a tower in some degree of lawful possession of their vehicle (or so they claim!).

SB 389 requires landlords contracting with tow companies to provide tenants with printed information detailing the actual potential costs of being towed from the property.

SB 390 requires that a landlord provide 24 hours notice to a tenant before having the tenant’s car towed.

SB 431 is an outright ban on patrol towing. This legislation will require property owners or their agent to be present and sign the towing invoice when ordering a vehicle towed without the vehicle owner’s knowledge or permission. SB 431 will take the decision-making on these tows away from a driver working on commission, which is the root cause of most of these predatory practices.

Read the rest over at Blogotical Sean. Discuss over there.

Jan. 28, 2007 Posted in elsewhere.