BEWARE OF THIS COMPANY AND IT'S PREDATORY TOWING PRACTICES!
""The last thing anybody should have to worry about after a car accident is whether the person towing their vehicle is going to rip them off and add to their trouble""
- Governor of Illinois, Illinois recently passed an act prohibiting companies like THIS ONE from appearing at accident scenes and ""and after assuring drivers that the cost of the tow will be covered by their insurance, haul the vehicle to an auto pound."" In the end they charge fees which are NOT EVEN COVERED BY INSURANCE.
(California needs to jump on the boat and pass an act like this!)
They claim to be a legitimate company (they proudly said so many times) SO WHY ARE THEY ENGAGING IN PREDATORY TOWING ACTIONS?
My car was towed by Specialty Towing (What specialty??) from private property (my WORKPLACE) following my first car accident (IT WAS NOT IN THE STREET OR OBSTRUCTING TRAFFIC.)
The tow driver, RICK PETERSON, hooked up my car, insisted that I NEEDED to have my car towed, that I couldn't leave it there, and that I couldn't drive it beause it was ""undrivable"" (Yet he later drove my car out of the driveway, onto the street, and into the truck bed). I told him, ""I CAN'T AFFORD THE TOW! I can't have my car towed!"" he said ""But we're already HERE!! Don't WORRY. Your insurance will cover it."" I said ""NO I don't think my insurance covers this"" (I have liability insurance) He said ""Your insurance will cover everything!"" I said ""HOLD ON i need to call my insurance company"" and while I was tied up on the phone with the insurance agent, he handed me his business card and DROVE OFF WITH MY CAR!! without a word!!
I got off the phone with my insurance company (who, like i said, would not pay the towing company's fees) and I called Specialty Towing immediately asking where the hell my car was, and the girl said ""Your car is currently in tow"" and i said ""WHAT? WHERE IS IT GOING TO?"" she said it was going to their storage yard. I asked her to bring my car back, because it's MY car. She said ""We can't do that, it's currently in tow"" I said ""WHY?"" and she put me on hold while she ""talked to the driver"" after I was on hold for a good 10 or 15 minutes she returned to announce that the car was in their lot and that i was now responsible for tow fees and storage fee (WHAT STORAGE??? MY CAR HADN'T EVEN BEEN STORED!) i argued on the the phone with her, and argued in person when i got my car back but they just SMIRKED at me and said they couldn't waive my fees, and would keep my car if I did not pay them.
I got my car back, and was so pissed I actually hired ANOTHER tow company to tow my car away from their CROOKED tow yard.
I talked to Rick when I was retrieving my car and asked him WHY he just took off with my car and he rudely yelled(exact words):
""I GAVE you my card.. and then I LEFT! But It's not like I just left with your car!""
then he answered his phone and started yelling at the person on the phone (I was pretty scared)
Sounds to me like he just left with my car. Giving someone a business card is done out of courtesy (NOT WHILE THE PERSON IS ON THE PHONE) and it does not mean I consented that he could leave with my car.
I think it's absolutely DISGUSTING that companies like this make their money by hustling victims at accident scenes. Specialty Towing should be disgraced for taking advantage of people who have just been in accidents and are shaken up. In my case, this was my first car accident and it's sad to say that the worst part of the whole ordeal was dealing with the towing company! THIS COMPANY NEEDS TO BE BROUGHT DOWN.
EDIT: I'm pissed I even have to give them one star. They don't deserve ANY.
Pros: ABSOLUTELY NONE WHATSOEVER.
Cons: Abusive, Lies, CROOKED, illegal towing, predatory, SO MANY!
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