Here is a complete detail of the event with pictures and videos.
Tesla model 3 was towed and damaged with Sentry Mode on
Tesla model 3 was towed and damaged with Sentry Mode on
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Model 3 was towed and damaged with Sentry videos
- Thread starter tuoncan
- Start date
Bill Foster
I'm going home!
There is. I probably have to suck up and pay the fees unless I can prove that they were illegally patrolling the area and not getting called from the owner.
davewill
Active Member
They may be contracted by the property owner to patrol and tow anyone parking in the lot not on a list.
A HOA we belonged to at one point had a similar sign basically and had a standing order for their contracted tow company to tow cars when they came through that were parked in certain areas that were restricted. Guest Parking was limited and owners that were having guests stay overnight with their cars had to register them in advance and had a maximum number of days allowed. I forgot the whole system they set up but the tow company they hired kind of had carte blanche to tow violators. They had certain things they were required to do and assumed these guys did too.
Expensive lesson. I did watch the video on YT and adjusted the playback speed to get through it. A night in the life of a tow. Not riveting but did make me question whether I should get my AWD badging put on the car. Not that I plan on parking in parking lots into the night or overnight but did have a car that wouldn’t start and couldn’t get towed to our car shop until the next day so can foresee an unexpected tow happen maybe at some point. I left note on car about wouldn’t start and was more concerned about someone breaking into it overnight. But getting my car damaged by not flat bedding the car etc would not be a good thing. Just watched a video today on TMC of Model 3 in commercial parking lot being loaded onto a flatbed trunk but not in tow mode as owner had left it there to presumably charge overnight.
Expensive lesson. I did watch the video on YT and adjusted the playback speed to get through it. A night in the life of a tow. Not riveting but did make me question whether I should get my AWD badging put on the car. Not that I plan on parking in parking lots into the night or overnight but did have a car that wouldn’t start and couldn’t get towed to our car shop until the next day so can foresee an unexpected tow happen maybe at some point. I left note on car about wouldn’t start and was more concerned about someone breaking into it overnight. But getting my car damaged by not flat bedding the car etc would not be a good thing. Just watched a video today on TMC of Model 3 in commercial parking lot being loaded onto a flatbed trunk but not in tow mode as owner had left it there to presumably charge overnight.
jdcollins5
Member
It looks like you parked illegally. Suck it up and take responsibility for your actions.
Bill Foster
I'm going home!
I never complained about the fees. I just hate that they are not being careful with the car. They care more about making money than other people property.
If you see someone touching your car like they do and scratched your paint and ask you to pay money to get your damaged car out, you probably wouldn't be too happy.
With all due respect, but if you want them to be so careful about towing your car, you should have been careful to pay attention to the posted sign to prevent this from happening in the first place.
timk225
Active Member
I really despise these types of tow-for-profit operations. If one ever made the mistake of towing my car when it were not completely justified, I'd get my satisfaction one way or another.
One thing I left out of the story is that the towing sign was not there last year since I had parked there many times with no issue. I had seen many other cars still parked there after coming back before. This is the first time within this year we decided to come and visit my friend and we did not look for the sign at the entrance. How many of us check for new sign on the way in? It's a surprise to us when we got back. The first thing in my mine was the car was stolen.
I'm very okay with paying the fine. The other stuff are what bothering me.
The guys said they have pictures of the car before they tow the car, however I feel he's just saying that so I don't have to go through my insurance and hoping that I will accept the damage. He doesn't even care about coming out to see the damage after taking my money. If you run a business like that, you won't have many customers left.
GuyDude
Member
There is more than enough evidence for you to sue them and/or the owner of the plaza. These companies usually cary a fatty umbrella insurance policy.
timk225
Active Member
This whole topic reminded me of a situation I encountered about 10 years ago. I was out in my car, going from Point A to Point B, when I decided to take an entirely different route through the hills and back roads, just for something to do. And in doing this, I came across what I thought was a junkyard, except it was all locked up and the cars were not missing pieces.
It just so happened that a car very similar to mine was right next to the fence, and as I stood there looking at it through the fence, here comes some local Barney Fife, thinking he is anything more than some small town rent-a-cop. He's all like "Show me some ID" and so forth, then he bitches me out for "What are you doing here" and so on.
As I came to find out, this ex-junkyard was being used to store cars that had been towed, they had cameras, and even on a sunday afternoon, someone was watching and called the fuzz.
So if your Tesla gets towed and your phone app can track it to one of these lots, you've got to go in with a plan to break it out of there. Night time, for one thing. Have bolt cutters handy. Get a pound of raw meat from the supermarket to distract any dogs in the yard. A police scanner would be a good idea. And depending on the layout of the roads in the area, maybe have a friend or 2 with large trucks parked sideways across the road a mile or so in each direction to delay the mall cops from arriving to ask unnecessary questions.
Yeah, I know, this plan probably just makes a bad situation worse, but the tow company is wrong in the first place for ripping people off. So 3 rights make a left, or something like that.
It just so happened that a car very similar to mine was right next to the fence, and as I stood there looking at it through the fence, here comes some local Barney Fife, thinking he is anything more than some small town rent-a-cop. He's all like "Show me some ID" and so forth, then he bitches me out for "What are you doing here" and so on.
As I came to find out, this ex-junkyard was being used to store cars that had been towed, they had cameras, and even on a sunday afternoon, someone was watching and called the fuzz.
So if your Tesla gets towed and your phone app can track it to one of these lots, you've got to go in with a plan to break it out of there. Night time, for one thing. Have bolt cutters handy. Get a pound of raw meat from the supermarket to distract any dogs in the yard. A police scanner would be a good idea. And depending on the layout of the roads in the area, maybe have a friend or 2 with large trucks parked sideways across the road a mile or so in each direction to delay the mall cops from arriving to ask unnecessary questions.
Yeah, I know, this plan probably just makes a bad situation worse, but the tow company is wrong in the first place for ripping people off. So 3 rights make a left, or something like that.
off topic...
My TESLA m3 at delivery (brand new) had that left front lower facia scrape (assumed it was from a tow and move at delivery) I added T/U paint to it.. SC said they would replace the entire front nose- I think it's too much work for little error. - guys agree? not to hijack thread but that image is exactly what mine has. HAHHA
My TESLA m3 at delivery (brand new) had that left front lower facia scrape (assumed it was from a tow and move at delivery) I added T/U paint to it.. SC said they would replace the entire front nose- I think it's too much work for little error. - guys agree? not to hijack thread but that image is exactly what mine has. HAHHA
Bill Foster
I'm going home!
Oh I agree. In a perfect world they would pay for the damage they caused. I think your tryin to piss up a rope, but I’d be interested to hear the outcome of this one.
SomeJoe7777
Marginally-Known Member
He parked illegally, so he owes tow fees and storage fees. However, the tow truck company and drivers have a duty to perform their job with reasonable care and in accordance with industry standards and manufacturer recommendations. If they did, then any minor damage may be the responsibility of the illegally-parked vehicle owner. However, if they did not, then they were negligent, and owe damages to the vehicle owner.
For example, Tesla specifies that a Tesla Model 3 must be towed on a flat bed tow vehicle. If they did not do so, then they did not follow manufacturer recommendations. This is grounds for finding them negligent.
ModelNforNerd
Active Member
Had this happen once, when I lived in Virginia about 15 years ago. My apartment parking sticker was CLEARLY in my window when the vehicle was towed. I called and they were rude about it, so I took a cab to their lot, and on the way there, I called 911 to report a stolen vehicle.
long story short, got my car back with no money owed, and profuse apologies from the on-shift manager and driver, as neither one of them was too keen on facing grand theft auto charges, which I graciously declined to press after making sure nothing was damaged on my car.
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