Lying in wait...
My wife and I had recently moved into our apartment. It was about 9:30pm on a Saturday and my sister was parked in our garage while helping us. So my pregnant wife parked directly in front of our garage and went inside to unload. (The nearest parking is several blocks away when the two guest spots fill up.)
Before she could even go back out, our neighbor came to warn us that she saw our car being towed. We couldn't believe it was possible, but we rushed outside and the Western Towing driver had already sped off with our car.
I immediately called the number for WT provided by our apartment management. I explained how the management recommended we could park there for brief loading/unloading, and a stern voice, tainted from a hard life, said, "So what?" In so many words he explained that it was our fault for being towed.
Fair enough, we took a calculated risk on trustworthy advice. So I appealed to his better nature.
"We were only home for 10 minutes," I pleaded, "Please bring our car back."
To which he scoffed, "Psh, why would I do that?"
I was in shock. Hearing such smug indifference to our plight got my heart racing. I could barely speak. "Could you give me a minute?" I asked shakily, and I prayed and caught my breath.
After 30 seconds or so, I spoke up again. "I'll get back to you," he said.
"Excuse me?"
The grown man replied, "You put me on hold, now I'm gonna put you on hold." I hear a beep, and before I know it I'm listening to a crackling line playing contemporary country pop.
When he returned, I asked how much it would cost to pick up the car. He said he couldn't find it in the system. I said, of course, it was currently being towed. He asked where it was towed from and put me on hold again to call the truck.
It was $185 for the tow, $92 as an "after hours" fee (because they are technically "closed" on weekends), and $40 for storage.
I contested the storage fee since the truck was still en route, and he said it counts as storage as soon as they get the car into the lot. I asked that they not go through the trouble of storing the car, thereby saving time. Again, he musters as much snark as possible, "Why would I do that?"
Of course. Why would you hesitate at the chance to take more money from a stranger? Why would you have mercy when you already have power? Why would you entertain the thought of compassion when profit is an option?
Picking up the car during normal business hours (during weekdays only) would have cost more than paying the weekend fee, due to compounding storage fees. Which is why, I have noticed since then, that their drivers most often lurk around the apartments on weekends when Western Towing is "closed."
Here's the real punchline though. Our receipt stated that the driver dispatch time AND arrival time was 9:44, which means that when we got home the driver was already lying in wait for the moment we were out of sight. Hooking up the car and fleeing the scene in under 10 minutes is actually quite impressive. Such is the skill of a professional highwayman.
A couple weeks ago, I spotted one of their tow trucks patrolling the apartment complex in the early evening. I followed in my car at a distance to see if he was responding to a call. But sure enough, he was just trolling the community for fresh meat. I followed him until he made the complete rounds and left the premises empty-handed.
"The merciful man does himself good, but the cruel man does himself harm. The wicked earns deceptive wages, but he who sows righteousness gets a true reward" Proverbs 11:17-18. read more