I was in Costa Mesa at a friends apartment complex. I parked in a public complex across the street in which it specially said that it was a 2 Hour parking zone. With that being noted, I also remember exactly how many cars were parked in the lot and their location. I ended up leaving 90 minutes after I parked, and then I came back and parked in the same spot.
About an hour afterward one of the other people who was parked in the same place was being towed. I asked to see if my car was being towed also, and he said yes. So immediately, I ran over to the location along with everyone who was there at the house also. As my car was on the cherry picker, the manager said that he could not drop it, and that it would be $130.00 when I get to the lot.
So I found the location of the towing yard, and I happened to get there before the tow truck did. I asked the guy at the gate first off as to how he was able to tow my car on the cherry picker since my car does have lower suspension, and I had my e-brake up and the car in first gear. He informed me that they disconnected the shift linkage, put my car back into neutral, and on top of that, they towed my car with the rear tires on the ground when it should be either on a flat bed, or the rear wheels off the ground.
If they knew anything about how to tow properly, they would have gotten a flat bed, and they would have had my rear tires off the ground, instead, they messed things up and scraped the entire bottom end of my car including the exhaust from the picker. I got upset over the fact that they did that, and didn't own up to it.
What made the situation worse was that when I got there, the guy at the gate told me a different amount than when the ""manager"" at the property told me. He said it was going to be $280.00, and that the other price that he told me was the price of which if they dropped the car off the picker at that time. I explained to him that the ""manager"" said that he couldn't drop it and that I could pay for it at the gate.
Furthermore, I told the guy that I left and came back so that pretty much resets my 2 hour time limit. He told me that my car never moved and that they have evidence of it not moving. When I asked them was sort of evidence they have they said ""DVR recording and a UV Pen"" to mark tires. I asked him to show me proof, and if he could then I would keep my mouth shut and pay for the fee and be on my way. Obviously, he said that he didn't have to show me anything.
I then ranted at him saying, ""do you morons have nothing else better to do than just sit in a parking lot and just wait for cars to be parked too long and supposedly 'record' them being there?"" He said yes, and I asked him according to his ""DVR"" as to what time I got there and what time I got towed. According to his ""DVR"" he said that I was parked there for 3 hours and 20 minutes. When in reality, I was only parked a total of 3 hours in 2 different times with a receipt showing proof that I was gone for 20 minutes running to the store to get some party supplies.
He said to me that the receipt was ""fabricated"" and even with that receipt it doesn't reset my 2 hour time limit. I ended up paying for the fees, and I gave him a one finger salute as I left.
These guys are bunch of crooks, and if you are anywhere in Costa Mesa or a surrounding city, beware....they will tow your car in all of the wrong ways.
The owner of the company is a dirty cop and he doesn't care what people think of the company and all he hires is crooks. They do not have a DVR that records cars leaving in and out of parking lots, and they not have a UV pen that they mark. Don't believe them. On their invoice they have a number to call if you want to take them to court. I wouldn't recommend calling that number. I would rather do it with a personal attorney, and according to a source, they lose about 60-65% of their lawsuits. Im surprised that they are still in business, because they shouldn't be at all
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