Source
r/legaladvice•
SpoonBasim

My car was towed supposedly for the alarm going off (I heard nothing) and now I owe nearly $500 in towing fees.

I know it is legal to tow a vehicle whose alarm is going off in the city of Long Beach, but there was never any attempt to contact me or wait for it to go off. I live right next to where it was parked (street parking) and I heard nothing.

Now the tow company says I owe them $441 dollars to release it for an issue that felt very much out of my control?

Is this justice? What can I do here?

Posted Dec 31, 2018, 6:12 PM UTC

08
ResidentAsylum•

I would suggest getting your car out ASAP.

Then you can look into whether you car was illegally towed or not.

11
SpoonBasimOP•

I'm picking it up in the hour or so once my ride gets here. Just hoping to go in asking the right things such as proof.

1
[deleted]•

[deleted]

1
swalsh411Quality Contributor•

but there was never any attempt to contact me or wait for it to go off.

Does the law require either of those things? I suspect it does not.

Now the tow company says I owe them $441 dollars to release it for an issue that felt very much out of my control?

Yea that's how it works. Car alarms are annoying and they passed a law saying a car could be towed if the alarm was going off because nobody wants to listen to annoying car alarms.

What can I do here?

Pay to get your car back and take it to somebody who works on car alarms to either fix or disable the alarm.

3
SpoonBasimOP•

You say car alarms are annoying, but I was here all day the day in question (saturday) and didnt hear a thing. So I can just have any vehicle I want towed and say the alarm was going off?

-8
CyberTractor•

Your first step is to pay the money to release the car so impound fees don't rack up.

Your second step would be to request proof from the tow company, and if they fail to provide any, sue them for the return of the money you paid them.

2
swalsh411Quality Contributor•

Have you asked if the tow company has a video of it going off?

1
LocationBotThe One and Only•

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Author: u/SpoonBasim

Title: My car was towed supposedly for the alarm going off (I heard nothing) and now I owe nearly $500 in towing fees.

Original Post:

I know it is legal to tow a vehicle whose alarm is going off in the city of Long Beach, but there was never any attempt to contact me or wait for it to go off. I live right next to where it was parked (street parking) and I heard nothing.

Now the tow company says I owe them $441 dollars to release it for an issue that felt very much out of my control?

Is this justice? What can I do here?

LocationBot 4.31977192 | Report Issues

2
WyoGuy2•

Please edit your post with your state. There’s two towns named Long Beach on the west coast alone.

1