consumerbrief

What You Should Know About
Getting Towed

The amended Predatory Towing Prevention Act
became effective in New Jersey on April 15, 2009. The
amended Act regulates tows from private property, and
tows initiated by law enforcement, without the prior
consent of the vehicle?s owner or operator.

TOWING FROM PRIVATE PROPERTY
Unattended cars cannot be towed from private parking
lots, unless:
■ There is a sign posted at vehicular entrances to the property stating
1) The purposes for which parking is authorized;
2) The times when parking is permitted;
3) That unauthorized parking is prohibited and
unauthorized vehicles will be towed at the owner?s
expense;
4) The name of, and contact information for, the
towing company and the address of the storage
facility?which must be secure and located within a
reasonable distance of the property?to which the
vehicle will be towed;
5) The charges for towing and storage and the times
during which the vehicle may be redeemed; and
6) Contact information for the Division of Consumer
Affairs (1-800-242-5846, prompt #4.)
■ The property owner and the towing company have a
contract for the towing the property owner has authorized the towing company to remove the
particular vehicle.
Revised 10/16/09


■ The requirements do not apply to a single-family home
or an owner-occupied multi-unit structure, and the
signage requirements are different for a residential
community with clearly-marked assigned spaces
for residents.

TOWING AND STORAGE CHARGES
The towing company?s fees must be reasonable.
A reasonable fee is considered one that is no more than
25% greater than the company?s fee for the same
consensual (vehicle owner approved) towing services or no
more than 50% above the fees charged by other towing
companies in the community for the same towing services
without the vehicle owner?s permission.
Towing and storage charges cannot exceed rates set by town
ordinance.

VEHICLE STORAGE
The Act requires that after a vehicle is towed:
■ The vehicle must be stored in a secure facility;
■ The facility?s business office must be open to the
public between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. at least five days
a week; and
■ A towing company must make reasonable
accommodation for after-hours release of stored
vehicles. The towing company may charge for
after-hours release.

UNLAWFUL PRACTICES FOR TOWING COMPANIES
The Act prohibits towing companies from the following:
■ Failing to release a vehicle hooked or lifted, but not
actually removed from private property, upon request
of the vehicle?s owner;
■ Trolling (cruising) for vehicles parked without authorization;
■ Paying for information about vehicles parked without
authorization;
■ Refusing to accept an insurance company check or a
debit card, charge card, credit card or check for towing
or storage services, if the towing company ordinarily
accepts such payment at its place of business;
■ Charging for a towing or storage service not on the
Division?s schedule of services;
■ Charging an unreasonable or excessive fee.


NEWARK CHERRY HILL
124 Halsey Street 2201 Route 38
P.O. Box 45025 Suite # 202
Newark, NJ 07101 Cherry Hill, NJ 08002
973-504-6200 856-482-4380
800-242-5846 (toll free within New Jersey)
E-Mail: AskConsumerAffairs@lps.state.nj.us
Web site:
www.NJConsumerAffairs.gov
New Jersey Office of the Attorney General
DIVISION OF CONSUMER AFFAIRS

Gary Matarazzo also appears to be totally right about the towing policy at that parking lot. Now, I'm not so sure the same can be said for their billing practices......

Gary Matarazzo appears to have no more than a 3rd grade education.

The Rebuttal -

http://www.nj.com/hudson/voices/index ... egitimate_towing_bus.html

In response to Joan Kristensen\'s letter in yesterday\'s edition about being towed for parking illegally in a private lot near B.J.\'s:

Your complaint about being improperly towed is flawed by your own behavior. No, it\'s not a tax scam; you see the tax is $2.10, which is billed into the receipt you received at our office. You also could have called a legitimate taxi company for the ride to our office and not jumped into a gypsy cab. Since when do you expect to park free in a lot that\'s clearly marked for use of store customers?

The problem is that you could have parked at Chili\'s parking, which is located at a nearby garage, but instead you took a chance in a private lot.

Unfortunately, you are not alone; it seems that many people risk the tow while shopping in Newport Mall. Instead of paying a parking fee at the mall they want to park for free. I\'m sorry for your trouble, but it was your own decision to park in a private lot.

You also stated you thought you would have to wait all weekend for your car; in truth, you picked up both cars one hour and 20 minutes later. It is a business and we are in business to make money. We provide a service for parking lot owners to remove vehicles that are parked illegal. There are approximately 64 signs in that lot, and legally there are supposed to be only four. We have 64 as a courtesy to people who park illegally so they can\'t say they didn\'t see the sign!

We run a legitimate business, which is a very difficult one, and when we make a mistake, be assured, we own up to it!

GARY MATARAZZO

E Z TOWING, PRESIDENT
JERSEY CITY

What a coincidence that their towing fees are $152 and $242 instead of $150 and $240 and that they don't have change on hand. That's pretty blatant.

If you park in the narrow lanes in front of the Shop Rite the risk of towing is less. Why you ask how could a big tow truch with all the towing equipment get under your car and pull it out without banging up the other neighboring parked vehicles so close in proximity ?? Especially when you are shoping in ShopRite. I 'd like to pretend I got towed with a Shop Rite receipt in hand and see how Shop Rite handles customer service. Who has say over the parking lot ? I am still puzzled by that mystery. By the way I never got towed from either SR or BBB when shoping at either establishment (that is when I'm not riding my bicycle there), 'cause if I did I would call the BBB.

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For years dating back to BB&B being The Wiz, I would pull my car into a spot and shop any of the three stores. There are no designated spots. I have never been towed by them. They seem to be selective on which cars/people they tow. There is no constancy in their towing practices at the lot to give you a responsible answer.

This thread disgusts me each time it comes back to life because so many people are scammed by them. I no longer give BJ's or that Shop Rite location my business just for this reason and, I'm a shop-a-holic.

Hello....Costco!

I am avoiding THAT SR at any cost. My own observation is that food inflation has gone up considerably over the last year but especially THAT place. It is ridiculously overpriced for the "privilege" of getting tasteless fruits and vegetables. Look at how ridiculous the price for hummus has gone up there, they really take advantage of people.

I used to think it was funny to shop at Trader's Joe but not anymore. I spend 30% less there, people are nice and even if the selection is more limited, it is more seasonal.

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I know people who have been towed from that lot while they were shopping at BB&B. What if you just want to shop at BB&B without going to Shop Rite or BJ's? I absolutely am paranoid about shopping at BB&B because of the towing nightmare, and once told the store manager I'd rather just shop at the Manhattan stores (assuming I'm not buying anything bulky). I haven't been able to discern, within that lot, if there are store-specific spaces. If BB&B customers are only supposed to park in specific spaces, can anyone shed some light on which ones they are? And what do you do on a busy weekend day and you're forced to park closer to BJ's rather than BB&B? What bothers me about this whole set-up is that there's no recourse if they mistakenly tow your car. They don't give a shit and they still want to make money.

This crap has been going on for years and nobody ever shuts them down. Unless the laws changed very recently (too lazy to look up) they must accept credit cards. There are enough complaints filed with commerce to take action, I cannot understand why they do not. For someone not in the know, I can see how a person may think Chili?s is part of that parking lot.

I have no pity party for someone parking and going to the mall, light rail, path etc. There are many documented cases of people being towed going into Bed Bath and Beyond, Pepboys before going to Shop Rite/BJ's.

Is it legal to boot your own car? Buy two boots: one for a front wheel, one for a back wheel.

I wouldnt be sympathetic either, I mean to an extent, I do sympathize that their towing fee is astronomical and I would have never accepted a receipt for 150 when I clearly paid much more, duh. But you clearly said you knew there were signs posted and you still took the chance it sucks, and chalk it up to a bad idea. Whether you were there for 10 minutes or an hour the point is you still parked where you were not shopping, if everyone did that the lot would never be empty going to that little mall anytime is bad enough with the parking without the enforcement it would be a mad house. That being said I do sympathize with their fees and unavailability to get your car returned.

http://www.nj.com/hudson/voices/index ... _profitable_tax-free.html

"This is a profitable, tax-free scam run at BJ's/ShopRite parking lot": letter
Read the newspaper comments at the end of the article, they are not too sympathetic.

eh. I don't have a car and Shoprite is the only store I can get to with my push cart a few blocks away. I've been going there for a 4 years now and I dig it. I never really noticed the smoking, or "filthy loiterers" and kids with candy bars is kinda a usual thing being around the city and all. I will say there are vultures by the clothing bins, I have to pretty much go mission impossible to actually get my clothes in the bin without someone trying to grab em first. But I don't really blame em I guess.

As for the towing, yes that blows.

I have lived in the Marbella building for five years and have witnessed the activities of Danny's/EZ towing from my window many times. Although I do not agree with the way they choose to treat their fellow man, I do agree that their would be serious parking problem in that lot if they had not been towing cars all these years. There are some borderline cases wherein they should've used more tactful judgement, but mostly, they tow illegally parked cars. They must get a million and one excuses from everyone whose car they tow, so I guess I can't blame them too much for being a tad abrasive.
Having been a customer of BJ's, Shoprite, and BBB for a few years, I have seen firsthand the mentality of many of the other shoppers there. Until recently many people would buy $100 worth of groceries, then steal a $300 shopping cart in order to walk them home. Now that the carts have locks, they are simply left wherever the lazy customers were last able to push them, sometimes even in the middle of the travel lanes. The entrance to the BJ's is filled with kids attempting to profit from candy bars that I can easily buy at cost by waking inside the store. The entrance to Shoprite is filled with filthy loiterers and employees who make sure the doorway is always consumed by a putrid cloud of cigarette smoke. the clothing donation bins are constantly being burglarized, and seemingly tons of empty boxes, rubbish, used diapers and chicken bones are routinely left in the parking spaces by my good neighbors on the other side of the tracks who can't be bothered to care about cleanliness.
The bottom line people, is that the towing company is but a cog in the wheel of this filthy machine. Also, I would not be surprised if much of their profits went to tribute. This is, after all, New Jersey. My advice is to stay away from that lot and its surrounding stores. If enough people do so, then perhaps all parties involved would find the proper motivation to clean up their act and improve the condition of that place. Until then, you can find me at A&P, Morton Williams, Shoprite Hoboken, Short Hills mall or anywhere but Metro Plaza. Thanks for reading :)

They've always done that. That's Danny's towing's turf. It's not a scam, it's a scam when you park illegally. They make money off of idiots trying to park for free. They wait, and they tow. They are probably contracted with BJ's etc and I don't blame them because imagine if you wanted to shop at BJ's and couldnt' get a space?

I noticed the tow trucks lurking around for cars to tow.
They take them away in minutes and don't worry if they can't hitch it they call for the flat bed. Tough times I guess for the tow companies too - Seriously, come on how do they not know someone isn't shopping - Its a total SCAM.
BEWARE!!!!

The same happened with me today. I parked my car next to Pep Boy\'s and walked to the Westin Hotel to say goodbye to some friends that were guests there. My fault, no denying of that. The signs where there, although I must say I didn\'t see them when we arrived. We didn\'t stay away for very long (around 45 minutes) and when we came back the car was gone. It was a very fast business.

I called and they advised me on the phone that they only accepted Cash. Upon my arrival on their place they requested my driver\'s license and charged me $153. I showed them a credit card and they declined saying that they only take cash. When I mentioned that they should take a Credit Card (as per NJ law) they immediately took my CC. Also, there was a small bump on my car\'s trunk, which I am pretty sure was not there before.

In my personal opinion there is no word to describe what these individuals do other than predatory towing. Their objective is not to enforce and prevent abuse but simply make as much cash as they can in the fastest time possible. They need to make sure you don\'t see what they are doing so they can actually tow your car and charge you fees for that.

The fact that they lie about credit card acceptance is something that should be investigated by authorities and shows how their business conduct is unethical to say the least. Also, given the bump on my car\'s trunk, I think they handle your car in a pretty poor manner.

I can\'t understand how respectable business such as Bed Bath and Beyond and Shoprite would want to have any kind of association with types like these. They could perfectly enforce the parking lot utilization by giving a first warning notice and then fining/towing repeaters. I am emailing the managers of those stores to protest and recommend everyone else to do the same.

There is not much you can do besides pay with a credit card. If they do not accept then immediatly call the police and demand they they accept your card or release the car. The municipal ordinance requires the tow operator to accept credit cards.

Well, here's what happened to me today... I left the inner fenced in area of that property to go get money from an ATM at a bank located on the edge of the property, but still inside the outer fence. It was Friday, so I had to wait for a few other people first. As I was walking back towards ShopRite with my cash, I look over to where I parked my car and they were towing it! I waved the guy to stop, so he did. I asked him why he was towing a legally parked car. He said the "security company" for the parking lot said I went over to the mall, which yes- is on the other side of the street from the bank. I showed him my long grocery list I had on me and the money & receipt from the ATM. He told me I should call his supervisor. I pulled out my phone to call his bluff. As soon as I started to dial, the supposed "supervisor" pulls up in a crappy old red 2 door Toyota with no identification regarding the company on it. She wouldn't give me her name, and when I called her out on their scam- she proceeded to insult me, called me stupid and told me to learn how to read signs. I let her know that I knew the reason they picked my car was because it had a Florida plate & was an easy target, considering it wasn't right up front where it's busy with traffic. Since she wouldn't give me her name- I took her plate number, which pissed her off. She said "go ahead, it's registered under Danny's EZ Towing anyways." After she continued to insult me and start driving away, I told her that she better not come back and take the car anyways as soon as I went back into the store. She said "there's nothing you can do anyways, even if I do." What a b****! I proceeded to go into Shop Rite to talk to the manager & security. Neither would come out to talk to me, saying it's out of their hands. I finally got a girl at the desk to give me the landlord's phone number, who doesn't return calls. The bottom line is, I used an ATM on that property to spend the money at another business on that property and have paperwork/ receipts to back me up and they still made me give them $120 (cash only, of course). I will never shop there again, I can't afford the risk. I live less than 2 blocks away from the mall, and I work there. I never drive there, only walk. If I wanted to shop, I would still walk. The only reason why I took my car to ShopRite that day was because I was buying way too much stuff to carry. I have the lady's (if you could call her that) plate number & the landlord's phone number still, but I don't know if posting them is allowed. I will say the tow truck driver tried to be nice- younger guy in a white towing truck. He looked like he felt bad -maybe he's just trying to make a living, but the lady was absolutely horrible to me and karma is surely gonna kick her a$$ someday.

If you feel there was something done to you that violates the:
Jersey City Municipal Code
FYI: Take a look at ? 319-6.
Principal licenses; supplemental licenses.
Section H
Contact the Jersey City Division of Commerce

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It's mighty white of you to recognize the plight of these workers. I confess that up until this post I never had any sympathy for them at all.

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Given your posting name, you apparently consider yourself of the same ilk. And it's never a good idea for outsiders like us to get embroiled in a family feud like you apparently have going here...

For the record I tried the free garage next to Chili's but the 8 spots they have for customers were full. I understand not parking in the BJ's lot and going to the mall. that makes total sense because I would be attempting to get out of paying for the mall's parking. Since the 8 spots are free I wasn't trying to cut corners. I was simply trying to park my car to get something to eat. Its not good for the local business but what do I care. If they lose business its no sweat off my back. I will tell you this much, I will go to a different grocery store and I wont be going back to Chili's either. Though their practice is legal (possibly) it may not be moral. Lets be honest this is nothing more than a money making ploy by the owner of the lot and the towing company and if you are too dumb to see that I will not waste anymore time with you because you like the towtruck driver probably haven't graduated 4th grade...

Are you guys the sketchy "livery drivers" that sit there waiting to give a lift to the people who had their cars towed? I bet you are, tool....

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The same goes for Newport Mall there is a parking lot next door but it is a pay parking lot.

To the poster above:

I am not sure what's your beef... I can imagine that having your car towed ruined an otherwise pleasant evening, but you have to admit that your actions led to the way the evening turned out. Chili's provides on site parking inside the garage that is directly to its right, in addition to the off-street parking spots that are directly in front of the restaurant.

If you came to this site looking for sympathy, move on. No one here is going to take your side in this situation. You chose to park in the wrong parking lot and got caught. It sucks, but they did nothing wrong. They are doing their job, regardless of the merits of their job, or how they go about doing it.

As for Chili's being part of Metro Plaza, I am not buying that argument either. They are certainly *next* to it, but their properly lot is actually separated from the Plaza by the HBLR tracks and a fairly clear black metal fence.

We went to Chili's for dinner last week and parked in the Metro Plaza parking lot, right next to a sign that said 2 hr parking for Metro Plaza customers only. Unfortunately for me, I didn't know that even though Chili?s is in the same shopping center it isn't considered part of Metro Plaza. When I came out my car was towed.

The best part is, the tow truck driver drove up within two minutes to tell me he had my car and he was even so generous as to offer me a ride to the lot. I told the guy to take a hike. As I walked back to my apartment to get my 2nd car I was stopped by 3 "livery drivers" offering to give me a ride. I think the entire lot is in on this scam. They have people on lookout. They sit there and watch to see what stores you go into. Don't go to the Wachovia or Chili's because the Dbags will tow you.

When I finally arrived at the EZ Towing lot I found my car and paid the $240 in cash to get it back. They have a sign on the wall that reads "We didn't park your car, you did. We are just doing our job." My response to this is that you are absolutely correct. I did park my car and you did tow it but at the end of the day EZ towing adds no value to society. They continue doing their "jobs" but maybe if the employees had more than a 4th grade education they could have picked a better job for themselves. Maybe they could have been a Doctor, maybe a social worker, but unfortunately for them they sit in a parking lot and look to tow cars and rip people off. I hope the uneducated losers enjoy earning their $6 an hour for their worthless jobs. I hope EZ Towing has all its paperwork in order with the State because I have already contacted a lawyer since this looks like a shady operation What a bunch of Douche Bags!!!

Why all this hostility toward pregnant women? Will a little common decency really ruin your day? Yes, each individual pregnancy is voluntary (and fortunately it's also temporary) but it sure is necessary for the species. Just be glad it's not you.

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And yet, in many states (for example...oh I don't know...say, New Jersey and New York), pregnancy is defined as a disability and covered under disability laws!

http://lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor/tdi/ ... r/state/sp_pregnancy.html



I find the idea of choice and disability very intriguing. A drunk driver chooses to get behind the wheel and then loses the ability to walk from the ensuing car accident. By the above logic, you are telling me that the drunk driver, who can no longer walk, is not disabled because it involved his/her choice to get behind the wheel? Interesting. I'm not saying that said driver deserves sympathy, but I am saying that s/he is disabled.