It
is not uncommon for a wrecker driver to damage the door locks of a
vehicle he/she is going to tow without the vehicle owner's permission.
When retrieving your vehicle from the storage facility, you always want
to check every door that has key locks, to see rather or not they still
lock or unlock the vehicle. Another way to tell if your vehicle has been
unlocked is the weather stripping at the bottom of the glass is torn,
bent or detached from the door shell.
There is really no valid
reason for a wrecker driver to unlock a locked vehicle, considering the
towing industry provides all the necessary equipment to tow a vehicle.
In most cases, a wrecker driver, when peering into the vehicle, will
list items seen on the vehicle inventory sheet, while others will just
steal what they want and write on the vehicle inventory form that the
doors were unlocked. In any event you find that your vehicle has been
opened, while at the storage facility, you most definitely want to call 911 and file a report for burglary of your vehicle.
If you find that your door locks don't work, you most definitely want
to call the Police to make a damage report and be sure to get the
offense number, so when you file a complaint against the towing company
and vehicle storage facility, for damage or personal effects stolen from
your vehicle, you can include this offense report number in the
explanation of your complaint.
In every insurance claim filed
against a towing company and vehicle storage facility, having a Police
offense report number validates your claim, as without it, it's your
word against the towing company, and they are known to be pathological
liars. Never, should you ever leave the Vehicle Storage Facility
property if you discover damage to your vehicle without having law
enforcement come and take a report. Once you leave the storage lot and
notice items missing, your chance of any recovery is slim to none.
If you ever see someone trying to unlock a vehicle in any parking lot
with a “slimjim” (door unlocking tool) with a tow truck nearby, call 911
immediately to report someone attempting to burglarize a vehicle.
