Pages

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

H-Town Towing of Houston along with Houston Apartment Association Members Scamming Motorists with Kickbacks & Illegal Signs Posted

Everyone towed by H-Town Towing of Houston regardless the reason from a private parking lot are entitled to $1671.40 if you paid $223.80 to retrieve your vehicle at the storage lot.  The red and white towing signs provided by H-Town to parking facilities lack the required statutory text: "Unauthorized Vehicles Will Be Towed at Owners or Operators Expense" (No words can be added to this sentence in quotes)

In order to recover this civil penalty, you need to file a statutory hearing against the property manager or property owner since the majority of properties failed to install the signs themselves and allowed vehicles to be towed with illegal towing signs posted.

The signs below are posted at Hammerly Oaks Apartments, 8791 Hammerly Blvd, Houston, Texas.



Houston area property managers should stop accepting kickbacks from their towing companies as they will be sued instead of the towing company for monetary damages.

The towing company can only provide the towing sign and do the towing of the vehicle, anything else of value is a violation of State Law, an arrestable offense.  Some towing company offer parking lot striping, orange warning stickers, parking permits, golf carts for property staff to use, contribute to office staff Christmas parties and a multitude of other signage.  If the parking facility only has one driveway less than 35' wide, only one sign can be provided to the parking facility.  So some will better understand this issue of kickback or bribes, read this attorney general opinion, JC-0554 that was written September 12, 2002.  Nothing has changed in State Law regarding this opinion.

The Houston Apartment Association best advise their members that taking financial kickbacks and accepting bribes from towing companies are going to hurt their bottom line and Better Business Bureau rating, as they will be held accountable before a Judge. If they refuse or don't show up for a statutory or tow hearing, a motion to reset the trial will be made and whoever authorized the tow will be ordered to appear or face a contempt of court charge.

If your going to allow towing on private property, it's wise to be legal or they will be paying attorneys fees to represent themselves and paying judgement for violations of the Texas Towing Law.

If you accept anything of value from a towing company that is towing vehicles from your parking lots, you best ask the towing company if they furnish a bail-bondsman since the criminal penalty is a Class B misdemeanor.

Everyone towed from private property should take a photo of the red and white towing sign after finding your vehicle towed for evidence, then contact us. You also want to file an online complaint with the Texas Department of Licensing & Regulations against the towing company and the vehicle storage facility, if the name of the person who authorized the tow is not on the storage reciept.