Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  09/05/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Unanswered

  More info

  I parked my car at the ** DMV in an overflow lot. The lot could easily take 500 cars and no cars were present. The business there was not even open. A driver from SL towing then proceeded to tow my car and charge me 284 while I was waiting at a government institution. IT IS CRIMINAL what they do.

• Initial Complaint

  08/01/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On 7/31/23 my car was towed by SL Recovery. I parked in a lot adjacent to the brewery parking lot before going into the brewery. There are about a dozen spots adjacent to what's apparently an apartment complex. Not a single one of these spots are marked as permit only or as a tow away zone. The only sign that parking is permit only is on the gate to the apartment complex garage which is at the end past all of the parking spots, and the gate has just as much likelihood of being up as down and patrons wouldn't even see the sign if this was the case (I don't know what the position of the gate was when I parked because I did not even consider that these spots would be permit only since there is zero signage on the parking spot or directly in front or behind any of the about one dozen spots). It's clear to me that this is a normal routine for the business to tow every car in that area as they were continuously coming back and forth towing more cars as I waited for my Uber. Since the parking spots have zero indication of a permit requirement to park there I believe the towing company is illegally towing cars. I believe it's likely that the apartment complex and the towing company have an agreement in place about the towing, but I have no proof and this is only how it appears. I believe the apartment complex MUST put up signage to clearly indicate that these spots are permit only on all or most of these spots, and I believe the company should be refunding all cars that have been towed for illegally towing without proper signage on the spots. Please follow-up if there are any questions about the complaint, thank you.

  Business response

  08/02/2023

  We do understand your concerns however, there are very clear signs posted as seen in the referenced attachment. While it is unfortunate that this has happened, all required signage is displayed to make patrons aware in advance. Should additional acknowledgment of the parking rules be needed, the responsibility of this communication is that of the establishment. 

  Customer response

  08/02/2023

   
  I am rejecting this response because:
  

  This sign is not posted in front of the spots, behind the spots, or even near the spots. There is a significant amount of parking in that area and it's completely unclear what spots that sign even applies to. The fact that they've recently had a similar complaint filed on this website shows that the current signage is completely inadequate for the spots to be towed from. My complaint is not resolved.

  
  

  Business response

  08/31/2023

  The request or desire for additional signage is not a requirement under ** law. All legally necessary signage is displayed in the lot of which allows for the lawful removal of vehicles. The signage clearly states that permit parking is required, it also says that towing is enforced. The patron is to use their decrement to determine whether or not to park their vehicle in the lot given this information. As seen in the attached photos your vehicle is parked on the premises of Ava ******** as seen by the reflection of the apartments in the vehicle windshield. According to the map, your car is parked along the red line of the lot neighboring ****************

• Initial Complaint

  07/27/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Delivering DoorDash order to apartment complex and parked in an unreserved parking spot outside of the gated parking lot where tenants park. Took me 2 minutes to deliver and come back to car when tow truck lifts my car up as I am walking up to car. Was told need permit to park even after I explained I was dropping off a DoorDash delivery. There are no signs saying I cant park. Charge me $231 to lift back down. All reviews says predatory towing and have been investigated by news channel. This business is illegally towing vehicles and has created a fraudulent money scheme.

  Business response

  08/03/2023

  We have reached an agreed upon outcome for both parties and resolved the matter directly. 

  Customer response

  08/03/2023

   
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to my complaint, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Thank you. 
  

• Initial Complaint

  06/28/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On the night of 06/27/2023 my vehicle was towed by an unmarked location and was placed outside of the parking area with no marking to reflect areas that would be towed without a permit. This vague marking outside of the lot caused at least three tows that night and seems to be a scam operation. I was forced to sign a document stating I could not dispute the charges or face legal action and was charge a huge fine for ****** for the vehicle that was at a local brewery 20 feet away from the vehicle. Again, the posting was set as an attempt to target vehicles in a trap to extort money. Thank you for your assistance in having the area better marked to cut down on the predatory activity.

  Business response

  06/28/2023

  When coming through all entrances of the property the attached signage is displayed. Our tow signs indicate that the lot where the vehicle was towed from is for private parking only. The sign beneath it states clearly that permits are required as well. The apartment complex where the vehicle was towed does have the proper and necessary signage displayed. Any signs further would be the responsibility of the business the person was a patron of. 

• Initial Complaint

  04/13/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On March 8th, a friend and I were leaving a restaurant to go to our cars in the ********* parking light. Upon arrival we noticed all of the cars in the lot had a ticket. However, my car had two notices and a boot. As soon as I noticed the boot a man next to my car (who would later be identified as Preferred Parking) began to exit his vehicle to talk to me about the boot. As I am actively speaking him about the boot and removing it, a tow truck driver speeds into the lot, nearly hitting myself and my friend and proceeds to lift the back of my vehicle and refused to let it off. I asked why he was lifting my vehicle and he told me "You're not supposed to be in this lot". Upon questioning, the Preferred Parking attendant advised me that I was booted due to a parking ticket that was issued over three years ago in another lot. I have parked the same vehicle in preferred parking lots since (both paid and mistakenly unpaid) and not once was I notified of an unpaid ticket. I will be filing a complaint separately with this company as well. During this time the tow truck driver admitted that he could not tow the vehicle with a boot on the vehicle. I questioned him as to why he lifted the car and the said "Because you are not supposed to be in this lot" Not only was he rude, but clearly this was an attempt to steal money. After I called Preferred parking's line to dispute the ticket and boot, I was told I had to pay $225 to remove the boot and cover the tickets. This pricing did not make sense to me as the two tickets were $35 each and the boot removal should not have been more than $70 dollars according to research performed by my lawyer service.Since it was past 10pm and no one else was in the lot, I felt forced to pay the 225 to remove the boot. Once that was done, the tow truck driver says, "Oh yea, now you have to pa me $231.75 to lower it off the tow. This does not make sense as I was actively paying for the ticket from three years ago. At this point I want my $456.75

  Business response

  04/13/2023

  to whom it may concern,

  **************** vehicle was ticketed and booted for non-payment. The driver was hooked up to the vehicle as she walked up according to the driver and preferred parking. The pictures that were taken, shows no one near the vehicle as the driver was taking them to add to our system. There is a picture of her next to the vehicle after is has been hooked up. 

  When you park on a preferred parking lot they are all paid to park spaces. They have the lot attendants to enforce their rules and regulations. SL Recovery is called on to remove the vehicles from the parking lot and once it is on the hook it is considered impounded. There is a Drop Fee to be paid and the fee is the same amount that would be owed had the vehicle been transported to out location. We followed the instructions of our vendor and will not be refunding **************** for this matter. 

  Customer response

  04/14/2023

   
  I am rejecting this response because: i was next to my vehicle prior to when he lifted my car. In addition to this, Im still confused how you can boot and attempt to tow a booted vehicle for the same offense as a customer is paying for said ticket. I was not properly notified of said ticket from over three years ago. I will be moving forward with my attorney and if funds are not returned I will be taking your company to small claims court. 
  
  

• Initial Complaint

  11/28/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  My car was towed from my apartment complex ****************** on Sunday Nov 20, at 2:30 AM. I called the business the following morning and was told the fee was $225 and they could do nothing to help me. I let the employee know that I would be back the following Friday, when I got paid, for my car. I called Friday 11/25 and an employee told me the price was now $600 due to a $25 a day charge and a $250 dmv charge. The employee stated that the dmv charge was due to 5 days holding, they must send it to the dmv. I let the employee AND owner know that I was not properly notified of the fees. The owner was so rude and was talking to me like I was a criminal. He offered me half off of the dmv deposit only, leaving me with $475 bill because my permit sticker fell off. The apartment has my tag information btw. This has to be illegal. This company charged me hidden fees with no contact from them on their part.

  Business response

  12/17/2022

  Good Morning,

  The owner of the vehicle signed their lease and was given a parking permit. Their lease states that they are to display the permit. If the permit is not visible SL Recovery does not know who the vehicle belongs to and it is to be removed from the property per the communities rules. When a customer calls and they ask for pricing it is given to them in the amount that the vehicle is currently on the day that they call. When they state that they will be leaving the vehicle they are informed of the storage fee and filing fee. We have no way of contacting the owner of the vehicle which is the purpose of the dmv filing process. This stops any impound company from keep ones vehicle and allowing storage and fees to accrue without their knowledge. We notify them on the 5th day and they in return have their process of notifying the last 3 registered owners, finance holder and or lien holder. There was a courtesy given in relation to the filing but SL Recovery still had to pay those fees for filing. 

• Initial Complaint

  10/10/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  My vehicle was towed on October 9th at 4:30 AM. I was in a box truck and unable to park in a normal spot. The truck was not blocking traffic or causing any type of disruption. After realizing my vehicle was towed, I contacted the towing company and was told my vehicle would be $1,500 to get out. The vehicle had not been there for even 12 hours. As a college student, this amount of money is absurd.

*Some consumers may elect to not publish the details of their complaints, some complaints may not meet BBB's standards for publication, or BBB may display a portion of complaints when a high volume is received for a particular business. ↩