Complaints

• Initial Complaint

  12/07/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am reporting about the offensive attitude (potential discrimination) of the employee during the service and the company's subsequent failure in responding to my complaints about the issue, from which I developed significant mental stress and involuntary physical reactions. On Dec 3, my car got stuck on a hill next to a parking lot. A police officer called a towing company. He estimated the winching cost would be low since the distance was short. However, the employee quoted over $300. Surprised, I asked for clarification about the pricing but he said defensively that it was "company policy" with no way to verify. I didn't bring my credit cards, but the employee said a photo of a credit card would work. I spent about 5 min to reach a friend. I had to get back to my car to charge my phone and finish the call after my battery died in the cold. Meanwhile, the employee came to my car and warned he would leave if I didn’t pay. I explained my phone issue and he said "I don't know what tricks you're playing" and threatened me again with him leaving. I told him not to speak like that. He walked away before I could finish. Later when he was taking down the credit card number, he said, "I need to warn you, if the transaction doesn’t go through, you’ll be held accountable." His adversarial comments felt deeply humiliating. The experience left me emotionally shattered. I was trembling and crying involuntarily after the transaction. I spent half an hour to calm down before I could drive, couldn't fall asleep until 6am, and would still tremble when thinking of this 12 hours later. I felt vulnerable as an Asian woman like never before. I believe the employee’s treatment of me was unjustified, potentially discriminatory, and entirely unacceptable. I expect a response directly from the employee, including an explanation of his behavior and a sincere apology acknowledging the harm caused. I would also like to understand my legal options to defend my rights in this matter.

  Business response

  12/16/2024

  Our response to this matter will be the following:  While we understand that anytime someone drives their vehicle off the roadway, we also have policies in place to insure we are fairly compensated for our services.  The complainant in this instance was unable to provide payment and was on the phone trying to find a friend to call to make payment for more than 30 minutes while our wrecker operator remained on scene with law enforcement personnel.  The pricing that is set is mandated by the towing contract that is in place with the Town of Blacksburg, the winching fee being set at $300 plus the convenience fee when using a credit card.  We live in a diverse community and provide services for all that need our help, the complainant should be very careful in the wording chosen making it sound as though we discriminated against her.  She did not have payment, had to make several calls to find a friend to make payment, and she drove the vehicle over the embankment.  There will be no apology or reimbursement made.

• Initial Complaint

  09/07/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  I am going to ******** **** for my degree and I was so busy with my classes , that by the time I finished my classes would be late to get the parking decals from the office which closes 3:00 pm , I was parking my car at the front of my town house on 09/06/2024 , and the car was towed , I went there and I paid $185.00 to get my car, and I was told to park my car at the visitor parking spot till , I get the parking decal and I did , the same day my car was towed from there again and I was asked to pay another $185.00 to get it back again and I was told by the campus auto motive employee that , they towed 33 vehicles in one day , I believe these people are using us as college students to collect money from us , now I am scare to park my car any where , because they will find excuse to tow it again, I am seeking help to stop this business using excuses to tow our vehicles and use us to make profits.

  Business response

  09/07/2024

  Students have had approximately 2 weeks at this point to collect their parking pass as required by each property management company. Campus Automotive does not dictate parking rules for any properties as this is dictated by each individual property management company. Campus Automotive only provides the service of towing vehicles that are parked outside the guidelines set forth by the individual property management companies. In this particular instance, the vehicle was towed for not having a required decal. The responsible party for the vehicle that was improperly parked was advised to park in a marked visitor parking spot until a decal could be obtained. On this particular property, visitor parking spots are clearly marked with "visitor" painted in white paint on each individual visitor parking spot. The vehicle was not parked in a marked visitor parking spot and therefore towed a second time. Campus Automotive will not be issuing any type of refund.

• Initial Complaint

  04/13/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Customer Service Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On April 12, 2024, my vehicle, which was in possession of my son at that time, was towed by Campus Automotive due to what I understand to be a parking violation. Upon retrieval of the vehicle, my son acknowledged the infraction and promptly paid all associated fees. However, the attempts to obtain detailed records of the towing process, including photographs and documentation of the initial hookup of my vehicle, were met with insufficient and unhelpful responses from Campus Automotive. Furthermore, during an attempt to inspect the vehicle in the parking lot, my son was confronted by the employee, who was identified later as the General Manager of Campus Automotive. Mr. ****** behavior was aggressive and threatening, as he shouted and physically struck the driver’s door window of the vehicle with his hand. My son was inside the car at that time. Despite his attempts to explain the situation calmly, Mr. **** continued to intimidate my son, ultimately forcing him to leave the premises without completing the inspection. Following this incident, I attempted to address my concerns with Mr. **** directly, only to be met with further disrespect and unprofessionalism. Mr. **** not only dismissed my concerns but also resorted to condescending remarks, referring to me as "mommy" and questioning my qualifications with statements such as "Are you an attorney? Are you a mechanic?" Such behavior is unacceptable and does not reflect the standards of professionalism expected from a business. As a consumer, I am requesting that Campus Automotive provide me with all relevant documentation, including photographs and records of the towing and initial hookup of my vehicle. Additionally, I expect a formal apology from Mr. **** for his inappropriate conduct, along with assurances that corrective measures will be implemented to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.

  Business response

  04/29/2024

  Your son has the towing invoice and the credit card receipt and he was provided all the pictures.  The picture you sent with this complaint is the proper way a Hybrid vehicle has to be towed.   There was no issue with the vehicle, it started right up when it was retrieved. 

• Initial Complaint

  03/23/2024

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Date of Transaction: 3/21/2024 Amount Paid: 185.40 Nature of Dispute: My car got towed by Campus Automotive because my visitor's pass fell off of the dashboard at The **** **********. Although I understand I was towed for this accident, I did explain this to them and even showed them the piece of paper still completely valid for parking sitting on the floor of my car. I was told the towing was still valid and was offered no understanding or leniency, even though I did absolutely nothing wrong in this situation and I mentioned I'm a college student who doesn't have this unnecessary charge in my budget. Prowling around parking lots at 3AM where no one will see you (and consequently, can't pay the $25 fee instead if they catch you towing their car) then charging the highest legal amount is incredibly predatory business practice.

  Business response

  03/25/2024

  There will be no refund given for this tow.  We are contracted with more than 160 businesses and properties to provide towing services.  The individual properties set the parameters for which vehicles are towed and we just provide the service of the tow.  It is the responsibility of each vehicle operator entering the property to adhere to the rules of the specific location.  We are not responsible for passes or visitor passes that are not properly displayed as is with this particular instance.  

*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. ↩