Sneeky Tow Truck Driver at My Condo

[dipolley]

Hey guys. Need your opinion. I am debating whether or not to call my HOA and complain about the tow truck company we have here in our condo.

 

Walking the dog last night (11:45PM - 12:15AM) I saw a guy walking around the neighborhood shining a flashlight at every car in the complex. He was looking at licence plates and moving very quickly. When I challenged him (Chewy too), I said "Hay man, everything alright?" he quickly said "Tow Truck Driver." He kept walking fast and checking plates. "Looks a little weird some guy in the middle of the night shining a flashlight at people's cars." He said nothing and B-lined it straight to his truck.

 

Now, I probably scared him a bit. But I know exactly what he was doing: walking the neighborhood in the middle of night looking for cars to tow. Doing it at night so he won't get caught. This is just dispicable and pisses me off. But in my neighborhood, its a good way to get shot. If the tags are expired or the car is abandoned, it is just as abandoned at 1PM as it is 12:30 AM in my opinion. Obviously, no one called to complain about an abandoned vehicle. They just come in the middle of the night and take your or your guest's car and make you pay to get it back. Several hundred dollars. Which in this day and age, only makes things worse for some people.

 

Am I completely nuts? Do I call the HOA to complain? It makes me feel uneasy about these guys and we are paying for this. I think it is just dispicable. Or should I just get over it?

[Bunky]

How can a resident's car be considered abandoned?

 

He sounds like a repo man looking for specific cars. Unfortunately, this is the time they can best get them and it is likely very legal since the owner failed to make the payments.

[dipolley]

I would agree but he looked at EVERY car in our ENTIRE complex. He parked his tow truck, got out, and walked the entire complex. If it was a repo guy, they would have a specific make and model to look for. This guy was looking at plates, not the car.

 

Some residents have cars the don't use and don't move out of thier assigned places. We have had issues where if the tow company sees a vehicle in an assigned spot that has not moved in 3 or 4 months they have towed it, regardless of whether or not the tags were expired. This has happend to two of my neighbors that I talk to regularly. These guys then had to pay $500 to get their car back. As far as I am concerned, that is theft.

[ChargerMatt]

I would agree but he looked at EVERY car in our ENTIRE complex. He parked his tow truck, got out, and walked the entire complex. If it was a repo guy, they would have a specific make and model to look for. This guy was looking at plates, not the car.

 

Some residents have cars the don't use and don't move out of thier assigned places. We have had issues where if the tow company sees a vehicle in an assigned spot that has not moved in 3 or 4 months they have towed it, regardless of whether or not the tags were expired. This has happend to two of my neighbors that I talk to regularly. These guys then had to pay $500 to get their car back. As far as I am concerned, that is theft.

 

Well that's just downright wrong. I'd check your contract with the apartment/condo/whatever you have and see if there is anything in there, then I'd escalate further.

[Doug123]

If he is nervous, I would be suspicious of him being the real deal. Get his company name and license plate number off his truck, bring this issue to your association and start asking questions. If he is not a valid guest of anyone, he shouldn't be in there. (I assume you are in a gated community). If he has gotten your gate code, time to change the codes. Of course he could be tail gating on someone else's entrance through the the gate.

 

If he is not supposed to be in there as someone's guest (or approved by the association) and he comes in there again, call the cops immediately. I don't care if he is a repo man, he doesn't get access to private areas.

[dipolley]

Good advice Doug.

 

Unfortunatly, it is the tow company that our HOA has contracted with for vehicle removal (their name and logo is on signs and at the club house to call them first if your vehicle is missing). And no, sadly we are not a gated community.

[Doug123]

Sounds like there is nothing that you can do about it. He is looking for a certain license plate number in a certain spot, or no plate, as approved by your association. If he is a repo man, that's a different deal.

 

Maybe the question should be "Who's calling this guy in". I wouldn't think they would show up without a call, unless the Association is telling them to come in x times per month/s and look around.

[MacCool]

Unless he showed you I.D. to go along with his declaration of "tow truck driver", I would have called the cops and reported a suspicious man prowling the premises looking in cars with a flashlight. And I'd continue to do that every time I saw him thereafter.

 

Sounds like the towing contract ought to be an agenda item for the next homeowner's association meeting and you should be sure to show up.

[mc2hill]

It does sound a little suspicious. If there were specific cars being targeted, then why not during the day. Like someone said, if the car is 'abandoned' then it will be there at 1:30 in the afternoon.

I had a bad experience with a 'predatory' tow truck driver of the summer. Cost me $150 to get my car back, plus the $100 for the meal we ate while he made off with the car.

[Odds and Ends]

It all depends on how the contract between the HOA and the Towing Company is written and the laws governing HOAs in your state. Here in VA, the HOA is a corporation and when it's dealing with it's private property, there isn't much they can't do so long as it's in the by-laws somewhere. Unless you want to try and get elected president and start challenging the by-laws, just learn to live within the system. My neighbors used to constantly ask me to join the ranks and I would simply reply with "be careful what you wish for." They'd give me a curious look and then drop the subject. The first thing I'd do with the HOA once elected president is make a motion to dissolve the HOA! Started out as a good idea on paper but IMO, they've gone way to far on lots of issues just because they can.

 

Sure, it's slimey and wrong, but there's probably not much you can do about other than not give them an excuse to come after your car.

 

Good luck.....

 

- Darryl

[07RS4]

I would follow up with your HOA. Find out what exactly the agreement is, and all the details. The part that concerns me is he didn't provide you with any information, acted nervous and bounced. If indeed it was all legit, why didn't he simply stop and talk with you and provide you with valid identification. That's the part that would bother me. HOA or not, you paid for your house and HOA fee's...you have a right to challenge people you feel are infringing on your privacy.

[dipolley]

I would follow up with your HOA. Find out what exactly the agreement is, and all the details. The part that concerns me is he didn't provide you with any information, acted nervous and bounced. If indeed it was all legit, why didn't he simply stop and talk with you and provide you with valid identification. That's the part that would bother me. HOA or not, you paid for your house and HOA fee's...you have a right to challenge people you feel are infringing on your privacy.

 

My thoughts too. He just acted shady and sneeky. I can see wanting to get out of there if it was not all legit. But the german shepard by my side was not condusive to a conversation, especially at midnight. Although that is how I have met most of my neighbors.

 

To be clear, I am not worried about MY cars. They are all taged and in the proper spaces. I just don't like when people find gray areas in the law to rip people off. And it makes me think that if I ever am not in compliance or appear to be out of compliance, it will not be a friendly note, it will be me (or someone else) running out to get to work to find my car is gone. No one should have to go through that.

 

We used to have a security agency that kept an eye on things and would contact people to let them know there is a problem and that you could be towed. If you did not respond after 3 days, security would call the tow comapany. Now it seems they got rid of the security gaurds (I have not seen one in 6 months) and are just letting the tow trucks come in and take what they like without notice whenever they like.

[LFairbanks]

There is no need for him to be looking into peoples cars. It looks as though to me that he was looking for items to steal, and using his job as the tow truck guy as a cover up. If he were just checking license plates there is no need for him to get out of his truck and look into peoples cars with a flashlight. Activity like this in the middle of the night I would think as being highly suspicious and call the police.

[Marylander]

There is no need for him to be looking into peoples cars. It looks as though to me that he was looking for items to steal, and using his job as the tow truck guy as a cover up. If he were just checking license plates there is no need for him to get out of his truck and look into peoples cars with a flashlight. Activity like this in the middle of the night I would think as being highly suspicious and call the police.

 

something seems a bit off here. I'd call the cops and let them have a talk with the guy.

[BlueGenCoupe]

There is no need for him to be looking into peoples cars. It looks as though to me that he was looking for items to steal, and using his job as the tow truck guy as a cover up. If he were just checking license plates there is no need for him to get out of his truck and look into peoples cars with a flashlight. Activity like this in the middle of the night I would think as being highly suspicious and call the police.

 

I know tow truck drivers are called to pick locks for people who locked their keys in the car. I also know of some who are corrupt and pick locks to rob people and to steal they're cars.

 

I say wait it out. If anything happens you can tell police you saw So&so looking into peoples cars on this night...