Towing Company Charges "Outburst" Fee To Customers

As if towing companies aren't dishonest and crooked enough, a Portland, Oregon towing company Retriever Towing, has come up with yet another consumer ripoff; a $50 "outburst" fee. The company somehow justifies this latest consumer ripoff by claiming the fee is somehow similiar to what a judge can impose for contempt of court. However, this is a private company, not some court or government agency. And the company has been routinely applying the fee to many persons who simply questioned whether their car was legally removed from a location or not.

This is only the latest ripoff from this industry that operates with very little government regulation, although the towing industry is often associated with police or city parking management activity.

Another major problem with the towing industry is that theft of valuables by the towing companies is a very common practice. Many companies maintain large keyrings or even "slim jims" and are able to open doors or trunks and steal valuables such as laptop computers, cameras, tools, cash or other items from automobiles while at their towing locations. Government has done little to prosecute this widespread theft of automoblie owner's items. So many persons find the,selves not only victimized by high towing and storage fees, but also are often theft victims of many hishonest towing companies.

If any industry needs to be placed under tight government control or to be charged with widespread prosecutions for theft of consumer property, it is many towing companies. Too much crime is rampant in this industry, and theft of consumer property is way too common of a practice.

Often a person whose car has been stolen and police order it towed to a towing business for safe recovery by the crime victim will have valuables stolen from the trunk by towing company employees who used a ring of keys, when no signs of a break-in to the trunk by the car thief is noticeable. A automobile theft victim can find themselves victimized twice by both the person who stole their car, and punched the door look and steering wheel locks, and by tow company employee theft from a ring of keys.