What are the PA laws involving predatory towing?
My friend "illegally" parked her car in the lot of her apartment building for 5 mins while she ran in to grab her wallet. When she came back outside there was a guy towing her that had her car up. She began to try to get him to let it down, he wouldn't until she paid him $180 cash. I don't know if this is legal or not but its not moral or ethical. I have come up short handed as to finding the laws involved with these predatory practices and I was hoping that someone could share some insights. Thanks
The area is Pittsburgh Pennsylvania, specifically Oakland... poor college students mind you
Technically, its probably legal. I'll assume there were posted signs that indicated illegaly parked vehicles may be subject to towing. Ethical? That's a whole different ballgame.
The towing company is free to negotiate a removal and storage rate with the landowner, which is supposed to cover the cost of sending a truck out, hookup, etc and taking it back to their lot. Since the person was in the process of step 1, should they charge the full fee? No. Do they. Yes.
BTW, cash is not unusual on site for the fee, most drivers can't handle ccs and most won't accept checks due to a higher than normal bounce rate.
