Beware of the Tow Truck – Especially from Crystal Wrecker Service

Living in a city with limited parking places, it is inevitable that at some point you will either get a ticket or get your car towed. One great thing about Savannah is the city forgives one parking ticket per year. Last year, if you brought in 10 cans of food for the food bank, you were also forgiven a parking ticket.

My son was unlucky enough to have his car towed twice in the past two months. He works downtown, and often it’s hard to find a safe (and legal) place to park. The first time his car got towed, he had parked in the alley behind Boomys, where he works in the kitchen. His coworkers told him that it was ok, and that no one had ever gotten towed from that spot. Until now.

Last Friday, he was on his way to work when he hit one of the numerous pot holes that plague our city streets. Just as he was turning off Broughton Street the tie rod on his front tire broke, and fortunately he was able to get help pushing the car across MLK into a parking lot. He left a note on the window stating that the car was not drivable, in hopes that it would not be towed.

Now, I get that private parking is private parking. But someone saw his car, and I’m sure read his note, and yet still called the tow truck. What a jerk.

The worst part, however, is the towing company. My son went over to get the car on Saturday, and guess what? The lot is closed on the weekend. What? The drivers still go out and tow cars from all over the city, and park them in their lot, but you can’t get your car out??!

We actually went onto the website of the company, and it states there that you can get your car on Saturday and Sunday “by appointment.” If someone is in the office, it seems to me you ought to be able to pay and retrieve your car. But no, my son was told he would have to come back on Monday. Cha-ching! Another $40 gone.

When I took him back over there, we waited outside the lot for the tow truck driver to bring his car out. As he attempted to pull the lift out from under the front of the car, he almost ripped the bumper off. I imagine he would have done so if we hadn’t been standing there watching. Since we were, he went to find a couple of blocks to put under the tires so he could get the lift out with no further damage – and yes, there was damage.

We watched as the driver unloaded another car he had just towed off a different (flat bed) tow truck. I don’t know how he got the car up there, but he had a heck of a time getting it down. It wouldn’t budge, so he virtually jerked it slowly off the truck. When it was almost on the street, once again he almost ripped the front bumper off as he dropped it down. There was damage done to that bumper as well, although it was mostly cosmetic.

Unbelievable, right? As if it isn’t bad enough getting your car towed, now you have to wonder what kind of damage is going to be done. Sheesh!

Beware of this guy