Gone in 60 Seconds

"You wouldn’t believe some of the stories we’ve been told about wrecker services,” said Fayetteville Police Chief Greg Tabor, adding that citizen complaints about local towing companies are overwhelming his department. “Over the years, I’ve gotten tons of complaints about the towing companies ... being extremely hyper-predatory,” said Mayor Dan Coody, who blamed the problems on "the ethics of the tow company owners." Yet, Coody and Tabor have continued to allow the rotten apples to participate in the rotation of services requested by the city.

Citizens complaints are no big deal, and you can get used to them according to some of the towing companies. R. H. Hak Stephens, owner of Budget Wrecker, said towing companies are accustomed to receiving complaints from customers. “You have to keep in mind that when you deal with wreckers, you’re dealing with unhappy people — that happens anytime you provide a service to someone who doesn’t want it,” he said. Ya think?

Fayetteville is not the only city with aggressive and abusive tow truck operations, but we're glad that City Attorney Kit Williams is doing something about it. He has been able to get the state law changed to provide some protection of citizens from predatory towing, and now he is drafting guidelines for any towing services requested by the city. As expected, the towing bandits are against it. They say they should be given another chance to behave, but many think they're not to be trusted.

Do you have a story about an experience with tow truck companies ripping you off or stealing things from your vehicle? Post it in the comments section, or nominate the bad actors for the International Towing Hall of Fame. I would nominate Terry's Towing.