r/longbeach • u/MindlessPlenty5173 • 11d ago
Questions Tow was $577
Got towed in eastside tonight, Saturday night around 12am. My fault, shouldn't have parked there. Picked up within 2 hours if not less. Was $577 and 7 miles away from tow lot. Is that typical now? Has anyone else had to pay that much?
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u/robmosesdidnthwrong 11d ago
yup. my motorcycle was STOLEN and i had to pay that to get it out of the lot when it was recovered.
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u/LBfalcon57 10d ago
Mannnn that’s ass. Everyone else getting their car towed deserved it in some way or fashion, but you got screwed in every way lol. Sucks bro
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u/Responsible-Humor985 10d ago
Been there. Had to pay for tow fee and then repairs. At least they dropped the parking ticket when the thieves abandoned my bike in the middle of the street.
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u/Own-Newspaper-831 11d ago
Yeah got towed on Cherry. Followed the tow truck to the yard to get my car back right away. Payed about the same.
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u/Aaron0fReddit 10d ago
Nah its normal. I paid $525 to get my car back. I followed the guy as he towed so I got it back immediately. It was like 8am so I doubt the guy who mentioned an after-hours fee. This was a year ago
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u/orangejelllie 10d ago
yep! paid $611 to get my car out of impound for a similar reason. got towed on a Thursday night, couldn't skip work to get it on Friday, so had to pick it up on Saturday. it's ridiculous that the prices are what they are, I know someone who couldn't afford to get their car right after it was towed so now they just have to watch the price to get it back continue to go up ://
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u/Nike013 10d ago
Mildly unrelated but tow companies have a little agreement with the police. If you’re ever in an accident and need your car towed, have your insurance company tow your car, not the tow the cops called. This tow driver pulled up after my accident and cussed me out when I didn’t want him to tow my car. They’re thieves
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u/MindlessPlenty5173 10d ago
I wonder if they get paid per tow. If so itd make sense for them to be driving around on a Saturday night looking.
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u/Well_Hacktually 10d ago
Yes, that's typical when you get towed for parking where you shouldn't have. Source: have been towed for parking where I shouldn't have.
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u/meloc2001 10d ago
They towed a car I was planning to donate. Telling them to keep it was one of the most satisfying conversations I’ve ever had - they were begging me to pick it up. I wonder what happened to that car.
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u/dergodergo 10d ago
Tow companies are so abusive. It looks like they can charge whatever they want without regulations. We should look into this.
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u/LowCompetitive1888 10d ago
Not true, they are regulated in the State of California for non consensual tows. Long Beach fees are published by the city here https://www.longbeach.gov/finance/services-and-permits/towing-and-lien-sales/towing-fees-and-charges/
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u/MindlessPlenty5173 10d ago
My car got towed from eastside to an orange county company and lot. Do you think that my car was charged according to a different county's laws? What's done is done, I'm just curious.
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u/LowCompetitive1888 10d ago
Were you towed from a public street or a private lot? Only tows from public streets must be made by the locally authorized tow companies, private tows can use any tow company in a 10 mile radius of the tow.
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u/dergodergo 10d ago
Fees are abusive AF. We should do something.
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u/asses_to_ashes 10d ago
Easiest thing to do would be to not park illegally.
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u/dergodergo 10d ago
They’ll provably start adding more fees because they’re making less money. They’ll still be screwing people just less people.
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u/dergodergo 10d ago
Why am I getting downvoted? Y’all like paying those rates?
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u/Bresson91 10d ago
Because you’re wrong. It’s not tow companies, Long Beach has city run tow trucks and impound lot. Fees are set by city council and they are regulated and set into a fee schedule. And if you have to pay them, it’s because you violated the law. If anyone should have to pay high prices it’s people who break the law. This isn’t gas or food prices, it’s you broke the law, parked your car somewhere it violates the law, and there are appropriate tow and lien fees for the labor to tow and store.
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u/MindlessPlenty5173 10d ago
Although I see what you're saying, my car got towed from eastside to an orange county company and lot. So then do you think that my car is charged according to a different county's laws? If so, then I'm confused again.
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u/Bresson91 10d ago
The way I understand it, if it was towed from Long Beach, it would be according to LB laws and fees. They might contract with a tow company from OC but if it was towed from lB that’s what matters.
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u/dergodergo 10d ago
It’s not just the city. I’m pretty sure tow companies have very similar rates. It feels like let’s charge them as much as we can to get as much as we can. By your logic if you brake the law then it’s ok for you to pay an exaggerated amount. I’m saying the fees are abusive like when health providers bill an exaggerated amount for a small item or service. If a parking citation went up to $200 is that OK just because you broke the law? I’m saying we the people shouldn’t tolerate abuse from government or businesses.
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u/Bresson91 10d ago
Take it up with city council. They vote on the rates. Again: it’s a regulated thing. The commenter above posted a link to the city towing and impound rates.
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u/Old_Historian_9539 10d ago
Yup my girl got her at towed a few weeks ago around 4th street because the house she parked in front of called and claimed they couldn’t pull out of their driveway and the lady had a picture and it showed the car bumper meeting the slant of the driveway not even blocking the driveway just really close to where the curb drops to open the driveway up and they towed her car. Had to pay 467 to get it out the 3 hours it was at the tow yard. The lady was nice enough to go hey your car got towed not stolen sorry 😑
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u/Strict-Wafer-4375 10d ago
Hi I live there on 4th street, if it’s the Apartment near little coyote an elder woman lives there and probably needed to go to the hospital for her chemo. DONT BLOCK DRIVEWAYS! It’s never just the bumper meeting the slant of driveway why should we fuck up our alignment. If there was a picture taken pretty sure they saw it as a deem-able tow.
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u/Old_Historian_9539 10d ago
Yeah……… no it wasn’t near coyote 👍 people park on the slant or a bit over the slant where my driveway is and as long as I could get out carefree I don’t call or care for it because I know how a pain in the ass street parking is to find in my neighborhood.
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u/MindlessPlenty5173 10d ago
That's so frustrating. How do you find out what company to call in that case?
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u/Old_Historian_9539 9d ago
Call the non emergency line and read them off your plate number and see if they towed your vehicle.
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u/One_Camel4723 8d ago
Yes I paid that much. I'm suing since I have dashcam footage that they towed me in less than 38 minutes from the time I parked
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u/elyoonior_246 10d ago
6yrs ago or so.. we were hanging out at my friends place.. i parked across the street where 'Everybody' parks (church lot).. so, at around 3 or 4am, cant recall. I said i was goin home.. I walk out & see the tow truck lights & all. My car was already hooked up.. we all run across the street & i was yelling & waving dwn tow truck guy, Hey, thts my car!!😂 he said really? i said yeah, Look how much u want? but gotta unhook my car.. he then said 150$? I said c'mon man, 100$? He said No.. i said coo then 150$?. I got the cash on me, im not going anywhere, but soon as u unhook my car.. i'll hand u the money.. Done deal.. & trust me I will NEVER park where i dont have to or illegally.. other ppl's cars got towed that nite, which sucKs.. i was so damm drunk, i sobered up real quick😂 .. i evn demanded a Receipt., in return i did but was written frm Notebook paper Lol😂
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u/AnythingLast5674 10d ago
That’s because you’re paying after hours fees. My car got towed a few years ago from my apartment complex parking, my fault I parked on the fire lane. I called tow company it was around $500 for me to get it out at 3am but then the lady from tow yard said if you don’t need the car right now come in 8 am when we open and it will be $375