Saturday, April 14, 2007

Portland's #1 Predatory Towing Horror Story Continues!

Yes! The horror story continues, and I’m claiming the title. Believe it!

I went out of town for a few days last week, and while I was gone, one of Hacienda CDC’s predatory patrol towing contractors trespassed on my private property and stole my car with a tow truck.

For the fourth time! Believe it!

Hacienda CDC owns the two triplexes behind my house. The towing horror story began two years ago when they hired Retriever Towing to patrol their triplexes.

Retriever Towing trespassed on my property three times to steal vehicles, broke the transmission in my Dodge Caravan, and also towed my rental.

To this day, they (meaning Hacienda CDC, their management company, and Retriever Towing) each claim that the other is responsible, but do not dispute the fact that they trespassed on my property in the dead of night and made an illegal, wrongful tow.

Using a different towing contractor, Sergeant’s Towing, they did it again, committing trespass and theft at 5:00 a.m. Sunday morning, April 8.

They demanded $235.00 for the return of my vehicle, which I refused to pay.

Eventually, the next day, Sergeant’s put my Caravan back where it was before this most recent trespassing event took place.

Sergeant’s has sent me two letters of apology.

Meanwhile, Hacienda Community Development’s staff remains silent in their bunker at NE 42nd Avenue and Sumner, where they have absconded with a stretch of public sidewalk—public right of way—to create an illegal, unenforceable towaway zone for their own private parking pleasure (see photos on earlier post).

Last time I spoke to Bertha Ferran, Board member of both Hacienda CDC and the Portland Development Commission, about the wrongful towing they are inflicting on their neighbors, she told me to “Call the police,” if I didn’t like it.

Well, just in case you’re paying attention, Bertha, I definitely called the police this time. You’ll be hearing from them.

And, this time, you’ll be hearing from my lawyer, too.

Believe it!

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

I have a Retrieval Towing nightmare story as well. Awhile back i had rented a car having a family emergency that i had to tend to. I rented a car from Rent A Wreck (Having just moved to Portland from San Francisco, & going through divorce left me in a tight spot, financially), On the second day of my car rental it was towed. The car was towed due to street sweeping even though i parked after the street sweeper came by but because the sign said not to park till a specific time the tow truck company was allowed to do that.
I called the tow truck company Retrieval Towing, they said they didn't have it, there response came to quickly after my question so for me they were immediately suspect. I asked to speak to someone else and pleaded that they properly check all lots they have and stressed the importance of it. I was clear that i did not want to pay for their lazy oversight of having to pay if it was actually there. After several calls and repeatedly being told that they do not have it nor do they have a record of it being towed. I then took steps to inform the police and rental company of it now being a stoled car. Almost two weeks later i received a call that it was there all along and told of the amount and to pick it up to prevent further fees and costs, i was livid. I called the rental company explaining the situation hoping for a hand in handling this, it all felt so criminal. I was left with only the urgency to get the car back and told everyday it's out i owe on it. What? Only seconds ago it was reported as a stoled car and now it's back to being a towed car? Almost two thousand dollars later i had the rental car out of retrievals hands and returned to the car company. My savings was gone and that incident left me in the worst of situations.

A couple days ago, my friend was telling me how her car alarm went off in the middle of the night she jumped up and out of bed to her car, her neighbor came out as well. What they found was a white tow truck with blue lettering hauling a$$ down her street, i thought of Retrieval towing because of the description, and told her my thoughts on it being Retrieval and of my experience with them. It then triggered me to go online for similar experiences with the same tow truck company (Retrieval Tow Truck Co.). -jessica
jessicamoconnor@hotmail.com