Usacomplaints.com » Cars & Transport » Complaint / Review: Kenwood Towing in Cincinnati, OH - Predatory Towing Company. #1100440

Complaint / Review
Kenwood Towing in Cincinnati, OH
Predatory Towing Company

Kenwood Towing is a company run by vultures and preys upon unsuspecting local residents through predatory vehicle towing and excessive costs. They towed my car illegally, but I was able to get it back without paying their ransom fees. My complaint about Kenwood Towing to the Cincinnati Enquirer eventually started a reporter’s investigation that led to news articles questioning Kenwood’s business practices and raised community concern about Kenwood’s ethics.

Years ago, I took my son down by the University of Cincinnati to look for UC family Christmas Gifts in late December on a cold and cloudy Winter’s day. The campus was closed for the holidays, but Dubois Bookstores was open on this weekday at 10:00AM and there were hardly any cars parked on the streets near the intersection of William Howard Taft and Clifton. I decided to park in the Burger King restaurant parking lot (now torn down for community re-development) where my son and I would get a late breakfast after shopping at Dubois Bookstore. I went in and bought an Orange Juice drink before we visited Dubois.

After shopping at Dubois Bookstore for 20 minutes, we walked back to the Burger King and immediately noticed that our car was gone and there was only 1 other car in the lot. Restaurant staff at first claimed they did not know what had happened to my car. However when I asked to use their telephone to call the Police about auto theft, the Restaurant Asst Manager said he thought the car had been towed. The Asst Manager’s story seemed nervous, so I asked more questions.

I asked why my car had been towed and the Asst Manager then claimed that a Kenwood Towing tow truck driver had drove by, noticed my car, and went in and asked the Asst Manager if my car had left been there overnight. The Asst Manager claimed he did not know, so he supposedly allowed the Kenwood tow truck driver to take my car. The Asst Manager then changed his story and claimed I was not a Burger King customer, even though I had bought the orange juice in the restaurant earlier and we had returned to have breakfast. I asked to see security videos and he claimed the video security system was not working. Now, the Asst Manager’s story really started to smell.

The unexpected thing I did to get my car back was to call the Burger King Regional Manager for Cincinnati and after several telephone calls, ask him about these problems caused by Kenwood Towing and the Burger King’s Asst Manager. The Regional Manager checked his records, said that Burger King restaurant and property had been sold from the franchise owner back to the BK company, and there was NO CONTRACT OR AGREEMENT with Kenwood Towing to remove cars.

The Regional Manager said that he did not know who Kenwood Towing was or why they towed my car illegally out of the restaurant he was responsible for. FYI, Kenwood Towing contracts often say they will split the towing fees through payments given back to companies such as the BK restaurant. If the Regional Manager was unaware of Kenwood Towing’s activities, I wonder if Kenwood was unethically pocketing the full towing fee.

I called Kenwood Towing and complained to the Owner at that time, who tried to charge $75 for the illegal tow and 1 day storage fees. I pointed out that Kenwood Towing had no legal right to tow my car and after checking, he realized he had an outdated and obsolete contract with the restaurant’s former owner, but no contract with the current owner. The Kenwood Towing Owner at that time cussed at me and had the tow truck driver who took my car return to the restaurant, pick me up, and take me to the Kenwood impound lot where my car had been towed illegally.

The tow truck driver arrived and seemed friendly, but he tried negotiating with me when he said he would knock the tow charge to $45 and I angrily refused. I threatened to summon police for alleged auto theft by him and to file a lawsuit against Kenwood Towing. Kenwood Towing finally released my car free of charge, but I had mixed emotions of anger towards Kenwood Towing and personal elation that I had beat their scam as a result of my persistence.

IMHO, Kenwood Towing needs to be shut down as a business because their illegal actions are continuing. I complained to the Cincinnati Enquirer about this experience I had with Kenwood Towing. However, I asked not included in their eventual article because I did not want to draw attention and because it would be hard to document and prove my story against Kenwood Towing and their predatory actions. I decided not to sue Kenwood Towing because legal costs would be high, the results of the lawsuit unsure, and local courts seem to give towing companies more consideration since police sometimes use their services to cleanup vehicle accidents for public safety.

In Kenwood Towing was removed from the City of Cincinnati list of preferred towing companies due to public complaints, a city investigation of Kenwood Towing violating state laws, and concerns about Kenwood Towing ethics problems.


Offender: Kenwood Towing in Cincinnati, OH

Country: USA   State: Ohio   City: Cincinnati

Category: Cars & Transport

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