Do not use Spartan Towing of Piscataway, New Jersey. The company and its employees are complete rip-off artist. As per my request the New Jersey State Assembly approved a measure Monday that would protect New Jersey drivers from being ripped off by unscrupulous towing companies.
The legislation was drafted in response to horror stories about tow truck operators who troll private parking lots for cars that aren't supposed to be there, then charge ridiculous amounts of money for owners to retrieve their vehicles.
"Some tow truck operators have taken a Wild West mentality toward their work, engaging in overly aggressive practices that venture into the realm of price-gouging and extortion, " said Assemblyman Robert Gordon, D-Bergen, the bill's sponsor. "Motorists are finding their cars being held hostage, with ransoms totaling hundreds of dollars or more."
I have informed the panel the total cost incurred by me was a total of $6,350 cash to get my truck back from Spartan Towing five hours after it had been towed there.
Stephen Nolan, acting director of the state Division of Consumer Affairs, said the agency fielded 350 towing-related complaints from 2000 to but he believes that's a tiny fraction of the number of drivers who have been victimized.
The Predatory Towing Prevention Act would establish minimum standards for tow truck operators statewide, replacing a hodgepodge of municipal and county regulations. It would require tow operators to register with Consumer Affairs, and would prohibit towing from private lots except where signs expressly warned drivers not to park there.
The bill also would set maximum towing fees and bar towing companies from offering kickbacks in exchange for information about illegally parked vehicles.
The measure would add New Jersey to the states that have moved to stop towing rip-offs. California and New York have instituted minimum standards for tow truck operators, and Virginia created a licensing board to oversee the industry.
Just for everyone's knowledge: Don't use Spartan Towing of Piscataway, NJ since the owner Chris Manos is completely unreasonable and is ripping customers off when their cars get towed by his company. There will be several more complaints filed from other customers mistreated by this shady character and he is known within the industry to have this kind of unacceptable rip-off tactics.
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