I am a single mother of 2 teenagers who is on disability for breast cancer. I do not have $125 to just throw away to a company that seems to be disreputable to make their money and then be rude to them after they have done so. Why should a community be on pins and needles and worried all the time if their car is going to be towed because you are not parked right, crooked or on the white line? You have neighbors that purposely stay up late all the time to just watch for the tow truck to warn others that their car is going to be towed. On February 11 I had a back window decal installed on my car for a weight loss program that I am doing. As a breast cancer survivor, it is very important for me to remain healthy and cancer free. The decal (picture can be provided) represents the Body by Vi Challenge, not ViSalus which is the actual company. I provide my personal breast cancer website www.checkthemdaily.com that has my breast cancer story on it. My personal cell phone number is also provided which does not mention the challenge at all should someone reach my voicemail. As I have had success with living a healthier lifestyle with this challenge I wanted to share this information with others. On February 16 at 4am, I was woken up by my neighbors because my car was being towed.By the time I got up, the towing company (Parking Enforcement Network) had already got my car out of the community into the median of the main road where he was strapping my car down. I asked as to why my car was being towed and he said due to “commercial advertising.” After going back and forth with him for 15 minutes, he offered to drop my car for $125 cash. This towing company is known in our community for towing cars for being parked on the white line as well and other tedious reasons. They only come into the community from 2am-4am to look for vehicles. Though the invoice shows Parking Enforcement Network the towing company is affiliated with D & J Auto Recovery, Orlando FL. February 18 at 10am, I went Arena Management to speak with a manager in regards to this towing company to get information along with why a warning is not provided first before towing a vehicle so a tenant or owner and be aware of the situation. If I had been provided a warning I would have had time to rectify the problem the following business morning to find a solution. I spoke with Dorothy Arena, who was very nice however there was not much information she could help me with as they just employ the towing company. I also asked in the meantime while I am trying to get this sorted out what hours does my car need to be covered in the community to risk it not getting towed again. She stated that pretty much all the time. I asked about other service vehicles and she said that because they are in and out fairly quickly it doesn’t apply to them. I then took it upon myself to call the towing company in front of her. My first call was at 11:18am, when the man answered the phone; I explained to him that my car had been towed on Saturday morning due to “commercial advertising” and that I needed to find out some information about my tow as I am writing letters to the HOA and news. Before I could finish he said “If you think that that scares me you are wrong and since you said that I am no longer speaking to you” and he hung up. I called right back at 11:19am to tell him that since he is the towing company in my community that he needs to speak with me and I need to know what hours my car needs to be covered to prevent it from being towed until I have this situation resolved. He kept referring me back to the HOA and I explained that the HOA has no information as the towing company makes their own rules, and that the HOA just hires them. I understand that the “advisory board” for the HOA is “happy” with them, per Dorothy Arena; however the tenants and owners in the community feel the towing company has taken things out of hand. The towing company could simply place a warning on a vehicle to allow someone the opportunity to handle the issue first, if they return and the issue has not been resolved, then it would fall on the owner of the vehicle for their car being removed. Parking Enforcement Network or D & J Auto Recovery is a scam and out to take consumers money. The HOA has admitted to having numerous complaints about them but yet they are happy with them. What about their tenants and owners? I have researched this company online and they have an F rating with the BBB, they do not have a website for me issue a complaint, but they do have a fax number. However since the man was courteous enough to hang up on me I feel that I do not need to discuss anything further with him as he stated he has nothing further to say to me. As the HOA has hired the Parking Enforcement Network or D & J Auto Recovery as the company for Chelsea Square, then I feel that there should be a guideline or a time of what is considered non-towing hours for cars that have “commercial advertising” or “signage” on them. The terminology between the two are completely different as my back window decal is personal signage not corporate advertising, and granted he may not have known this at the time, but when I mentioned it to him he could have dropped my car free of charge, or had a warning been left, it would not have a been a problem that morning. February 19th at 2:05pm, I have just gone to the office for Condolodge where Jon Quittschreiber is the owner and also on the board of the HOA. I was speaking with him in regards to my car being towed and before I could finish he cut me off to tell me that he doesn’t feel sorry for me because if he can’t have businesses advertised on his cars and trucks then no one else can. He went on to explain that in the past the he (personally) used to leave warnings on vehicles and then when the tenant didn’t comply then the vehicle would be towed. He said as this didn’t seem to work and pretty much became a hassle, they got the towing company to come and do what is called “snatch and grabs.” He said that he doesn’t require the towing company to leave warnings as they have no idea as to when they have left warnings prior. The last time I checked, this is a towing company, so I am pretty sure they have a way to see how many times they have towed a vehicle or left a warning. Upon speaking to him he has clarified that my car is ok from 9am-5pm, 7 days a week. If my car is towed during those hours to call him and he will have them bring it back, however after 5pm my back windshield does need to be covered. While up at the office the towing company was back in the community looking for cars to tow. Guess they made out good this past weekend. Seems they are making a lot of money from the Chelsea Square tenants! I get that the HOA wants the community to look nice however how does a way a car is parked have to do with the fact the communities ponds are lacking a pump for months, the landscaping is awful, the garbage is overflowing all the time but costing your tenants money for ridiculous tows. It’s one thing if a person has an expired tag, or the car has 4 flat tires, I understand reasoning behind towing a car then. But towing for “signage” on a car is a petty reason for a tow when it could simply be rectified with a warning. Again, not sure how “signage” on a car reflects on the communities physical appearance. February 19, after speaking with several neighbors this evening, they are equally upset at how the towing company, Condolodge and the HOA for Chelsea Square handles things in regards to our cars. Every morning they wake up wondering did they park correctly so their car will not be towed. One night they were even told by the towing company that if a car is parked too long in a parking spot or not in front of their unit they will tow it. I am unsure as to how that is legal if the car is current with tags and registration? Also to mention, we do not have assigned parking in Chelsea Square and this has been told to me per Jon from Condolodge / HOA Chelsea Square. I have heard from several neighbors complain about the discrepancy in pricing for dropping a vehicle. This price range is from $50 - $125 and up based on the discretion of the tow truck driver. As leaving the community on 2 occasions on February 19th, I can document via photos of a certain vehicle that is not parked in a parking spot and most of the time is not. If our vehicles as tenants and owners are to be parked properly to avoid being towed, then why should these rules not apply to others in the community regardless of their title? Because of this and other neighbors noticing that improper parking and warning notices being done away with, leads the community to believe that there is a kick back program going on to benefit certain individuals. Over a year ago I had a family member on my back windshield promoting him as he is a recording artist in California, when I mentioned this to the tow truck driver he told that that was different because that is family/personal and they will not tow for that. Well as far as I am concerned, my Body by Vi decal is personal as well. I am not a business therefore it is not commercial advertising. After reviewing the Chelsea Square Rules and Regulations it states “Vehicles, other than those in use in Chelsea Square and Police vehicles, which display or advertise outside the vehicle, the name or logo of a commercial enterprise or vehicles which are used primarily for commercial purpose, are prohibited from being parked, stored or maintained on the Property.” Does this mean that if I remove the “logo” from my back windshield which represents a “commercial enterprise” then my decal would become personal? All contact made to me, leads to personal communication. Another note, I want to make is in the Towing/Parking Addendum #6 states “If at any time a vehicle is parked illegally (i. E, on the grass, in front of the dumpsters, fire hydrants, etc.), said vehicle may be towed without prior warning.” In this rule, it does not state that being parked on the white line will mean your car will be towed. This needs to be stipulated and made clear. A made up rule at the discretion of the towing company cannot fall under etcetera. When it is raining or at night, it may be hard to see the white line especially for the older or elderly drivers. A complete list of “towing rules” needs to be made public to the tenants and owners that are also provided to the towing company.
I want to know what measures I can take to have my car listed as NOT “commercial advertising” so I don’t have to worry about covering my car every minute of every day and the sleep that I losing from watching my car is adversely affecting my health. I feel like my rights as a breast cancer survivor are being taken from me, to help others with their challenges in life so they too can live a healthier lifestyle. My ultimate goal is I want fair parking enforcement for Chelsea Square due to the fact that it is a lower working class community and needs more straight forward rules considering that most of Chelsea Square are non English speaking residents. I also want my $125 back for the tow because a warning could have simply been left as this was a first time offense!
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