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This article was updated on October 15, 2020 at 12:30 p.m. to reflect changes in some languages for clarity.
Every evening, I sit on my balcony to relax after a long day of classes. For vacation last year, my family gave me an outdoor patio set consisting of a small table with a glass top and two comfy black wicker chairs. My dad thought it would work great in my first apartment and he was right.
From my balcony, I usually see tow trucks lurking around my complex looking for another vehicle to catch, like vultures rummaging through a carcass.
As tow trucks pass, the company name “Texas Impound LLC” can be seen printed on the side.
The Texas pound is a member of the SouthWest Tow Operators Association, whose founder Dan Messina publicly admitted to having committed workers’ compensation fraud.
The owner of Texas Impound is Gary Philips, who has tried in the past to distract public opinion from controversy.
In a 2014 item, Philips said it was the only towing company to follow the new towing sign regulations: “I am the only company that updated the signs in Denton.
The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR) implemented the new regulation requiring “The towing signage to indicate” Towing applied “in 2 inch white bold type on a red background, the information relating to persons authorized to park in 1 inch red letters on a white background, indicating that” unauthorized vehicles will be towed at owner’s or operator’s expense ”and the days and hours of towing control.
Philips only presented half the facts and did not spend $ 15,000 on new signs until after Texas towing compliance, an online monitoring group, alert that the signs owned by Texas Impound had not been updated to comply with the new regulations.
Texas impound too did not follow TDLR guidelines by charging owners of vehicles, parked in areas without updated signs, a drop-off fee that can be paid so that the vehicle is not towed.
Texas Impound continued to neglect TDLR filing fee regulations, in a offense 2019 when one of its tow truck operators “has failed to notify the owner, authorized operator or authorized agent of the owner of a vehicle that he can offer payment for the towing charge.”
As a result, Texas Impound was cited for a $ 1,500 administrative penalty fee and continues to pay compensation costs for illegal towing in Denton County Peace Court.
Court cases filed against the towing company include Hailey Moore v Westview Apartments, Texas Impound and Texas Impound Services LLC, Jennifer Tomlin vs. Texas Impound Services, and Amber Ricketts v Texas Impound Services LLC, resulting in decision that “the probable cause did not exist for the towing”.
As a result, Texas Impound had to compensate the plaintiffs, which is usually a very small $ 36. Meanwhile, Texas Impound charges owners $ 188, potentially more with storage fees, to have their vehicle released. The system incentivizes Texas Impound to receive a large payment while avoiding costly compensation costs in court.
There are treasures of google review which show during the statewide lockdown at the start of the COVID-19 outbreak in May, that Texas Impound was only keeping its offices open once a week, while charging concurrent late fees each day when cars were held up on their land.
Art studio sophomore Kassidy Stines said she recently had a bad experience with the company after being unexpectedly towed away.
“When my friend and I called Texas Impound, the person who worked said the company was at fault because the time stamp indicated that my car was already registered when it was towed,” Stines said. “The next day when I went to pick it up, I was told that the person on the phone the day before had looked at the wrong time stamp and I had to pay $ 210 in cash, out of my pocket.”
Texas Impound has repeatedly towed vehicles belonging to delivery drivers which are temporarily parked while the owner delivers food.
“It doesn’t surprise me to learn that Texas Impound also tows delivery drivers,” Stines said. “They are predatory when it comes to their towing practices, and they don’t give any warning or leniency.”
If you are illegally towed by predatory companies like Texas Impound, file a complaint with tdlr.texas.gov/complaints/.
Residents of apartment complexes that allow Texas Impound towing to their premises should contact their management to discuss their predatory business practices.
Texas Impound has been contacted several times for comment, but declined.
This story has been updated.
Featured Illustration By Jaya Swetha
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