# Help me fight a friend's ignorance re: towing **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [April 27, 2014, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-a-friends-ignorance-re-towing/687097 "2014-04-27T07:06:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![DWMarch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dwmarch/32/1010_2.png) [@DWMarch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DWMarch)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 7:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-a-friends-ignorance-re-towing/687097/1 "2014-04-27T07:06:50Z")
Hello all! A friend of mine has a wild and silly theory and I’d like to debunk him. We work in a plaza in which parking seems to be an issue. Which is to say somebody has been bitching about it to our property manager. The property manager (who is based out of another city altogether) sends the businesses nasty letters saying there is a designated spot for staff vehicles and those who do not park there will be towed. There is also a sign (old and faded but legible) that says employee vehicles will be towed. However, no one has been towed yet. My friend believes that the property manager’s threats are empty for a few reasons: 1. He thinks the sign has no legal authority because it lacks the phone number and address of the towing company. However, there are only two towing companies in this town so I hardly see how that is an issue. As far as he is concerned, it is a matter of law- no phone number/address, no legal right to tow. 2. He also thinks that the towing company will not tow him because they have not been paid in advance for the work. This is somewhat correct- a towing company will not just tow on the basis of outrage. However, I believe the property manager may have a contract with a towing company and that therefore a certain amount of towing is paid in advance. 3. RIP Opal. 4. He says the parking lot they have provided for us is dangerous to the point of being a WCB-recognized hazard. (WCB is the Worker’s Compensation Board, a quasi-government agency that regulates workplace hazards. I am not sure if such organizations exist outside of Canada.) There are no lights, there might be people drinking and doing drugs out there, et cetera. However, there is no documentation of any of this. He has never sent the property manager a letter expressing his concerns. WCB has never attended to declare the area unsafe. Other people who work in the plaza park there without bitching about it. My friend however believes that if he just blurts at someone (either the tow company or the property manager) that it’s unsafe they will acknowledge this and apologize to him as they are paying to get his car out of hock. 5. He says if they ever do tow him he’s going to make such a stink about it that they will have no choice but to give him his car back at their own expense. His cunning arguments will convince them that he is right and they are wrong. It seems he thinks no one has ever tried these arguments before and they will bow to his “human right” to a parking spot in the plaza where he has been told he is not allowed to park. What says the SDMB? If he gets towed, will his arguments prevail? Or is he basically screwed? ---
**Author:** ![SeaDragonTattoo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/df705f/32.png) [@SeaDragonTattoo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SeaDragonTattoo)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 9:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-a-friends-ignorance-re-towing/687097/2 "2014-04-27T09:29:16Z")
If his car gets towed, it will remain in the impound lot until he ponies up the cash to get it back. Around here, the tow lot attendants sit behind bullet proof glass for a reason. YMMV, but they will laugh behind his back. Possibly to his face, depends on how nice a town you’re in. ---
**Author:** ![njtt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ecd19e/32.png) [@njtt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/njtt)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-a-friends-ignorance-re-towing/687097/3 "2014-04-27T12:00:53Z")
I do not know what the law actually is where you are (or anywhere, come to that), but your friend’s reason #1 seems quite plausible to me. If that isn’t the law it ought to be. If my car got towed and there were no contact information on the relevant sign, I would certainly be in a quandary. ---
**Author:** ![Fir\_na\_tine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a587f6/32.png) [@Fir\_na\_tine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fir_na_tine)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 12:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-a-friends-ignorance-re-towing/687097/4 "2014-04-27T12:12:06Z")
> [@SeaDragonTattoo](#): > > If his car gets towed, it will remain in the impound lot until he ponies up the cash to get it back. … And most tow companies tack on a “daily storage fee” after the first 24 or 48 hours. ---
**Author:** ![Si\_Amigo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/si_amigo/32/2877_2.png) [@Si\_Amigo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Si_Amigo)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-a-friends-ignorance-re-towing/687097/5 "2014-04-27T12:47:18Z")
All depends on local ordinances and state law. Where I live a towing company cannot tow a vehicle from private property without the owners consent unless a sign stating the name and phone number of the contracted tow company is posted. So a manager of say an apartment complex cannot just start towing people off the property because they were behind on rent. Tow companies would be liable for theft if they just started taking cars without a valid reason or the owners permission, thus the need for a contract with the property owner or the signed consent of the owner. I would think most places would have similar laws to keep towing companies from becoming parties to theft or malicious activity. ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-a-friends-ignorance-re-towing/687097/6 "2014-04-27T12:53:36Z")
> [@DWMarch](#): > > 1. He thinks the sign has no legal authority because it lacks the phone number and address of the towing company. Call the cops and ask their opinion. > [@](#): > > 1. He also thinks that the towing company will not tow him because they have not been paid in advance for the work. How does he know this? > [@](#): > > 1. He says the parking lot they have provided for us is dangerous to the point of being a WCB-recognized hazard. Good luck explaining that to the man with the tow truck. > [@](#): > > 1. He says if they ever do tow him he’s going to make such a stink about it that they will have no choice but to give him his car back at their own expense. His cunning arguments will convince them that he is right and they are wrong. Good luck with that, too. ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-a-friends-ignorance-re-towing/687097/7 "2014-04-27T13:30:56Z")
> [@DWMarch](#): > > 1. RIP Opal. Opal died, it’s time this meme did too. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-a-friends-ignorance-re-towing/687097/8 "2014-04-27T14:02:05Z")
> [@DWMarch](#): > > 1. He thinks the sign has no legal authority because it lacks the phone number. This is logical, and may even be true under your local laws. _It is also irrelevant._ > [@](#): > > He says if they ever do tow him he’s going to make such a stink about it… This is also logical ._And it is irrelevant, too._ (Local laws do not make provision for stinky friends. 🙂 ) [QUOTE=SeaDragonTatoo] If his car gets towed, it will remain in the impound lot until he ponies up the cash to get it back. [/quote] This is not only logical–it is the **final , absolute truth** ; it is the last judgement; yea, verily, it is the alpha and omega, the ultimate answer to all your questions. Your friend is presumably young, has never held in a postion in management , and has never had any dealings facing government agencies or people with authority. He needs to learn that sometimes it’s better to be smart, than to be right. And till then, he should keep a stack of bills within easy reach, large enough to pay for getting his car back from the guy who sits behind the bulletproof glass. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-a-friends-ignorance-re-towing/687097/9 "2014-04-27T14:18:45Z")
> [@PlainJain](#): > > Opal died, it’s time this meme did too. Would you explain what that is; a quick Google search was no help? ---
**Author:** ![bob\_2](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bob_2/32/3341_2.png) [@bob\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bob_2)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 2:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-a-friends-ignorance-re-towing/687097/10 "2014-04-27T14:31:09Z")
All I can find is this: > [@](#): > > THE SAGA OF OPAL WHITELEY is one of the oddest stories to come out of an odd land. The Pacific Northwest, long known as the home of dreamers, geniuses and eccentrics, gave us a little girl from a logging camp who grew up to become one of the most notorious literary sensations of the century—on the basis of one book that was out of print within a year - The Story of Opal was first published in 1920, when Opal was early twenty-three. Subtitled The Journal of An Understanding Heart, the book was celebrated as a work of wonder and imagination, if not genius. Purportedly written during her sixth and seventh years, it is a record of her trips through the woods around Cottage Grove, in western Oregon’s Lane County. Though what it has to do with a parking problem, I have absolutely no idea. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-a-friends-ignorance-re-towing/687097/11 "2014-04-27T14:47:38Z")
> [@bob\_2](#): > > All I can find is this: > Though what it has to do with a parking problem, I have absolutely no idea. Thanks, Bob. Yeah, you’re right; maybe someone will pile on with a better “hook.” 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-a-friends-ignorance-re-towing/687097/12 "2014-04-27T14:47:44Z")
Opal, a long time poster here used to complain that a list needed three items to be called a list. So other posters started adding “3. Hi Opal!” to any 2 item list, or just inserting it as the third item in a longer list. Opal passed away last year. ---
**Author:** ![burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/burpo_the_wonder_mutt/32/365_2.png) [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/burpo_the_wonder_mutt)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-a-friends-ignorance-re-towing/687097/13 "2014-04-27T14:49:51Z")
That took less than 60 seconds for an explanation; most impressive. Thanks, Telemark. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![MarcusF](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/67e7ee/32.png) [@MarcusF](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MarcusF)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-a-friends-ignorance-re-towing/687097/14 "2014-04-27T14:51:26Z")
* * * > [@burpo\_the\_wonder\_mutt](#): > > Would you explain what that is; a quick Google search was no help? > [@bob\_2](#): > > All I can find is this: > Though what it has to do with a parking problem, I have absolutely no idea. It’s a Dope meme. See [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6241129&postcount=1) > [@](#): > > Hi, Opal – Back when SDMB was a feature of AOL rather than a separate website, OpalCat complained that a list truly ought to have at least three items in it, and people were using the list function for things which only have one or two items. Someone posted a list of only two items shortly thereafter and added “3. Hi, Opal!” to it – the gimmick caught on, and has become a SDMB cliché ever since. (It should be noted that “cliché” means this expression has out-worn its humor by now, and is viewed as trite and not often used currently.) **OpalCat** died last year and people have started using “Bye Opal” or “RIP Opal” instead of Hi Opal - others would rather they didn’t. ETA Beaten by **Telemark** ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-a-friends-ignorance-re-towing/687097/15 "2014-04-27T15:20:59Z")
In all likelihood this has nothing at all to do with the law. I’ll bet the contract that the his employer has with the landlord states where the employees are supposed to park. Typically, in plazas employees park in a remote area so that customers car park near the stores. The contract may say something like “Employees must park in designated areas or be towed at their own expense”. The sign is only there to point to the designated area, it’s not an ‘official’ sign like a speed limit or stop sign. The cops aren’t going to be called, the landlord is going to call the tow company. When your friend tries to fight the landlord he’s going to pull out the contract and say “your beef is with your boss, not me, he’s the one that should have told you where to park”. As for the phone number and address of the towing company, what does that have to do with anything? I have cars towed all the time from my lot. I can call any tow company I want, and the tow company informs the police that they’re grabbing it. When the person comes for the car they call the police and the police tell them how to get it back, I’m out of the loop at that point. For the record, this thread isn’t about me, let’s not derail it, I’m just pointing out that the owner of the plaza doesn’t have to tell your friend who’s going to tow his car before he’s towed it. Lastly (so far), if the parking lot is so dangerous in so many ways, the landlord should be notified. Your friend should email him about all these things. Tell him about the poor lighting, trip hazards, rapists, people trying to sell him meth at night etc. I mean, he should fix these up just for his customers. Also, is your friend the only one being targeted? I’m guessing this was a blanket letter sent out to all the businesses in the plaza. That’s what I’m guessing. ---
**Author:** ![buddha\_david](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ee7513/32.png) [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-a-friends-ignorance-re-towing/687097/16 "2014-04-27T17:47:09Z")
> [@MarcusF](#): > > It’s a Dope meme. See [here](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=6241129&postcount=1) Somebody really should update that page to indicate her passing – I have enough trouble remembering who’s alive and who’s dead around here. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-a-friends-ignorance-re-towing/687097/17 "2014-04-27T18:00:10Z")
> [@buddha\_david](#): > > Somebody really should update that page to indicate her passing – I have enough trouble remembering who’s alive and who’s dead around here. ☹ I just did so. I also wish people would stop using the meme, since it’s not the least bit funny anymore. I also note that the meme is used incorrectly in the OP (as it often has), since the list has more than two items anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-a-friends-ignorance-re-towing/687097/18 "2014-04-27T18:07:36Z")
> [@Colibri](#): > > I just did so. I also wish people would stop using the meme, since it’s not the least bit funny anymore. I also note that the meme is used incorrectly in the OP (as it often has), since the list has more than two items anyway. Very true, but some of us miss her, and this is one way to memorialize her memory. I, for one, am not offended. [http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=16390564&postcount=45](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showpost.php?p=16390564&postcount=45) ---
**Author:** ![Snnipe\_70E](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b5a626/32.png) [@Snnipe\_70E](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snnipe_70E)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-a-friends-ignorance-re-towing/687097/19 "2014-04-27T18:40:41Z")
Don’t know local laws. But in San Jose, Ca the property entrances require a sign and the sign also has to have the phone number and towing company. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2014, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-a-friends-ignorance-re-towing/687097/20 "2014-04-27T20:39:45Z")
> [@Snnipe\_70E](#): > > Don’t know local laws. But in San Jose, Ca the property entrances require a sign and the sign also has to have the phone number and towing company. In my city (a suburb of Milwaukee) when someone abandons a car on my lot, after having it ticketed, I can call any towing company I want. I mean, I assume I can. I guess it wouldn’t surprise me if you had to call one that was licensed to tow/impound for the city. I suppose that would make sense, huh? It would be sort of rude of me to call one that was 400 miles away or tow it to ‘my’ impound lot. Anyways, signs around here just say things like “No unauthorized parking, violators will be ticketed and towed at owners expense”. Just generic signs. Also, it looks like the OP is in Canada which may or may not make a difference. Either way, my point was, asking them to park in a specific “designated area” wasn’t about the sign, the sign was just telling them where the area is. The rule telling them they had to park there was likely put forth by the contract the employer had with the landlord. If the tow company has to be listed, it’s probably in the contract since that sign isn’t meant for customers. Also, something else to keep in mind, when employees park near the store entrance, it makes the plaza look crowded which can lead to customers not shopping there, which can make them go elsewhere. Without customers the employees might be out of a job. There’s a bar I won’t go to anymore because the owners park right in front of the door. I, on the other hand, had to park two blocks away and walk. IMO, I should get to park close by and they (the people that want my money) should park down the street a bit. Then, we get there, had to wait 20 minutes to get a seat at the bar and where are the owners…sitting at the bar drinking in this jam packed bar. How about they get up and move so a few more people can sit down. I mean, don’t get me wrong, the place is always full and appears to be doing well, but I won’t go there anymore because they seem kinda douchey. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/help-me-fight-a-friends-ignorance-re-towing/687097.md?page=2)