Dominion Towing

Our apartment complex did not properly register our car with our parking sticker. They provided us a parking sticker. About a year and few months later, our sticker came out invalid to the towing company, and our car was towed our car. We brought the issue to the complex managers, but they are saying it was the towing company's fault because they did not check the ticket properly, and yet we had to pay to get our car out for a mistake we did not make!

We could have just gotten the car out without having to pay, if we brought our registration to the apartment complex, but the towing people refused to grab our registration from the car for us. From what I noticed, they wanted us to pay for it when they weren't properly checking the cars in the first place. We could have noticed this a long time ago and resolved it without complaint. We had to borrow $110 from someone to get our car out. I was not able to make it to work at all! I lost time at work and I stressed out the tenants!

On or about July 5, 2009 Dominion Towing illegally removed a motorcycle, causing damage to it and to the automobile which it was resting up against. It was impossible to move the motorcycle without touching the automobile. This motorcycle was parked legally in a visitor's space along with an automobile displaying the proper permit. The motorcycle was wedged behind the automobile touching it and in a corner space with an impervious boarder to the rear and was covered with a plastic tarp to protect from weather.

The motorcycle was stored on Dominion Towing's property with the tarp only partially covering it. A representative was asked to cover the motorcycle which she begrudgingly did, claiming that she did not need to do so. Mr. Fleming was contacted and told of the damage and the fact that since the motorcycle was occupying a space that it was legally allowed to occupy. He promised to research the situation, fix it, and return the call.

After repeated attempts across many days, Mr. Fleming was finally reached and stated that the company had the right to hold the motorcycle and that the fee for recovering it would soon rise. Mr. Fleming rudely presented himself and hung up the phone in an unprofessional manner and his employees were equally dismissive, unprofessional, and rude.

On July 10, 2009 the motorcycle was retrieved whereupon Dominion Towing charged $125 via credit card with the word "invalid" on the signature panel of the receipt. At that time the motorcycle was completely missing the plastic tarp and had endured additional damage due to weathering in the lot of Dominion Towing, being stored completely uncovered. The representative who collected the fee was asked to return the plastic tarp which he refused to do.

I am seeking to recover $200 for the depreciation of the motorcycle due to damage; the cost of the tarp, the recovery of the invalid towing fee, and the damage caused to the automobile in the removal of the motorcycle. Scratches and dents to car trunk and bumper, scratches to paint on motorcycle, lost tarp, weather damage, bent turn signal.

(This is a portin of a letter I sent to Dominion Towing South, Inc.) On the evening of Friday, December 19, 2008 at 8:50pm a driver employed by your corporation towed my 2004 Subaru Impreza WRX. I was parked in an unclearly marked parking spot in England Run North Apartments for seven (7) minutes, just long enough to drop my sleeping child off with a relative, when your driver was witnessed hooking his tow truck up to the rear of my vehicle and towing/dragging it off the property. My vehicle was parked in first gear with the emergency brake on and was towed from the parking spot in reverse.

The tenant of the apartment in England Run North drove approximately a half mile off of the property and located your driver at a nearby pool parking lot. Said tenant witnessed your driver strapping the rear tires down. The tenant then asked your driver what he was doing with the vehicle and the driver told him it was being towed to their yard and it will be $100.00 to pick up the vehicle from there. At that time, the tow truck driver left the premises with my vehicle still hooked to your truck.

Your driver continued to tow my vehicle with my two front wheels maintaining contact with the pavement 4.62 miles to your yard. I now have damage done to my vehicle. Your company was immediately notified that there was apparent damage done to my vehicle. The response I received from your dispatcher was unprofessional and discourteous. Your dispatcher insisted I take the Dominion Towing Corporation to court and ended the phone call mid-conversation.

My car was towed from Heritage Mall parking lot on Sat. the 28th of April. The 3 signs posted at the entrance and exit of the parking lot read, "2 hr. customer parking only," "No overnight parking, By permit only, Towing after midnight."

I arrived in the parking lot at 10:00 pm, bought something to eat and drink from a deli in the mall and then went to a friend's house, 1 minute walking distance from the deli and my car. Returned to my car at 11:45 to find it missing. I then, immediately, called Dominion Towing to inquire as to the whereabouts of my vehicle. The person on the phone informed me that, in fact, they did have my car. I then told him about the sign stating that Dominion tows after midnight. He said he had no knowledge of the sign and a manager was not on duty. I had no choice but to go and pay $90.00 to get my car.

I was told to call on Sunday to speak with a manager. I did, but there wasn't a manager present, I was told to call Monday. I called Monday, spoke with a manager named Kenny. He told me he had no knowledge of the sign and he would send the night manager to check on the sign. I called Tuesday at 12:00 only to be told that the night manager, Brad, had not come in yet to report his findings and he would call me back shortly. I called back after waiting a couple of hours only to be told Brad was not in and was instructed to leave my number. I did, but didn't hear from anybody.

I called back again and finally spoke to Brad, this is when he claimed to have no knowledge of a sign with Dominion Towing's name and number stating that towing occurred after midnight. He basically said I was lying, which I responded to with reason and facts, which he did not acknowledge and stated that he was not going to give my money back. After fifteen to twenty minutes of debate he became obviously irritated and said he was "tired of talking about it." I responded, in turn, with why I was tired of debating as well.

He also told me he was the final answer to my question of refund and there was nothing he could do. The only problem with his claiming no such sign existed is the fact that I went back to Heritage Mall on Monday afternoon to find the sign in question had been taken down. The only mistake they made was leaving the identical sign up on the other side of the parking lot. I recorded the other sign on video tape to show the existance of it. He still claimed he had no such sign up after I told him this. I ask you, should I not get my money back?

Of course Jim should get his money back. And the way he should do it is to file a claim against Dominion in Small Claims Court. He should be sure to take his videotape to court or, better yet, take some still snapshots of the sign. If Jim's not feeling up to a day in court, he could also complaint to the Fairfax County Department of Consumer Affairs. We think he'd get faster results in court though.