Drivers haggle cost of vehicle towing charges

04/24/09 - If a student parks illegally at the University of Rhode Island, chances are he or she is going to get towed. But what happens when that same student happens upon the tow truck as the driver is loading the car on the truck?If the student has enough money on them, and the tow truck driver says it's OK, the car will not have to be towed to the impound.

"When a tow truck is called . they are entitled to put a mechanic's lien on it," Robert Drapeau, director of security at URI, said. "They have the option to take the vehicle or negotiate with the driver at the time. That's nothing the university negotiates, that's between the tow truck driver and the person whose car it is and is based on the public utilities commission rules and regulations."

John Lachappelle, owner and operator of J & D Towing, said regardless of the position of the vehicle, if the truck is in the process of towing the car, a towing charge of $80 is enacted. He said if the car is taken to a secure holding lot, there is a charge of $24.

"Once you lift the car up and move it one foot or 10 miles, they pay the full penalty," Lachappelle said. "The $80 is the maximum charge, and we can charge them less, and we do. Once we have the car in our possession, sometimes the driver will say 'oh just give me 60 bucks,' and they'll say they only have $50 on them, and that's fine. We don't have to do this, it's up to the [tow truck] driver."

Lachappelle added leaving the decision to his employees is designed to cut down on students wasting the time of the drivers. He explained that sometimes one of his employees will wait for the person being towed to go to the ATM to pay the penalty charge, and they would never come back. In that case, they just take the car.

Jennifer Galyon, a senior textiles and design major at URI, said that she had parked at the parking lot behind Dunkin' Donuts in the Kingston Emporium during her freshman year. The towing company, she could not remember the name, was just about to drive away.

"I asked them to stop because I was there, and they said the only way they would let it down would be if I went to the ATM and got $160 cash and paid them immediately," she said. "I mean it could be different now, that was four years ago. I felt angry and that it was unfair. I felt they should have at least given me a little bit of a break."

Samantha Reindeau, a senior studying English at URI, said during her sophomore year she came out to the commuter lot and found that her car was in the process of being towed.

"I pretty much gave him a sob story," she said. "He said if you give me money now, I'll let you go."

She said she gave the tow guy $50 to let her drive away.

"I feel like what they're doing is taking advantage of students in general, but at the same time, when they give you a deal, you have to be thankful," Reindeau said. "It depends on who they are. Some of them are totally obnoxious and don't care about anything, and there are some tow guys that will work with you and see where you're coming from and just say 'just give me a couple bucks,' you know?"

Adam Fleser, a communication Studies major in his senior year at URI, said he had a similar experience in front of the Gorham Hall dormitory.

"They were in the middle of the process, and I said I've only been here for so long and that kind of thing," he said. "Then we got into an argument and the guy said 'just give me $40 and I'll take it off the truck.'