SAN ANTONIO - When you park in some places around San Antonio, there's a good chance you're being watched. There are people waiting to disable your car, tow it off and charge big money to give it back.
In a hidden camera investigation, News 4 WOAI Trouble Shooter Jaie Avila exposes the aggressive tactics being used by one towing company that are against state rules.
Some towing companies don't wait to be called. They have people on the streets, looking for cars they can tow. And one company the News 4 WOAI Trouble Shooters watched was putting boots on cars moments after drivers parked them, then quickly towing them away. When police and state investigators saw what we caught on camera, they asked to join our investigation.
The busy Greyhound bus station downtown off North St. Mary’s and Martin is a tow truck free-for-all. There's a big parking lot in back; but the signs say only people sending or picking up packages can park there.
Family and friends who come to drop off or pick up passengers often assume, incorrectly, they can park in the lot because they're Greyhound customers.
And that's exactly what the tow truck spotters are waiting for them to do.
The News 4 WOAI Trouble Shooters set up cameras near that Greyhound parking lot. Day after day, the tow truck spotters watched drivers from the edge of the parking lot. As soon as the drivers went around the corner, the spotters moved in fast to put a boot on their car. And once the boot is on a tow truck arrives within minutes.
"While I was waiting in line they towed my car,” Shana Hartman, a Greyhound customer, told us. “I came out just as they were putting it up on the truck and they wouldn't let it down."
Another customer, Carl Choske, also had his car booted, “They told me if I don't pay it the tow trucks coming to take it away."
But doesn't Greyhound have the right to boot and tow cars on its property? After all, there are signs posted.
Maybe so - But there are rules towing companies have to follow;
rules that prohibit these commando towing methods.
For one thing, the state rules say if you put a boot on someone's car, you have to wait 24 hours before you can tow it. During that time the driver can pay a smaller "boot feet" and get their car back.
But our cameras caught a man with two small children park in the Greyhound lot and walk around to the terminal. In less than three minutes, the spotters swoop in and have his car booted. And seconds later, a tow truck from Bexar Towing, which has a contract with Greyhound, backs in and picks up the man's car.
The tow truck driver doesn't even get out to secure the vehicle. And in less than four minutes he's gone with the man's car, leaving the man and his kids stranded.
"It's a big violation,” Lee Parham, Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation, explained. “You can't hold a car hostage until a tow truck shows up."
News 4 WOAI Trouble Shooter Jaie Avila showed the undercover video to investigators with the
Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation (TDLR), which oversees towing companies.
When they saw what Bexar Towing was doing, TDLR investigators said they wanted to be present, along with SAPD officers, while we conducted our sting.
So, our team went back to the Greyhound bus station and purposely parked a car in the clearly-marked towing zone. Under the watchful eyes of state investigators and SAPD officers, we waited to see if Bexar Towing would violate the state's 24-hour rule.
Sure enough, the spotters put a boot on in about five minutes and just a few minutes after that the tow truck shows up.
They immediately lift the car to tow it and that's when News 4 WOAI Trouble Shooter Jaie Avila walks up with a hidden camera.
On-camera conversation:
Jaie Avila: "Hey man, what's going on? So what's going to happen?"
Tow Truck Employee: "Your car's being towed."
Jaie Avila: "My car's being towed right now? Don't I have an amount of time to get it before it gets towed? Isn't there a period of time you're suppose to wait?"
Tow Truck Employee: "No, not really."
The tow truck employee never tells Avila he has the right to pay a “boot fee” to avoid a costly tow. And after a few minutes of trying to reason with the employee, Avila tells them this is all part of an undercover sting.
On-camera conversation:
Jaie Avila: "I'm with News 4 WOAI, the Trouble Shooters, and there are also SAPD and state investigators here. You're supposed to allow 24 hours before you tow our vehicle. What do you have to say for yourselves? Anything to say?"
The tow truck employees ignore Avila’s questions and go right on hooking up the car, until the cavalry arrives.
TDLR investigators and San Antonio police move in and inform Bexar Towing they are looking at numerous alleged violations.
The state investigators only have the power to impose fines or suspend a towing company's license. But the SAPD officers claim Bexar Towing is also breaking the law by violating state towing rules and they write up the company for three misdemeanors.
However, two of Bexar Towing's owners show up and argue that their tactics are legal and any charges against them won't hold up.
"How many signs? How many warnings did these people get? I mean it looks like a hood ornament on the front of their car,” John DeLoach, Bexar Towing owner, exclaimed. “The law says that everything we are doing is by the book. And the law has not refunded one nickel to one person on this property."
DeLoach claims Greyhound makes an announcement on the intercom inside the terminal before anyone is towed. However, none of the drivers the News 4 WOAI Trouble Shooters spoke with say they heard it.
Bexar Towing also says they weren't charging drivers for both a tow and taking the boot off. Regardless, drivers told us they were charged more than $280 to get their cars back.
Finally, News 4 WOAI Trouble Shooter Jaie Avila asked why Bexar Towing's employees aren't waiting the required 24 hours before towing?
On-Camera conversation:
Jaie Avila: "He was just going to tow me without giving me any information and without telling me about my options."
John DeLoach: "You know what - I find that very hard to believe. I really do."
As for that spotter, SAPD wrote him up for being parked in a handicapped space while he was booting other people's cars.
As a result of our story, Bexar Towing says it has stopped the practice of booting and then quickly towing vehicles. Anyone using the boots has to have a special license and must put a sticker on your window with detailed information on how to get the boot off. Plus you have 14 days to request a legal hearing to dispute the fine.
Now that you know more about your rights, we want to hear from you - Email us at troubleshooters@woaitv.com with your towing stories.
In addition to the on-camera statements given by Mr. DeLoach, Bexar Towing sent an additional written statement to News 4 WOAI. To see it – click on the link above.
