Dad, They Towed My Car!

One day I got a phone call at work:  "Dad, they towed my car!"  My son parked in teacher parking at his high school and thought he would get a warning if he got caught.  It does not work that way.  The student handbook specifically says that no warnings are issued.  Put yourself in my shoes.  How do I get the car back?  Where is it?  I call the Plano Police department and learn that the tow company working my son's school is Signature Towing, 1204 Municipal Ave, Plano, with a phone number of 972-423-4010. So I call and confirm his car is in their possession.  I had to ask my son what the license plate number was because that is how they track the towed cars.  He knew the license plate number, fortunately, because I did not.

Getting a car back from the towing company is tricky.  Image you have given your child a card with the name, address, and phone number of the tow company.  Your child's car is towed and he goes there with cash to get the car back.  Well, that won't work.  The car title is in your name, not your child's name and they do not take cash.  The owner of the car needs to show up with proof of ID and pay with a credit card.  Perhaps the tow company will release the car if your child has a car insurance card that has his name on the card along with the VIN for the vehicle, but your child still needs a credit card to pay the tow company.  Be prepared to drive to the towing company to retrieve your child's car, and be warned that towing is not cheap!

I do not know if Signature Towing works all the high schools or just my son's.  It seems to me a good idea to coach your child  on how towing works in the schools if your child drives.  The lessons are (1) there is no warning ticket, (2) you or your child must know the license plate number, (3) it is not the teachers who call the tow company, (4) the police prowl the school parking lots and call the tow company if they find a car that can be towed, and (5) the tow truck will be there very quickly.  Perhaps the tow truck is even following the police!  One of my daughter's friends told me she parked in teacher parking, dashed into the office to drop off paperwork, and dashed back out to find her car already towed.

Forewarned is forearmed!

Robert

PS:  The staff at Signature Towing were courteous and professional.  I have no complaint against the towing company.