(WSVN) - Finding a parking space in South Florida is getting harder by the day. Sometimes, you park illegally and get towed, but how about this one? Getting towed right out of a driveway! That’s tonight’s Help Me Howard with Patrick Fraser.
You have heard this about a neighborhood before.
Ralph Granadillo, towed from driveway: “This is a great community.”
And then comes the until…
Ralph Granadillo: “until now with this Alpine Towing company.”
It started when a family friend came to Ralph’s house.
Ralph Granadillo: “She parked right behind our car for like five minutes.”
The car was parked on the street. Under Ralph’s association, if you park on the street, you get towed, so the friend moved the car into Ralph’s driveway.
Ralph Granadillo: “We were good. We were safe. It’s our driveway. It’s our parking spot.”
But when the guest walked outside to leave, the car was gone.
Ralph Granadillo: “They picked up from the driveway, and they took it. That’s what I think.”
A monitoring company hired by the association had called the tow company. Their driver didn’t do a good job.
Ralph Granadillo: “In the process of taking the vehicle, they dragged the car, and they damaged the driveway.”
Ralph’s wife called the tow company, and she says they denied towing it from the driveway.
Ralph Granadillo: “That the car was parked on the street.”
But of course, it’s 2019, and every other house has security cameras. This one shows the car being towed from the driveway.
Ralph Granadillo: “They dragged the car out of the driveway. I didn’t believe it. Honestly did not believe it.”
Ralph then spoke to his Country Lake Sorbet Association president, who said she had talked to the tow company, and they had promised her they would pay for what they had done.
Ralph Granadillo: “And they have told me that’s illegal. Call the owner of Alpine Towing, so they can reimburse you your money.”
But they didn’t reimburse for the tow or repairing the driveway, leaving a man happy with his neighborhood and unhappy with their towing company.
Ralph Granadillo: “I want them to reimburse me for the car, fix my driveway and get them out of here.”
The car was illegally on the street for five minutes, but by the time the tow company got there, it was legally in the driveway. Howard, can it still be towed?
Howard Finkelstein, 7 News Legal Expert: “No, it can’t because it’s legally in the driveway. It doesn’t matter where it was five minutes ago. It’s where it was parked when the tow company got there, meaning the tow company has to return the money for the tow and pay to repair the damaged driveway.”
We called Alpine Towing several times. They wouldn’t talk to us.
We stopped by to visit. They weren’t happy to see us, but they did agree to take care of the problems they created, and they did.
Ralph Granadillo: “What happened was the towing company, they fixed my driveway, they painted the driveway completely, and they reimbursed me for the towing.”
Ralph is happy, so that makes us happy.
Ralph Granadillo: “Honestly, thank you, Help Me Howard Channel 7, they really helped me correct my problem, fix my problem, and I’m really happy I called Help Me Howard.”
Glad we could help out.
Now, most cars and trucks are towed legally. If it’s illegal and the tow company won’t return your money, contact the person who ordered the tow, like an assocation or a private business. They can make the tow company listen.
Or file a complaint with Dade or Broward County about the towing company to see if they can help. The contact information for those agencies are down below.
A problem dragging you down? Tired of being towed around? Park it with us, and hopefully, you can drive away happy.
Contact info for Broward County
Contact info for Miami-Dade County
CONTACT HELP ME HOWARD:
Email: helpmehoward@wsvn.com
Reporter: Patrick Fraser at pfraser@wsvn.com
Miami-Dade: 305-953-WSVN
Broward: 954-761-WSVN
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