Car Illegally Towed

Location: Ohio

Car was towed out of a private property parking lot yesterday while I was in a shop. They got me literally within 5 minutes of me walking in from their the timestamps on the itemized invoice. The lot is shared between three businesses, and a few reserved spots for a nearby apartment. All signs posted authorized the lot for tenants, guests, and customers of business sharing the lot- which I was.

Tow company towed me claiming I didn’t have a permit. I was not parked in an apartment spot or any spot marked as reserved.

In Ohio towing companies are required to take pre-tow photos of the vehicle showing the parking violation, and the condition of the vehicle before being hooked. I also have the right to those photos, and they are supposed to provide me them upon request (Revised Code Section 4513.601).** **

I immediately requested the pretow photos showing the violation. I was directed to an office to call. I called, and they gave me an excuse that they “didn’t have them yet because it was too soon. It would be a few minutes.” And that they would be emailed. They never emailed them. I called again, and was told that they were trying to get ahold of the driver to upload the photos because he hadn’t yet. They told me they are usually available at the end of the shift. I then emailed requesting them within the next 24 hours. They did not respond. I called them this morning, and was explicitly told “we actually never took any photos of your vehicle.” I have them on a record phone call then admitting the tow was illegal because of the lack of images on their part (Ohio is a one party consent state). They instructed me to call back on Monday to speak to the office manager.

Tell me what I could do moving forward? Do I just take a refund on what I was forced to pay to receive my car- or is this worth (or anything I even could) pursuing further?

I’m very bothered at this entire experience- the inconvenience and that they can just take my car, and pay to make me get it without following the law.

If it adds to it- they all mistyped my license plate number on their documentation, and the address they wrote down claiming to have towed me from was not even where my car was.