Location: Quantico, Virginia

Important context up front:

The vehicle is registered to my girlfriend, we reside in Raleigh, NC. The only vehicle we could have used to travel to Virginia was the very car that the tow yard was impounding.

What happened

Jan 23: My girlfriend’s car became disabled in Quantico, VA while traveling to MD. She safely parked it in a Ramada hotel lot.

Jan 24: A significant ice storm made the lot inaccessible and prevented GEICO roadside assistance from retrieving the vehicle. We did not immediately notify the hotel that the car was disabled.

Jan 31: When I returned to arrange a tow, the hotel had already had the vehicle removed by a local tow company (“C”). I went to C that day. C agreed to release the vehicle for pickup on Monday, Feb 2. I paid $270 in person, which C represented as the amount required to release the vehicle. C issued an itemized receipt for this $270. Only after accepting payment did C state they would release the vehicle only to shops affiliated with them (not to our chosen shop).

Feb 1: We scheduled a GEICO roadside tow to move the vehicle from C to an independent shop of our choosing. I called and emailed C the same day stating we would use insurance for the tow and that I was willing to pay any additional lawful fees. C did not respond to the email.

Feb 2 (11:10 AM): GEICO’s contracted tower arrived at C. C refused to release the vehicle, asserting that “additional fees” were owed.

I immediately called C and offered to pay by phone. C refused remote payment, stating payment had to be made in person and that the insurer would need to pay instead. I requested an itemized invoice.

We could not reasonably appear in person because we were in NC, and the only car we could use to travel to Virginia was the one C was holding. Neither C, GEICO, nor the contracted tower notified us that the pickup had failed. The auto-shop mistakenly confirmed the reception of the vehicle on multiple accounts from Feb 2nd - Feb 5th.

Feb 6: The auto-shop let us know they could not find the vehicle. We learned through the GEICO app that the roadside request had been cancelled. I called C, and they confirmed they still were holding the vehicle. C then demanded approximately $450 in additional storage/holding fees for Feb 2 - Feb 6. C did not provide a proper itemized breakdown of this $450 despite my request; the amount appeared to be “tacked on.”

I ultimately paid the $450 in person marked “PIP (Paid in Protest)” in order to obtain release of the vehicle, and I am currently disputing this charge with my bank.

Why this appears improper

- C accepted payment they represented as sufficient to release the vehicle.

- C then blocked release when a third-party tower arrived.

- C refused remote payment, effectively preventing timely resolution.

- C did not notify us of the failed pickup yet continued to accrue fees.

Questions

1. Can a Virginia tow yard lawfully refuse to release a vehicle after accepting payment because it was being towed to a different repair shop?

2. Are we responsible for storage fees that accrued while C was refusing release and insisting on in-person payment we could not reasonably make?

3. Given that I already paid the $450 “Paid in Protest,” is pursuing a chargeback and/or small claims the appropriate next step?

Any guidance on Virginia law and practical next steps is appreciated.