In Richmond VA for a convention. Went to eat last night at a Chipotle in the downtown area. The small parking lot it shares with another business is packed, and parking on the streets is difficult enough as it is, much less when there's construction as there is currently.
The bookstore across the street was not only closed (as it was a Sunday evening after 6PM), but there were 3 other parked cars not to monition somebody who looked like they were doing a brake job on an old truck at the far end of the mostly-empty 25+ space lot. I parked at a space ot one end.
After about 30 minutes inside the restaurant, I went for a drink refill and saw somebody crouching at the rear of my Model S doing something with the tire. My first thought was trying to steal rims or valve stem caps. I ran outside to see that the sign at the edge of the lot had obscured the fact a tow truck actually had the bar and clamps under my front tires, and the other guy was setting dollies for the rear. They were hustling to get it out of there quickly.
I FLEW across the street. The guy looked at me and said simply "Thirty bucks to drop it right here", pointing at a badly bent sign on the other side of the lot halfway down. I said "Are you kidding me, that lot is full, you can't find a place on the street, and this store isn't even open!". His response: "I hear you, I just fulfill what we are contracted to do."
I gave him the $30 after calling my wife in the restaurant to hit the ATM next door... as I wasn't walking away from the car, even though he said I could as he "needed a couple of minutes to write out a receipt".
I examined the car as he disconnected as he left and fortunately no damage, but I can only imagine what a "regular" frontend tow would have done to the rear of the car with the beat-up driveways and streets in Richmond. I believe I was only 60-90 seconds away from having been towed.
So, I accept responsibility for not having sought out the sign to determine what it said. But they are also clearly cherry-picking expensive cars during times that are ridiculous. Lesson learned...
The bookstore across the street was not only closed (as it was a Sunday evening after 6PM), but there were 3 other parked cars not to monition somebody who looked like they were doing a brake job on an old truck at the far end of the mostly-empty 25+ space lot. I parked at a space ot one end.
After about 30 minutes inside the restaurant, I went for a drink refill and saw somebody crouching at the rear of my Model S doing something with the tire. My first thought was trying to steal rims or valve stem caps. I ran outside to see that the sign at the edge of the lot had obscured the fact a tow truck actually had the bar and clamps under my front tires, and the other guy was setting dollies for the rear. They were hustling to get it out of there quickly.
I FLEW across the street. The guy looked at me and said simply "Thirty bucks to drop it right here", pointing at a badly bent sign on the other side of the lot halfway down. I said "Are you kidding me, that lot is full, you can't find a place on the street, and this store isn't even open!". His response: "I hear you, I just fulfill what we are contracted to do."
I gave him the $30 after calling my wife in the restaurant to hit the ATM next door... as I wasn't walking away from the car, even though he said I could as he "needed a couple of minutes to write out a receipt".
I examined the car as he disconnected as he left and fortunately no damage, but I can only imagine what a "regular" frontend tow would have done to the rear of the car with the beat-up driveways and streets in Richmond. I believe I was only 60-90 seconds away from having been towed.
So, I accept responsibility for not having sought out the sign to determine what it said. But they are also clearly cherry-picking expensive cars during times that are ridiculous. Lesson learned...
