Model 3 was towed and damaged with Sentry videos

[SageBrush]

How Progressive can deny the claim is beyond me.

I think it is pretty standard for insurance company contracts to require customers to behave legally

 

[SMAlset]

Color me confused. Is Progressive your insurance or theirs? The letter says, "our insured is not liable" which says to me that it's the tow company's insurance, but you talk about switching carriers. Is Progressive the insurance for both of you?

Yes, sounds to me like back on 6/10 he went with Option 2 which was to contact the tow company and go through their insurance company. Really sounds from the rejection letter that Progressive is the tow company's insurance company.

 

[ModelNforNerd]

I think it is pretty standard for insurance company contracts to require customers to behave legally

Using your logic, it sounds like you believe in the Hammurabi Code.


So if you make a lane change, and don't use your blinker, I can take a 9-iron to your car, since you weren't behaving legally.

Got it

 

[LunkHead]

I think it is pretty standard for insurance company contracts to require customers to behave legally

Absolute nonsense!

Using my previous example:

Your parking meter expired
Your car was towed
Tow company was negligent and car falls off tow truck during the tow
Car is totaled

Under this scenario you are fine paying 50K out of your own pocket because you 'broke the law' and let your parking meter expire?

Yeah right.........

 

[tuoncan]

Just to clarify. Progressive is my insurance company. I tried getting the towing company insurance but they denied my request. Progressive was able to get the towing company insurance however they called me and said that video is not enough evidence to place the towing company at fault BS.

 

[MP3Mike]

Just to clarify. Progressive is my insurance company. I tried getting the towing company insurance but they denied my request. Progressive was able to get the towing company insurance however they called me and said that video is not enough evidence to place the towing company at fault BS.

Does that mean you don't have comprehensive coverage, that should allow you to make a claim against your own insurance for the damage...

 

[Nuclear Fusion]

What's wrong with some of you? So if you park in a tow away zone then the tow company can damage your car and it's "your fault"? For fees, yeah, for damage? No.

You have to understand a large percentage of the populace are simpletons who live in a dichotomous world.
Nuance? Complexity? Bah!

 

[davewill]

Just to clarify. Progressive is my insurance company. I tried getting the towing company insurance but they denied my request. Progressive was able to get the towing company insurance however they called me and said that video is not enough evidence to place the towing company at fault BS.

It's not, at least not the footage you posted. I watched it and at no time does it show them damaging the car.

 

[tuoncan]

Does that mean you don't have comprehensive coverage, that should allow you to make a claim against your own insurance for the damage...

I have both comprehension and collision coverages. But since the towing company is not admitting their fault, I have to pay my deductible for the repairs per Progressive. Progressive will only pay me if it's more than the deductible amount

 

[Electroman]

With all due respect, but if you want them to be so careful about towing your car, you should have been careful to pay attention to the posted sign to prevent this from happening in the first place.

I find this post insensitive and very infuriating.

If I park my car illegally, I agree they have a right to tow and ask me to pay towing charges and fees.

Does it also give them a carte blanche privilege to do any damage to my car? What if they dent by door or trunk? That is par for the game too? What if they simply keyed my car, and I should just suck it up and pay for it too? What if they total my car due to some accident on the way? tough luck, suck it up?

 

[SeanM]

I never complained about the fees. I just hate that they are not being careful with the car. They care more about making money than other people property.
If you see someone touching your car like they do and scratched your paint and ask you to pay money to get your damaged car out, you probably wouldn't be too happy.

It's your car and you as it's owner should have taken extra care of it. Not sure what the situation was, but in your video I can see many empty parking spots. So, if you didn't park overnight (as per the signboard picture of yours), they shouldn't have towed it.

Also, every towing company has 'not responsible if vehicle damaged due to towing" signboard hanging somewhere in their shop or a clause hidden in their vehicle release papers that you must have signed. Else, towing companies (whom in my opinion are lower than leaches) will be out of business.

 

[tuoncan]

It's your car and you as it's owner should have taken extra care of it. Not sure what the situation was, but in your video I can see many empty parking spots. So, if you didn't park overnight (as per the signboard picture of yours), they shouldn't have towed it.

If you watch the timestamps in the video. They towed it around 11pm. The sign says permit is required for overnight (assuming midnight). I probably got towed because I'm not a customer since the business is closed.
I'm not around the area. I'm there to visit my friend and this towing sign is probably something they added recently and I'm not aware off since last year I have stayed there past midnight before with many cars around.

 

[tuoncan]

It's not, at least not the footage you posted. I watched it and at no time does it show them damaging the car.

It's hard to see it because of where the damages are and where the cameras are facing. I baby my car and wash it each weekend so I know all the scratches/damages on my car.

First clearcoat scratch on the left rear door is at 5:01 minutes. The guy has the towing rope in the hand pushing on the rear door.

2nd clearcoat scratch on the right rear door is at 7:24

Bottom paint scratch happened when they lift the front wheels onto the trolley using the metal bar at 8:31 or when they take it off at 18:36

Front lip scratches could have happened at 12:40 min & 13:22 when getting into the street or when getting into their business parking. Car go through an uneven surface.

 

[LunkHead]

Also, every towing company has 'not responsible if vehicle damaged due to towing.

False..

The OP is in California

California (V C Section 22651.07)

Generally the owner of a vehicle may recover for any damage to the vehicle resulting from any intentional or negligent act of a person causing the removal of, or removing, the vehicle.

If a tow company does not satisfactorily meet certain requirements detailed in this notice, you may bring a lawsuit in court, generally in small claims court.  The tower may be civilly liable for damages up to two times the amount.

@tuoncan I'd look into civil suit against the tow company.. They might be liable for twice the amount..

 

[Electroman]

but in your video I can see many empty parking spots

I once parked on a strip on a Sunday with around 25 parking spots. This one has dentists and home insurance companies and such, all of which are closed on a Sunday. The entire parking lot was empty with all 25 slots open. I parked my car there to walk across the road for a quick bite (due to some construction on the other side). A tow truck that was watching me, immediately swooped in and towed in front of me inspite of my protest that I will move the car.

This no parking sign makes no sense on a Sunday when the establishments are closed. And the fact that I got towed when I rushed back and offered to move the car, is height of arrogance.

 

[Hkbruin]

However, the tow truck company and drivers have a duty to perform their job with reasonable care and in accordance with industry standards and manufacturer recommendations. If they did, then any minor damage may be the responsibility of the illegally-parked vehicle owner. However, if they did not, then they were negligent, and owe damages to the vehicle owner.

For example, Tesla specifies that a Tesla Model 3 must be towed on a flat bed tow vehicle. If they did not do so, then they did not follow manufacturer recommendations. This is grounds for finding them negligent.

I've never been towed so I was not aware of this, thanks for the information.

I find this post insensitive and very infuriating.

If I park my car illegally, I agree they have a right to tow and ask me to pay towing charges and fees.

Does it also give them a carte blanche privilege to do any damage to my car? What if they dent by door or trunk? That is par for the game too? What if they simply keyed my car, and I should just suck it up and pay for it too? What if they total my car due to some accident on the way? tough luck, suck it up?

I can't speculate on hypothetical scenarios - you're basically at the mercy and integrity of the party you're dealing with and hope they adhere to whatever reasonable standard is acceptable. It's unfortunate that the tow truck company and the OP's insurance company won't help in any way. I recently switched my Tesla to Geico because it had lower premiums, but I'm reconsidering going back to AAA despite the higher premiums because of their superb service in handling claims.

 

[davewill]

It's hard to see it because of where the damages are and where the cameras are facing. I baby my car and wash it each weekend so I know all the scratches/damages on my car.

First clearcoat scratch on the left rear door is at 5:01 minutes. The guy has the towing rope in the hand pushing on the rear door.

2nd clearcoat scratch on the right rear door is at 7:24

Bottom paint scratch happened when they lift the front wheels onto the trolley using the metal bar at 8:31 or when they take it off at 18:36

Front lip scratches could have happened at 12:40 min & 13:22 when getting into the street or when getting into their business parking. Car go through an uneven surface.

Do you have photos from before showing that the damage wasn't there? That might help. If nothing else, you might try small claims to recover your deductible. If they learn they have to defend themselves in court, they might change their tune, or the judge might agree with your interpretation of the video.

 

[Hkbruin]

I once parked on a strip on a Sunday with around 25 parking spots. This one has dentists and home insurance companies and such, all of which are closed on a Sunday. The entire parking lot was empty with all 25 slots open. I parked my car there to walk across the road for a quick bite (due to some construction on the other side). A tow truck that was watching me, immediately swooped in and towed in front of me inspite of my protest that I will move the car.

This no parking sign makes no sense on a Sunday when the establishments are closed. And the fact that I got towed when I rushed back and offered to move the car, is height of arrogance.

I totally agree that it sucks the tow truck driver doesn't stand down and have a good heart about the ordeal, I once saw people squabbling in the parking lot about a car being towed for blocking someone in, and the offender returned and pleaded to pay off the tow truck driver and victim, but the tow truck driver said that once they get called out and dispatched to the site they have to tow the car.

Everyday you learn something new, or I suppose in this case -you can commit an offense that you previously knew as being normal and innocent. I guess from now on I should be wary of wide-open parking lots.

 

[MP3Mike]

I once parked on a strip on a Sunday with around 25 parking spots. This one has dentists and home insurance companies and such, all of which are closed on a Sunday. The entire parking lot was empty with all 25 slots open.

This no parking sign makes no sense on a Sunday when the establishments are closed. And the fact that I got towed when I rushed back and offered to move the car, is height of arrogance.

So you are saying that a private property owner shouldn't be able to restrict who can use their property when they aren't actively using it?

 

[Ejl80]

I once parked on a strip on a Sunday with around 25 parking spots. This one has dentists and home insurance companies and such, all of which are closed on a Sunday. The entire parking lot was empty with all 25 slots open. I parked my car there to walk across the road for a quick bite (due to some construction on the other side). A tow truck that was watching me, immediately swooped in and towed in front of me inspite of my protest that I will move the car.

This no parking sign makes no sense on a Sunday when the establishments are closed. And the fact that I got towed when I rushed back and offered to move the car, is height of arrogance.

No disrespect intended, but it IS private property. Would you like it if people parked in your garage just because you were at work or on vacation? I know it seems trivial, but it costs a lot to pave a parking lot, and if the business wants it for their customers only, it is their decision.