After a brutal cold snap this past January, all Jill Magiera wanted was to get out of her parking space.
“I went out to start my car and pull out and I was frozen solid. I couldn’t budge it,” said Magiera.
She needed to check on her elderly mother in Algonquin. Desperate to get moving, she called Speedy G Towing.
“They came, towed, you know, towed me out just a few feet. And you know, that was it. I get in my car. And he says, well, that’s $346. And I’m like, really?,” Magiera said.
Magiera says she wasn’t given the price until after her car was towed. She paid the fee and later called Speedy G Towing to address the price with a manager.
But according to Magiera, she never received a call back from the company. So she called someone she could count on: NBC 5 Responds.
NBC 5 Responds asked Speedy G Towing about the cost of Magiera’s tow. The company told us the dispatcher mistakenly mis-entered her information and she was charged for a higher rate than she should have been. The company has since refunded her $100.
Local
Consumer Protection Laws: It Depends on Where You Live
NBC 5 Responds asked the Illinois Commerce Commission about state towing procedures and laws. Chief Ruben Ramirez of the ICC said all fees must legally be disclosed before a car is even hooked up to the tow, but that may depend on where you live.
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“Prior to the tow, by Illinois statute and law, they have to make sure that they provide a pre tow disclosure before the car is hooked,” said Ramirez.
Ramirez said towing companies must give you information including the business name, address, and list of the price for all services before hooking your car.
However, this law only applies to five counties in Illinois: Cook, DuPage, Will, Kane and Winnebago counties.
As for Magiera, she lives seven miles outside of Cook County in McHenry County, so she’s not protected by the pre-tow disclosure law.
The ICC tells NBC 5 Responds “When referring to towing enforcement authority in counties across Illinois, the legislation exists, however, McHenry or any other county would need to opt into the regulation.”
The ICC went on to say: “State law provides that Cook County (only county over 1M) shall apply to relocators and safety towing and the other counties can adopt the regulations voluntarily.”
The law reads:
“625 ILCS 5/18a-700) (from Ch. 95 1/2, par. 18a-700) Sec. 18a-700. Counties covered. (a) The provisions of this Chapter apply to all the activities of relocators and operators in any counties of 1,000,000 or more and in any county of less than 1,000,000 which adopts regulation under this Chapter as provided in this Section.”
A History of Complaints:
As things stand, data from the ICC shows the commission has fined Speedy G Towing thousands of dollars for its towing practices across the state. Since 2019, the company has racked up to close to $16,000 in fines for not giving customers a pre-tow disclosure. ICC data shows, to date, the company has only paid about 20% of what they owe.
NBC 5 Responds found 51 consumers have filed complaints about Speedy G Towing since 2019 for relocation towing and safety towing issues. More than half of those complaints (31) were closed because the ICC didn’t have jurisdiction, in nine cases they found no violation and in 13 they sided with the tow company. Fifteen of the 51 complaints resulted in a citation. Two ICC complaints for relocation towing in the past five years have resulted in a refund for consumers.
NBC 5 Responds asked Speedy G Towing for an interview to talk about the complaints, but they didn’t respond to that request.
If You're in Need of a Tow, the ICC Suggests:
- Ask how much it will cost and where the company will take your vehicle.
- If your car is disabled or damaged and a tow truck suddenly arrives on the scene, don’t let them take your car without verifying they were called by police or your insurance company.
- Don’t give a tow truck driver your insurance information.
Click here to view complaints against Illinois towing companies.
Click here to file a complaint about an Illinois towing company
