AIBU?
To think this is pretty fucking appalling
Bearsinmotion · 21/08/2015 08:19
We live on a small street where all the parking is on street. Last night there was a minor traffic incident, and the police arrived to sort it out. This meant a few cars on the street needed to be moved, including our neighbour's.
Unfortunately the neighbour is away, and no one could contact her, but her car HAD to be moved. So the police called for a tow truck. Fine. We thought, they will lift the car up, solve the problem and then replace the car.
But no. The towing company don't allow this. According to them, they have to impound the car. So our neighbour, who was parked legally outside her own house, will get home to find she has no car. To get it back she will need to travel to the pound, PAY to get her car back, and then reclaim the money.
She lives alone, and she is a pensioner. So she needs to find someone to take her there, or get there by public transport (~1.5 hours) and then pay out what could be £££s, which she will get back at some undefined point in the future. And depending on when she returns, she could be lacking her car for several days.
Several neighbour's (including us) have agreed we will all give her a lift if we are around, and help out financially if she will let us. But AIBU to think this is pretty fucking appalling to do to someone who has done absolutely nothing wrong?!
ProjectPerfect · 21/08/2015 08:29
Similar happened to me years ago. My legally parked car was hit in an accicident and towed. I had to make a three hour round trip to a pound somewhere on outskirts of east London with a three week old baby.
It cost me almost £200 to get my car - never got the money back 
londonrach · 21/08/2015 08:31
Shocked. Hope this helps. However it doesnt fall within any of the reasons so i think a visit to the police with questions and local paper. Your poor neighbour. www.legalaid.wa.gov.au/InformationAboutTheLaw/CarsandDriving/Trafficoffences/Pages/Impoundingandconfiscationofvehicles.aspx
StephanieBeacham · 21/08/2015 08:37
It's atrocious.
I hope she does get the money back and that it's quick.
I had a motorcycle stolen many years ago from outside my flat. I saw the guy taking it and running off (I hadn't locked it - stupidly).
I called the police - no one told me the next day when it was found a five minute walk from my flat. They impounded it in a village about 10 miles away and I had to get a lift there (no public transport, middle of nowhere) and found it had been left outside on a dump in the rain (it was fine except for cut wiring and almost brand new)
I had to pay over £150 to get it back - increasing by the day - if I didn't pay, they kept it.
I complained to the police and even our MP but nothing - they seemed to be able to ignore the fact that it was totally wrong.
This situation is even worse though.
OddBoots · 21/08/2015 09:08
YANBU.
Around here a lot of roads have been resurfaced with signs up for weeks saying the dates of the works and that no cars should be parked during the works. Some cars were left on the day so a company moved them and put them onto some nearby verges.
If they can do it then so can this tow truck - even if they charge their time to the insurance company of the accident causing car.
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