Another similar experience
After shopping late Thursday afternoon. 28 July, I came back at about 5:30PM to find my vehicle had been towed away. At first, I thought it had been stolen until I looked around and saw a sign. Upon closer inspection, I realised what had happened. There was 24 hour CCTV surveillance. My car had been towed away.
I rang the number and was told that I needed to go to the other side of the City to collect my vehicle at a cost of $550, even though the sign said Minimum $450. After querying the amount, no reasonable explanation was given. I asked what type of vehicle would cost an owner $450. No explanation was given. The address for towing company was messaged promptly to my iPhone. I had until 6:30pm to collect my vehicle.
Same repeated distressing situation on a daily basis
After talking to the local businesses at the car park, I was told by one of the shop assistants that she has people coming in, shocked and stunned, to complain about the same thing every day.
After taking photos and waiting until 6:15p.m., in the dark, my partner who was on the other side of town picked me up to collect my vehicle. Again, I rang towing company to let the man know that we wouldn’t be there by 6:30 pm. Also, as my medication, medical supplies and prescriptions were in my vehicle, I needed them. Graciously, he said he would wait. And he did.
Unfortunately, he didn’t reply to my question about how many vehicles had been towed away from the car park that day.
Finally, both my partner and I returned to his place in the next suburb from the shopping village at 7:45 p.m.
Signage not good enough
Yes, there are signs at the car park in front of several parking bays, at the two entrances and on some posts in front of the businesses, but I didn’t see them.
Upon approaching the car park from one of the roads, there is a sign re parking situated below the main sign. Not an ideal place for it, as it is situated below the list of shops. (Later that evening, I noticed another one of the signs in front of the driveway of another business down the road. It was a much larger sign and stood clearly on the right, without other signage around it, as drivers entered the car park.)
Article in local newspaper
As I found out later, the local newspaper covered the unhappiness of the drivers having their vehicles towed away in their front page (and page 5) story the week before. Up to 15 vehicles a day towed away. That’s up to $8250 a day; up to $33 000 a month; up to $396 000 for 12 months. Wow, and that’s from just one car park.
With CCTV surveillance, there is obviously a constant stream of unsuspecting drivers who, like myself, are not aware of the signs. As a visitor coming into the small shopping village at one end of the shopping area from where I live in an adjoining city, I have been unaware of these signs until now.
My Proposals
1. Rather than costing unsuspecting drivers large amounts of money, I would like to propose the following solution. At the front of each parking bay, the message 'Customer Parking Only Towaway Zone' be painted at the top of it. Also, a large clear sign with the message in bold colours needs to be in front of each entrance. A smaller sign in front of each parking bay is essential as well.
2. Let drivers know where there is alternative parking available in non-tow away zones.
3. Issue a warning for the first offence. Give a fine for the second offence. Do it three times and the vehicle is towed away
(Please note that the last proposal was given to me by my friend who assisted the pregnant lady previously mentioned. She was told by her dentist at West End that they were having a huge problem with their car parks. Motorists would leave their vehicles in the car parks and go into the City for the day. A service was employed to issue a warning, then a fine, and finally towing the vehicle away.)
Warning to other drivers
Fortunately, while I was waiting, I was able to caution a couple with their baby about the car park signage. Even though they parked right in front of a sign, they didn’t notice it either.
Facebook Post and Response
I wrote about my ordeal on Facebook to my friends while I was waiting. My Post started,
‘Unbelievable, whatever you do, don’t park in the car park on the corner of ________ and __________ Rds.’
One of my friends wrote back to say that a couple of months ago she came across a very distressed and very pregnant woman in the same car park. She parked and left the car park to find a toilet urgently. In that short time, her car was towed away. Comments from my friends were: terrible; horrible; What a racket! ; understand the small business owners’ frustration but the penalty is very severe.
Time-span is a genuine cause of concern.
When I parked my vehicle at approximately 4:00pm, there were many parking bays available. According to my Towing Receipt, my vehicle was towed away at 4:05p.m. When I returned, only a few cars were parked in the car park including the assistant at one of the shops. I only saw one customer come to collect some takeaway. By the time I left, only a few cars were parked there.
Contact owner
According to the local newspaper, attempts to contact the owner of the complex were unsuccessful. Nevertheless, I will contact her through the Body Corporate at that Village.
In conclusion, I feel strongly that this parking issue extracting exorbitant amounts from unsuspecting drivers needs to be rectified. Others drivers and I who have been caught up in this terrible situation do not intentionally go out to park in an area from which our vehicles will be towed away within minutes of leaving it. Visitors and shoppers to _________ Rd should not have to pay for having their vehicles to be towed away in such a fashion.
Better alternatives are available. It is a stressful, distressing, inconvenient and a costly predicament to find oneself in. It certainly doesn’t bode well for businesses in the area. Word-of-mouth and front page headlines in the local paper are spreading the negative impact of such an unwelcoming practice in this shopping area.
It is my intention, therefore, to contact the Queensland’s Fair Trading and also the Consumer Affairs Department to lodge my complaint. Letters of complaint have been sent to the local newspaper, the City’s Lord Mayor and the local Member of Parliament.
