By Juan Montoya
We all know now that there are vulture tow truck services cutting deals with downtown Brownsville businesses that allow them to post signs in parking lots and then swoop down on the cars of unsuspecting motorists and gouge them $300 or more to return them.
Well, it seems that these vultures, specifically a company known as El Rancho Towing, that has moved on to better and bigger things.
It seems that the company has negotiated deals with businesses located across from two popular night spots on Springmart Blvd. to extort the $300-plus towing charges from unsuspecting patrons of the Mynt and Doghouse bar and grills.
The signs warning against parking in the parking lots are barely distinguishable at night and patrons of the nightspots become vulnerable to the fees when the parking lot of the clubs are filled and they park across the street in businesses like the Sofa Mart, Bedroom Express, Furniture Row, Oak Express, etc.
All these businesses have deals with the tow truck company and – for a cut of the action, we're told – allow the vulture tow truck company to prey on the customers of the clubs even after their businesses are closed.
At $300-plus a pop, with only 10 victims a night, the company stands to make $3,000 daily. With three weekend days to work the scam, that rounds out to a nice $9,000 profit.
The district manager for Furniture Row was asked whether he approved of the local store manager's arrangement with the tow truck company and replied that he really didn't care what happened in little Brownsville. Besides, he said, the drivers left litter on the premises.
But club owners said they had offered to clean up the parking lots at no cost to the owner if they would just stop towing their customers' cars away. Furniture Row declined the offer, they said.
Just yesterday (Friday), one of our readers was waiting to pick up a friend at Furniture Row and the tow truck operator ordered him to move so they could hook up a car behind him or he would call the police. He said he wasn't parked and that his car's motor was on. The tow truck operator called the police and within minutes five units appeared on the scene.
"They don't answer that soon when someone calls them for help," he said. "And we get five units answering the call of a toe truck operator? Are they getting a cut, too?"
How different that response was from that of the managers of the Sunset Memorial Funeral Home and Crematory across the street from the Mynt. They said that the tow truck company had approached them and offered them a cut from the towing fee if they allowed them to haul off the cars of the people who were in the clubs and they had refused.
"We don't want to hurt those people," they said they told the driver.
Furniture Row – and all other businesses in town that sign on to the tow truck trap scam – apparently don't share the same feelings toward their potential customers or fellow Brownsville residents. Beware of this tow truck trap and think twice when you have the potential need to buy your next piece of furniture.
24 comments:
You don't even have a car, MONTOYA! LOL
I will stop my business with Furniture row for being selfish that place sucks anyway
One of the managers at Furniture Row is none other than Ramiro Ramirez, also known as Ramz Ramz on Facebook. This individual should be looked into by corporate for sexual misconduct in the workplace. Secondly, he does seem thirsty for money so it wouldn't surprise anyone who has known him or worked with him in the past. As for the tow truck business, what do you expect for a poorly structured and uneducated business. "El que mal empieza, mal acaba", instead of cutting deals with business's perhaps they should go back to the drawing board and come up with a new plan on making profit. As for the club goers, park at Sunset Funeral and be grateful that the Ortiz family has values and morals. Boycott Furniture Row!!!
Boycott All Businesses that support this form of extortion, even the Downtown restaurants & business that allow the same !
You guys are a bunch of fucking morons!! Boycott the business ,fucking snowflakes stay home than. I wouldn't want you in parking lot while you give business elsewhere.
Why am I not surprised that the biggest idiot in the comments can’t even spell.
Sounds like Judge Trejo and his wife should look into this, since they run 5 tow companies!
Why don't you boycott domingez he gives his county employees off on a friday morning with pay, just so they can hear him give a political stupid speech. Priorities are skewed here.
Gonzales furniture isn't any better
They do the same to golds gym patrons that park in their parking lot.
I blame the over zealous tow truck companies owned by our political heavy weights!
I went into Furniture row one time looking for solid oak bookshelves and didn't make a purchase because their prices are sky high. I do believe that you get what you pay for, but those people struck me as a bunch of knuckleheads with their pricing.
Doesn't suprise me in the least about their after-hours parking policy and their deal with the tow truck companies. If it's true about Judge Trejo being involved with tow truck companies then it shouldn't be a big surprise to find five patrol cars responding to a call in that neck of the woods... Follow the money, honey!
Does any body know the phone number of this company?
I will not patron Furniture Row any longer. Thank goodness for sincere, honest hardworking people like the owners of Sunset Funeral Home.
So the night club using other peoples parking lot is the good guy
and the coffee shop using other peoples parking lot is the bad guy.
inconsistent as usual. your full of it.
Do the parking lots of the business belong to the public? That's why wreckers can do business. 7th and Park is using the public's assets to do private business because of its political connections. You OK with that?
So both the night club and the coffee shop are bad guys. but thats not what your story says.
Your painting the wrecker and Furniture row as the bad guys and nothing is further than the truth. Its their right to do whatever they want on their property.
You have a hard on for Origo, Gowen and the coffee shop and want to bury them every time you get a chance, but your don't judge the club in the same manner. - Its obvious the parking isn't enough but have a permit to operate. Why aren't you writing about that?
You need to tell people to respect private property. Companies don't care about trash, they care about liability. If someone crashes, someone gets run over on the property you and I know they want to go after Furniture Row insurance policy.
What if one of the club goers is shit faced drunk, no insurance and smashes into the store? Who's going to pony up the money?
Are you OK if I park in your drive way while I get hammered at a neighbors house and take a piss on your tree on my way out? Would you call the tow company? YOU DAMN RIGHT YOULL CALL THE TOW COMPANY. and its you'r right to do so.
Im just saying - be coherent.
It's unfair as crap they turn their heads and refuse to enforce the permits that requires that a business has so many lots for parking, while this gringo business is allowed to break the law. So why arrest that permit inspector? He might have a case against PD and the city. I hope he takes the whole bunch to court and sue the crap out of all of them, but sue them personally.
Montoya, if you're the investigative reporter like you think you are? Then you need to investigate and see who the owner is and the scam that extends in this county. The owner is a rat and abuser with a long history! Look into it!
If the idiot bar patrons wouldn't leave bags of beer bottles behind and other trash, these businesses would probably allow the public to park in their lots.
If the idiot bar owners place trash cans in their place of business (outside)there wouldn't be trash bags left behind(some plastic). PENDEJO
It's increasingly obvious that people are ignorant to the world around them. The company is simply doing what they can to protect themselves and yet this article serves as an attack against people that are doing nothing to harm the bar goers and promoting stupidity as, "I don't understand it, so you should be angry too!"
First and foremost, it's furniture rows' right to ask that vehicles that aren't their customers be removed from the property as that is a liability risk to them. The insurance companies and corporate is trying to protect themselves from something bad happening but people are viewing this as, the man is simply trying to extort you. I could easily say that the bar is purposely trying to get me drunk so they can take advantage of me and make me buy more drinks. Are some of you mad I said that? Good, it means you have double standards and I just proved that point.
I'm surprised that some people are so ignorant as to comment that they are no longer going to be customers of furniture row simply because a towing company is doing their job? Ok then, I suppose it's your right not to shop there. Please take your ignorance somewhere else. I've dealt with them and they are the nicest group of people that I have done business with. I'd gladly choose them over lacks any day as they have better deals and financing options. Lacks is sad in that aspect but that's besides the point.
For the people saying that they are no longer going to give FR their business because of a towing company, for you to say that is like me getting mad at you for eating a cupcake because I'm on a diet. Doesn't make sense now does it? The sign's being BARELY VISIBLE.......*facepalm* there are plenty of good eye doctors out there. Check with your insurance to see who's covered. I doubt that HIGHLY reflective signs that I'm VERY SURE did not pop up overnight aren't that hard to read. Those that complain, "I didn't know you couldn't park there!", listen...... firstly, when has it ever been ok to park in a lot that doesn't belong to the place your going to? Secondly, hasn't it ever occurred to you that maybe you should be more vigilant? I always spot these signs and take pictures of them so if something happens I can prove myself. IE I got a parking ticket for parking after hours despite the sign saying it's ok. I had the ticket, the picture of the sign, showed that I was within my rights and had it cleared. But no, people apparently are bad at spotting signs that get posted almost everywhere in a lot.
As for the commenter that complained that the police were called when the tow truck company asked him to move and he refused. What did you think was going to happen? You are hindering their ability to do their job. Of course the police are going to get involved. You are hindering their job which costs their business money but you find it as, they are swindling unsuspecting people! No, they are doing their job and trying to make a living. By preventing them from picking up cars, fulfilling their contract, and getting paid, you are damaging their business. Yes, that is highly illegal. I'd be willing to bet that if I stand in front of the bar and block people from entering, the bar or the police would take care of me asap. Drop the double standard.
The people complaining are simply the ones that got licked by tow companies and are sour because, "Why should I have to pay money for a mistake I made?" I've been licked by bad towing companies before but I know my rights and read the terms and conditions beforehand so I have a case rather than some people that whine when things don't go their way because they didn't bother to educate themselves or read the terms and conditions before signing.
Your ignorance is not my, nor anyone's, problem.
If you were the owner of a business and you see that there is trash on your parking lot property that was left there the previous night or early morning hours by careless,inconsiderate, impaired judgment individuals, you wouldn't appreciate it either. Please have an open mind and see this from a different perspective.
Why am I not surprised that the biggest idiot uses "snowflake" and posts anonymously. That "insult" got run down by simple minded, uncreative cucks.
Triggered snowflake.
I had my vehicle towed in that exact spot. I wasn’t impaired but missed the sign as it really isn’t visible at night.
The business has a right to “protect” its property, but if the tow truck company approached them and agreed to give management a cut (from my understanding that company is a chain and not just local), I think most rational people can agree that’s wrong.
On a side note, if you get your vehicle towed by that company, be sure to pick it up before 12:00 PM the next day or they’ll charge you an extra $20.00. Also take cash, they’ll charge you 6% of the total to use your card... but I guess that’s fair too.....
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