Pepe's towing is known in Santa Ana as the vultures of towing
Not too long ago I posted a blog about how some of the aggressive towing companies in Santa Ana, CA are having a negative impact on housing prices in Santa Ana. This of course, is just one realtors opinion, but I have experienced firsthand watching a Pepe's truck try to yank my car out of its space when there were no clear "no parking" signs posted in the complex. Later I came to find out that the only sign was actually on the front of a gate that was stuck open that day (so the sign was not visible). How am I supposed to show properties to my clients if me and my clients return to the car to find it gone? Do you really think those potential buyers are going to buy a condo there? Probably not. I have former clients who bought a condo in Santa Ana who have a parking sticker but left the car in the same spot for three days because it was a three day weekend. Pepe's towing came and towed the car because they said the car is not supposed to remain in the same spot for more than 72 hours. This person is a resident of the complex with a sticker!!
In fairness I will post an email response that I got from someone who works for Pepe's towing below:
hello let me start off by saying it's not all a scam.. c worked for Pepe's towing for about 3 years now. Most people are mad when there car gets towed. I know i was. But i wasn't mad at the company that towed me but myself for where i parked. as for the regulations I'm writing it right out of the ca.vehicle code book section 22658.2 upon the request of the owner of vehicle or the owner's agent, the towing company or it's driver shall immediately and unconditionally release a vehicle that is not yet removed from the private property and in transit. that is paragraph. 2 but then the law states in paragraph 3(h) a towing company may impose a charge not more than one half of the regular towing charge for the towing of a vehicle at request of the owner of the private property or the owner's agent or the person in lawful possession of private property pursuant to this section if the owner of the vehicle or the owner's agent returns to the vehicle after the vehicle is coupled to the tow truck by means of a regular hitch, coupling, device, draw bar, portable dolly's or is lifted off the ground by means of a conventional trailer and before it is removed from the private property. in all it means we can charge a drop fee and if the car is off of the private property then we can charge a tow fee. So to all those who keep bad mouthing the tow industry. maybe they should read the law before opening there mouth. almost all the tow company's prices are approved by highway patrol. if Pepe's towing is such a bad company then why would we have a contract with the S.A.U.S.D police department answer that. if you got towed get over it and pay a little more attention to where you park. thank you for your time.
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There's a line between clearing out the parking spaces so that people who live there have a place to park and aggressively trying to make money. My experience was in the middle of the day and the parking lot was half empty. No one called them, the tow trucks just drive around looking for victims.
And in the other case, she was a homeowner. The rule is to prevent people from leaving their cars there indefinitely. Not to try to make a buck off someone who was lucky enough to have a three day weekend.
I believe the fine line to discuss it is in places like activerain. If we can expose this exploitation, maybe the homeowners from other complexes will have more evidence when discussing this with their HOA.
By the way, if you do a google search, you'll find other people's comments about how they have seen these guys from Pepe's towing out there, "illegally steal cars". http://orangecounty.citysearch.com/profile/36197846/santa_ana_ca/pepe_s_towing.html
Many people think it's just a one-time experience and it will take too much effort to do something about it. But I think there's numerous experiences like this that have yet to be posted on the internet.
I wonder if the person from Pepe's towing who wrote that email is aware of the claims made against Pepe's as a preditory tow company. Here's a news story from OC Register:
A Santa Ana tow truck driver pleaded guilty Friday to accidentally crushing a man to death in a case that thrust the dangers of so-called predatory towing into the national spotlight.
Paul Sassenberger, 30, ran over Leoncio Flores, 42, of Santa Ana as the man tried to prevent his sport utility vehicle from being taken last year. Flores' family won a $2 million civil settlement in February from the towing company, Pepe's Towing, and Villa McFadden Homeowners Association.
On Friday, Sassenberger of San Bernardino pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter and 11 other charges, most of them for towing vehicles despite the owners being present.
He will be sentenced Nov. 3 to six years in prison. Had he gone to trial, he would have faced 14 years, eight months.
The law holds that a tow truck driver cannot take a vehicle if the car's owner is present, Orange County Deputy District Attorney Lesley Young said.
"Cars are being ripped out of lots just after drivers parked them," she said.
State legislation is pending that would tighten the rules tow drivers must follow in taking vehicles from private property.
The death of Flores, Young said, was the worst-case scenario when it comes to predatory towing.
What an eye opener. I didn't know there was such a thing as preditory towing. One more benefit of living in a small town, I suppose. good luck.
Kevin,
I think your post of the Orange County Register article brings up an interesting point. Notice that not only did Pepe's towing get hit with a multi-million dollar lawsuit, but the Home Owners Association also got hit. That must have been a huge setback to the reserve funds for everyone living there. I think the home owners associations would be wise to make sure the towing company they hire isn't involved with such aggressive tactics. I remember the guy from Pepe's banging on my window trying to get me out of my car so he could tow it away. I didn't realize there was a law that forbid the towing of a person's car when the owner was present.
This Is A Very Long Comment To the Person Who works for Pepe's and the people who hate Pepe's Towing and want to know the truth!
You must feel really proud to work for one of the most hated tow company's in Orange County. I don't even think To & Mo has the F***ed up reputation that Pepe's does. Its really sad how you can sit there and defend them, knowing what assholes you really work for. I know who you are, I worked at Pepe's a few years back as well. I was with the company when they got the SAUSD contract and when they signed the contract with AAA. Big deal! Truth is, no other tow company wants the damn school police contract, thats why no other company made a bid for it. As for AAA, its the same...no decent company wants to send their drivers out to do unwanted tire change and fuel calls for $25 a call. I'm guessing that you are probably a dispatcher making the wonderful $100/ a day right? For a great $100, you work 12 hour shifts. I told you I know how that company rolls. Why do you think Tino quit and went to To&Mo, and so did his wife. Or what about Jessica (I cant remember her name) the dispatcher who got fired for being nice to people, and telling the drivers to lay off. Ramon left as well to accept a better position with Avanti Towing. Why don't you talk about the illegal immigrants that live in the tow yard like Rodrigo or Pancho? Pancho was drunk every night, he would even crash the cars that were for sale. Hmmm...I think I smell DUI!!! Let me tell you about Rodrigo, from what Jessica told me one night that she was working with him, he screwed a girl in the bathroom and gave her back her car with NO CHARGE! Thats it people, if you get your car towed, all you have to do is give the dispatcher a $50 or a blow job, and bammm, You Got Your Car Back! Or what about the filthy office that you work in? Its nice to think that while you and the rest of your employees are busting your ass for less than minimum wage, Paco drives a nice Dodge Durango, and Pepe drives a brand new Expedition, and both of them take frequent trips to Mexico during the year. They both walk around with inch thick gold chains, and you are barely making enough to buy a cup of noodles. See I told you that I knew more about the company then you thought. Why don't you keep your mouth shut, and don't speak unless you really know wassup! What you quoted with your book in your hand only pertains to associations, and has nothing to do with apartment complexes or hot spots like ORIGINAL MIKES! You like that don't you, I know every hot spot that your company works and the dates as well. Whoever wants a copy of that list feel free to contact me. The law states in plain English that your car can be towed if there are visible signs stating that you cannot park there or if you "store" the vehicle in the same spot for over 72 hours. Other than that, you are fine. If you see a driver try to take your car, they legally have to drop at no charge. NO CHARGE! Not half of the tow charge or any of that other crap. And NO, you don't go anywhere near the CHP rates, you charge extremely over, and I can prove that any time. Remember I worked there. Sooner or later Pepe's is going to get dinged for all the crap that they pull, including the $2 million dollar lawsuit that Pepe was slapped with when Sal killed that guy. Oh, thats right, you were just starting, you don't remember that do you? How pathetic and ignorant can one person be.
ONE PIECE OF ADVICE TO EVERYONE WHO LIVES IN CHATHAM VILLAGE OR GOES TO ORIGINAL MIKES; KEEP A DISPOSABLE CAMERA IN YOUR CAR. YOU WILL BE AMAZED AT THE WAYS YOU CAN BE SAVED BY SPENDING A FEW BUCKS ON A CAMERA. PEPE'S HAS CAMERAS IN THEIR TRUCKS, BUT THEY CAN CUT OUT AND DELETE CERTAIN PARTS OF THEIR VIDEOS! CONTACT ME FOR MORE INFO, I HAVE TO GET BACK TO MY JOB. A REAL WORK PLACE THAT PAYS BETTER THAN YOUR SEVEN BUCKS AN HOUR. EAT DIRT DUMBASS!
Wow, that long comment was stunning.
Hi Aaron,
Thanks for sharing this info with us. I live and work in Santa Ana and several of my neighbors have had their cars towed recently. Now I know why.