A MAN shocked to find his truck stolen one morning had to confront a towing company with some fineprint in order to get reimbursed hundreds of dollars.
Rodney Qualls, from Fort Collins, Colorado, was heading to work when he realised his Dodge truck was missing from outside his home.
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Fortunately, the vehicle was found some five hours later when a Thornton Police officer informed him it had been abandoned at an intersection.
It was towed to an impound lot, but Rodney was away on business at the time and couldn’t pick it up immediately.
Upon his return, Rodney and his wife Tasha decided to read up on their rights before retrieving the vehicle, fearing a large towing bill.
Speaking to 9News Denver, Rodney said: “When I called earlier, before we got there, you know, they just kind of told me the fees and this and that, and then Tasha and I just kind of started doing our homework.”
The couple discovered a little-known 2023 Colorado state law called HB23-1217 that created a fund to reimburse towing companies for the cost of towing stolen vehicles.
However, when they arrived at the lot, an employee handed them a $380 bill.
Tasha showed the impound’s manager a copy of the law that she thought covered victims’ costs, only to be informed that the law no longer applied.
They later discovered the bill had been amended before passing; instead of creating the fund, the bill issued a charge to the legislature to study the issue.
Representative Meg Froelich, who originally sponsored the legislation, explained to 9News that during the amendment process and subsequent study, the state realised that creating a fund for car theft victims would be too expensive.
As a result, the legislature allocated money to the Colorado State Patrol instead to establish a victims’ assistance fund for car theft victims.
The Qualls learned that consumers can access the fund at lockdownyourcar.org, and finding the Victims Assist link.
This fund also cover other costs associated with car theft, provided victims supply documentation such as police reports, proof of residency, and insurance.
In this instance, the Qualls can apply to see if they can get reimbursed for the towing bill as well as an extra $400 to fix the ignition, door lock, and dome light that were broken when the car was stolen.
The couple bear no hard feelings towards the tow company.
Tasha said: “That’s their job, to go and get the vehicle off the street and secure it safely when they are called. I just don’t think it’s fair for the victim to have to pay for it.”
Elsewhere, drivers have been left scrambling to meet a DMV deadline before one of its sites closes its doors for good next week.
All services associated with the site will be transferred to a new location more than 10 miles away.
And rideshare passengers should take a closer look at their receipts come January.
Thanks to a new congestion pricing law, Uber, Lyft, and taxi passengers are about to pay more to ride.
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