State law needs to rein in tow company practices

Last week we reported that a class action lawsuit has been filed against a Detroit-based towing company that had been preying on car owners here and in Detroit.
Breakthrough Towing had been targeting cars that parked at the CVS Pharmacy parking lot on Jos. Campau after business hours.
As it turned out, the company did not have a contract with CVS, nor permission to post their warning signs. The signs were taken down, and the company has not returned.
But before that came to light, the company was charging anywhere from $400 to $500 for people to get their cars back.
Cash only.
The fact that these victims had to pay cash only should also raise a red flag.
Breakthrough is not alone. We have read about equally aggressive towing companies doing this same act in other cities.
What is clearly needed is state legislation to rein in these businesses.
An attorney representing the victims of Breakthrough talked to us about the immense red tape people have to go through to challenge towing companies and their fees.
That has to change now.
We are soon going to have a new state representative and state senator elected this November. We urge whoever is chosen by voters to represent us in Lansing to make this a priority issue and introduce legislation.
Guaranteed, if one or both of these brand new legislators can accomplish this task, they will have some very grateful constituents.

Oct. 5, 2018

2 Responses to State law needs to rein in tow company practices

  1. Fatema Hossain

    October 7, 2018 at 4:24 pm

    Mike Dickerson, owner of Breakthrough Towing, was questioned by a reporter for Detroit Metro Times, who by coincidence has its office across the street from the Midtown McDonalds near Wayne State University where the controversial tows occurred. He was asked about the CVS/Bumbo’s bar tows in Hamtramck.

    Dickerson recently texted to the reporter a purported copy of an agreement dated 8/27/2015 between an alleged CVS manager “Mike Kyle” and Breakthough Towing to authorize the tows; The Metro Times reporter was not able to reach CVS management to confirm the agreement; however, according to prior news reports in the Review, Breakthrough Towing management had claimed it had an agreement with CVS under questioning by police – but never produced it. The CVS manager mentioned in the Review article was identified as Mike Raynor – and he expressed no knowledge of ANY agreement with Breakthrough Towing.

    While the Breakthrough Towing signs are gone from the local CVS, the Bumbo’s Bar victims remain and are out hundred of dollars apiece.

  2. John Dory

    October 7, 2018 at 10:16 pm

    There have been some significant stories related to Breakthrough Towing specifically and the concept of victimizing restaurant patrons via predatory towing practices:

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ALgw6jc3dbg

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJIO7s1hpQU

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JK2VlvdN01o

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