If you have been towed at the request of the City of Buda Police Department you may have been overcharged. The BPD officers working accidents/arrests are requesting a particular tow company to tow your car. Since the onset of the BPD until Oct. 1, 2011 they have been using the Hays County Rotation List and Policies. In those policies the fee set for the towing of vehicles from an accident/arrest scene was $140. Also set forth is that YOU as the vehicle owner/operator have the right to request the towing company of your choice, if YOU do not choose a wrecker, the next wrecker on the rotation list is to be dispatched. The officer on duty does not have the right to request a tow company for YOU!! When the request has been coming from the BPD, against Hays County protocol, the tow company has been charging a fee of $165, a $25 overcharge. The preferential treatment given to this tow company by the BPD was brought to the attention of Chief Kidd in June. With nothing done, it was again brought to the attention of Chief Kidd in September when the BPD set it’s own wrecker rotation list and policies. The overcharging issue was brought before the Hays County Sheriff’s office and it was investigated and although there is evidence to support both the overcharging and the preferential treatment nothing is being done by either the Hays County Sheriff’s office or the the City of Buda Police Dept. In the new wrecker policies set by the BPD and the Buda City Council it is mandatory for all wreckers on rotation to have Vehicle Storage Facilities in the City of Buda (3 eligible companies) and to have two tow trucks (one conventional and one flatbed) that cannot be over 12 years old. Amazingly enough that rule requiring newer trucks eliminates all tow companies except for the tow company that they have been requesting and allowing to overcharge. If you have been overcharged, please file a complaint with the Texas Department of License and Regulations (TDLR) on their website http://www.tdlr.state.tx.us/towing/towing.htm, at the bottom of the page.
Lori Fitch
Buda
(Editor’s Note: Lori Fitch and her husand Richard own A and E towing.)
