This girl wanted to take her frustration out on someone and the cashier was the most convenient person. And she had absolutely nothing to do with the actual towing of this car. Totally unacceptable behavior. I can think of no circumstance where it would be acceptable to attack someone on the level this girl did. Stick to the matter at hand and ask to talk to a supervisor. This woman was just doing her job and had no authority to give her any preferential treatment.
As to the reviews, I agree: who on earth is EVER going to give a positive review to ANY towing company??? But to be honest, I don’t care how they do business.
The target of all those insults did not touch the car. Getting personal, insulting her weight, her teeth, her education and her job were wrong, no matter what the woman’s employer did. If her car was illegally moved, she should have called a cop. If it was legally towed, then perhaps she should have parked legally.
There’s no excuse for the steady stream of personal insults.
I imagine the clerk got through it by counting the minutes until she could post the tape online, and is LOVING all the attention it’s getting.
Karma is a funny thing.
From NPR:
That doesn’t mean I think the reporter should get a promotion or a medal.
It seems that they must have a contract with CVS (and others) to do towing. I wouldn’t think it would be good for business for the private entities that allow them to do towing for them to conclude that they made a deal with someone that they didn’t know as well as they thought.
I’m not blaming the towing company - just pointing out that in addition to McHenry getting a lot of media attention for her ridiculous comments to the clerk - Advanced Towing is also coming under fire.
The local news stations have been interviewing numerous people who feel they were unfairly towed - and their point is they have no recourse. They have to pay the $130 - in cash - to get their car back.
Example - a parking lot is posted for no parking after midnight. Advanced Towing has trucks waiting and starts towing at 11:50 pm. Or - a person parks in a lot that is designated for a certain group of stores. After shopping there - the guy runs across the street to the ATM - returns 10 minutes later - and he has been towed. Pretty aggressive practices.
It’s sad that she was toting her degree a if it had anything to do with her being hired. She’s pretty and blonde. That’s all there is to her. She’s just reading off teleprompters. That’s a waste of a Medill education.
The towing company sounds like it uses predatory practices. While it’s easy to understand how frustrated someone would be if his/her car were towed under these circumstances, the reporter"s comments to the clerk were totally inappropriate. The reporter acted like a spoiled toddler who can’t control his/her emotions. Her comments were just downright mean and nasty. I would be horrified if she were my daughter.
I’m sure if the clerk had said something to set the reporter off, we would have heard about it.
What the reporter said was awful… BUT… why should we accept at face value a partial videotape supplied by a predatory towing company? They probably cross the line into illegality and for all we know it may be a family business where everyone profits from that, even the seemingly innocent clerk.
I’m not trying to negate what the awful newsperson said, but I want to know the whole story.
@greenwitch You seem to be an apologist.
was the ESPM person drunk I wonder.
^^ oh no, SHE was awful. We just don’t know how awful THEY might have been.
Not sure what you are suggesting greenwich , but I can’t imagine what the clerk could have done to warrant that vile personal attack.
Parking in the Metro DC area is tough , but I don’t think there is any mistaking it when a business or other party that owns parking spots posts clear warnings to potential violators .
The tone of the clerk didn’t suggest any provocation of the Barbie Doll from ESPN. I think Tom Sr could be right…she was probably drunk and if that is her defense, she might need to take a closer look at herself and how she conducts herself in public…
@greenwitch–are you saying that something might have happened in the earlier part of the tape that would have justified the behavior of the ESPN reporter? Hard to imagine what that might be.
About five years ago, I had to deal with the most obnoxious family in my 35 years of customer service career. They showed up to one of our locations where we have time limits on the use of the property after we had closed. It wasn’t an option to wait on them at that spot after hours, and it was very clear why to anyone who could have potentially shown up after hours.
One of my employees, a very polite college age young man explained to them why they could go to our next location ( less than five blocks away ) and get the service they needed, and also another option in case they didn’t want to walk any further. The husband / father called my employee a could name , which made me intervene…I calmy approached them and they in turn turned on me verbally. It was embarrassing for their young children and shocking for the people who worked for me…it didn’t end there.
I drove down to our other location that we referred them to and then the father got in my face and called me a racist since we wouldn’t fulfill their needs…the family looked just like mine in color. They were not wearing any clothing that suggested that they were from any particular ethnic / racial group…our manager at that spot , who was a close friend kicked them out and threatened to call the police. It was absolutely unbelievable what these parents did in front of their crying children , with no one fighting back at all. They called our office and also harassed a young woman to the point of tears.
The point is, I can keep my cool in heated exchanges and truthfully I did as did all of my employees. These people were supposed to be on their vacation…I can’t imagine how horrible their week was with the parents as angry as they were on day one
@Bromfield2 - maybe. We just don’t know do we.
I’ve been perusing the complaints about that towing company. Unbelievable! Of course it doesn’t justify what ESPN woman said, but I DON’T trust this company at all. Here’s a sample:
Oh, apparently Arlington County law is that the towing company must provide a photo of the illegally parked vehicle and must “drop” the vehicle for a fee of $25 if the owner returns while it is hitched up.
[quoteI parked illegally at the Virginia Commerce Bank on Sunday, July 22 around 8:15pm (to run into Red Velvet to buy a few cupcakes). We were away for 5 mins, TOPS!! And I’m not exaggerating! As my friend and I were walking back, I noticed a tow truck about to tow my car. I ran over there and he was already in his car. My car wasn’t even hiked up properly yet. I pleaded with him to let my car go. He said ‘No!’ I said I’d pay him right now if he could let my car go. His answer to everything was a resounding ‘NO!’ I asked if he could at least give my friend and I a ride to the towing place since we’d have no way of getting there to re-claim my vehicle. His answer of course was no and then he started using the most profane language possible. He started to pull away while I was still at his window. He almost hit my friend with the truck. I got in my car anyway and he stopped the truck. I called the police and the dispatcher told me there should be a drop fee. I yelled over to him saying I was calling the police and asked what the drop fee is. He THEN said it’s $25. Just minutes prior, I offered $50 - $100 to drop my car!!! He never gave me the drop fee option until I mentioned I called the police and specifically mentioned drop fee! The Arlington Police arrived and he lied by saying he did offer the drop fee.
This company must be investigated for their criminal business practices. The car wasn’t even hitched properly before he had tried to take off. The driver must have used the ‘f’ word a dozen times. It was a very ugly and traumatic experience.
[/quote]
[quote]
They are scum. I am in the military, and they towed a vehicle from my privately owned spot. When I told them that I owned the spot, they threatened me with violence, daring me “to come there.”
I have to admit, I did get a chuckle. I asked one of the males on the phone, “Which one of you uneducated, Neanderthals made the decision to tow my vehicle from my privately, owned spot?” The male responded, “Who do you think you are swearing at us?” I laughed and responded, “Calling you an uneducated, Neanderthal is not swearing, you uneducated Neanderthal.” The male hung up. I’ve dealt with bacteria on my kitchen sink that are smarter than these guys.
There is a special place in hell for these scumbags
[quote]
I can imagine what the clerk COULD have said (but pretty sure she didn’t). She COULD have said “hey blondie, your boob job and TV job mean nothing here, hand over the $300 and we might not scratch your car”. For example.
So, yes, hearing the whole unedited tape would be useful.
.If I were the clerk I’d have to point out the two ridiculous bags of silicone she’s carrying on her chest.
The Tow Company seems to in Northern VA. It’s pretty easy to file a complaint with the State Attorney General’s office on line. I suppose the bimbo couldn’t “investigate” that? Maybe the bimbo was parked illegally on private property and the tow company was correct. Parking in cities is tough. You have to read signs. It’s park of urban life.
http://www.oag.state.va.us/index.php/citizen-resources/file-a-consumer-complaint#lemon-law-towing
It is easy to complain. And according to our local NBC affiliate, this company has more filed complaints than all the other towing companies in Arlington County combined. They’ve featured in negative news stories here several times in the past year.
I haven’t watched the video (and won’t) but the company’s “business model” is now in jeopardy due to the national publicity.
I watched the video. To be honest it was not so bad considering where the tow employee works. Heck my staff hears worse than that on a daily basis.
This woman is a public figure (TV sportscaster) that relies on her image, including her character, means that she will get judged, even in situations like this where an unscrupulous company tows her car. Anyone that has lived in a large city with parking lots with restrictions runs the risk of getting towed, and when it happens, it is extremely frustrating. She parked somewhere where it sounds like she stayed 2 hours after closing so technically she broke a rule that allowed her car to get towed. Sounds like she claimed she did eat at the restaurant but also went to Gold’s gym to work it off? Not sure I believe that, but regardless, she pushed her luck too far and was towed.
The fact that she tore into another person’s looks, class, education and job title showed a side of her that suggests she comes from privilege, or feels she earned privilege, and chooses to throw that around to belittle others.
Pretty, smart, and strong are things I admire in my female friends, but pretty, smart, strong and of poor character is someone I don’t want to be associated or watch on TV.
The reporter obviously has a mean streak a mile wide. That being said, there are shady companies that train their employees to be confrontational to deflect attention from the fact that they are trying to pull one over on you. I can remember having a problem with a home warranty company and every person I spoke to about the issue would attack, interrupt and deflect. It was extremely frustrating but I never considered calling anyone stupid, toothless or fat.
If you look at many of the 60+ negative Yelp reviews and the 65 or so negative Google reviews for this company you will see certain patterns emerging:
They often do illegal things like proceed without a photograph of the infraction and without allowing the person to get their car down once it’s on the hitch.
They routinely hitch cars up improperly so they can get then out quickly, drive a block or two and then finish hitching them up. This especially damages cars with AWD.
In general, they damage cars and lie about it. The ticket counter lady will ask “when did you last inspect your car for damage? Do you have photographs of the whole car?”
The drivers curse at people, use racial slurs and anti-gay slurs.
The ticket counter woman laughs at people on the phone, tells at least one person with an obvious Jewish name, “of course you can pay”, and when people come in and say “I was at business X, here they are on the phone to corroborate this story” she will accuse them and the business of lying to get out of the tow fee.
They will use predatory practices like towing people when there are no signs, or no clear signs.
They often tow cars at one minute past the official closing time of a business. Especially Gold’s Gym. There are many, many complaints about towing there.
They have towed cars with dogs inside and tried to tow a car with children inside.
Also, if you look around there are very few towing companies with that many reviews. Maybe 5 or so reviews. 20 would be a lot. 65? On two different sites? No, I don’t trust their version of the story. Not yet anyway.