ComplaintsforStepp's Towing Service, Inc.

• Initial Complaint

  10/09/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  Called to release vehicle. Company never communicated that final date to retrieve vehicle was the date documents were sent/given during phone/email contact. Unprofessional considering the circumstances the occur during a car accident and the current economy. This is a large company, there should be a grace ****** or some kind of understanding considering the vehicle is still in possession and not auctioned off.

  Business response

  10/11/2023

  When a vehicle is brought into our impound yard, a certified letter is sent to the registered owner, lien holder, and insurance company. This information is provided to us by the ****************** of ***** vehicles.
  In that certified letter, it clearly states all of the vehicle information, owner information, AUCTION DATE, and charges due.  If the vehicle would have had full coverage insurance, the insurance company would have been the responsible party to pick it up from the impound yard. If not, the registered owner would need to retrieve the vehicle.Every vehicle sits in the impound yard for a minimum of 37 days before it is auctioned off. Towing companies must follow the state statues and county ordinances to stay in compliance.  We are unsure of what your exact situation was with our company, but we would be more than happy to talk to you more so you can have a better understanding on how the process works.

  Customer response

  10/17/2023

   
  Complaint: 20705031
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  During my initial conversation with said company, including the insurance company, there was no mention of deadline. Also, requested items were sent the day of 10/4/23 via email. Again, no mention that it was the last day to retrieve vehicle. Most companies would be willing to work with someone considering the impact of car accidents have on individuals. Their employees are rude and understandably so if their superiors dont have compassion for their customers. After being hung up on in an attempt to resolve the matter, all I can assume is this is a multimillion dollar company trying to come up a few hundred dollars on a car rather than have values. 

  
  Sincerely,
  
  *****************************

  Business response

  10/30/2023

  In the complaint of *****************************, that Stepps Towing did not give all parties ample time to respond and get the vehicle picked up, please be advised that Stepps Towing did everything according to ******* Statues ******; and owner(s)were given plenty of time but did not comply.  
  
  Vehicle was impounded: 8-17-2023. 
  
  A call came in on 8-22-2023 from *********************** and at that time he was told that vehicle owner(s) will need to bring DL, Current Registration to access vehicle. 
  
  Notice of claim of lien and proposed sale was mailed out: 08/24/2023 (within the 7 business days required by F.S.) 
  
  Notice was sent to *******************, *****************************, and lien holder *********** Auto Finance 
  
  Notice was received by ******************* (Vehicle Owner 1) 08/28/2023.
  Notice was received by ****************************;( Vehicle Owner 2) 08/28/2023.              
  Notice was received by *********** (Lien Holder) 09/02/2023.
  
  ***************************** & her insurance (USAA) called on 10/3/2023 (day before sale /auction date) and was sent the required form to release to insurance and was informed that she needed to send ID and Proof of Ownership in order to release to USAA. 
  
  ***************************** was emailed on 10/4/2023 (day of sale) and was told that if her insurance called and sent in proof of ownership on her behalf, they could still pick up the vehicle. 
  
  USAA called on 10/06/2023 and was informed that the vehicle was no longer available for pick up. 
  
  We are sorry to hear about this complaint, however the owner(s) had ample amount time and chose not to respond with the paperwork required to take possession of the vehicle. Stepps was compliant and we had to move forward as it was 2 days after the sale date and we still did not have all the necessary paperwork to release the vehicle. 

• Initial Complaint

  02/01/2023

  Complaint Type:

  Product Issues

  Status:

  Resolved

  More info

  Back in October 2022, one of the ******* Towing Service driver caused damaged to my 2009 ***** Civic, resulting in being in the collision shop for almost 2 weeks. The rental car was arranged between ********************** Shop (**** ****************, *******************, **) and ******* Towing Service. I have text messages from the business (Rose) indicating they would refund the insurance costs related to the car rental. I forwarded them the receipt/invoice which I am attaching here that was sent. I am also providing screenshots of the texts received from the business indicating they will pay for the insurance. Now, they are declining to refund that expense. Completely contradictory to what I have in my messages from the business. I am requesting payment in full ($339.83) for costs related to the collision caused the ******* Towing. They are being irresponsible in not honoring their commitment to refund the expense.

  Business response

  02/06/2023

  We have looked into this matter and *****’s Towing Service is issuing Mr. ****** a check for the full $339.83 refund requested.  The check has been cut and goes out in today's mail.
  
  Our normal policy does not cover rental car upgrades or optional insurance coverage add-ons, and unfortunately, it was communicated to us that Mr. ****** added optional insurance when he actually had the required insurance coverage of the rental car company. We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused Mr. ****** and the miscommunication of this circumstance as *****’s takes pride in their business practices and customer service.
  
  
  

  Customer response

  02/07/2023

  
  Better Business Bureau:
  
  I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID ********, and find that this resolution is satisfactory to me.
  
  Sincerely,
  
  ******** ******

• Initial Complaint

  11/01/2022

  Complaint Type:

  Service or Repair Issues

  Status:

  Answered

  More info

  On Oct 28 my father in law passed away and his truck was towed to **********************, we were informed there would be a daily charge until a death certificate is received and we can pick up the vehicle. The medical examiner called us and informed us on Oct 30 that his autopsy results are pending investigation and can take up to 20 weeks before the official death certificate will be completed. We let them know about the truck and they said they can provide a letter that works for everything but insurance to confirm his death. Oct 31 we called **********************, explained the situation, and they said they want a notarized letter from the medical examiner and proof of next of kin. The medical examiner had the letter notarized but advised that they cannot determine next of kin. So we took the letter and my husband's birth certificate to prove his passing and next of kin and drove 2 hours to **********************. We were informed this was not good enough & the medical examiner had to say we are next of kin. We explained that they said they cannot and we were basically told oh well and they closed us out of the gate. I called & explained that the medical examiner does not determine next of kin so I asked who they need to have this info from or for their policy in writing so I can show the medical examiner's office what we need. They informed me that they are not legally required to have a policy and we have 30 days to figure it out before they auction the vehicle so we better tell the medical examiner to get it together for a death certificate. The medical examiner at this point just wrote at their records indicated my husband as next of kin, not even any legal representation of next of kin but they accepted it. We messaged on ******** to ask their policy for someone passing and they replied that a police officer can come confirm the passing but when we requested an ******** ********************** refused. So they didn't follow their own policy and made one up that makes no sense, all to just attempt to profit off our loss.

  Business response

  11/09/2022

  We are sorry to hear that a complaint came in about Stepps Towing because we take pride in providing a high level of customer **********************. When a customer comes to us after a recent death of a loved one, often there are personal emotions involved when they contact us, and our staff must ask that customer for documents (proof of ownership/next of kin) and sometimes that can get misdiagnosed as a bad experience or service from the company. We must verify information so that we are compliant with laws and many times when we ask for documents, they may not have readily available or access to, a customer may feel as if they are not being helped to their liking
  
  Vehicle impounded: 10/28/2022 at 5:33am
  
  10/28/2022 we received a call from *************** asking how to get this vehicle from impound since vehicle owner is deceased. She was told to bring in the vehicle owners death certificate with next of kin, proof of ownership of the vehicle, and the ** of next of kin who will be picking up the vehicle.
  
  10/31/2022 the vehicle owners daughter in law, *******************, called about accessing vehicle and informed the staff that the death is under investigation and a death certificate would not be immediately available; at this time, she was told that in place of the death certificate we will accept a signed notarized letter from the medical examiner advising of who the next of kin is.
  
  10/31/2022 a signed notarized medical examiner letter was provided advising the next of kin for *********************** (deceased)is *********************, his son. Authorization to the vehicle was verified and personal belongings were taken from the vehicle, the vehicle itself was left behind.
  
  In every case involving a deceased person, we require the death certificate, proof of ownership and the ** of next of kin that is picking up vehicle. The date of impound to the date of property received was 3 days, and we did accept the medical examiners notarized letter as a legal document stating that, the examiner verified that ********************* was the next of kin. Stepps employees are not to investigate and determine if the notarized document naming the next of kin is sincere. Currently, we do not have policy in writing to share with customers on deceased owner vehicles and are considering putting one together in the near future. We did receive a question on ******** about obtaining a deceased owners vehicle without documents from medical examiner, and we replied with our condolences and informed them that the only exception would be either next of kin is accompanied by a police officer who authorizes and signs off on the release (but we do not call the police department on their behalf, that is something they would need to do, and make that request with the police department directly) or a court order requiring us to release the vehicle.
  
  While we understand it is sometimes tough for someone to take care of things like a deceased family members vehicle, we are a business that must be compliant. Please let us know if you have any questions or need further information from us. Thank you.

  Customer response

  11/09/2022

   
  Complaint: 18341518
  
  I am rejecting this response because:

  When we were on site, attempting to contact the police, they refused to come because Stepps was stating that their policy was that we have to have the letter that made no sense from the medical examiner, which resulted in the police refusing to come even though they are claiming now that their policy includes that the police can validate our documentation. If Stepps had agreed police could validate our documents, the police would have come. They refused as a response to Stepps acting as if the police couldn't help us. 

  Sincerely,
  *******************

  Business response

  11/10/2022

  Police officers do not validate documents. We are able to release vehicle if a police officer comes to our lot with a person that does not have their necessary documentation and the officer ***** off/authorizes us to release a vehicle without proper documentation. The officer is now taking responsibility and we are compliant with who the vehicle is released to. The option of involving a police officer is an extremely rare situation as officers do not normally take on that responsibility.

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