PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Since Oregon enacted a law in 2018 requiring a tow company to get signed authorization before towing a car from a parking lot, the Department of Justice said they received 261 complaints against Retriever Towing. That is nearly 25% of all complaints received.
On Tuesday, the Oregon DOJ sued Retriever Towing over their alleged illegal towing activities.
Read: Oregon DOJ lawsuit against Retriever Towing
Attorney General Ellen Rosenblum said the purpose of Oregon’s law was to put an “end to predatory towing practices that cost consumers hundreds of dollars just to recover their car.” But Retriever Towing, she said, did not change their methods.
“Retriever told us it was reforming its business practice, but it never did,” Rosenblum said. “We hope this lawsuit will send a message to all towing companies around the state that they’ll be held accountable for violating the law.”
With exceptions for a tow when a car is blocking an emergency vehicle, tow companies are required in Oregon to get the owner of a parking lot to sign an authorization to tow a car. The DOJ said “Oregon’s 2018 law prohibited the practice of towing cars for relatively minor parking violations (like back-in parking next to an apartment building) unless the property owner or its agent was willing to authorize the tow.”
The law also requires the tow truck operator to take a picture of a vehicle showing its parking violation at a specific parking lot.
The DOJ said people who wish to make a consumer complaint about Retriever Towing can call the Attorney General’s Consumer Hotline at 877.877.9392 or online through OregonConsumer.gov