Tow regulations to protect consumers held up by budget woes in Olympia

Rep. Gerry Pollet is working to get towing regulations in place in Washington. (AP Photo/file)

After the story surfaced of an Everett woman asked to pay a tow company over $500 for a one mile tow and tire change, Ross and Burbank wanted to check on the status of proposed legislation regarding towing regulation in Washington state.

Rep. Gerry Pollet, representative for the 46th district, told 97.3 KIRO FM’s Ross and Burbank Show that the legislation is ready and they expect it to be approved, but it’s being held up by budget dealings in the Senate.

“We were very close,” said Pollet. “We got it through the full House of Representatives, the towing industry began to work with us very responsibly to reign in these predatory outlaws, and we got the bill ready for the floor of the senate when the Senate melted down and we didn’t get a final vote.”

Pollet said they’ll be back next year to get the legislation through, and the towing industry is supportive.

“The industry agreed to a cap that would really essentially say instead of being charged $650, $1000 the likely maximum charge say in Seattle for a tow that takes 30 to 45 minutes would be under $170,” said Pollet. “The towing industry many years ago, decades ago wrote legislation that said the sky is the limit.”

The new cap that the industry stands behind refers mostly to tow companies that clear cars parked improperly. Pollet said they haven’t heard of as many issues with tow companies that work the highways, and he said in that arena there are safeguards to make sure you’re not overcharged.

“The one thing that is regulated is if you have to be towed and you are towed by someone on the state patrol list. They are regulated, and they are capped, and they have contracts,” said Pollet. “So what you want to do is get a hold of the state patrol and have them send out a tow truck, because if they’re on the police or state patrol list they are very strictly capped with a contract.”

Pollet said even without the new legislation in place, if you do find yourself in a situation where you feel you’ve been overcharged, there is recourse in those situations.

“When you’re ripped off like this you always have a Consumer Protection Act claim,” said Pollet. “I recommend first off you register your complaint and the documentation with the attorney general and you tell the company that you intend – and I’ll help you, as a legislator I’ve been helping people who have been ripped off like this – we’ll tell the towing company that they may be facing you in court under the Consumer Protection Act. Then let’s see what we can do.”

By JAMIE GRISWOLD, MyNorthwest.com Editor