Was your vehicle stranded and abandoned during the blizzard of 2022?
Do you owe for the tow? That question all depends on which service provider retrieved your vehicle first.
"We could ticket people and charge them for the costs associated with towing their vehicles. We're not," Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz said. "The county's absorbing it. I want people to understand that."
If Erie County towed your vehicle, you can check online here.
The local police municipalities set local towing and storage rates. Therefore, any towing concerns consumers have need to be addressed with the local police where you abandoned your vehicle.
Reach out to the local police municipality by calling the location's non-emergency phone number. The police municipality can advise the towing rate and daily storage (every 24 hours). Then, you can determine if the towing company charges were excessive.
If you believe that the towing company price gouged during the blizzard, you will need to report that to the New York State Attorney General as they have jurisdiction to handle all price gouging concerns under General Business Law Section ยง396-r. Please file a complaint with the New York State Attorney General here.
Should you need further assistance, don't hesitate to get in touch with Erie County Office of Consumer Protection at 716-858-1987 or consumerprotection@erie.gov.
