My car was towed away and left in the storage for a long time, can I avoid high fees?

stevie_ou

I know it is a silly thing to do but I left my car unattended after it stopped working on the side of motorway and it was towed away, now after few weeks I contacted the car pound and they are asking for an unreasonably high fee for storage of the car. I was not notified in any way about the fact that my car was being stored at a car pound (no letter, no phone call). Is there any way whatsoever for me to avoid having to pay these fees or is my only option to do so? Do you think that negotiation might help? The car itself has virtually no value - I want to send it to a scrap yard anyhow. Any help or advise would be highly appreciated!

dr.fuzzenstein

Well, the solution seems to be obvious.

BigCon

How much is the fee?

stevie_ou

I hope there is some other obvious solution other than payment /

It's over 2000EUR release fee...

Dog walker 1234

So you abandon the car on the side of the motorway. Wait a few weeks to phone the car pound. You are complaining that you did not receive a phone call or letter re the storage of your car though you abandoned it and made no effort to check out what happened to your car after abandoning it? You want to know do you have to pay the storage fees or can you wriggle out of it?

I would advise you to take personal responsibility for the decisions you make.

Peatys

stevie_ou wrote: »

I hope there is some other obvious solution other than payment /

It's over 2000EUR release fee...

Does the letter have the option to sign the car over to them?

punisher5112

What's the car worth?

I'm actually amazed at how long people dump their cars on n roads or motorways.

Have you gone to them or asked to speak to manager...

Come up with a amount you could pay.

godtabh

stevie_ou wrote: »

I know it is a silly thing to do but I left my car unattended after it stopped working on the side of motorway and it was towed away, now after few weeks I contacted the car pound and they are asking for an unreasonably high fee for storage of the car. I was not notified in any way about the fact that my car was being stored at a car pound (no letter, no phone call). Is there any way whatsoever for me to avoid having to pay these fees or is my only option to do so? Do you think that negotiation might help? The car itself has virtually no value - I want to send it to a scrap yard anyhow. Any help or advise would be highly appreciated!

How did you locate the car with no information?

punisher5112

There are tow companies that would move it for as little as €50.

At least get it to a road where one can park.

ArthurG

Wait what?

- dumped car
- left/ignored for weeks
- car has no value
- was going to scrap it
- now desperately want it back??

I think we're missing something here.....

dr.fuzzenstein

godtabh wrote: »

How did you locate the car with no information?

This happened to me once when an embassy took a dislike to my VW T3 which at the time was painted in several different colors. I don't blame them.
Car was parked legally, embassy had it towed, I phoned the gards and they informed me it was impounded.
Also no letter or phonecall, but in my case it was on a German reg, so maybe they couldn't find me.

punisher5112

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

This happened to me once when an embassy took a dislike to my VW T3 which at the time was painted in several different colors. I don't blame them.
Car was parked legally, embassy had it towed, I phoned the gards and they informed me it was impounded.
Also no letter or phonecall, but in my case it was on a German reg, so maybe they couldn't find me.

How did that end up as in costs?

If the car was legally parked then should have been left alone.

dr.fuzzenstein

Peatys wrote: »

Does the letter have the option to sign the car over to them?

OP, there's your obvious solution.
Unless you have drugs, money, weapons or diamonds hidden in the car, why on earth do you want the hassle of getting your car back, only to scrap it then?
It sounds like a lot of pointless effort and expense.

TheValeyard

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

This happened to me once when an embassy took a dislike to my VW T3 which at the time was painted in several different colors. I don't blame them.
Car was parked legally, embassy had it towed, I phoned the gards and they informed me it was impounded.
Also no letter or phonecall, but in my case it was on a German reg, so maybe they couldn't find me.

What happened with this. You get compensation?

Car99

stevie_ou wrote: »

I know it is a silly thing to do but I left my car unattended after it stopped working on the side of motorway and it was towed away, now after few weeks I contacted the car pound and they are asking for an unreasonably high fee for storage of the car. I was not notified in any way about the fact that my car was being stored at a car pound (no letter, no phone call). Is there any way whatsoever for me to avoid having to pay these fees or is my only option to do so? Do you think that negotiation might help? The car itself has virtually no value - I want to send it to a scrap yard anyhow. Any help or advise would be highly appreciated!

No wighling out , you have to pay the 2000 and when they scrap it for €50 , they'll come after you for the other €1950 . Muahahahahaha. Where did it all go wrong?

dr.fuzzenstein

Murray TheDemonic TalkingSkull wrote: »

What happened with this. You get compensation?

I did, but there was also the added circumstance that the pound was broken into, a window smashed and the radio taken.
The legal/illegal parking was a bit of a borderline case.
There was double yellows, an entrance, a short space without double yellows and this just fitted my car. And it was right in front of it. It was the Nigerian embassy in Ranelagh. And my piece of sh*t, rusty, dented, multi colored van. I don't blame them for having it towed.

judeboy101

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

Murray TheDemonic TalkingSkull wrote: »

What happened with this. You get compensation?

I did, but there was also the added circumstance that the pound was broken into, a window smashed and the radio taken.
The legal/illegal parking was a bit of a borderline case.
There was double yellows, an entrance, a short space without double yellows and this just fitted my car. And it was right in front of it. It was the Nigerian embassy in Ranelagh. And my piece of sh*t, rusty, dented, multi colored van. I don't blame them for having it towed.

Didn't you tell them you were a Nigerian Prince?

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

dr.fuzzenstein

Still?
This happened about 20 years ago.

dr.fuzzenstein

Car99 wrote: »

No wighling out , you have to pay the 2000 and when they scrap it for €50 , they'll come after you for the other €1950 . Muahahahahaha. Where did it all go wrong?

Well, that is interesting from a legal perspective.
Is he definitely on the hook? If he says "fking keep it", do they have grounds to take him to court? How likely is it it will succeed?
Or is it like defending an insurance claim that they won't bother because it will cost more in the end?

Marcusm

punisher5112 wrote: »

There are tow companies that would move it for as little as €50.

At least get it to a road where one can park.

No charge for towing from the motorway to the nearest safe place. Frankly I have little sympathy. Abandoned cars on the motorway are at best a distraction, frequently a hazard.

RustyNut

Marcusm wrote: »

No charge for towing from the motorway to the nearest safe place. Frankly I have little sympathy. Abandoned cars on the motorway are at best a distraction, frequently a hazard.

I thought that was only from motorway works. You learn something everyday.

Fred Swanson

This post has been deleted.

stevie_ou

ArthurG wrote: »

Wait what?

- dumped car
- left/ignored for weeks
- car has no value
- was going to scrap it
- now desperately want it back??

I think we're missing something here.....

I don't want it back at all, I was hoping it was stolen, I would love to leave it there for them to sell/auction or scrap... Just worried that they will come after me through court demanding me to pay these fees and if I leave it there the fees would only get worse...

punisher5112

stevie_ou wrote: »

I don't want it back at all, I was hoping it was stolen, I would love to leave it there for them to sell/auction or scrap... Just worried that they will come after me through court demanding me to pay these fees and if I leave it there the fees would only get worse...

Ring them and state the car isnt worth it and you were scrapping it next week anyway.

stevie_ou

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

Well, that is interesting from a legal perspective.
Is he definitely on the hook? If he says "fking keep it", do they have grounds to take him to court? How likely is it it will succeed?
Or is it like defending an insurance claim that they won't bother because it will cost more in the end?

That's exactly what I am hoping solution might be. I mean I would have problem with >reasonable fees< but this is a bit of a ridiculous situation...

stevie_ou

punisher5112 wrote: »

Ring them and state the car isnt worth it and you were scrapping it next week anyway.

I'll try this tomorrow. Do you think there's a chance they would do this? Seems like a bit of a scam really when they charge extra arbitrary amounts for practically no service that no one ordered and they don't even bother sending you a letter at any point... I know I wasn't exactly doing my due diligence but it's a bit ridiculous...

Avatar MIA

stevie_ou wrote: »

I know I wasn't exactly doing my due diligence but it's a bit ridiculous...

Possibly, it's also ridiculous you've not had a call from the Gardaí for abandoning a car on the motorway.

GM228

stevie_ou wrote: »

Do you think that negotiation might help?

The fees are set by statute and non-negotiable.

stevie_ou wrote: »

I hope there is some other obvious solution other than payment /

It's over 2000EUR release fee...

So they have had the car at least 54 days, why wait so long to worry about it?

The odd thing about this is such vehicles are normally disposed of 6 to 8 weeks after their detention and the registered owner is informed of this in writing at least two weeks beforehand (would that be the answer to the query below by gobtabh I wonder?).

godtabh wrote: »

How did you locate the car with no information?

Good question.

dr.fuzzenstein wrote: »

Car99 wrote: »

No wighling out , you have to pay the 2000 and when they scrap it for €50 , they'll come after you for the other €1950 . Muahahahahaha. Where did it all go wrong?

Well, that is interesting from a legal perspective.
Is he definitely on the hook? If he says "fking keep it", do they have grounds to take him to court?

If they dispose of the vehicle they may look to recover the fees due even if they get money for disposing of the vehicle, any amount received for disposal is not taken off the outstanding fees.

Yes they do have grounds to take someone in such a situation to court, they recover the fees as a simple contract debt via the DC. At €2000+ it is indeed feasible, weather they will or not, who knows.

stevie_ou wrote: »

I don't want it back at all, I was hoping it was stolen, I would love to leave it there for them to sell/auction or scrap... Just worried that they will come after me through court demanding me to pay these fees and if I leave it there the fees would only get worse...

Oh dear.....

Remember the fees increase by €35 every single day.

stevie_ou wrote: »

That's exactly what I am hoping solution might be. I mean I would have problem with >reasonable fees< but this is a bit of a ridiculous situation...

At €35 per day the fees are reasonable, leaving the car with them 54+ days and initially hoping the car would be stolen is where a question of reasonableness arises.

stevie_ou wrote: »

Do you think there's a chance they would do this? Seems like a bit of a scam really when they charge extra arbitrary amounts for practically no service that no one ordered and they don't even bother sending you a letter at any point...

What they are doing is prescribed by statute, one may argue that leaving a car on the side of a motorway in the hope that it would be disposed of is a "bit of a scam" really.

stevie_ou wrote: »

I know I wasn't exactly doing my due diligence but it's a bit ridiculous...

This is the understatement of the thread.

listermint

Trying to decide the fakeness of the thread

FranklinMint

Marcusm wrote: »

No charge for towing from the motorway to the nearest safe place. Frankly I have little sympathy. Abandoned cars on the motorway are at best a distraction, frequently a hazard.

Who provides this service?

Marcusm

FranklinMint wrote: »

Who provides this service?

Whoever is contracted by the road operator or NTA to provide the service which is based on using the roadside SOS phone.