PEDATORY TOWING
This company engages in what feels like predatory towing and I experienced it firsthand. I came to write my horror story just to see a lot of Tampa has already dealt with the same issues with this business! (RED FLAG!) It’s a shame when you tell someone that your car has been towed in downtown Tampa by Target Towing and they already know you have been illegally towed!
I was directed by a parking attendant in a nearby 717 lot (4525) during an event in Ybor about where to park. I paid on the 717 app for a flat fee of $30 to park there for 20 hours and no sooner than I was in the events line, My car was already being towed from the timestamp I got on the receipt.
Once getting out of the event after only being there about three hours, I come back and the car is gone. There’s no visible towing signs in the 717 parking lot (RED FLAG!) so we ended up calling 911 and they said your car is “probably” at target towing before even getting a description or a year making and model of my car. (RED FLAG!)
Upon arriving at their dark sketchy lot, they forced my friend to leave the property (RED FLAG!) so I had to deal with them alone, and after that the tone completely changed. The shorter male employee who was speaking with me became aggressive and disrespectful. I was called out of my name and cursed at while simply trying to get information about my vehicle.
The situation escalated so badly that my friend and I had called 911. And instead of helping calm things down, the deputy who walked over from where he was patrolling the other side of the street where they actually hold the cars (RED FLAG!) was rude and dismissive, asking us why we called the police when he’s standing right here…. Across the street on this dark shady road in the middle of the night in Ybor, no cop car in sight (RED FLAG!) This made the situation feel even more hostile and intimidating.
All of this was unnecessary when people just show up cool, calm and collected to get their property back. This company is looking for a problem. Along with all the other shady business they do! From other reviews, they own a lot of other lots beside 4525 in downtown Tampa and another popular business in Ybor… BEWARE! Never go alone and always call law-enforcement!
This was an extremely stressful and upsetting experience. No one should be treated this way. They need to be shut down from all the horror stories in their reviews over the years on all platforms!!! I would never recommend this company to anyone.