A friend and I attended Seymour First Night on Saturday evening.
The downtown area was packed with people and cars so parking was hard to find.
We drove around and the only places left were in a shopping mall parking lot (Auto Zone in Seymour). To our surprise we returned to the lot to find that her car, along with many others, was towed.
It would had been nice if the Town of Seymour, or whoever sponsored this event, could have had the foresight to ask the shopping mall to open up its lot to shoppers and downtown visitors. Having to pay $100 to get the car put of the tow lot definitely put a damper on the holiday spirit that the event was suppose to evoke.
The Town of Seymour has surely lost a lot of business because of it.
The writer is a Derby resident.
That is horrible… I worked an event at Yale Law in New haven…It was there graduation… I drove for 40 minutes to find a spot…every garage was filled…I found a Popeye’s I wrote a note on my windshield that I was working at Yale and most of the time we used to stop sometimes a dozen of us …Sid please i hope the parking spot being the furthest from store…would not be a problem for 4 hours… I came back to get towed 3 miles….202 dollars…. ridiculous…All my years I have never been towed… I would say okay to a ticket as I did not see a sign posted…But when i came back I seen a sign 20 feet in the air… None of us have returned to Popeyes…
Does put a bad taste in your mouth… I also will boycott any of my Xmas dollars going to Seymour
Good Afternoon Diane,
I am sorry to hear of your experiences in Downtown Seymour on Saturday evening since it was such a great event for our community. I am a former employee at Seymour Town Hall and know you are not alone with this unfortunate situation. The ‘Autozone Parking Lot’ is owned by an independent property management company out of Massachusetts. The Office of the First Selectman and Seymour’s Economic Development Director has tried countless times to set up meetings with the owner and property manager because you are not the first person to have your car towed from that plaza. I personally think it is absurd for anyone to go that far as to tow a car, especially during positive events as you mention above. However, the town cannot control what a private property owner does. There are prominent signs placed around the plaza warning visitors of towing, and though it is cruel and heartless, the owners are entirely within their right to post signs and follow through.
Town officials are completely aware of how negative this experience reflects on the town but readers do need to understand the towing of cars is NOT the town’s doing nor does the town approve of it AT ALL!
I understand that parking downtown is difficult, but attendees should be using the municipal parking lot across from the Seymour Ambulance Association / Town Hall parking lot, which I know were not completely full, because I too was at the event Saturday night. To answer your question, the Seymour Culture & Arts Commission, as well as the Downtown Merchants, sponsored the event.
To the commenter below, if you’d like to boycott merchants in the Autozone plaza, I am all for that. We have yet to figure out which merchant in particular is calling the towing company, because I don’t think police are being called, and as I said, the property management company is not even located within the plaza (or the state!!). I urge you to call the First Selectman’s Office, file a formal complaint, and ask to speak to the Economic Development Director about the issue.
However, to boycott the entirity of Downtown Seymour, including the other merchants or restuarants, (which had NOTHING to do with this incidence) is ridiculous.
Maybe the person calling is getting kickbacks from the outrageously priced towing company……..
Hi Christine,
I’m glad to read your comment on the situation. Do you know if the aggressive towing started since AutoZone moved in, or was it going on when Walgreens was in there? I try not to park in that lot myself, even when going to one of the businesses because I think there are too many spaces in too small an area, and it’s difficult to get in and out of there when anyone else is trying to do the same. But I’m sorry that someone from out of town attending a positive event got burned. One night a year would not make or break those businesses to suspend the “Customer only” rule for that lot.
I don’t blame them for towing the cars for non-customers on a private lot. They probably do it becuase of the crazy lawsuits that happen everyday all over. Picture this…you park on this private lot…get into an accident, mugged, assaulted, car stolen, or whatever and what will be the first thing most people do? They will hire a lawyer and sue the stores and the owner of the property for not creating a ‘safe’ place for them. Why should they have to deal with that? They have to deal with this from customers of the property so why should they take on extra liability from non-customers? Im not saying this is their sole reason for the towing but im sure it has something to do with it.
I can not state for my own business about that area. I can state on my Personal behalf. I live in Seymour as well.
The practice of private property towing is nothing new, the costs that towing companies charge is regulated by the State of Connecticut, for a non-consensual tow. It is not just made up by the towing company. The company is in a negatively perceived business, and has to deal with people that are not happy. It is not the best job to have but it is a job that has to exist.
I would have been very upset to find my vehicle towed from being parked in a downtown lot after an event.
The problem is, that is private property and the owners/managers can have the vehicle removed. It is unfortunate that the plaza owners do this, instead of better marketing to citizens and prospective customers during large events. They should welcome them to their business during these times.
Unfortunately they do not, and you parked illegally. It happens in larger tows daily.
I do not know, nor do I want to, the company that towed you. I just wanted you to know it not all its cracked up to be, towing vehicles for a living. They are just doing their job.
As far as not visiting Seymour for other business, please consider other parking options that are available. There are some great people Downtown!
Wishing you a better Holiday Season!
Kevin Reichelt
You can post all you want about legal this private that within there right ,blah blah blah… most of these people were only 300 feet away around the corner.Make a call to the police .They get on there mics and that lot is cleared in 10 min.not only that they towed away an employee of the pizza place attached to the building.These people were blindsided and sucker punched and someone who could have prevented it just let it happen.flies should beware of this person … they may lose there wings.
HELLO – hey MERRY #$%^&*( CHRISTMAS. Really as stated above it is a private parking lot. Got it! Welcome the company, scrooge. That lot and those signs have been there as long as the lot has been there, and used by the community for – EVER. From the furniture store from long ago to Walgreen’s, in a small community like ours we come together, not like the mega owner out of Massachusetts. Have anyone not met and left there car at a Dunkin Donuts, or the old Ames or Stop and Shop? They did not tow our cars because we will be back to shop at the store. Its A give and take. We share here, we help each other out here. As for the towing company – his attitude just added insult on top of injury and them some. oh and HAPPY NEW YEAR TOO.
Signed Matt’s wife
My experience was quite similar, and I posted to Indy’s FB page that night. I’m a Seymour resident who’s pretty much a ‘regular’ on First Saturday and on any day that I need to buy a gift, want to window-shop, or feel like a cuppa. I’ve often parked in that plaza without consequence – until December 1st, that is. So not only do I not get to support downtown when I can’t find street parking, but since I’m sole provider in a bad economy, the last of my holiday funds were just handed over to Frank’s (which is an Ansonia company, adding insult to injury).
And really, Matthew is correct. If a full lot of Seymour revelers was the true reason for the Scroogieness, a call to Seymour PD would have emptied it out. There were plenty of cops about all evening who could have broadcasted a warning or sent it out “telephone” style up Bank Street.
WARNING-SHOT:
I find this article and current event somewhat comical and typical for a small town. It can be solved if someone just uses some basic skills provided by our CONSUMER LAWS that protect YOU & I from these inconsiderate but merit-able type actions. Asking my brother who is an attorney about these towing inactions based on signage WARNINGS the consumer who chooses to park in the subject shopping center lot only needs to do one thing. FOR EVERY ACTION GUIDING CONSUMER LAW THERE IS AN OPPOSITE AND EQUAL REACTION. Next time you choose to use the parking in the subject parking lot • READ the sign carefully.
• AS A CUSTOMER / CONSUMER GO INTO ONE OF THE STORES FOR A BRIEF SECOND, MAKE SURE YOU ARE VIDEO TAPED BY ONE OF THE MANY SECURITY CAMERAS INSIDE THE given STORE,
• WAIVE and LOOK INTERESTED AS TO PURCHASE SOMETHING.
• YOU are now documented as a patron.
• OK….why not buy a pack of gum BUT get your TIME STAMPED RECEIPT- as rule number 2 to PROVE you were a CUSTOMER and consumer of the parking lot on that day if you happen to be towed.
YOU ARE NOW COVERED FOR ALL TOWING COSTS AS WELL AS ANY MENTAL ANGUISH suffered during this common sense CASE-LAW example available as an AMERICAN practicing fair game laws. You are not a sitting duck. We do know the individual making the calls who is starting the Tattle-Tale child like fires. Look for the individual who set up his shop dead-center in the plaza. That is the business that will, from this day forward, loose cliental 10-fold because that person would be king if his law was only followed by the ones who choose.
The practice of private property towing is nothing new, the costs that towing companies charge is regulated by the State of Connecticut, for a non-consensual tow. It is not just made up by the towing company? Come on Kevin the state regulates the maximum you are allowed to charge for a tow, not what you have to charge. You can actually charge less if you truly are not interested in a negatively perceived business.
Al Bruhin, You are correct in the fact that any company can charge less. The fact is that towing companies have high overhead. Most business do. Why would a company charge a rate that would force them out of business? Do you fully understand the cost involved with a towing service? The rate by the state is a cap. How many other business are capped by the state? Do they charge less? I don’t think anyone would be happy going to work for less income daily. As an owner I have charged less as well as not charged at all. But that was still at a cost. My own.
The topic was not about the price, but ethics. I still believe that plaza should welcome visitors. Keep in mind there is still a responsibility to patrons as well as tenants that are on the premises.
I clearly don’t intend to offend anyone. My intention was to post some information as well as my opinion.
If you care to discuss more on business of towing companies, or business in general, contact me and I can explain the difficulties that are faced.
Thank You.
Kevin you did not offend me. I own and operate my own auto repair company in Ansonia. I fully understand the cost of doing business. This was not a personal attack on you or your company. Only sharing information with people that do not understand state regulated towing caps. I have nothing but compassion for the people who had their vehicles towed, were charged storage and I am sure were only able to recover their property after paying with “cash only”. I think things could have been handled better, no one needs an expense like this during hard time like these.
This plaza also tows the cars OF VALID CUSTOMERS! A certain insurance agent that works across the street was in the plaza doing laundry, eating at Dragon Kitchen and banking. They towed him, probably recognized the car from his own lot.
Why did he park there? Because of 25 lbs of laundry. I advised him to sue, don’t know if he will.
I am so glad people are having this discussion. After attending the Christmas Parade with my grandchildren and talking about all the fun things they saw and how hard all the volunteers must have worked, we were all in the Christmas Spirit. Then while waiting in a line of traffic we observed a tow truck driver having a huge discussion with the owner of a vehicle he had already attached to his tow truck. The vehicle happened to belong to one of The Connecticut Hurricanes Alumni. There was no way for us to avoid this situation.
Finally someone called the police and two police vehicles showed up with sirens blasting and the kids never all the wonderful things they had witnessed during the parade, just the argument. Needless to say, last year for us for the parade
Yes…it was a wonderful, fun night at a community event…right up until the moment my friend and I saw the flashing lights and her vehicle hooked to a tow truck…
Quite simply…if this plaza wishes to have an empty parking lot…I feel we should be happy to oblige them and give them an empty parking lot…as I for one plan never to patronize them again…