I wonder if the person from Pepe's towing who wrote that email is aware of the claims made against Pepe's as a preditory tow company. Here's a news story from OC Register:

A Santa Ana tow truck driver pleaded guilty Friday to accidentally crushing a man to death in a case that thrust the dangers of so-called predatory towing into the national spotlight.

Paul Sassenberger, 30, ran over Leoncio Flores, 42, of Santa Ana as the man tried to prevent his sport utility vehicle from being taken last year. Flores' family won a $2 million civil settlement in February from the towing company, Pepe's Towing, and Villa McFadden Homeowners Association.

On Friday, Sassenberger of San Bernardino pleaded guilty to vehicular manslaughter and 11 other charges, most of them for towing vehicles despite the owners being present.

He will be sentenced Nov. 3 to six years in prison. Had he gone to trial, he would have faced 14 years, eight months.

The law holds that a tow truck driver cannot take a vehicle if the car's owner is present, Orange County Deputy District Attorney Lesley Young said.

"Cars are being ripped out of lots just after drivers parked them," she said.

State legislation is pending that would tighten the rules tow drivers must follow in taking vehicles from private property.

The death of Flores, Young said, was the worst-case scenario when it comes to predatory towing.

This Is A Very Long Comment To the Person Who works for Pepe's and the people who hate Pepe's Towing and want to know the truth!

You must feel really proud to work for one of the most hated tow company's in Orange County. I don't even think To & Mo has the F***ed up reputation that Pepe's does. Its really sad how you can sit there and defend them, knowing what assholes you really work for. I know who you are, I worked at Pepe's a few years back as well. I was with the company when they got the SAUSD contract and when they signed the contract with AAA. Big deal! Truth is, no other tow company wants the damn school police contract, thats why no other company made a bid for it. As for AAA, its the same...no decent company wants to send their drivers out to do unwanted tire change and fuel calls for $25 a call. I'm guessing that you are probably a dispatcher making the wonderful $100/ a day right? For a great $100, you work 12 hour shifts. I told you I know how that company rolls. Why do you think Tino quit and went to To&Mo, and so did his wife. Or what about Jessica (I cant remember her name) the dispatcher who got fired for being nice to people, and telling the drivers to lay off. Ramon left as well to accept a better position with Avanti Towing. Why don't you talk about the illegal immigrants that live in the tow yard like Rodrigo or Pancho? Pancho was drunk every night, he would even crash the cars that were for sale. Hmmm...I think I smell DUI!!! Let me tell you about Rodrigo, from what Jessica told me one night that she was working with him, he screwed a girl in the bathroom and gave her back her car with NO CHARGE! Thats it people, if you get your car towed, all you have to do is give the dispatcher a $50 or a blow job, and bammm, You Got Your Car Back! Or what about the filthy office that you work in? Its nice to think that while you and the rest of your employees are busting your ass for less than minimum wage, Paco drives a nice Dodge Durango, and Pepe drives a brand new Expedition, and both of them take frequent trips to Mexico during the year. They both walk around with inch thick gold chains, and you are barely making enough to buy a cup of noodles. See I told you that I knew more about the company then you thought. Why don't you keep your mouth shut, and don't speak unless you really know wassup! What you quoted with your book in your hand only pertains to associations, and has nothing to do with apartment complexes or hot spots like ORIGINAL MIKES! You like that don't you, I know every hot spot that your company works and the dates as well. Whoever wants a copy of that list feel free to contact me. The law states in plain English that your car can be towed if there are visible signs stating that you cannot park there or if you "store" the vehicle in the same spot for over 72 hours. Other than that, you are fine. If you see a driver try to take your car, they legally have to drop at no charge. NO CHARGE! Not half of the tow charge or any of that other crap. And NO, you don't go anywhere near the CHP rates, you charge extremely over, and I can prove that any time. Remember I worked there. Sooner or later Pepe's is going to get dinged for all the crap that they pull, including the $2 million dollar lawsuit that Pepe was slapped with when Sal killed that guy. Oh, thats right, you were just starting, you don't remember that do you? How pathetic and ignorant can one person be.

ONE PIECE OF ADVICE TO EVERYONE WHO LIVES IN CHATHAM VILLAGE OR GOES TO ORIGINAL MIKES; KEEP A DISPOSABLE CAMERA IN YOUR CAR. YOU WILL BE AMAZED AT THE WAYS YOU CAN BE SAVED BY SPENDING A FEW BUCKS ON A CAMERA. PEPE'S HAS CAMERAS IN THEIR TRUCKS, BUT THEY CAN CUT OUT AND DELETE CERTAIN PARTS OF THEIR VIDEOS! CONTACT ME FOR MORE INFO, I HAVE TO GET BACK TO MY JOB. A REAL WORK PLACE THAT PAYS BETTER THAN YOUR SEVEN BUCKS AN HOUR. EAT DIRT DUMBASS!

Wow, that long comment was stunning.

if u r so dumb to not read signs then its ur fault ur car got towed dumb asses. i dnt knw why u all cry if u park in a no parking zone or permit only zone or even worse a fire lane...u guys call like omg my cars being towed. read the signs and there shall be no problems

Just wondering if anyone bring this issue to westminster or santa ana court regarding this company service. It is a SCAM service. I believe they have "dirty" contract with several condo/mobil/supermarket HOA to go around and tow people's cars. 5 yrs ago, my friend parked a car at 99C supermarket at Brookhurst and Westminster. His car was towed by this company and we were told that we cannot park the car AFTER 10PM there but there was NO SIGN SAYING SUCH A THING there. Two days a go, my car again was towed by these people when I parked the car in front of my friend's mobile home in Westminster. The car was towed so quickly and quietly that I did not even hear any sound when I was inside the house for only 1 hour. What pissed me off the most was their towing fees. They have all kind of fees you can name of: towing fee, police fee, storage fee, GATe fee(??), Labor fee, which added up to $270 just for towing the car in 30min. Anyone can bring this company to court regarding this issue?? The city needs to have some regulation on their business regarding this matter, especially those UNREASONABLE FEE...that they have been charging to people.

-Yanni

First of all, Yanni says he was parked "in front of his friend's mobile home" in Westminster, "for only one hour."

You know what that means? By his own admission, he was parked in a firelane, and for an hour at that. I do security in the Westminster area, and pretty much every mobile home park has signs posted at the entrances clearly stating, "No street parking/parking in firelanes. All streets and roadways are considered firelanes. Violating vehicles will be towed away."

Yanni is a great example of people who ignore these signs, then cry and whine when they get towed and act like they're being "victimized," when in actual fact they are victims of their own stupidity.

And to the person who left that long comment, let's talk about Original Mike's. There are signs EVERYWHERE throughout the center at 210 First St./Sycamore where Pepe's Towing tows out of that say, "Customer parking only. All others will be towed" or whatever. Not just that, but if you park your car in that center and walk across the street to go to Original Mike's, there are THREE SIGNS about 50 feet apart that Original Mike's posted that warn customers of theirs who park in the center at 210 First St. that they will be towed, and to ask Original Mike's security where they can park.

How is it then, that people still get towed out of 210 First St. on Friday/Saturday nights? THEY IGNORE/DON'T READ THE SIGNS. That, or they read the signs, and are too lazy to go back and move their car.

You people reading this tell me now, whose fault is it that they got towed?

One more thing I'd like to add is concerning these former employees of Pepe's-mainly dispatchers-who keep running their mouths about Pepe's Towing every chance they get. You keep making references to other dispatchers who supposedly steal money, release cars and pocket the money or in exchange for sexual favors, etc. Yet YOU are the ones that got fired, while they didn't. Care to explain that to me?

I think you're full of shit, quite frankly. Pepe's Towing lets the dispatchers stay with him who steal from him and let cars go for a BJ/sex, while he fires the "innocent" dispatchers like YOU?

Anyone else think that sounds like pure bullshit? Or is it just me? LMAO

I know for a FACT of at least two dispatcher who have been fired in the last few years for stealing money, doctoring invoices, etc. It is for that very reason that Pepe's Towing installed cameras with video/audio monitoring equipment in the dispatch office.

I think the real reason you're on these sites crying and whining so much is because YOU were the ones that were stealing and fucking around on the job, not the people you claim are. Either that, or the people you are accusing really did do those things, but were smart and didn't get caught, while you were stupid and DID get caught.

Either way, you're pathetic.

So I am one of those dispatchers that was named above. I ran by this when googling my name, and I think that it is pathetic that people have to come to this. Pepe's Towing is just what people say it is. It is a scam, "Like All Other PPI Companies" The employees at Pepe's never last. The reason being that there are other companies in the OC area that are willing to pay more for less bulshit. About the sexual favors, it is true. I was there working a 12 hour shift when the scheduled person comes strolling in about four hours late for his shift. He did let a vehicle go for a sexual favor in the bathroom. I would post his # and the # of the owners just to clear that up, but its unethical and really stupid. Pepe's Towing is under investigation for a lot of different things already. The BBB has had multiple complaints about this company, the IRS is on them for not reporting employees earnings, and the police dept for not clearing employees before hiring them. Why give them more problems. The way the economy is, just let them be. Why does everyone have to hate on eachother. And to Jake, MORE POWER TO YOU...We are all glad that you have a job as a security patrol whatever. Nobody cares about your opinion or mine, lets leave it at that. Let me make this very clear, guilty employees or innocent ones never last. I was let go for complaining about how other employees dont take their job seriously and because I made the mistake of living with one of the other dispatchers. We had personal problems at home and Pepe let me go on the basis that the other dispatcher had been there longer. I couldnt stand one of the drivers because he was lazy and a perv, and the other dispatcher was an idiot, and he was dirty. He lived at the tow yard, barely showered and, he liked the spoony gig. So yeah, thats my story, I dont hate the company, and Im sorry that losers have to keep talking trash. Know ur role, and what ur talking about before you start talking shit. Im sorry to hear that ur vehicles get towed, but if there are signs, then ur at fault. If you feel that you are in the right, then just sue Pepe's Towing. DUUUHHHH.... Take care everyone!

BEST TOWING COMPANY IN ORANGE COUNTY!!!!!!!

Though I have lots of mud on this, truely horrible company, I will limit my comments to verifiable facts that can be confirmed using a computer with internet access to public city, county, and state government websites.

1. Pepe's Towing operates on an expired fictitious business permit

2. They have no valid business license in many cities they operate, like Tustin, which is illegal.

3. They information registered with the California Secretary of State is outdated and inaccurate, therefore, they are NOT a legitimate corporation.

In addition to these verifiable FACTS, they overcharge, routinely, and are grossly dishonest.  I have a November small claims lawsuit, and have encouraged 2 others to follow suit.  I encourage ALL tow victims to sue this company, and will gladly help any and all victims, simply email me at scoobysteven at gmail.com.  It is easy, free, and provides justice.  Are you going to be a victim, or do something about it?

Mr Hallsted here is a classic, textbook example of someone who was legitimately towed, then plays the part of the victim and cries about it.

He was towed on 9/2/09 from 1192 Mitchell in Tustin. All residents there were given 30 days in which to obtain their parking permits for their vehicle, and were notified that any persons with no permit after the 30 day period would be towed. There were/are also signs posted at the property entrance which clearly state in both English and Spanish that parking inside the property is by permit only, and violators will be towed.

It should also be noted that Pepe's Towing did not randomly enter the property to look for vehicles to impound, all tows were authorized by the proprty's security guard, who had contacted Pepe's to begin with.

Mr. Hallsted was one of fifteen people who were towed for not having a permit after the 30 days had passed. Now Mr. Hallsted is claiming he was victimized and towed "without cause."

Joe, you are clearly an idiot, with absolutely know practical knowledge of the law.  Funny thing is, the judge in my case disagrees with you also.  I had my hearing today, Nov. 2nd, 2009, case #00301854.  The towing company must not have felt too good about their position either, they did not even show.  The judge awarded me a default judgement for $785, and complemented me on the quality and quantity of my evident.  The pile of papers was one inch, total quality.  There you have it, I won, and you are wrong.  BTW, what is your level of education, and what do you do for a living? 

Next stop, court date suing the HOA.  Unfortunately, vehicle code section 22658 only allows up to 2 times the original tow bill, in damages, collectable from the HOA.  Too bad it was not 4 times the tow bill, like it is with the towing company.  Oh well, at least I am teaching them all a lesson, one currupt towing company and incompetent HOA at a time.

When calling another person an idiot and calling their education level into question, it's generally a good idea not to make a ton of spelling errors in your post-especially in the very sentence where you call them an idiot.

Just thought I'd throw that out there.