Police called to help family get car back from towing company

ORLANDO, Fla. – A bizarre battle ensued between a family and a tow truck company with a history of complaints. The family said they couldn't get their car back, because the car's owner, their grandfather, was in the hospital getting his leg amputated.

Adam Greenberg shared his frustration with Local 6 News and said it took calling police for the car to be released by TowTruck Company of Orlando on West Robinson Street.

"I don't understand how a business can operate like this and stay in business," Greenberg said.

He said he parked in a parking garage downtown, where a sign was posted with small letters, warning about the possibility of being towed.

The car Greenberg was driving is in his grandfather's name, but he just had his leg amputated two days ago. Greenberg said he gave the tow company notarized proof of his grandfather's signature, authorizing the release of the car. But he said the female employee wouldn't accept it.

"When I gave it to her, she's said, 'This is false. This is not a real signature,'" Greenberg said. "I was shocked. The only thing that went through my mind was disbelief that this lady would expect me to wheel my grandfather out of the hospital who just got his leg amputated, and she said that's the only way to get the car back."

So the family called police, and within minutes, they got the car.

Local 6 confronted the tow company's owner, Paul Gren, about the incident. He denied that it took the cops getting involved to hand over the car. He said as soon as they had proof of ownership, they gave it up.

"I hear lots of stories about how things are handled and why they didn't get it the way they wanted it. At the end of the day, it's usually a lot of stories," Gren said. "The Greenbergs were treated the same way everyone else is."

According to the Better Business Bureau, TowTruck Company of Orlando has an F rating and six complaints, with several more on other websites.

"As far as the BBB, it's a hard business to stay in the A category, and you can never please everyone that calls and complains about that," Gren said.

He told Local 6 he's been in business for 25 years and does exactly what the law requires him to do when he is towing drivers around central Florida.


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