Safeguard Towing Debatable "Patrol Tow" & excessive fees Beaverton, Oregon

I had a friend park in our apartment lot. All the visitor spaces were occupied so I told her to double-park in front of my car and the unpainted and unmarked sidewalk. Her car only blocked my car and was not in a fire lane. There was plenty of room for even the largest fire engine to pass or park.

Upon her leaving we found that her car was missing. Didn't know if it'd been stolen or not, but did guess that it could've been towed.

Called the number on the towing company's sign at the front of the lot & they advised us that they did have her car. We were told the car was told for blocking and parking in a fire lane.

We went right away to get the vehicle and were prepared to pay the $295. They had the car for approximately two hours.

What has happened is what I would call a predatory-type tow. What the company did, in this case, is not a service to the community as the towed vehicle was in front of my own  car and the fire lane reason isn't valid because fire lanes are required to be clearly marked with signage and red paint.

This is a pretty egregious thing this company is labeling as business. The driver took the car because he may be getting commission pay. His judgment was skewed before he even saw the car.

This happened in the Portland metro area (on the West side). After doing some googling I found that this area is a hotbed of predatory patrol towing activity.