A-1 Towing Recovery David Perkins Threatening, extortion, rude, criminal, scam, cash only, unprofessional Old Orrchard Beach Maine

For quite some time I have been parking at a closed church on Cutts Ave. I have an apartment close by and don't want to clog up the street or the parking at my building any more than it needs to be. I have been doing this for about 2 years, and the parking lot is never more than a 3rd full. Since the church is currently closed I mistakenly assumed no one would mind.

My car was towed from the lot by A-1 towing and I had no idea who had towed my car as they did not inform me or the local police. I just came back from a weekend away it was gone with no one to contact. After calling around and a visit to the police station worried about the car being stolen, I eventually figured it out. I called the A-1 towing number and the man on the phone demanded $320 CASH ONLY for towing the car 2 miles. He was very rude and combative and wouldn't tell me where he was located and insisted on a drug deal type meeting where I would meet one of his employees at the Irving station in Saco and he would take my cash and then lead me to the secret location where my car was being held. Despite being required to by law, Reference here, "For purposes of this section, "personal effects" includes medications, medical equipment, clothing, mail, child safety seats and similar items. Except for child safety seats, items attached to the vehicle and business equipment, machinery and tools are not considered personal effects. [2007, c. 150, §9 (NEW).]" I had clothing, mail, and and other similar effects in the car at the time. He would not tell me where he was located in order for me to recover my personal possessions from the car, all he did was threaten to hang up and sell my car to a junkyard to be crushed.   He repeatetly told me that the deal he was offering me expired today and I needed to give him cash now or my car would be sold and crushed and that they "do this every day, so don't try to tell me you can come get stuff out of your car, get a lawyer! I'll hang up!" So the long and the short of it he was threatening to have my car and all my personal effects crushed if I didn't pay him cash that day.  I only wish I had the forsight to record the phone call.

Needing my car back I eventually gave into his demands and made the exchange at the gas station.  I had to write up my own receipt for the guy to sign to prove that I paid him before taking the car.   I was then driven to a strange back lot in the woods where a few junk cars were being held. The whole event was very unprofessional and left a bad taste in my mouth, I feel I was extorted.

I understand the church has every right to keep people out of their parking area, however, there must be a better way to do it, I'll gladly put up some hobby horse barriers to save someone else from my experience. If you must tow people please do not use this service. For the Full Section refencing the Maine law he refused to abide by go to Title 29-A §1861. Holding vehicle and its accessories in the Maine Revised Statutes.