MEMPHIS, Tenn. — There have been more than 13,000 vehicles stolen in Memphis in 2023. But for some Memphians, a car being stolen isn’t even the worst part, as it costs money to get it back.
From finding the car to paying for damages, Alan Davis is tired of dealing with it. It took thieves two minutes to pull in, smash Davis’s sunroof and steal his car.
“I had a club lock on the vehicle,” Davis said. “They took a drill, then they took a saw, and they cut it off."
Davis expected his car being stolen to be the worst of it. But once a stolen car is no longer MPD evidence in an investigation, a city ordinance allows towing companies to tow cars to a private lot, racking up fees.
Once Davis's car was no longer MPD evidence, the price tag to get it back started to rise.
“It’s a $125 towing fee that I had to pay for my car being taken from where I parked it to wherever they took it...I have to pay for that,” Davis said.
Davis described the situation as “a victim being victimized."
However, the tow company said it shouldn’t cost the victim.
“The victim is not responsible,” Director of Towing Mike Labudde said. “They have insurance that pays for that. Insurance is required by law in the state of Tennessee. So, if you have insurance, then you don’t have any issues. If you don’t have insurance, you really shouldn’t have the car on the roads. You’re breaking the law anyways.”
In order for Davis to use insurance, he’d have to pay his deductible, which Davis said isn’t worth it and would make his rates go up.
Davis claims he spent hundreds of dollars in fees for a situation out of his control.
“You shouldn’t be a law-abiding citizen that has to pay, pay, pay, pay, just to get your property back that you paid for,” Davis said.
He is hoping the city ordinance changes so other people are not paying multiple fees after losing their car.