Woman files complaint after local towing company demands cash, ‘scary’ experience with owner

DAYTON — A complaint was filed Monday with the Better Business Bureau about a local towing company accused of predatory towing.

Our I-Team uncovered complaints filed by the Attorney General’s Office about Cottmans Towing’s practices in September.

News Center 7′s Taylor Robertson spoke with a woman who filed the most recent complaint — one of six complaints filed against the company.

“The more I looked into this gentleman, he just seems to prey on people,” Tisha Bailey said.

She said her car was in a spot she learned was illegal and towed.

>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: “My car was gone;” Local towing company accused of predatory towing

“I was kind of just disheveled and I was like ‘Oh my goodness, where’s my car?’” Bailey said.

That’s when she was approached by a woman who said she saw her car get towed.

The woman gave her the website to pay for the ticket.

“Then I paid the parking ticket and then she’s like ‘well now you’ll need to call the tow truck company’ and she just happened to have the number of the company,” Bailey said.

She showed up at Cottmans lot in the 400 block of Wesley Street with $160 cash and her ID.

“He was very specific that I would not get my car back without paying in cash,” she said.

Which she did.

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According to the Ohio Administrative Code, you can pay with cash, certified checks, Discover, Mastercard, American Express, and Visa cards.

Bailey said she felt terrified when she spoke to the owner of Cottmans Towing, Richie Turner.

“Richie comes into the office and starts yelling at me about how I slandered him on Facebook,” she said. “It was very intimidating and very scary.”

After she went home and made a report with the BBB.

News Center 7 called the number for the towing company and asked for Turner.

They told us to call back but when we did Turner was still not in.

Bailey said that the BBB said Turner has 14 days to respond to the complaint she filed against them on Monday.

Complaints can also be filed with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio here.

We will continue to follow this story.

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