Simms Towing & Recovery

Please note the «reviews not currently recommended» We were towed from a private parking lot, paid-​up-​to-​date with parking tag visible. A flat tire does not make an abandoned vehicle. This unscrupulous towing company provides hasty and costly towing service for several apartment complexes

This is why you should never ever do business with Simm’s Towing. In fact, if you see their sign, find somewhere else to park. Even if you think you’re a good citizen who parks correctly every time…
I have my car signed in a parking contract with 1200 W Marshall student apartments. They have a contract with Simm’s Towing and Recovery, and that’s how I got my car towed.
I pay $ 60 a month to have my car parked in this garage. In the contract, it says towing will occur for any cars parked outside the lines, in handicap spots (if not handicap) and any «illegally parked or abandoned cars».
As I’m on my way out one day, I find that my car is not in the lot, in my usual spot. I ask the employees at 1200 WM if they have any word on towing, they have no idea, and say that sounds strange because I am up to date on all my payments, and forward me the phone number to Simm’s.
My first contact with them, I called on a Saturday afternoon & Jay confirmed that they had my car, but could not tell me why it was towed (at this point I still have no idea why my car was towed in a garage I pay for…). Keep in mind, I was not notified of my car being towed when it was towed & every day your car is in the tow yard, it’s an extra $ 35 you owe.
Finally, after calling the next day, I discover that my car was towed because my license registration was expired, and apparently I had a flat tire. (The registration I knew about, the flat tire? No idea. I just very recently for my tires inspected…)
I ask no questions, I just get my car out of the lot, pay $ 315 in cash (why don’t they take card? Isn’t it required by law?) and get the hell out of there. I make a complaint to the manager of 1200, and she states that an expired license and flat tire is considered «illegally parked and abandoned», as stated in my contract. Uh… Not abandoned because I definitely live there and use it regularly.
I pressure them for more information & an investigation, and they forward me a photo of my car right before it was towed, taken by Simm’s. In that photo, you can clearly see, there is no flat tire. All 4 tires are just fine.
Once I pick up my car, there is clearly one flat tire. I pump air into it, take it to Firestone, who check it out & say there is no damage/​slash to my tire, it simply lost air.
I will be investing this further, but bottom line: Simm’s are shady scam artists. I would advise anyone to stay away. If you are unfortunate enough to be towed, hopefully you have a friend ready to drive you to the middle of nowhere & take toll roads.
And also I would advise to dispute any scam/​wrong doing you see. I would not be surprised if Simm’s let air out of my tires to make a quick buck, and they wouldn’t hesitate to do it again to someone else.

There is a nasty and unprofessional collusion between my apartment and Simm’s towing. My apartment complex decided to close their office early on a Friday with no prior notice, preventing me from getting a car pass for an overnight guest that was coming. I decided to call Simm’s to see if there was any way I could prevent their car from being towed. It’s not surprising that they’d reduce their customer service to 0 and withhold any sort of accomodation, so it’s not surprising that they deserve nothing but 1 star on Unilocal.I’m not an idiot. I know what’s up. St. John’s Wood is next.

Would give zero stars if I could. These jackals cruise parking lots in Richmond and take cars that are legally parked and then hold them for cash ransome. Virginia law says towing companies should take credit cards and these guys don’t.