TUKWILA, Wash. - Many Black Friday shoppers who didn't want to spend the time looking for a spot at Westfield Southcenter Mall decided to park across the street. But that ended up being a very costly mistake for some when their cars were towed away.
Park West Plaza management has authorized their security guard to call a tow company if people who are not their own customers are spotted parking in their lot.
On Friday, a fleet of tow trucks carried off more than 20 vehicles, leaving shoppers surprised when they returned to find empty parking spots where their cars had been.
“It’s ridiculous," said Bruce Bentley, whose Jeep Cherokee was towed. "It’s totally ridiculous. It’s just people trying to make money.”
The cost for reclaiming a vehicle from the impound lot? $279.23.
“We don’t go randomly looking for anybody’s car," said Kathy Kraft of Skyway Towing. "We were called by an authorized signer for that property to come and tow vehicles on their property at their request."
More than a dozen warning signs dot the parking lot, most hanging on lightposts. Kraft said they were added after last year's Black Friday. Business managers said they found the parking lot so full with Southcenter shoppers that their own customers had nowhere to park.
The plaza's businesses include Acme Bowl, L.A. Fitness, and California Pizza Kitchen.
And Kraft warns against the misconception that people have 24 hours to before they can be towed.
"If a sign is posted, that is the warning," said Kraft. "That says 'This is my parking lot and I can tow you at anytime if you're not a patron of my businesses.'"
Bruce Bentley, though, says he was a patron -- he and his daughter had lunch at California Pizza Kitchen.
His frustration, he said, was because "You eat at an establishment, and then you take a walk across the street so that [we] can go to JC Penney's for not even an hour, not even an hour and a half" before being towed.
But businesses in the plaza say that very time where you cross the road is where you're gambling, because if a security guard spots you, he has the authority to call the tow trucks to take your car.
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