Patterico's Pontifications

4/18/2015

This Is What An Entitled Mean Girl Looks Like And It Isn’t Pretty [UPDATED With Dissent By Patterico] [Further Post Update]

Filed under: General — Dana @ 11:50 am



UPDATE BY PATTERICO: I’m going to exercise my prerogative as blog owner to insert an update at the head of this post. It’s actually a concurrence and a dissent, not just a dissent.

I am uncomfortable, and indeed angry, about what this business did, because they edited out the comments by the employee. Dana notes that at the end of the post, but I personally think it is far more significant than most apparently do, and I want to take a moment to explain why.

If these people are going to put out a video with only one side of the conversation, and edit out the comments of the employee, then I believe I am entitled to assume the absolute worst about what the employee said. So, until I hear different, I am going to assume that the employee hurled insults and profanities at the ESPN reporter. Am I wrong, towing company? Prove it. Until you do, I assume what I assume.

And given my assumption, the comments made by McHenry . . . still were not wise. But might be far more understandable than they seem in a video where all the context has been deliberately ripped out.

I’m just not comfortable joining in the online lynch mob based on an edited video like this. That said, I am happy to have a guest poster disagree, and I am happy to have all viewpoints aired. I just wanted to register my discomfort with the pile-on in a prominent way.

Again: if the towing company wants even the slightest bit of sympathy from me, they can present the entire video, or they can go to hell.

— PATTERICO

SECOND UPDATE BY PATTERICO: To be clear, I’m not accusing Dana of participating in an “online lynch mob” with this post. See the update by me below — the really long (and interesting!) one. — PATTERICO

[guest post by Dana]

Young, blonde and beautiful? You’ve got it made in our society – for a while, anyway. Power, confidence, and lots of attention. Who wouldn’t want that? Well, if young, blonde and beautiful is also demonstrably a mean-girl – arrogant, cruel and ill-mannered like ESPN reporter Britt McHenry, not me.

Having been warned that she was on camera and that a *video of her could be released, McHenry nonetheless chose to unleash a personal and caustic attack on a tow-truck company employee at Advanced Towing where McHenry was paying to have her towed car released:

Some of her comments to the woman working the counter:

The parking attendant can be heard in the video warning McHenry she is being filmed and threatens to ‘play your video’.

‘That’s why I have a degree and you don’t – I wouldn’t work in a scumbag place like this,’ McHenry responds.

‘Makes my skin crawl even being here.’

The parking attendant patiently replies: ‘Well lets get you out of here quickly.’

McHenry then fires back: ‘Yep, that’s all you care about – taking people’s money…with no education, no skill set. Just wanted to clarify that.’

“I’m in the news sweetheart, I will f—ing sue this place.”

“Do you feel good about your job? So I could be a college dropout and do the same thing?”

“I’m on television and you’re in a f—ing trailer, honey.”

“Maybe if I was missing some teeth, they would hire me, huh?”

“Lose some weight, baby girl.”

As someone who has had to pay to have a stolen car released from impound, I can understand McHenry’s frustration with the system. The painful fact of the matter is, if you want your impounded auto back, you have to pay. That being said, McHenry’s car was towed because of where she was parked, not because it was stolen. And while I may have resented having to pay for my car’s release, I certainly didn’t make it personal and blame the person behind the counter.

While the tow-truck company, along with the employee herself, have less-than-stellar reputations, it’s noteworthy that McHenry chose to go mean-girl in her attack when she went for the female jugular: physical looks. It may be the most powerful weapon in a beautiful woman’s arsenal. Young, blonde and beautiful, humiliated at finding herself having to pay for something I’m sure she felt was unfair, but adding insult to injury, also having to submit to someone so clearly beneath her. Unacceptable!

And it is this that makes McHenry not just an angry customer, but a seriously unattractive angry customer. If she was that frustrated and provoked by the experience of having to go to a seedy joint and pay for something she felt unfair, why not rant about the unethical behavior of the company and their bad business practices? Why make it personal and attack another woman’s looks? I think it’s because she is simply a mean girl. This is who she is. This personal attack did not happen in a vacuum, did not come out of nowhere. She knew exactly how to remind the employee – an employee who momentarily held power over young, blonde and beautiful – who had the real and lasting power. And who did not. She knew her cruelty would hit the mark and hurt the employee. And in that moment, she wanted to hurt the employee, not the business.

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Not surprisingly, McHenry herself appears to already have a reputation for being a rude snob.

McHenry later apologized but not directly to the recipient of her mean-spirited rant:

In an intense and stressful moment, I allowed my emotions to get the best of me and said some insulting and regrettable things. As frustrated as I was, I should always choose to be respectful and take the high road. I am so sorry for my actions and will learn from this mistake.

ESPN has suspended McHenry for one week.

(*The video, of course, does not reflect the entire conversation. We do not know what the employee may have said to further provoke McHenry, however, that does not change the personal attacks McHenry made.)

UPDATE: According to this report, the towing company sat on the video for 10 days, plenty of time to edit it, which is the claim being made. Note: the source is unnamed and the report comes from US Weekly:

The damning security camera footage, which surfaced on April 16, shows McHenry verbally attacking a female attendant while trying to retrieve her car in Arlington, Va. During the heated berating, McHenry says “I’m in the news, sweetheart” and “I will f-king sue this place.” The source, however, says that some of her words were taken out of context.

For one, the D.C. sports reporter really said “I’m in the news, I know that there are lawsuits against you.” (The Advanced Towing Company LLC received an “F” rating from the Better Business Bureau.) She did not, according to the source, say it to brag about her job.

–Dana

UPDATE BY PATTERICO: Let me clarify a few things. First, I do not mean to accuse Dana of participating in an “online lynch mob.” I have re-read her post and, while I would not have written it the same way myself, one cannot accurately call this post “lynch mob” activity. To the extent that my update at the top might seem to suggest that, let me make it clear I did not intend that. However, I do think there are lynch-mobby aspects to the general reaction on the Internet to all of this, and I do think that it’s important to call for a little perspective on all of this.

First, let’s take a step back and look at what is going on. This morning I was listening to a fascinating podcast that Ace did with John Sexton on the concept of “Altruistic Punishment.” As Ace explained, they have done studies with young children where a young girl witnessed a monkey puppet stealing cookies from an elephant puppet. The girl shunned and otherwise punished the monkey puppet for stealing the cookie even though it wasn’t hers. Chimpanzees don’t react this way; they couldn’t care less whether the monkey puppet steals the elephant puppet’s cookie. That’s the elephant puppet’s problem.

So this sense that we need to band together and enforce social rules, even when we ourselves are not the target of the wrongdoing, is actually very important to human society. It has been shown that this is fundamental to human cooperation. You won’t follow the rules unless you know that everyone is subject to the rules. And so you enforce rules even when you aren’t being harmed.

But, as Ace points out, this can go overboard. Because it feels good to punish wrongdoers. We all know this. When we are righteously busting someone for dishonesty or crass behavior, we get a little frisson of self-righteousness that feels fantastic. This doesn’t make one a bad person. Every human feels this. On the podcast, Ace admits he feels it. “It’s like hunting a buffalo,” he says. When I was putting together posts detailing the sock-puppetry of supercilious people like Michael Hiltzik or Glenn Greenwald, I felt it. It’s natural.

And it can go overboard, leading to mob action. There was that Justene Sacco incident, which Ace discussed, in which Sacco wrote “Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m White!” An online lynch mob formed, literally while she was on the plane, and people got whipped into a frenzy over her purported racisms. There was a specially created hashtag: #HasJustineLandedYet. She was actually met at the airport by an intrepid online shamer with a cellphone. She was fired. As it turned out, Sam Biddle, one of the leaders of the lynch mob, later interviewed her and learned that the tweet had been misintepreted. Context — the other side of the story; her side of the story — wasn’t necessary for the lynch mob to make its judgment. She was convicted before she landed. The fact that her tweet “was supposed to mimic—and mock—what an actual racist, ignorant person would say” was unknown and the possibility did not matter to people. Biddle’s later-expressed regret for his participation didn’t get Justene Sacco back her job.

Events like this have made me very reluctant to join in online mobs that form over alleged outrages — especially when I sense that there may be another side to the story. And I do think that such a mob has formed around this Britt McHenry story. Just look at Facebook or Twitter and you’ll find large groups of people saying a suspension is not enough; she needs to be fired; she’s a terrible person; etc. etc. etc.

Dana’s post is not like that. Dana’s post largely concentrates on the way women can sometimes act like “mean girls” in attacking others’ looks and other superficial things. These are all valid observations, and I think it’s clear that this is happening in the video. My update above is not meant to “defend” or “justify” or “excuse” the bratty behavior of a pretty TV girl attacking someone on superficial grounds.

That being said, my by-now innate reluctance to join online mobs leads me to be very circumspect about forming conclusions based on one side of the story. Again: this company deliberately edited out most of the commentary from the employee. This is not because the employee did not consent to having her voice on the video; it does appear at least twice, where she threatens to show the video, and where she says, in effect, let’s get you out of here quickly. The other comments she made — the ones which were edited out — were undoubtedly nasty and embarrassing to the employee. McHenry says the employee was being abusive, and based on the video being edited, I completely believe her. And that makes me angry.

And this is where I take issue with Dana in the post, because she characterizes McHenry’s comments as “cruel” and seems to accept the narrative being offered by the company. Dana says: “And while I may have resented having to pay for my car’s release, I certainly didn’t make it personal and blame the person behind the counter.” I could be misreading this, but I read this as implying that McHenry is simply upset about the situation and is taking it out on an innocent person behind the counter. Now, it’s possible that’s what happened. But I doubt it. Because if that’s all it was, they would have shown the whole video, unedited. And they didn’t.

Now, Dana does indeed acknowledge that the video has been edited, saying: “The video, of course, does not reflect the entire conversation. We do not know what the employee may have said to further provoke McHenry, however, that does not change the personal attacks McHenry made.” I’m glad Dana said that, and it shows that Dana is aware of the possibility that McHenry was provoked. I just think I assign more importance to that distinct possibility than is assigned by Dana, or frankly, by most people I see discussing this online. To me, it’s impossible to know how bad McHenry’s reaction is without the full context. Since the company has deliberately chosen to edit out the full context, I believe it is reasonable for me to conclude that their employee acted badly, and that the unedited video would be very embarrassing for them and would make McHenry’s remarks look (perhaps only slightly) less unreasonable.

TL;DR. I know. Mainly, I wanted to make clear that I do not accuse Dana of being involved in an online lynch mob. I know her too well to think that about her. But to the extent that one has formed outside this blog, I want to make it crystal clear that I am not joining in. Hence the update above.

103 Responses to “This Is What An Entitled Mean Girl Looks Like And It Isn’t Pretty [UPDATED With Dissent By Patterico] [Further Post Update]”

  1. “Hello”, she said with a toss of her long, dark hair!

    Dana (86e864)

  2. i’m on #TeamBritt I think

    a lot of what she told that girl was very good advice

    Britt’s a giver, you see

    give give give never take always give

    that’s the Britt we know

    i think what happened is Britt found herself in an intense and stressful moment and let her emotions get the best of her

    that’s all

    happyfeet (831175)

  3. In an intense and stressful moment…

    I gave up laughing at that point.

    Her lawyers/image consultants want me to believe THAT was in intense and stressful moment? I realize she’s an obnoxious kid, but don’t the people she hires to get her out of messes know the rest of us aren’t kids?

    Steve57 (cd6f9a)

  4. I find myself totally unsurprised about this. Up until this point, I had never heard of Britt McHenry. After hearing about this, I see that I haven’t missed a thing. May she sink back into well-deserved obscurity.

    Bill M (906260)

  5. UPDATE BY PATTERICO: I’m going to exercise my prerogative as blog owner to insert an update at the head of this post. It’s actually a concurrence and a dissent, not just a dissent.

    I am uncomfortable, and indeed angry, about what this business did, because they edited out the comments by the employee. Dana notes that at the end of the post, but I personally think it is far more significant than most apparently do, and I want to take a moment to explain why.

    If these people are going to put out a video with only one side of the conversation, and edit out the comments of the employee, then I believe I am entitled to assume the absolute worst about what the employee said. So, until I hear different, I am going to assume that the employee hurled insults and profanities at the ESPN reporter. Am I wrong, towing company? Prove it. Until you do, I assume what I assume.

    And given my assumption, the comments made by McHenry . . . still were not wise. But might be far more understandable than they seem in a video where all the context has been deliberately ripped out.

    I’m just not comfortable joining in the online lynch mob based on an edited video like this. That said, I am happy to have a guest poster disagree, and I am happy to have all viewpoints aired. I just wanted to register my discomfort with the pile-on in a prominent way.

    Again: if the towing company wants even the slightest bit of sympathy from me, they can present the entire video, or they can go to hell.

    — PATTERICO

    Patterico (9c670f)

  6. Imagine the outrage had the reporter been a male, or the towing company employee been black.

    edoc118 (a3db3a)

  7. I have seen a few comments online about this towing company. I once had my car towed in Newport Rhode Island because a parking lot went from dedicated to a restaurant’s patrons to something else at 6 PM with no notice. There have also been stories about abusive towing rules in low budget apartment complexes. My daughter had her car towed in a gated community when she spent the night at a friend’s and the friend’s parents did not tell her to move her car into their driveway at night.

    Some of these free range towing companies are pirates. This may be one.

    However, that TV babe is really stupid to go on after she was TOLD she was on TV.

    Mike K (90dfdc)

  8. By the way, I know Ken White would be very upset at me for using a phrase like “online lynch mob.” I just happen to disagree with his desire to excise colorful terms like “bully” or “lynch mob” to describe certain forms of concerted Internet action by bad actors. If I see an online lynch mob forming, that’s what I’m going to call it, and no disrespect is intended to actual victims of actual lynch mobs. I have confidence in my readers’ ability to differentiate colorful metaphors from reality.

    Every metaphor in existence is subject to the criticism that the reality is different from the metaphor, and that it waters down the reality to use the metaphor. That argument is basically an argument for outlawing (not literally; I’m being metaphorical) metaphors. If we’re not going to outlaw metaphors entirely, can I get the rulebook on which metaphors are to be banned and which are allowable?

    So yes: “online lynch mob” it is.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  9. A lot of towing companies will tow legally parked cars. Then you have to pay to get your car back. Which is nothing but stealing. But how do you prove it?

    There may be no angels here.

    Steve57 (cd6f9a)

  10. I have to take exception to labeling McHenry a customer. She did not enter into this transaction voluntarilly. Mc Henry was rude in the portion of the video we saw. I would like to see the entire encounter, Mc Henry may well have been provoked.

    gbear (056e3e)

  11. gbear has an excellent point. When a company is holding your car hostage, you have to deal with them. As opposed to wanting to deal with them.

    Then there’s also the factor that she’s a hottie. Which means people want to find something wrong with her. She must be an evil & twisted human being!

    She may not be any more flawed than the rest of us. Despite the fact she looks so good.

    Steve57 (cd6f9a)

  12. IMO if the towing company rep was rude that would not make McHenry’s own very personal, class-related insults excusable. It would certainly not excuse her threats to use her professional capacity to settle a personal grudge (and anyone who trots out the “do you know who I am?” card IMO loses whatever argument they are using it for, regardless of the merits of the other party’s position). The taunts about her being better educated and more intelligent certainly ring hollow given that she apparently ignored the video camera running right in front of her (she looked up at it, so the obvious implication was that it was sitting there in plain sight).

    M. Scott Eiland (a742b7)

  13. this reminds me of that time chuck schumer use the b word on a hapless flight attendant who was just trying to keep people safe

    except it’s different though cause in this story it’s all girl-on-girl action so it doesn’t have the rape culture subtext

    happyfeet (831175)

  14. IMO if the towing company rep was rude that would not make McHenry’s own very personal, class-related insults excusable. It would certainly not excuse her threats to use her professional capacity to settle a personal grudge (and anyone who trots out the “do you know who I am?” card IMO loses whatever argument they are using it for, regardless of the merits of the other party’s position). The taunts about her being better educated and more intelligent certainly ring hollow given that she apparently ignored the video camera running right in front of her (she looked up at it, so the obvious implication was that it was sitting there in plain sight).

    I don’t think anyone said “excuse” but with the context missing you’re forming an opinion based on seeing only one side of the conversation. You are being manipulated. It’s like watching the South Carolina shooting without having the benefit of the video of the guy wrestling for the Taser. What you do see may not be justified or “excused” but seeing the provocation can help you form a more informed judgment about how egregious the reaction truly was.

    And if the provocation is deliberately edited out (not the case, as far as we know, in the South Carolina video, but clearly the case here) then I think it’s logical to assume that what was removed was embarrassing to the poor victim towing company lady. They’re the ones with the proof; until they present it, my working assumption was that poor victim towing company lady was incredibly rude and abusive, and deserved some pushback. Maybe not this particular pushback — but how can we know for sure without the context?

    M. Scott Eiland: let’s say that I started insulting your mother or your children in profane or sexual ways and provoked you into making an outrageous statement. Then I delete my provoking comment and work to publicize your response all over the Internet. Might people be justified in wondering what caused you to make the outrageous statement? Might they appropriately reserve judgment until I produce the provoking comment? I think they might.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  15. You’re right, Mr. Eiland. Which is why I’ll stand by my initial comments @3. She’s an obnoxious child. Also, when I’m involved in a transaction where I have to pay somebody else, clearly that other person has some skill sets. Maybe those skill sets only extend to getting a towing contract from a city or private company. But now you have to get the car back.

    You have to acknowledge, at least, the reality of the skill sets you’re dealing with.

    Her comments about being a college dropout with no skill sets were not only wrong, but clearly off the mark. Because she did end up paying. If I end up paying someone for something, whether or not I ever voluntarily got into the situation, the “I’m smarter than you and I’m in television” thingy never worked.

    No doubt she was provoked, though.

    Steve57 (cd6f9a)

  16. i hope this doesn’t affect her credibility as an on-air cable sportscast personality type person

    happyfeet (831175)

  17. 14. M. Scott Eiland: let’s say that I started insulting your mother or your children in profane or sexual ways and provoked you into making an outrageous statement. Then I delete my provoking comment and work to publicize your response all over the Internet. Might people be justified in wondering what caused you to make the outrageous statement? Might they appropriately reserve judgment until I produce the provoking comment? I think they might.

    Patterico (9c670f) — 4/18/2015 @ 1:35 pm

    Say you did. You did provoke me. Wouldn’t be one thing if I made broad comments about your underclass status, or another if I make specific comments about you and what you’re doing?

    Steve57 (cd6f9a)

  18. 16. i hope this doesn’t affect her credibility as an on-air cable sportscast personality type person
    happyfeet (831175) — 4/18/2015 @ 1:42 pm

    I believe she’ll be just as authoritative as all those other chicas who used to be linebackers in the NFL.

    Steve57 (cd6f9a)

  19. this was the network that gave us Olbermann, without warning, so probably not,

    narciso (ee1f88)

  20. You are all missing the real outrage. The reporter had no choice but to be videoed and recorded by this business. The fact that this scummy business chose to release the recording to the media should scare all of us. How many of us expect that all of our interactions are being taped by businesses that can willy nilly distribute the tapes to harm us? Security cam taping for crime prevention is one thing, but the use of the video for commercial purposes is really troubling. I for one will try do do my shopping online wherever possible, but the invasion of our private lives by commercial organizations is difficult to avoid, and when those commercial organizations take a fairly normal customer dispute and weaponize it, that is sickening.

    Barry (d73db3)

  21. oh btw I had a bizarrely hostile Encounter In Real Life today

    ok so we’ve talked about how I’m a sell my car yes?

    yes yes

    so I’m a lil anxious about it, even though I got one of those enterprise car share things exactly right outside if I need a car

    and remember i just moved here, so I’m not all stocked up like a good lil texas walmart baby likes to be

    so i go to the store today, to a completely mundane lil jewel-osco i like over around sauganash

    and i fill up my cart

    completely

    which I do every time anyway cause it’s good to have lots of stuff, especially if it’s stuff you use – and I have loads of storage left to fill up

    so i go to the checkout and this old biddy comes up to me and she’s all

    “Are you feeding the neighborhood?”

    I said “excuse me?”

    So she thought I hadn’t heard her so she’s all like “Are you feeding the neighborhood?”

    And I said no.

    And she said “well what on earth explains all this?”

    “Oh I’m selling my car.”

    “Well I don’t see what that has to do with all this.”

    So I just kinda mumbled “Yeah I don’t know.”

    And she rolled her eyes at me and walked off.

    I know it’s not a liberal thing. Maybe there’s some weird midwestern sensibility I offended? Given how she was older than Hillary even I think *maybe* it was some weird twist on a “I lived through the Great Depression and we never” type of thinking, but I was just glad the crazy lady went away.

    happyfeet (831175)

  22. 20. You are all missing the real outrage. The reporter had no choice but to be videoed and recorded by this business.

    Barry (d73db3) — 4/18/2015 @ 1:56 pm

    Yes, I totes missed the fact that the company that will illegally tow your legally parked car could do something like this on video.

    Steve57 (cd6f9a)

  23. Slipped by me entirely.

    Steve57 (cd6f9a)

  24. 20. …I for one will try do do my shopping online wherever possible, but the invasion of our private lives by commercial organizations is difficult to avoid, and when those commercial organizations take a fairly normal customer dispute and weaponize it, that is sickening.

    Barry (d73db3) — 4/18/2015 @ 1:56 pm

    You’re talking about doing commercial transactions with outside entities, and them invading your privacy? Good luck with the online thing. They’ll never be able to monitor that.

    Steve57 (cd6f9a)

  25. UPDATE BY PATTERICO: Let me clarify a few things. First, I do not mean to accuse Dana of participating in an “online lynch mob.” I have re-read her post and, while I would not have written it the same way myself, one cannot accurately call this post “lynch mob” activity. To the extent that my update at the top might seem to suggest that, let me make it clear I did not intend that. However, I do think there are lynch-mobby aspects to the general reaction on the Internet to all of this, and I do think that it’s important to call for a little perspective on all of this.

    First, let’s take a step back and look at what is going on. This morning I was listening to a fascinating podcast that Ace did with John Sexton on the concept of “Altruistic Punishment.” As Ace explained, they have done studies with young children where a young girl witnessed a monkey puppet stealing cookies from an elephant puppet. The girl shunned and otherwise punished the monkey puppet for stealing the cookie even though it wasn’t hers. Chimpanzees don’t react this way; they couldn’t care less whether the monkey puppet steals the elephant puppet’s cookie. That’s the elephant puppet’s problem.

    So this sense that we need to band together and enforce social rules, even when we ourselves are not the target of the wrongdoing, is actually very important to human society. It has been shown that this is fundamental to human cooperation. You won’t follow the rules unless you know that everyone is subject to the rules. And so you enforce rules even when you aren’t being harmed.

    But, as Ace points out, this can go overboard. Because it feels good to punish wrongdoers. We all know this. When we are righteously busting someone for dishonesty or crass behavior, we get a little frisson of self-righteousness that feels fantastic. This doesn’t make one a bad person. Every human feels this. On the podcast, Ace admits he feels it. “It’s like hunting a buffalo,” he says. When I was putting together posts detailing the sock-puppetry of supercilious people like Michael Hiltzik or Glenn Greenwald, I felt it. It’s natural.

    And it can go overboard, leading to mob action. There was that Justene Sacco incident, which Ace discussed, in which Sacco wrote “Going to Africa. Hope I don’t get AIDS. Just kidding. I’m White!” An online lynch mob formed, literally while she was on the plane, and people got whipped into a frenzy over her purported racisms. There was a specially created hashtag: #HasJustineLandedYet. She was actually met at the airport by an intrepid online shamer with a cellphone. She was fired. As it turned out, Sam Biddle, one of the leaders of the lynch mob, later interviewed her and learned that the tweet had been misintepreted. Context — the other side of the story; her side of the story — wasn’t necessary for the lynch mob to make its judgment. She was convicted before she landed. The fact that her tweet “was supposed to mimic—and mock—what an actual racist, ignorant person would say” was unknown and the possibility did not matter to people. Biddle’s later-expressed regret for his participation didn’t get Justene Sacco back her job.

    Events like this have made me very reluctant to join in online mobs that form over alleged outrages — especially when I sense that there may be another side to the story. And I do think that such a mob has formed around this Britt McHenry story. Just look at Facebook or Twitter and you’ll find large groups of people saying a suspension is not enough; she needs to be fired; she’s a terrible person; etc. etc. etc.

    Dana’s post is not like that. Dana’s post largely concentrates on the way women can sometimes act like “mean girls” in attacking others’ looks and other superficial things. These are all valid observations, and I think it’s clear that this is happening in the video. My update above is not meant to “defend” or “justify” or “excuse” the bratty behavior of a pretty TV girl attacking someone on superficial grounds.

    That being said, my by-now innate reluctance to join online mobs leads me to be very circumspect about forming conclusions based on one side of the story. Again: this company deliberately edited out most of the commentary from the employee. This is not because the employee did not consent to having her voice on the video; it does appear at least twice, where she threatens to show the video, and where she says, in effect, let’s get you out of here quickly. The other comments she made — the ones which were edited out — were undoubtedly nasty and embarrassing to the employee. McHenry says the employee was being abusive, and based on the video being edited, I completely believe her. And that makes me angry.

    And this is where I take issue with Dana in the post, because she characterizes McHenry’s comments as “cruel” and seems to accept the narrative being offered by the company. Dana says: “And while I may have resented having to pay for my car’s release, I certainly didn’t make it personal and blame the person behind the counter.” I could be misreading this, but I read this as implying that McHenry is simply upset about the situation and is taking it out on an innocent person behind the counter. Now, it’s possible that’s what happened. But I doubt it. Because if that’s all it was, they would have shown the whole video, unedited. And they didn’t.

    Now, Dana does indeed acknowledge that the video has been edited, saying: “The video, of course, does not reflect the entire conversation. We do not know what the employee may have said to further provoke McHenry, however, that does not change the personal attacks McHenry made.” I’m glad Dana said that, and it shows that Dana is aware of the possibility that McHenry was provoked. I just think I assign more importance to that distinct possibility than is assigned by Dana, or frankly, by most people I see discussing this online. To me, it’s impossible to know how bad McHenry’s reaction is without the full context. Since the company has deliberately chosen to edit out the full context, I believe it is reasonable for me to conclude that their employee acted badly, and that the unedited video would be very embarrassing for them and would make McHenry’s remarks look (perhaps only slightly) less unreasonable.

    TL;DR. I know. Mainly, I wanted to make clear that I do not accuse Dana of being involved in an online lynch mob. I know her too well to think that about her. But to the extent that one has formed outside this blog, I want to make it crystal clear that I am not joining in. Hence the update above.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  26. You are all missing the real outrage. The reporter had no choice but to be videoed and recorded by this business. The fact that this scummy business chose to release the recording to the media should scare all of us. How many of us expect that all of our interactions are being taped by businesses that can willy nilly distribute the tapes to harm us? Security cam taping for crime prevention is one thing, but the use of the video for commercial purposes is really troubling. I for one will try do do my shopping online wherever possible, but the invasion of our private lives by commercial organizations is difficult to avoid, and when those commercial organizations take a fairly normal customer dispute and weaponize it, that is sickening.

    I meant to include something about that in my update, but it was already too long. I totally agree. I really dislike the behavior of this company, on many levels.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  27. I don’t see why we can’t just put chubatha and britt together in a cage and do a pay-per-view thing

    happyfeet (831175)

  28. Well said Pat, this was a total non story from the beginning

    EPWJ (29d77c)

  29. The story has also boomeranged back on the towing company a bit, as word of their questionable activities has spread farther and wider than it likely ever has before.

    I would say nobody would want to do business with them, but then, that’s the point, isn’t it? When the state backs your activities by force, you don’t have to please people or be polite.

    And yet, there may be unintended consequences down the line.

    Maybe the next time someone feels the company has stolen one of their cars, they’ll remember this story and be encouraged to file a stolen car report.

    And maybe a few customers will take in cell phones and start recording the behavior of the employees.

    The company has sown the wind. In time, we’ll see what they reap.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  30. #gofundbritt

    I gave $50

    happyfeet (831175)

  31. Oh, Good Lord.

    You’re kidding, right?

    Patterico (9c670f)

  32. maybe

    happyfeet (831175)

  33. I hope so.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  34. Yes, McHenry is obnoxious and rude and couldn’t stop herself from being fully committed to her misogynistic attack (Because FAT Woman!), but on the other hand I do understand a base hatred for unethical, opportunistically greedy tow companies and do enjoy a Chris Matthews-style leg tingle seeing them brought low

    However, as the owner of aging, Italian sports cars, I depend on both them and AAA more than the average Joe. So I’m sort of torn.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  35. I once worked at a place that had unattended tandem parking in an unsecured open lot. Despite signs that spaces were reserved (and towing might ensue), people would park, during working hours, in those reserved spaces to go to nearby restaurants and shops, sometimes blocking people in.

    One time someone parked illegally in a front space and a co-worker of mine parked behind them so that they would have to do a perp walk in order to get him to move. He didn’t like to call the tow company. I happened to drive up as the lady who had illegally parked was pretending to be building management and getting a tow truck to haul away my co-worker’s car so she would leave without having to suffer the embarrassment of apology.

    And the tow truck drive didn’t care. To him it was a tow and and impound and who cares about the details. Pretty much par for the impound industry I figure.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  36. Maybe the next time someone feels the company has stolen one of their cars, they’ll remember this story and be encouraged to file a stolen car report.

    I am willing to be that tow operators who claim a “bona fide belief” that they are towing an illegally parked car are immune to such prosecution.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  37. Col–

    There’s a difference between AAA and Bubba’s Police Impound.

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  38. However, that TV babe is really stupid to go on after she was TOLD she was on TV.

    That’s about the gist of the matter, disregarding whether she or the clerk deserves the most criticism. Her comments are muttered and not hollered, so calling her behavior an example of a “tantrum,” as one website labeled it, is an exaggeration.

    When I see really obnoxious people in public I sometimes wonder what kind of feedback they’ll give to political questions. Such as “do you like Obama? Is California too liberal? Are Republicans too conservative?” Britt McHenry is white, attractive and blond, so I can easily see some observers characterizing her as being a stuck-up, snotty rightwinger, while her air of dumb arrogance makes me think of a Hollywood leftwing Democrat, liable to say things like “I love Hillary! And why not?! We’ve all made mistakes, so she’s entitled to a few of her own.”

    Mark (6c31df)

  39. Dear Diary: Mr. Mark told me he teaches people “real life.”

    He said “real life sucks losers dry. You wanna eff with the eagles, you have to learn to fly.”

    I said “so you teach people how to spread their wings and fly?”

    He said “yes.”

    I said “you’re beautiful.”

    happyfeet (831175)

  40. and in the political sphere we have this Plastic (Mean Girls precursor)

    narciso (ee1f88)

  41. We were parking to take a shuttle into Venice and the cops showed up and started arresting the attendants taking the money. It was private land, as it played out all the cars had to be towed. So the attendants flipped and it was the towing company who hired them to park the cars. The cops had the roadways and the canals staked out, no one escaped. Give me Verona or Florence any day.

    mg (31009b)

  42. Maybe the next time someone feels the company has stolen one of their cars, they’ll remember this story and be encouraged to file a stolen car report.

    And maybe a few customers will take in cell phones and start recording the behavior of the employees.

    That’s a great point: if these towings really are illegal you would think that citizen vigilantes would go ahead and treat the towing company employees just like everyone treats the cops these days. Document and post. We can see the exact circumstances of the towing.

    I don’t discount that towing companies might be corrupt, but I am always struck by the sheer number of people who claim, “I was towed when I stopped into Goodwill for five minutes to deliver a bundle of clothes,” or “I was towed when I was parked perfectly legally,” or “I was towed a full five minutes before the street parking officially expired.” It remind me of the people pegged with DUIs who swear up and down that they only had two beers, even if they blew a .12 on the machine and had it confirmed by the blood test.

    In the town of Torrance, near my neck of the woods, a guy who owned a towing service was elected mayor. The city already had a contract with this guy’s towing company, which remained in place even after he was sworn in. There are lots of people who will swear to you that towings greatly increased while this guy was mayor. I hasten to add that I was never towed while parked in the city of Torrance during this time.

    JVW (a1146f)

  43. italy is dead to me after what they did on foxy

    happyfeet (831175)

  44. DEAD I SAY

    happyfeet (831175)

  45. not to mention that show trial of CIA personnel in Milan, or that witchhunt in Florence, that took the better part of two decades,

    narciso (ee1f88)

  46. oh btw next wednesday is earth day are we all gonna wear matching t-shirts or something?

    let’s circle back on this before eod monday

    happyfeet (831175)

  47. Like Dana, I see this as a mean girl incident. Boys win by competing and walk away to compete another day. Girls win by manipulating and being mean. Not only did McHenry do it, but if you listen carefully so did the towing company clerk. After McHenry slammed the clerk for her missing teeth, I think the clerk responded with a cutting remark about retouching her roots — suggesting that McHenry’s blonde hair isn’t completely natural. Sadly, this is what woman do.

    DRJ (e80d46)

  48. Also, I assume the company has signs posted that videos are being recorded. If so, the fact there is video and it was released doesn’t bother me as long as McHenry’s comments weren’t altered.

    DRJ (e80d46)

  49. What we know.
    1 McHenry’s car was towed.
    2 The towing company with held the audio of their employee.
    3 McHenry said some vulgar and insulting things.
    4 Mchenry was quite angry and upset.

    What we don’t know.
    1 If McHenry’s car was legally towed.
    2 What the towing company said to McHenry prior to the altercation.
    3 Did the towing company also engage in provocative and insulting statements to McHenry.
    4 Did the towing company do something that would justify McHenery being angry and upset.
    5 Why did the towing company edit the audio.
    6 Why did the towing company release the edited audio and tape.
    7 What did the towing company hope to gain by doing so.

    So there is a lot we don’t know about this and I have to admit that based on the one sided nature of what the towing company released there is no reason to place a lot of faith in their side of things.

    Thresherman (0e119e)

  50. Sadly, this is what woman do.

    nonono everyone does it

    did you ever read Cap’n Ed back when he was savaging Madonna’s superbowl performance?

    Ageist prick.

    As if he married some kinda hottie.

    happyfeet (831175)

  51. Like Dana, I see this as a mean girl incident. Boys win by competing and walk away to compete another day. Girls win by manipulating and being mean. Not only did McHenry do it, but if you listen carefully so did the towing company clerk. After McHenry slammed the clerk for her missing teeth, I think the clerk responded with a cutting remark about retouching her roots — suggesting that McHenry’s blonde hair isn’t completely natural. Sadly, this is what woman do.

    Yup.

    Although reading through the Yelp reviews, I’m starting to wonder whether these people are criminals. I’m feeling less and less sorry for them every second.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  52. Also, I assume the company has signs posted that videos are being recorded. If so, the fact there is video and it was released doesn’t bother me as long as McHenry’s comments weren’t altered.

    I don’t know. You have no choice but to go to this place even if, as many claim, they towed a completely legally parked vehicle within seconds. I hope more people sue them.

    And the comments are altered, in a sense, if the provocation for them is removed.

    I could not feel less sympathy for the towing scum.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  53. I want to thank Patterico for his second update/clarification re “lynch mobs”.

    I also want to clarify that for me, this post was about how badly women can treat each other. War on women, indeed. No one eats their own like women.

    I intentionally attempted to balance my personal understanding of McHenry’s plight and frustration of having to pay to get her towed car released, as well as having noted the negatives on the side of the tow company and employee (link clearly expressed this). Also, as Patterico notes, the caveat at the end of the post explained that the video was clearly limited. I had sincerely hoped those inclusions would make the necessary distinction between opining on women’s treatment of other women and a “lynch mob” pile on.

    Further, I do characterize McHenry’s words as “cruel” because I believe them to be. I believe McHenry specifically chose to attack the clerk on that level (the one that hurts most deeply) and with those words because she knew full well they would hit the mark. How much the clerk provoked her is unknown, however, to me it would have had to have been at some extraordinary level to compel such a personal attack.

    And EPJW, as you view this as a non-story, would you mind explaining why you think that? I think there are a number of aspects to the “non-story” lend itself to discussion other than women’s treatment of other women (which clearly isn’t of interest with this group. :)) This might include the reliability of videos (as Patterico noted), the questionable “relationships” between impound yards/local police/cities, and even ESPN’s disciplinary decisions with regard to, and in comparison of McHenry, Chris Broussard, Rob Parker, or Stephen A. Smith.

    Dana (86e864)

  54. And, at the risk of sounding rather sexist, perhaps it takes a woman to “get” the post (at least my focus) and understand how cutthroat this behavior is and how denigrating it is. Which is the intent. It simply reflects an ugly side of the fairer sex.

    Dana (86e864)

  55. this all just a great big IRS metaphor and britt is the taxpayer

    the role of Lois Lerner tonight will be played by chubatha

    party rock is NOT in the house tonight

    please refer to the programme you were given upon entry for refreshment options and fun facts

    happyfeet (831175)

  56. Sexists

    Patterico (9c670f)

  57. And EPJW, as you view this as a non-story, would you mind explaining why you think that?

    It’s not a non-story. It’s a great story for many reasons.

    Reading the Yelp reviews, though, I feel that rage you get when people talk about injustices that the system has no way to redress. Basically, until somebody does a sting on these people with video, people are going to keep getting screwed by companies like this.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  58. this post was about how badly women can treat each other

    would it be a more better erf (just in time for erf day)

    if women were to bond together

    to bond together in solidarity?

    hottie sportscasters and fugly car stealers standing shoulder to shoulder

    when you call my name it’s like a little prayer

    it’s like a dream to me

    cause this is thriller

    thriller night

    happyfeet (831175)

  59. Happy feet,

    I suspect you are belittling me and that’s okay. I could blather on in more depth about the subject, but three miles are waiting to be walked.msuffice it to say, the story interested me anyway.

    Dana (86e864)

  60. nononono i’m not belittling you even a lil bit Dana

    i love these stories cause there’s so much here to talk about

    but for reals

    meanness in failmerica is very very ecumenical

    very very

    that’s my only point

    there’s no real difference to a wee small pikachu in the degree of meanness inherent in stealing someone’s car and the degree of meanness inherent in telling some kids that their homo marriage is un-cakeworthy

    graciousness is graciousness

    america used to know that

    failmerica don’t got a clue

    it’s a crappy lil country you got here

    shame if you get to keep it

    happyfeet (831175)

  61. true consider jezebel, the day after the huntress was picked or taylor marsh in full gladiator mode, for Red Queen, or the Spew, (the Walters/Goldberg braintrust)

    narciso (ee1f88)

  62. re the Denton’s dothrakis, the fact the fellow has his head covered, suggests she is not approving of the Huntress,

    narciso (ee1f88)

  63. WHERE ARE MY DRAGONS?

    happyfeet (831175)

  64. Women don’t bond. We’re supposed to be Mama Bears, not team members. Yes, I think that makes me a sexist.

    DRJ (e80d46)

  65. there’s no real difference to a wee small pikachu in the degree of meanness inherent in stealing someone’s car and the degree of meanness inherent in telling some kids that their homo marriage is un- cake worthy.

    happyfeet,

    Stealing a car that is not yours and declining to bake a wedding cake for a gay marriage because it goes against your beliefs is not the same thing.

    Dana (86e864)

  66. 64. WHERE ARE MY DRAGONS?
    happyfeet (831175) — 4/18/2015 @ 5:15 pm

    Over here. Help!

    Steve57 (cd6f9a)

  67. Never mind. Got em.

    Steve57 (cd6f9a)

  68. Thank Gawd for the 10 gauge.

    Steve57 (cd6f9a)

  69. graciousness is graciousness

    let’s be gracious out there

    happyfeet (831175)

  70. I have a new post about the company’s seemingly predatory practices.

    https://patterico.com/2015/04/18/advanced-towing-accused-of-predatory-towing/

    Patterico (9c670f)

  71. This website purports to have a response from Gina, who may be the manager and not the dispatcher who interacted with McHenry. Other sources say the dispatcher name is Michelle.

    Manager Gina claims McHenry was towed because she was parked in the restaurant’s parking lot, but she left the restaurant and did not return to her car until some time after the restaurant had closed. This Daily Mail report also seems to confirm that claim, although it may be based on the same source. It also says cars are towed every night after the restaurant closes, and that there is a notice on the restaurant door warning patrons of this.

    DRJ (e80d46)

  72. So she went to the restaurant and then to some other businesses. Sounds like what a lot of other people have experienced.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  73. I wish to register a protest… Patterico, and I don’t think I’ve complained like this before, if you are to allow a topic with so many tangents attached you should give us warning…. I come in from a day a mowing the pastures and find this, and all the comments… what a thing to miss.

    Yes, the fact that the tow company, or whoever posted the video on their behalf, hurts their cause – whatever it might be – by editing out the employee’s portion of the exchange. If they were squeeky-clean they would not have to do that. On the other hand, hell, she’s a sportscaster… you need to go to college for that???

    In many places tow companies operate under a contract with the law enforcement agency of jurisdiction, at least for tows related to LE activities. These agencies also have rules for how certain private tows (private property parking issues) are to be handled, a situation mentioned in a couple of stories posted up list. We know nothing at this point about why this sports-babe’s car got towed and under who’s authority. Criticism should await the release of full information.

    Mr.feet (@21)– be cool. Think of how far south that could have gone if you had paid for that stuff with food stamps. Yeah.

    Colonel– you gotta get rid of the Eye-talian stuff. Detroit Iron… Ram 2500, although “hecho en Mexico” starts every time, 12 years later….

    That’s it, I’m caught up, sort of.

    PS. Does grey count as blonde? If so, 1 out of 3 ain’t bad.

    Gramps, the original (9e1415)

  74. On the other thread, I think it says the clerk may have insulted McHenry first by commenting on her hair color/roots. I don’t think that’s correct. If I heard the dialogue correctly, the clerk was responding to McHenry’s insults. Neither of them were right to do that.

    DRJ (e80d46)

  75. restaurant parking lots, after the restaurant closes, they must be immaculate (immaculate)

    like Our Lady

    like Providence

    like Hillary

    like everybody in this party’s shining like illuminati

    restaurant parking lots

    WHERE ARE MY DRAGONS???!??

    i’m not even kidding

    happyfeet (831175)

  76. I think she did go to another business, and others apparently had this happen, too. Big cities that don’t have much parking do this, don’t they?

    DRJ (e80d46)

  77. Neither of them were right, but clearly one had a greater advantage over the other.

    Dana (86e864)

  78. lol thank you Mr. Gramps for acknowledging my 21

    that really happened

    like at 9 a.m. on a saturday in sauganash

    eff me

    *nothing* really happens at 9 a.m. on a saturday in sauganash

    but there i was

    me and that ole biddy

    i wish I’d asked her for some clarification kind of

    but not really

    happyfeet (831175)

  79. On the other thread, I think it says the clerk may have insulted McHenry first by commenting on her hair color/roots. I don’t think that’s correct. If I heard the dialogue correctly, the clerk was responding to McHenry’s insults. Neither of them were right to do that.

    We don’t know who started it because the video is edited. The point I was making is, you heard an “appearance” comment from the employee. There may be others that are worse. If they left that one in, what was so bad that they took it out?

    Patterico (9c670f)

  80. Neither of them were right, but clearly one had a greater advantage over the other.

    I’m genuinely interested to know which one you think had the greater advantage.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  81. I think she did go to another business, and others apparently had this happen, too. Big cities that don’t have much parking do this, don’t they?

    How big a city is Arlington, VA? I think this towing company is just out to make $$$$.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  82. Arlington’s mostly just CIA trash an Exxon and a Dairy Queen

    if you look for the coupons though you can get really good deals at the DQ

    and who owns DQ?

    yup yup

    Mr. Warren Buffett

    it’s like everybody in this party’s shining like illuminati

    happyfeet (831175)

  83. Dana,

    its a total non story, people took her property and she gave them some crap for it, Texas towing company trucks terrorize the roads by racing to the wrecks or when someone is illegally parked.

    This internet shaming thing has really just got to stop, its ridiculous to report on something when the facts are not in, it never was a story because it was a one sided conversation.

    I’m sure a towing company only has nice college educated well mannered even balanced people working there, or not.

    The reason I say it was a non story is because of her celeb status and the fact that ESPN violated her privacy by announcing they suspended her like she was a member of management with fiduciary responsibilities, I think any company that suspends an employee with out getting the facts – I hope she sues, and I hope the individuals who suspended her get fired.

    It NEVER was a story, not when the towing company is breaking the law – the story should have been ESPN reporter catches skeezy scumbags stealing her car

    EPWJ (fa0e23)

  84. I think Arlington is a suburb of DC. That’s a large metropolitan area to me, and I suspect it’s fairly congested and dense.

    DRJ (e80d46)

  85. @79–
    Ahhhh, Grasshopper-feet, you chose wisely in not seeking clarification. Some stones are better left unturned.

    Gramps, the original (9e1415)

  86. I think Arlington is a suburb of DC. That’s a large metropolitan area to me, and I suspect it’s fairly congested and dense.

    Good point.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  87. @81- “I’m genuinely interested to know which one you think had the greater advantage.”

    Boss, the question doesn’t arise: The tow company had the “hammer”, they had her car. The company rep knew that until ID and cash crossed the counter the sports-babe was not going to get her car.

    Rough example… Cop stops you for running the red light. You say it was yellow. Cop asks for your DL and registration (“restoration”, in some parts of town). You provide it and issue a protest. Cop commences to write. You continue to protest, including appraisals of him, his personal habits, and those of his mother. Cop continues to write. Cop is assessed as swill-eating-pig. Cop hands you the ticket pad and says you need to sign the agreement to appear. You ask “what if I don’t”? Cop says you go before the magistrate – now. You ask “where do I sign?” Cop says “Line 17, and press hard, there are 3 copies.

    You may have the “voice”, but is there any doubt who has the power. Now replace the cop with the tow clerk…. any more questions?

    OK then.

    Gramps, the original (9e1415)

  88. Did anyone ask the towing company if they would tow a gay couple’s car?

    Kevin M (25bbee)

  89. Good one, Kevin M.

    DRJ (e80d46)

  90. I’ve added an update to the post. Because Patterico has added several updates to the post at the top and bottom, I went ahead and added my update to the end of the original post.

    UPDATE: According to this report, the towing company sat on the video for 10 days, plenty of time to edit it, which is the claim being made. Note: the source is unnamed and the report comes from US Weekly:

    The damning security camera footage, which surfaced on April 16, shows McHenry verbally attacking a female attendant while trying to retrieve her car in Arlington, Va. During the heated berating, McHenry says “I’m in the news, sweetheart” and “I will f-king sue this place.” The source, however, says that some of her words were taken out of context.

    For one, the D.C. sports reporter really said “I’m in the news, I know that there are lawsuits against you.” (The Advanced Towing Company LLC received an “F” rating from the Better Business Bureau.) She did not, according to the source, say it to brag about her job.

    Dana (86e864)

  91. I guess my only issue with this whole thing is that after a personal in your face insult an impersonal social media apology is issued. It comes off as less of an apology than an “I need to do damage control.” Statement. A real apology, whether deserved or not would be taking your butt back down to the crappy little trailer and delivering it in person. I see this all the time, people giving very public but not sincere apologies be able to say, “hey, I tried to make it right, I said I was sorry.” No you are just saving face. Go without the camera and Twitter crew and apologize if you need to.

    Marci (c7079f)

  92. I agree with your observations about apologies in these situations, Marci.

    Dana (86e864)

  93. McHenry might have a legal claim if the towing company changed her words or otherwise altered the video to change the context. I’m not familiar with Virginia law but defamation, false light, or similar claims might apply. However, there is a risk to filing suit because she could be counter-sued and a jury might not be sympathetic to her behavior.

    DRJ (e80d46)

  94. Marci, your decent approach to life simply does not square with today’s world. However, I like your world better.

    DRJ, I think McHenry would be a fool to sue, and if she did, as a juror, knowing what I know now, I would vote against her.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  95. I’ve added an update to the post. Because Patterico has added several updates to the post at the top and bottom, I went ahead and added my update to the end of the original post.

    Time for me to add another update at the bottom.

    Just kidding.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  96. Did anyone ask the towing company if they would tow a gay couple’s car?

    Hahahahahahaha.

    Patterico (9c670f)

  97. No way, Gramps, my old Italian cars are for fun driving and for eye candy. My other cars (the new ones) are just reliable transportation.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  98. Sometimes its the ugly girl that is the cruel witch. Sometimes its the ugly girl, filled with jealousy and rage, who tries to make life miserable for the beautiful girl, if she has the opportunity.

    K9Ranger (1bcf6e)

  99. I think McHenry would be a fool to sue, and if she did, as a juror, knowing what I know now, I would vote against her.

    Do I detect a hint of nullification, Patterico? Surely not!

    DRJ (e80d46)

  100. Someone steals property and gets yelled at, that’s news?

    Steve Malynn (d2f86d)

  101. I’ve been victim of one of these assault towing companies. but lucky for me my towed work truck was full of a large satellite TV service’s equipment and said company was going to view the tow as theft of their property, so the apartment complex (who placed two signs warning about towing … one at three feet off the ground behind all the people standing at the bus stop, the other one laying on the ground behind the Empty guard shack, said guard was also to have told me not to park without the work permit they were out of if he’d been there to give it to me at the unclosed closed gate) and the towing company gave me back my truck (I did have to find a ride to the tow yard ten miles away) but it still managed to charge me with a Notary fee though a grumble by me got it knocked in half. There were five others there and only one of those sounded like they were actually a legit tow of an illegally parked vehicle. One was like one of the complaints against this towing company. A permitted car towed from its assigned spot/ They were still demanding the tow fee and storage. That guy was on the phone with a lawyer when they relented there too and released his car, again with a notary fee on something stating you actually were the legal owner of the vehicle.
    Another had his car towed “For parking too long in guest parking” … he had parked the car, walked up to relative apartment, went back to get the rest of his luggage and his car was gone … apparently fifteen minutes is too long in the opinion of this companies drivers.
    So, just how reasonable would you be if this type of stuff happened to you and, as seems quite possible from the record of this company, the employees were abusive.
    Yeah, I can see why she went off. doesn’t make her a nice person, but then again, maybe the other was an even bigger (not just in mass)hole

    JP Kalishek (b3930f)


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