Consumer complaint received 2021-07-15
Company: Westlake Services, LLC
State: CA
Product: Debt collection
Sub-product: Auto debt
Issue: Took or threatened to take negative or legal action
Sub-issue: Seized or attempted to seize your property

Complaint:
Today is XX/XX/XXXX and my name is XXXX XXXX. I am a licensed XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX and owner of XXXX XXXX  in XXXX XXXX. My XXXX mother and myself live together as I take care of her since she almost passed away about a year and a half ago from a XXXX XXXX after falling in the backyard. We only have one vehicle a XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX pickup truck that we use for everything including my XXXX XXXX. I became delinquent on my truck loan through Westlake Financial after completing my last XXXX XXXX XXXX and my customer didn't pay me. We are completely dependent on our only means of transportation, the pickup truck I own, for all our needs, my mother 's transportation to and from medical facilities, my current need for transportation to and from Civil Court regarding a business matter for non-payment, transportation to and from Criminal Court and XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX which affects my freedom which affects my ability to take care of my elderly XXXX mother, my new licensing testing through XXXX  for my XXXXXXXX XXXX XXXX, and all my needs for transportation in order to run my XXXX XXXX  as a licensed XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX ( ie advertising, appointment & estimating jobs, signing contracts with customers, performing the work on my jobs, training & managing my helpers, etc. ) Yesterday I had a scheduled court appearance at XXXX with the XXXX XXXX XXXX Court when my XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX XXXX  XXXX  was repossessed while parked at the top of our driveway while I was standing outside before they had finished hooking the vehicle up while I was protesting the towing and reciting the AB-2210 law that states a California law that protects consumers against the worst of illegal towing. Under AB 2210, if you spot a tow truck driver taking your car, and the tow truck is still on private property, the driver must release your car to you unconditionally.

A tow truck operator who violates this law is subject to a civil misdemeanor, a fine of {$2500.00}, and/or three months in jail. Also, consumers who can prove they have been charged illegal or excessive towing or storage fees are entitled to recover four times the amount of those fees in small claims court.

While I was telling the two tow truck operators to release my vehicle and stop their collection efforts they continued to hook up the chains on the tires while telling me the vehicle was ready to go and that THEY WERE GOING TO TAKE MY VEHICLE against my will and the California law AB-2210.

They then told me I could dispatch law enforcement ( just to get me out of the way of their towing efforts ) and when they arrived they would speak to them but they would allow the tow anyway. So I told them to hold on, went back inside the house and called the XXXX XXXX County Sheriff 's Department and requested a unit to come out to our house after quickly and briefly explaining the circumstances at hand. I was on the phone with them for less than 5 minutes and after quickly hanging up the phone ran back outside to find they had taken off with my truck. I have a witness, my Elderly mother, XXXX who saw everything unfold and watched what was going on outside while the front door was wide open. 
After Deputy XXXX XXXX arrived and I reported the incident, he supplied me with the following incident report number and telephone contact number : XXXX XXXX ( XXXX ) XXXX Incident # XXXX

Company public response: Company has responded to the consumer and the CFPB and chooses not to provide a public response
Company response to consumer: Closed with explanation