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Owner of stolen golf cart questions towing fee

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by Gary Harper

Posted on November 24, 2009 at 5:45 PM

Updated Tuesday, Nov 24 at 6:28 PM

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SUN LAKES -- A Valley woman claims she was victimized once when someone stole her golf cart then she was victimized again.

A golf cart is almost like a second car for some folks. That is certainly the case for residents who live in Sun Lakes out on the east side of the Valley.

Ann Hanson had no idea just how important her golf cart was until someone stole it.

In Sun Lakes just about everyone has a golf cart. You see them on the street, you see them in garages and you see them, well, at the clubhouse.

"Well, yeah, we really enjoyed our golf cart," Hanson said. "We didn't use it for golfing, but we did use it to go back and forth to the swimming pool."

Hanson and her husband use their golf cart a lot, especially since it's a little difficult for him to get around. So, you can imagine how upset they were when they came home one day and found their golf cart missing from the spot where they'd left it.

"Yeah, very disappointed," Hanson said. "I knew it had been stolen."

The good news is the police had found the Hansons' golf cart abandoned nearby on the Gila River Indian Reservation and had a towing company pick it up.

The bad news is Hanson says the towing company wanted $703 to release the cart back to her.

The company that towed the golf cart is Elite Towing in Casa Grande. Hanson says she talked to the owner of Elite Towing to see if $703 was the correct amount. It was.

"He said it cost him the same to pick up an $80,000 car or a $400 golf cart," Hanson said.

The owner of Elite Towing spoke to 3 On Your Side and even showed us the golf cart.

He tells us it took a 4-wheel drive tow truck to get to the golf cart then it then took one of his big flat-bed trucks to haul it back to his yard.

All of that took up two of his drivers, not to mention the fact they both had to drive 30 miles to the reservation at a cost of $6 a mile, so he says the $703 tab was correct.

But considering the circumstances, the owner of Elite Towing decided to waive the $703 tab and allowed Hanson to pick up her golf cart absolutely free.

Now, the couple's golf cart is right back where it belongs -- their home. It's something they say they couldn't have done without the help from 3 On Your Side.

Of course, a big thank you to Elite Towing for working with me on this one and waiving the $703 charge.

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mrter said on November 24, 2009 at 10:11 PM

I don't know who is more ridiculous - The owners of the golf cart for thinking they should pay nothing to the towing company that certainly deserves to be compensated for thier services rendered or the towing company for just "giving in " and waiving ALL the charges because a news reporter knocked on the door . How will the 2 tow truck drivers get paid for thier time on the recovery? Most tow drivers are paid on commission, is it thier fault some loser stole this golf cart? I guess maybe the other poor people who have thier vehicles stolen or wrecked and serviced by this tow company will make up the money lost to pay for the fuel used, storage yard rent, truck payment.s, insurance, etc. ...or maybe all these companies will "give the tow company a break too" ..... Very unfairly story - thanks for helping the residents of Sun Lakes and making business that provides a needed and contracted service look like losers.

onthemark said on December 1, 2009 at 12:51 PM

Why isn't the owner of a stolen vehicle notified and given the opportunity to retrieve the stolen vehicle themselves, before being put at the mercy of some towing agreement entered into by the city and the towing company? Wait, that's a stupid question, it's all about padding the city's coffers with the kickback that they get for the ridiculous amount people are charged due to the insane contracts that city's and towing companies are allowed to enter into.

danburch said on January 2, 2010 at 8:10 PM

Sounds like the towing company doesn't have the experience needed to do the job. Two trucks to pick up a golf cart? A standard tow truck (hook only, no flat-bed) can't tow the cart, but they should have known that it would take a flat-bed. Then out of their "good nature" they waived the entire fee? They were caught trying to extort money out of the owners. I'm not saying they should have done it for free. Of course not. But a more realistic amount might have been about $350 or less. It was found "near by" on the reservation. Why call a tow all the way from Casa Grande (24 mi from Sun Lakes)? I'm sure there is a towing company in Chandler (6 mi away). I'm would be upset that I would have to pay a tow truck company extra money because they can't do the job properly.