Towing Customers is Bad for Business, McDonald's

Last comment on this.


It seems like everyone here thinks that McDonalds right to tow me
NEGATES my right to be angry about it. Regardless of whether or not
they were within their rights to tow my daughters car (they clearly
were); I AM WITHIN MY RIGHTS TO BE FURIOUS about the inconvience.
Especially when it was not me that made the decision to park there, it
was just my car.

I must add to this argument that I firmly believe that the McD's
manager had an agreement with the local towing company.... so be it.
If you see an expensive car, tow it. they will pay. Hmmm.. let's
look at the long term business logic in this. I demonstrated that a
50/mo McD's customer is worth 6K over 10 years. If you meet someone
like me, perhaps NOT worth the return customer service it might cost
you.

because again, I will never ever buy anything there again. every,
regardless of circumstance, nieces or teenagers.

last comment.

this was a mercedes 400 sel they towed. they knew that folks would
pay to retrieve that car.

so, I just did at little calculation. 50 a mcds per month (easy) x 12
months = 600 a months * 20 years = close to 10,000 dollars.

I never forget (I'm irish and american indian) I will be mad for years
and I will never eat there again

it is bad for you anyway.

so yea, it might be in mcd's interest to reimburse me (which they
won't) so it will be better for my health anyway to never, ever, in a
million years eat their again (because they are bad people who make
bad food that will really hurt you)... as I explained to my 3 nieces
today... when they were begging to go, which will make it more
difficult for my sister to take them there when she returns from her
vacation.

sa la vie. All actions have consequences.
\

I just posted this on Momage, and thought I would post a copy here.
Unlike the rest of you trolls, I have a job, so don't expect a reply
anytime soon.....



this is from Theresa R from Kensington.

I have been maligned to no end by your blog.

YES MY DAUGHTER was wrong to park here car at mcds, agreed.

but, there was no parking at the hair salon.

and this is the same daughter that just made the deans list at florida
state university.

straight a's. all a's and one a-. pre-law.

so before you go and continute to beat the @#$%^& out of me,. which of
your kids made the deans' list ?


and I will post the grades.

before you say another word about my daughter, who certainly is a
beautiful, brilliant snob who I agreed have spoiled rotten....

show me your kids straight A's and 98% tile consistent test
scores....
and be careful what you say, because this kid will probably end up
your kids boss.

and yes, I was furious the car was towed and still am.

and yes, I will never,ever, ever eat at MCds again because of the two
hours and 150 they cost me. My choice. Mcds won't care but it will
make me feel better. and I really don't care if they were within their
rights, she was parked there perhaps 90 minutes and I know that lot
was empty becauase it is across from my gym and I have never, ever
seen it more than half full.

so you go right ahead and rage what a terrible mom I am.

My daughter is pre-law, in college, getting straight a's, pledged a
sorority, and in the honors program, gorgeous, and a virgin.

Can you say the same for your eighteen your old ?

so obviously, this terrible mom example must have done something
right.

not replying, because I am watching my sisters kids full time this
week while she is on vacation and working full time....
do the rest of you ?

obviously not.


theresa r.
kensington


Posted by: theresa r | January 12, 2009 at 12:20 AM

I have one other comment. Exactly how do you expect that I "make the
kid pay for it" when she had no income ?????

she is getting straight a's, that is all I can expect. she wrapped for
16 hours straight when she got home for her 2 weeks break. I will not
make her work while in college. after college, she's on her own. her
job while she is in college is to get GREAT grades. she is doing
that.

Posted by: theresa r | January 12, 2009 at 12:25 AM

To be perfectly frank, I would have towed your daughters car too. It
was poor judgement for her to take advantage of their parking lot,
just like it was poor judgement for you to turn around a pay for her
mistake. Children need to grow up and sometimes that is a painfull
expirience. Sadly sometimes parents unintentionally stand in the way
of this process and contribute to the delinquency of their child. I
personally had my car towed once and I will never forget the painfull
lesson I learned that day. This is why I've never made the same
mistake again (which by the way was the same one your daughter made).


In comparison, I now manage a housing property and I will never forget
this poor mother who's son kept abusing the visitors parking spaces
when he was a resident so I was forced to tow his car. This was even
after I posted notices to the car which explained that this would
happen if he parked in Visitors again. Once the car was towed the
mother paid the 165 dollar fee. Then the son parked it back in
visitors again. So I had to tow it again. This happend a total of 4
times over the course of a month. I felt so terrible about the
situation. Then the mother sued the Association and was humiliated in
court when I had to show the notices and pictures to the judge of her
sons defiant behavior.

If you get a phone call in the future from your daughter again
complaining that her car was towed a second time than I hope you'll
know who is really to blame. You!!!

Let me ask you, how would you feel if you arrived at McDonald's with a
van full of teenagers and couldn't find a parking spot? Then imagine
watching teenagerss walk onto to the lot from other businesses? I
would be upset and I am sure you would be too!

Now look at it from the business prospective. Imagine watching
customers not able to find a spot, leaving, and taking there money
elsewhere! Especially in the economy as you stated.

Just because she is "planning" on buying a sandwiches later doesn't
give her an all day parking pass. This past Saturday my family ate
lunch at a McDonald's before shopping in the strip district in
Pittsburgh. Since we were no longer eating lunch, we were no longer
patrons of McDonald's. We moved our car a very short distance and paid
$10 to park. Why? Because it was the right thing to do.

As parents it is our job to teach our children to do the right thing.
We are not helping them when we teach them to blame their mistakes on
others. So what if her Ugg boots are going back, it is the price you
pay when you make a mistake. Would it be fair if that McDonald's ended
up closing due to lack of business and all of the employess losing
their jobs because there was no parking for actual customers?

I am sure there was a sign posted in the parking lot. If you daughter
cannot read and follow a simple sign you might want to reconsider her
driving your car in the future.

I understand why you would be upset but your daughter should have
obeyed the signs.The ecomony is bad for everyone and 45 minuets is a
long time to hold up a parking spot and not be one of there
customers.There not going to pay the bill for the towing and to be
honest there not going to miss youe buisness either,there is alot of
other working moms out there who spend more then that amount at a time
and frquent there alot.Your right to be upset but your daughter is 18
years old,she made a mistake.Just hope she learned her lesson and move
on.

So is letting non-customers park in your lot for free.

I'm familiar with Bethesda (One of my favorite restaurants in the
world is there, so my friends and I go there at least a couple times a
year).... and I know they have parking garages filled with metered
parking spots. They have these because parking is so limited there.


She might have had to walk a little bit, but a couple of bucks in
quarters would have saved you a huge towing bill.

McDonalds is totally 100% right here.
In this poor economy MD's needs to have spots available for their
customers, if they don't they lose business.
I'm sure there was some kind of posted sign saying something along the
lines of parking for immediate customers only, all others may get
towed at owners expense.
As for the UGGS going back, if that is what she has to do to pay for
it, then she will have to get UGGS at a later date.
Your daurghter is at fault here, not MD's.

Um, the parking lot at McDonalds is for MCDONALDS customers! They
were 100% in the right for having your daughter's car towed.

Don't hold your breathe waiting for a check from McDonalds to pay for
the towing.

Why the heck didn't your daughter just park in the haircutting places
lot? I don't understand why she wouldn't.

I have to agree with the rest, your daughter is clearly in the wrong,
and parking on private property is subject to the property owners'
rules. Whether or not the towing company gives a "kick back" to the
manager or business is irrelevant. Your daughter is the one in the
wrong, and part of being an adult is paying a penalty when you do
wrong. The $160.00 fee may teach her to read the sign, and obey rules.
Consider it a life lesson and move on.

So let me get this straight - you think that McDonald's should have
ignored your daughter's illegal act as a courtesy because the
consequences of her actions inconvenienced you? Man, I'd love to see
you run that by a traffic court judge.

McDonald's may not have endeared themselves to you, but do you think
your irresponsible daughter (who is a legal adult, by the way)
endeared herself to them by taking up a parking space that probably a
dozen other customers could have used to park and purchase their own
meals during the 45 minutes she was at the beauty salon?

They owe you nothing. Enjoy your Wendy's burgers; McDonald's won't
miss you.

I would have been more annoyed at my daughter for choosing to ignore
the sign, or not seeing it in the first place. I sure would have told
her that it was the chance she took and now she needs to deal with it.
If she works, let her pay the fine since she incurred it, and you can
still get her a good Christmas gift. Two separate things. She is an
adult now, let the fine be her punishment, not your gift to her.

It has nothing to do with how busy the McDonalds was at the time your
daughter parked there. Many businesses have signs posted about towing
vehicles that do not belong to customers. The fact is your daughter
parked there illegally and the car was towed. It happens. It has
happened to me (once). Your daughter should reimburse you for the cost
of the towing and that will be the end of the matter. Your daughter
will have learned a valuable lesson.

It could not even be related to business levels at all. It's the
principle of the thing. At ALL of the Mcdonalds and most of the
businesses in my area, there is a sign warning you of being towed.

Where I work, there are two hotels who share one parking lot. One a
full service hotel and one a limited service for the business segment.
(64 and 156 rooms respectively) The larger hotel is closed for
renovations, and word has gotten around. People will park their cars
there and leave, or put "For Sale" cars in the lot. The security
department has all of these cars towed promptly. It's not about the
space, its about the concept.

The daughter here was tresspassing, she parked her car on the
property, and left. What was the manager supposed to think? How was he
to know when she would be back? She walked off without coming in to
the restaurant. And even if there is a kickback in place, then so be
it. I would love to have a kickback whenever I used a certain company
for my business needs.

You speak of your daughter in terms of "oh, she's just a kid" but as
others have stated, she is 18. Even if the car is yours, and not
hers, she still is legally an adult, and will most likely soon be
going away to college. This is a good time to prepare her for lessons
she may learn in college.

The first time my car was towed was away at school. I wasn't used to
following rules about parking, and wound up having to walk all the way
across campus in snow and slush to pay $150 to retrieve my car. If
I'd learned my lesson like your daughter has the opportunity to do
now, maybe it wouldn't have happened.

While it is good that she's going to be paying, writing this letter
basically contradicts what you're teaching her. It says, well, honey,
you have to pay...but I think McD's was wrong for following what is
most likely a clearly-posted rule, so I'm going to fight it on your
behalf.

From time to time, companies have to make decisions that may
negatively impact their customers. As a general rule, such decisions
are not made lightly and are usually done with the goal of benefiting
the most number of customers as possible. No company wants to upset
customers (or potential customers) however there are times when that
may happen so that the greater good is achieved. Towing policies
usually fall into this category.

When, however, a company chooses to enforce such a policy, they can
and should expect a fierce response from those who were negatively
impacted; such as this letter writer. There's nothing wrong with
feedback such as this especially when it's well written. It's clear
the letter writer was frustrated when she wrote this and there is no
law that frustrated people can't write letters too...who amongst us
hasn't done the same and even, gasp, made threats never to return if
we don't get satisfaction? It's all part of the business/consumer
"contract" and lies at the heart of every business's nightmare - the
fear that a customer won't come back based on how they're treated.

It's up to the company to evaluate this and if they choose not to give
in that's their choice however the whole point of consumer feedback is
to make their thoughts known.

We've had to remove numerous comments from this thread due to name
calling and vulgar language. We remind everyone that this letter is
not directed to anyone on PFB nor is any PFB user threatened by the
demands made by the letter writer. The letter writer's supposed "lack
of responsibility" is not justification for calling her names etc. and
we will remove any comments which do just that.

Let me preface this by saying that I believe McDonald's has every
right to enforce their parking policies. Further, when they see
someone parking and leaving their property, I fail to see what else
they would think other than "you're using our lot and going
elsewhere."

I will also preface this by admitting that I have done this same
thing, on occasion. If I'm going to multiple places within walking
distance, I will leave my car. However, I make it a point to always
go to the parking lot owner's location FIRST. And I admit freely that
I'm wrong in doing so and, while I'd be upset to have my car towed, I
know full well that it's my fault for taking advantage. In fact, I've
done this very thing in Bethesda (although not at this location)!

However, this is not the purpose of my comment.

I think there's something in here that's a common-enough thread in
letters. That is, a business that wants to keep customers shouldn't
anger them.

We see this with receipt policies, for example. Or allowing a
substitution. Or, as we saw in a recent letter, figuring out a way to
give a large sized fries when you're out of large sized containers.

The message in this letter is clear: if you want my business, you'll
let me do what I want.

Any why not? If McDonald's loses business because of the towing...
and that loss of business is more than the "value" of the parking
space, then they should not have done this. We chastise managers for
blindly enforcing rules, even when they mean a loss of a business. No
different here.

The question is: was it worth losing this customer? Will this
location need to shut down due to lost revenue because they don't
allow their lot to be used by people that aren't CURRENT customers?
(Should McD allow you to use their lot if you plan to eat there next
week?) Is the loss of this one customer's business enough to make up
for the "value" of the space plus the "kick-back" (it's their lot, of
course they get a share of the towing fee)?

She deserved it. She was not shopping at McD after she parked.

As you should know living and working in the Greater DC area parking
is at a premium and those that park where there is signage indicating
that they will be towed should expect to be towed.

Not very responsible.

In light of the post by Jennifer, look at it this way: Thanks to your
daughter, the tow truck operator may be able to buy a little something
for his kid(s) this Christmas!

Your comment "Towing a consumer in this economy right before Christmas
in this economy is probably not a way to endear your consumers to you"
really bugs me. In this economy, WE ALL NEED MONEY. The consumers, the
businesses. This reminds me of a run-in I had with a client last week.
He failed to pay his bill (I work for a local CPA firm), he was
threatened with collections. He made payment arrangements. He failed
to make the payments. He went to collections. And he got pissed. I was
the one who answered his call (and took the brunt of his verbal
attack). He said that he couldn't believe we had the nerve to put him
in collections with the economy the way it is, when no one has extra
money laying around. He said it was wrong of us, that we are terrible
horrible awful people. Well from our standpoint, it was wrong of him
to use our services, not pay his bill and then expect us to eat the
bill. I mean after all, he said "In this economy, NO ONE HAS EXTRA
MONEY LAYING AROUND". My company is a victim to the economy too. And
if the McDonald's in question here is a local franchise, I'm sure they
need money too and if a customer can't find a parking space, chances
are they will go next door to Wendy's right?

Why didn't she park in the hair salon's lot then proceed to
Mc'Donalds? At least the salon would know she was a customer as
opposed to maybe a customer.

Most of the comments below echo my feelings but there is something I
would like to point out. The fact that McDonalds is towing cars from
their lot tells me that they probably have an ongoing problem with
people, who are not currently patronizing their store, parking in
their lot. Maybe I am wrong and McDonalds just has bad business
practices as you seem to believe but I really think that not towing
cars is bad for business, especially when you have a limited number of
spaces available. My office building has a limited number of parking
spaces for employee's and clients. We are next to very popular Italian
restaurant & I can't tell you how many times I've seen people drive
into our lot, ignore the private property/towing sign (just like your
daughter did), park their cars and then walk to the restaurant! Its
gotten so out of hand that the property manager had to hire security
to monitor the lot because our clients had no where to park! I'm sure
that if you went to a business, whether it be McDonalds or the dentist
and there were no parking spaces left, you would be writing a letter
to the business, scolding them for not having enough parking and
allowing non-customers to park in their lot. This is whats wrong with
society, people don't like the rules and complain when they are
enforced or they think they are special and the rules don't apply to
them. This is why you should save your receipts and read the signs!

on your daughter's behalf speaks VOLUMES to her sense of
responsibility. Mommy to the rescue!

It is not bad business for a company to tow a car of someone who is
NOT a patron (what, they were supposed to read her mind that she was
planning on grabbing a sandwich AFTER her hair appointment?) to make
room for customers who ARE there to frequent them.

It's no different than parking at an expired meter or illegally in a
'No Parking' zone. She was wrong, she has to pay the penalty. End of
story.

And the fact that you expect them to pay for the tow when she didn't
even EAT there is even more hilarious! What a GREAT lesson to teach
your young adult daughter!

So you go right ahead and never 'PLAN' to eat at McDonald's again.
I'm sure they won't miss what they didn't have in the first place!

Yes, kick backs are common in this sort of situation. We just had one
exposed here not to long ago. this time of year, towing of people who
"park here but spend money there" is very common where I live.

No, I am not a fan of kick backs. However, you really can only assume
this is the case unless you are privy to an ongoing investigation.

I find it contradictory that you are making your daughter pay the bill
herself (as she well should), but also piling on "reasons" to excuse
her breaking the law.

McDonalds did nothing wrong and you threatening to refuse to eat there
will not force them to pay the bill.

Wow just Wow!!!
You want them to pay the towing bill because your daughter parked
illegally in their parking lot.Just wow.With your daughter having to
give up her ugg boots maybe she'll think twice before doing something
wrong.Its amazing that in society today we think that when WE do
something wrong we can threaten business to get our way.Like I said
wow just wow.

You, as a mother, are contributing to what is sooooo wrong with the
world today.

Your daughter is 18 and has a driver's license AND she goes to
college. Both of those things lead me to the assumption that she can
read. Therefore she had to have read the posted signs that say that
parking is for McDonald's customers only and that violaters would be
towed.

I cannot for one minute imagine trying to defend my child's decision
to park illegally and attempt to make the corporation feel guilty for
enforcing one of their rules. I guarantee that this will not be the
first time that your daughter faces consequences for breaking rules or
laws if this is your reaction.

Your daughter is "only" 18, and you state that you have three other
teenagers as well. PLEASE step up to the plate and make the world a
better place for all of us by actually parenting your children.

While you may let them do whatever they want in your house and make
excuses for it, when they go out into the real world the rest of us
aren't going to think that sunbeams come out of their butt and bend
over backwards to make sure that we aren't being big meanies to them.

Your daughter incurred this towing charge because she parked illegally
in their lot. Also she is 18yrs of age, and is old enough to learn
that some decisions have consequences.

You write this letter attempting many times to make it the fault of
the manager and request him to pay this towing bill. Evidently you do
not think he has a right to keep the parking spaces, on his property,
available for his customers only.
This manager is well within his right to have any vehicles towed
especially those who blatantly park their cars in his lot because its
convenient, then go off to run errands at other stores. Some may come
back to purchase food/beverages but for the most part I doubt they do.


As for not going to another McD's if you do not get your own
way...well there are many other fast food places out there I am sure
you will find one that will like.

I think the problem comes from you viewing your child as a "teenager".
At 18, she is legally an adult and should be owning up to her actions.
The McDonalds manager did to her what they would have done to any
ADULT parking illegally on their lot.

I know that my own child gets out of school between 2:30 and 3:00. The
manager might have been preparing for the after school rush.

In these hard economic times, how are tow truck drivers going to live
if managers didn't report illegal parking?

They were in the right to tow the car. Bethesda is a rough area in
terms of parking, and places regulate it a lot more strictly than in
suburban areas. The manager had no way of knowing that she would be
coming back after getting the haircut. Bethesda is a busy area, and
even if the parking lot is empty, it can fill up pretty quickly. As
for your assumption that the manager gets a kick back from the towing
company, that's absolutely outrageous. I'm sure they have an
agreement with the company and they use the same one everytime they
need to enlist someone to tow a car. Your daughter shouldn't have
parked there. She will know next time.

"The guy at the towing company seems to know the manager, I wouldn't
be at all surprised if the manager has a little kick back arrangement
in place."

Wow, that is a pretty arrogant assumption to make for someone trying
to fight a towing bill they freely admit is justified. Seriously,
that's your first assumption? A kick-back? They might be
brothers-in-law, bowling league buddies, fellow Red Cross volunteers,
or common-law partners.

They were 100% within their right to tow her car. You admit she
parked on their (private) property and went elsewhere so she was in
the wrong.

And the teenagers will continue to go to McDs.

why it should be ok to break rules, evidentally. You know this was
wrong, and hopefully the daughter (who should write her own letters)
does as well. This is a great learning experience to follow rules in
life.

Yes, I'm sure your daughter stuck out like a sore thumb, parking her
car and strolling directly off the property. If I managed there, I
would have called for a tow truck as well.

Theresa R.,

November 2001 McDonald's Operating Manual states in abbrevated form
for this post:

*Parking is for current McDonald's customers only
*20 - 30 minute duration
*Vehicles will be Towed at Owner's Expense
* Property signage will illustrate Towing Policy

Their entire Standard of Regulations is available via google.com.

My bet is there has been an ongoing issue with other stores in the
area regarding their customers using the Mac's parking lot.

Your claim that the Manager is on the take is unfounded. Simply
knowing the towing service could mean that he did his job in finding a
reputable company to provide a service.

If it were my daughter or son I would turn this into a learning
experience. Make them take full ownership of problem as the
driver/decision maker. In years to come you will all get a laugh as
she reflects on her vacation at home in 2008.

BillR.

You said you understand McDonalds was within their rights to tow your
daughter's car. So exactly why are you writing this letter then?

Quite frankly, I question the wisdom of someone parking someplace they
know darn well they are not supposed to park in. In this economy, it
is probably smart not to incur towing bills you do not want to pay.

I do give you kudos for making your daughter pay the towing bill. I do
not, however, support your request that McDonald's pay the towing bill
when even YOU admit she was parked illegally.