An Illinois company is under investigation this week after charging a trucker $37,000 to tow his rig.
The Harvey, Illinois-based company, G.C.W. Tow & Recovery assisted the truck driver in moving his semi after it got stuck under a low overpass.
According to CBS, G.C.W. was not called but appeared on the scene on their own. At the end of the tow, G.C.W. gave the truck driver a bill that amounted to $37,000. The average towing company charges approximately $3000 for this sort of job.
G.C.W. is not employed with the city of Chicago or the Chicago police.
It was later discovered that G.C.W. did not give an estimated cost of tow upfront, which is a violation of state law, potentially making the tow illegal.
When the semi truck’s owner, Peter DeWitt, went to the towing company to confront them about the charges, the tow company’s employees drove off aggressively and even threatened to run him over.
Dewitt eventually forked over $37,000, by check, in order to get his truck back. He says it’s “one of the biggest rip-offs” he’s “ever seen.”
The Illinois Commerce Commission is now conducting an investigation of G.C.W.