A survivor of the Altadena wildfire in California was shocked to receive a towing bill for her fire-damaged vehicle that was described as shockingly high — a situation that has drawn attention to the practice of price gouging by towing companies operating in disaster zones. The woman, already dealing with the profound stress and financial burden of being a wildfire victim, found herself facing an enormous bill for the compulsory towing of a vehicle that had been destroyed in the same disaster that displaced her. California law prohibits price gouging during declared states of emergency, and the bill is being reviewed by consumer protection officials.
Disaster-related towing price gouging has been documented following numerous natural disasters in California and elsewhere, with towing companies sometimes exploiting the captive nature of disaster victims who have no ability to shop for competitive towing rates when their vehicles are on a closed disaster site. Enforcement of anti-gouging laws in the chaotic aftermath of a major disaster is challenging, but California’s consumer protection infrastructure has been increasingly active in pursuing price gouging complaints following recent wildfire events. The woman’s case is expected to be resolved through the complaint process, though the resolution timeline may be considerable.
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