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New York City Police Tow Impound
Categories: Public Services & Government Automotive Towing Public Services & Government, Towing [Edit]
Pier 76W 38th St & 12th Ave
New York, NY 11218
Neighbourhoods: Hell's Kitchen, Midtown West
(212) 971-0771
11 reviews for New York City Police Tow Impound
11 reviews in English
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Review from Ant T.
Fresh Meadows, NY
4/6/2012 1 Check-in Here
A favor for a friend brought me to this life-weary pound. Memories from 1999 will keep me elated long enough not to park in front of a hydrant; more so the thought of the city roughhousing my awd German driving machine is enough.
Unfortunately I have history with the government, both inside and out. The cadence of bureaucracy is norm, the wait yes around two hours is satisfyingly pleasant. Any chance to people watch is normally fun. It especially was a treat when the two artsy girls came and sat next to me. The one who was next to me was some kind of designer; she started making bracelets out of material she cut and tied around her wrist, definitely a plus she smelled like spring rain. -
Review from Arben S.
Manhattan, NY
2/7/2012 1 Check-in Here
Happiest of the happiest of NYC residents.
Staff is equivocally happy.
Don't recommend going unless you must ;) -
Review from Justin A.
Updated - 1/13/2012 2 Check-ins Here
This time, it wasn't a rental car.
I parked my car LEGALLY. I couldn't find it two days later during street sweeping hours. My friend tells me to call the police precinct. Instead of wasting time with a phone call, I walk down there (Greenwich Village Precinct). The officer looks up my plate number and informs me that my car was relocated due to a movie shoot. She hands me the relocation slip and off I go to retrieve the car.
30 minutes of looking reveals no car. I go back to police precinct and they help me canvas for the car. No luck. Finally, the officer calls the tow lot and my car was towed there it was parked too close to a fire hydrant. One big problem...I never parked there and the relocation slip time stamp was one day earlier.The officer says to bring the relocation slip down there to see what they can do.
What could they do? nothing. I had to pay $185+whatever fees for storage. The dispute process is just as frustrating and takes months.
I finally get into my car and the car doesn't turn on. Oh guess what? Its AWD and they towed it on the rear wheels. I finally got it working and now the check engine light / maintance required lights are both on and the car is in "limp" mode. I go up to leave and tell the lady I am not accepting the car in this condition. The pound supervisor comes over and goes "ah yea, I've seen this before on these cars". Heres some advice: then don't tow cars where this happens.
He inspects the car and finally files a claim. Now I have to wait for that to finish before bringing it to the dealer. Until then, I have a car that doesn't drive more then 25 mph.
/end rant.1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/13/2011
This place is truly awful.
I picked up a rental car in NYC last week. The car was stolen - the police… Read more »
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Review from Darcy P.
Updated - 10/17/2011
While cleaning out some drawers yesterday I came across the credit card receipt from that wretched night. On the bottom it says "THANK YOU! COME AGAIN!" Listen, you're not the Kwik-e Mart Change that!
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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9/17/2011
Being a female from the burbs, I take great pride in my Manhattan driving abilities. I can parallel… Read more »
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Review from Chris K.
New York, NY
4/23/2009
New York City Police Tow Impound
Pier 76; West 38th Street and 12th Avenue, (212) 971-0771
Zagat Rating
[F] [D] [S] [C]
3 -7 17 $185
"A trip to a Lithuanian detention camp, minus the jetlag" observes this first timer to Pier 76. Service is "surprisingly pleasant" from the "affable" counter clerks who show no signs of "suicidal despondency" despite working in "the proletariat purgatory of government offices." Despite the lack of table service, the vending machine menu is "eclectic," ranging from 50's throwbacks such as "Chunky," and "Nutter Butters" to more seasonal fare, such as "Berry Blast Skittles." Despite the above average service, the "astronomical" price for valet marks this place "nothing but a tourist trap," notes one local.
Other:
(1) The Tow Fee is $185 and subject to 8.375% sales tax.
(2) My 8-course meal at Blue Hill was $160.
(3) Both (1) and (2) accept MasterCard, Visa, and American Express.
(4) Only one of the above offered amuse bouches and palate cleansers.Listed in: the crying game
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Review from Kat F.
4/17/2009
Lame.
My friend's car got towed for being too close to a fire hydrant (laws are different in every state I suppose) and it took us forever and a half to track down the vehicle. Unlike in my home province, there was no street signage saying something to the effect of "Hey, is your car not in the same place that you remember leaving it? Guess what, we've towed it. Call this number or go here to retrieve it." So being visitors we had no idea where to call or go to get the car (we actually thought it was stolen). We finally learned that it was at this lot so went to pick it up.
The wait was fairly standard and what you'd expect out of a city service like this. Everyone in the waiting room was crusty and understandably disgruntled and some of them appeared to be regulars.
It could have been better, but it certainly could have been worse.Listed in: The Most Random Things I've…
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Review from cailen s.
4/4/2009
Within the walls of the benignly titled car pound contained the most authentic cross section of actual New Yorker's that I've ever experienced.
My friend, who had been eagerly anticipating hearing a thick New Yawrk accent, had her wish granted. The guy in front of us in line with the moustache and baseball hat came through nicely.
We were told the wait would be 90 min ish and they didn't seem to mind us leaving so we ducked out and grabbed some breakfast. Things were surprisingly calm and the ladies behind the glass (one of which was sporting MASSIVE fake nails) were only mildly rude which was much less rude than I was expecting.
All I'm saying is that it could have been a lot worse. -
Review from amy s.
Brooklyn, NY
8/20/2008
i have a hard time giving 4 stars to the tow impound people, though i was in and outta there with surprising ease. however, i tend to think that's just because i was about to drop a fat wad of cash and they wanted my money with the quickness.
so, i was left in charge of babysitting a friend's car while they travel around europe. at first, this seemed like no big deal. but i forget that i have a car so i woke up in a panic realizing that it was street cleaning day where i last parked the car and the beast needed moving. by this hour, everyone else had remembered as well and had taken all the spots on the 'okay' streets. i was stumped, late for work, and pissy. so i decided to be bold and drive into the west village.
20 blissful minutes of mix cd and sunny west side highway driving, i was near the office and found someone just leaving a most clutch parking spot. i parallel parked myself with gusto and even got a round of applause from a nearby ups man when i got out. i checked and double-checked the sign. yep, no parking monday and thursday for street cleaning. super! i skipped off to work, feeling very pleased with myself.
fast forward to a few hours later when i blithely trotted around the block, psyched to drive home. no car to be found. confused, i walked around the block again, as if the thing had decided to up and move itself. in a panic, i thought it was stolen. surely it was stolen as there was no signage that would suggest it was towed. alas, i paced back and forth and realized that i had parked directly next to a large tree in which the 'no standing monday-friday 8am-6pm' sign was nestled, pretty much invisible, in the leaves. i had parked halfway into this no-no zone and though it wasn't even marked as a tow zone, they had apparently taken away the vehicle.
a couple of nerve-wracking phone calls and a harrowing cab ride (the driver was super nice and assured me that this probably happened 'for the best' somehow though it was very possible that my friends had tons of tickets and i'd have to pay them all to get the car bak) and i found myself at the monster nypd tow pound right on the water. a bucolic setting for a place of such misery.
i wandered in and saw a full and dismal waiting room and immediately resigned myself to being there for the next few hours. how surprised i was to be ushered to the window for service in less than 5 minutes. i got the registration from the car while being accompanied by an officer and was back in the waiting room. nary another 5 minutes passed before i was called up to the cashier to pay my $185 towing charge. i was merrily handed a ticket and a slip with which to retrieve the vehicle.
this is when things got even more hilarz. the security guard was hanging with 7 or 8 other dudes who were waiting for their cars. and i wandered in and he proceeded to announce to everyone in the room that he would be taking me to my car first since i was 'hot.' general grumbling followed. but i think everyone was so cowed to be at the tow impound, that no real rioting broke out. en route to the car, with the rest of the carless in tow (har!), the guard proceeded to tell me that he was 6'1", 190 lbs, loved to waterski, etc. i then told him that i was getting married and he congratulated me most heartily. when we finally got to the car, he made a big show of dusting off my door handle.
and now i just owe the city of new york another hundred bucks for the ticket they slapped me with and a big apology to my friends who think i'm hella responsible. enough so to babysit a car in the mean city for two weeks.
sigh. -
Review from Richard B.
Brooklyn, NY
2/23/2009
They tried to make me stay in the holding room right before I could get my car back and were microwaving fried chicken and stinking the place up. And it was like 100 degrees in the winter in that little office. They wouldn't let me wait outside either to wait to be chauffeured to my parked car. That was just mean. The rest of the experience went without a hitch, and i was in and out in under an hour. But those tow guys need to get towed. I want to tow the big super tow truck that always illegally parks in front of the library on 5th ave. I'd like to see the look on the guys face when he finds his shit missing.
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Review from Jeff C.
11/3/2009
Remember that night when you got wasted, high, and syphillis all in one night? This is where you ended up. They would escort you to your car to show proof of insurance and then you would exchange your spleen for your car back. Sound familiar?
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Review from Ace H.
Beechhurst, NY
12/5/2010
I give them 5 stars for being the best assholes in the world, it felt like DMV but with more rude ass wipes. After I paid there they said thanx pick up your car at 203 streets. I drove for 45 minutes more to get my car.
