Western Towing review: Illegal tow

I parked in the Guitar Center parking lot that I had parked in many times up to about a year prior with no problems whatsoever by the U.S. Mexican Border on the U.S. side. I was also a customer that day at the Guitar Center. Which is pertinent because the security guard had written that the reason was "non-customer" which was not true in the slightest. There were also no posted tow away signs at either of the entrances or exits to the complex parking lot and so I assumed nothing had changed. I was wrong apparently, because at 2:07 a.m. my car was towed because the security guard reported my car to Western Towing. There was nothing left at all to indicate to me where my car had gone when I arrived on the scene the next morning. The only thing I had on me was my wallet and my phone which was dead and no phone charger. Obviously mad as hell, I assumed it had been towed and so went to the Guitar Center and they let me use their phone to call security. At no point did he tell me at that moment that he was the one who called my car in to be towed and I didn't think to ask either. I found this out hours and hours later once my car was released and I was able to see the report. I then had to pay for an Uber to the tow lot which was located in Chula Vista about 10 miles away from San Ysidro and the tow away site. And so begins there costing me money I should not have had to spend. I get to the office to already see the woman in a shouting match with the gentleman who was complaining about his registration only being expired by a week. After he got so mad he left; I had the same issue as even though the woman let me go to my car to get whatever relevant paperwork I could find they were all "Not Good Enough" according to her. I had my registration that had expired in March of that year but clearly showed that I was the owner of the vehicle. I had my insurance papers in my name for the vehicle issued in 8/2020 that was good for a year and had only expired by literally two weeks. My phone was dead she only let me charge it for approx 10 minutes or so because she was poised to go home. IT was just a [censored] show. In an effort of thinking how to get rid of me she decides to suggest that I walk a "short way" to Albertsons "just around the corner" where there was a DMV kiosk and I could get a copy of my Title printed right there. The reality was that it was a good 3 miles away to get there and was full of twists and turns. Luckily (I say luckily ha!) I was able to have my phone stay on just long enough to make it to the Albertsons after a good 45 minute walk in the sweltering heat only to see that the DMV kiosk she mentioned was out of order with a sign on it saying sorry but for customers to go to Ralphs at such and such address and there would be one there. As it turned out this Ralphs was literally back the way I had just came! IT was actually closer to the towing place the whole time. But I guess she didn't know that? I then wanted to bang my head on the wall but just decided to try and make the best of the bad situation by buying a wall charger and a usb cord (another $20 on top of the first Uber ride) to charge my phone. I charged it long enough to get another Uber ride to said Ralphs spending about another $15 or so in the process. I get to Ralphs put in my information and the kiosk tells me that I have to go to a DMV office I am not eligible for the kiosk function. Great. By now Ive wasted about 3 to 4 hours and my feet are aching from having walked all that distance from earlier. Feeling hopeless I finally decide to get another ride back to the place charging my phone in the Lyft on the way there. I call the place and they tell me an after hours guy would show up in a small white car. He never shows up I only finally realize that someone is behind the gate and ask him about getting my car out. The guy is immediately stand offish and rude as hell. He lets me go to my car again and I cant find anything that I hadn't found earlier. I finally go home to Mira Mesa via Uber another about 30 or 40 dollar ride that I shouldn't have had to pay in the first place. The amount of money Western Towing has cost me by this point has racked up. I call one more time to Western Towing's main office to file a complaint with them over my car and my unfair treatment. I finally get through to someone in Upper Management a woman whom I already forget her name that has the authority to have them release my vehicle to me. I thank her (even though in hindsight screw her too) get yea another final Uber to the tow yard. IT is now 12:30 p.m. just an hour or so shy of the deadline that would result in my car being charged for another day. I pay $178.00 to get my car out. Just to prove the corruption of this place. The guy who was working in the tow yard at that time (a taller older man) told me that he was surprised they usually release the "older vehicles that won't make them any $ at the auction." I felt like saying excuse me a*hole? He was literally admitting the intent of their illegal operation. First off, Ironically enough, I got my car at the auction that he's referencing. Secondly, that just shows the large scale illegal money making operation that is going on there. Where instead of acting like a legitimate tow business should they are purposefully targeting the public without lawful means of having ground to tow these vehicles in hopes that by the time the person can get to there vehicles they will either owe too much money or the cars already been sold to the auction by the tow yard. It's a scam and Western Towing is a sham of a Towing company. Not only this but it gets deeper. They are sourced out by the Outlets there who have a contract with both the Mexican and American sides and are part of this whole operation and scam to get American vehicles into Mexico just long enough to get them kind of running and them sell them back to the auction. Taken by illegal means from ignorant and unsuspecting American tourists to the border who park in places they think are safe. N should be! This is only a scam that's been going now for about 5 years now I wanna say. From start to finish people have their hands in the pot of money that is all at the expense of the unwitting participant. i.e. people like me whos car got towed when it should never have been. I want my money back for all my expenses related to this event.