Trying to get taken by a towing co.

[mattyboy22]

In 2003 at the age of 19 I was rear ended on the highway and my car was totaled. Upon seeing my car at the towing company's lot I asked them if I pay them the weeks storage and towing would they take care of getting rid of it for me since it was totaled. They agreed and I gave them a check for $800.
Now, six years later I get a notice in the mail stating that another company is seeking to collect 16K in storage fees for the car which was worth MAYBE $500. They claim they got the car from the original towing co in 2004. They had it from 2004 to 2005 and then sold it and they are seeking resolution for the time it was stored at their place. They claim they sent me notice via certified mail (which I never received) and put a legal notice in the paper (which I never read). I also never received anything from the original towing company. I do not have a copy of the signed over title and I do not know if the original towing company has one either. Apparently this company is a huge pain and does things like this constantly. What can I do? I certainly don't have 16K.

 

[NYDrew]

I work for a towing company. (weathering the economy till I can use my college education again)

Let me get this straight. In 2003, you paid for the storage/tow and signed over the title. That was your first mistake, you should have traded the car for a free bill (we do it all the time).

Anyway, DMV should have record of the car transferring ownership. If you didn't own it, they can't bill you. End of story, contact DMV. Hope this helps. Also if this was a police requested tow, most states set limits on the bill. Check up on that too.