NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A mid-state towing company first exposed by NewsChannel 5 Investigates is now being sued by the Tennessee Attorney General.
The lawsuit accuses Priority Wrecker Service (PWS) of "widespread deceptive and unfair business practices" and describes many of the same issues viewers shared with NewsChannel 5 Investigates during our reporting on the company.
"Your [NewsChannel 5 Investigates'] reporting paralleled our complaints that we were receiving and we launched an investigation," Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti explained.
Skrmetti is suing Priority Wrecker Service, its sister company Jonny's Towing, and the owner of both, Jonathan Maye.
"This company was ripping people off. So we're very happy to be holding them accountable," Skrmetti told NewsChannel 5 Investigates.
The nearly 400-page complaint filed in Davidson County Chancery Court accuses PWS of repeatedly violating the Tennessee Consumer Protection Act, describing many of the same practices that our own investigation uncovered, including questionable pricing, bait and switch tactics, undisclosed fees, threats of impounding customers' vehicles, and forcing consumers to pay in cash or through payment apps.
"It is a scammy, scammy operation," Skrmetti suggested.
We began reporting on PWS this past summer after viewers described "nightmare" experiences with the tow company and how they were overcharged.
Gabriel Allensworth told us, "[PWS] absolutely took advantage of me."
Allensworth went on to explain how much he was supposed to pay for his tow.
"[The tow truck driver] said it was going to be $525 to take it from where we are [in Bellevue)] to Antioch."
And Allensworth said that since he didn't have that much money with him and could not pay right then and there, he decided to cancel the tow, but that's when the tow truck driver left with his car.
Gerald McHenry told us the same thing happened to him.
"I'm watching them drive off with my truck," he recalled, adding, "And there's nothing I can do."
McHenry told NewsChannel5 Investigates that he pushed back when PWS tried to charge him $2,100 to pull one of his company's delivery trucks out of a ditch.
He said that dash cam video recording the inside of the delivery truck shows what happened next, that the tow truck driver got behind the wheel of McHenry's truck and drove off, leaving the scene with packages that were supposed to be out for delivery.
"They stole the product too," McHenry exclaimed.
We showed the video to General Skrmetti, pointing out, "You can see the Amazon packages in the back."
Skrmetti replied, "You know, it's something close to piracy."
He added, "And we have laws against that."
Perhaps just as shocking as that video are allegations in the AG's complaint against PWS that the company charged "consumers based on what they believe(d) the particular consumer could afford to pay."
"It was a shakedown," Skrmetti remarked.
And when PWS drivers left with or, as we saw with Gerald McHenry's delivery truck, in the customer's vehicle, according to the complaint, it was the company owner, Jonathan Maye, who "instructed drivers to drive away with the vehicle if a consumer expresses apprehension" about paying.
Maye moved his towing business to Tennessee from Illinois several years ago after that state accused the company of "predatory towing practices" and revoked its licensing.
Yet, he continued to operate in Davidson County, without a Metro tow permit, knowing full well he wasn't supposed to run his trucks in Nashville without one.
At a meeting of Metro's Transportation Licensing Commission several years ago, the board admonished Maye, "You need to follow the rules. You need to follow the law."
Phil Pfister, another unhappy Priority Wrecker Service customer who reached out to us after our stories, told us, "I mean just don't let him keep doing it to people over and over again,"
We heard from so many people who described similar experiences with PWS who wanted to know why the company was still in business.
Pfister said, " I mean it'd be different if I was the only complaint or they had two or three But we're talking dozens of complaints."
The Attorney General's Office of Consumer Affairs has received more than 60 complaints in the last three years about PWS and its related Jonny's Towing, and nearly a third of them, all making the same sort of claims, have been filed in just the last few months.
"What does that say to you?" we asked General Skrmetti.
"It says that this deserved a lot of attention, and that a lawsuit is fully justified," he replied.
The lawsuit asks for a permanent injunction banning Priority from any further illegal actions as well as money to go towards restitution for consumers plus fines.
We did reach out to Jonathan Maye, the owner of the company, and as soon as Jennifer identified herself, he hung up on her.
If you were a customer of PWS and would like to file a complaint with the Attorney General's Office, here's a link: https://www.tn.gov/attorneygeneral/working-for-tennessee/consumer/file-a-complaint.html
PREVIOUS REPORTING ON PRIORITY WRECKER SERVICE:
Customers upset that towing company is operating in Nashville when they shouldn't be
Metro Legal Director expresses concerns after seeing NewsChannel 5 investigation of towing company
