Eligible consumers to receive restitution checks from Wyatts Towing settlement

Eligible consumers to receive restitution checks from Wyatts Towing settlement

Nov. 7, 2024 (DENVER) - Consumers who are eligible to receive restitution checks as part of a settlement with Wyatts Towing and the Colorado Attorney General's Office will receive them in the coming days, Attorney General Phil Weiser announced today.

More than 5,000 eligible consumers will receive restitution checks in the mail. Eligible consumers have been identified based on Wyatts Towing records, and checks will be sent to them with no further action necessary on their part.

"Thanks to the settlement we reached with Wyatts Towing, consumers who were harmed by the company's illegal towing practices will soon get some money back in their pockets," Weiser said. "If you are an eligible consumer and receive a check, my message to you is that it is genuine, and you should cash it as soon as possible."

In late 2023, Weiser announced a $1 million settlement with Wyatts Towing that resolved a state investigation into illegally collected fees, unlicensed towing, and other unfair and deceptive business practices. The investigation found that, between 2020 and 2023, Wyatts and affiliated companies towed vehicles when they had no valid permits.

Wyatts also violated Colorado's Towing Bill of Rights, which prohibits tow drivers from approving tows, by allowing drivers to approve tows for weeks after the law took effect. The company also illegally charged $200,000 in notification fees for nonconsensual tows without providing consumers with legally required notices via certified mail. Wyatts also profited from the sale of abandoned vehicles, despite the law prohibiting towing companies from keeping excess proceeds from sales.

Finally, Wyatts deterred consumers from exercising their rights under the law to pay only a portion of the cost of the tow up front by failing to provide vehicle owners with the required Public Utilities Commission form.

Of the $1 million in restitution paid by Wyatts under the settlement agreement, $764,000 was allocated for direct restitution payments to eligible consumers, and the remaining $236,000 came in the form of debt forgiven by the company.

"Though these checks are not enough to make everyone whole who Wyatts harmed, the restitution we were able to secure is relief for those who were forced to pay illegally collected fees, incurred illegal debt, or endured the hassle of having their vehicle unlawfully towed," Weiser added.

Eligible consumers will begin receiving checks in the mail in the next few days. While some consumers will receive one check, others may receive two checks, with the second check expected to arrive in January. Information about the restitution checks, including answers to frequently asked questions, is available in English and Spanish at coag.gov/wyatts.

Anyone who is treated unfairly, subjected to deceptive business practices, or believes a business is violating the Towing Bill of Rights or any other consumer protection law, is encouraged to file a complaint with the Colorado Attorney General's Office at StopFraudColorado.gov.

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Media contact:
Elliot Goldbaum
Community Education & Communications Manager
720-508-6769 office | 303-990-6691 cell
[email protected]