Wheel Blockers
Reviews and Complaints

1.) Read The Signs! Plain& simple...if so you will avoid getting booted or towed!

Terrible service , terrible customer service , I can't give negative stars so here we are

This is a predatory towing company. The attendants sit in parking lots in Plaza Midwood and wait for unsuspecting drivers to make a $150 mistake. Whether they know it or not, they will drive Business away from small businesses that are trying to make their way back from this pandemic. Way to go! Shameful behavior!

I was upset like anyone would have been for getting a boot on my car. At first, tensions was high, but Chris did an excellent job in working with me on this situation and explained everything clearly. Ultimately, I was refunded the money I paid. A lot of people get a bad rap, but I wanted to make sure the good is included here.

We had lunch on Saturday, Feb 15th at 5 guys in Plaza Midwood. When we returned to the car the boot was placed on my car. We explained we had lunch at 5 guys but the towers said you cannot park here and not go immediately to the restaurant and leave. I showed my receipt and he refused to remove without payment. He then charged more that the agreeable price. THIS IS PREDATORY and we will contact the Landlord of the building and then we will contact the State Attorney Generals office. I highly suggest to WHEEL BLOCKERS when a customer shows a receipt that you remove the boot at no charge. This will cost your company a lot of fees in court to come.

Illegal business. 3rd party tow co that has no dealings with the businesses in the lot they tow from (I already called around the business there) They collect 100-150 of your hard earned $ & pocket all of it. None of the $ goes to the businesses that own that parking lot. They even sneak & put boots on the people who actually shop in the stores. Even on the news, it said a local business in that shop dont know anything about that tow co. In others words, the businesses did not hire this 3rd party tow co to tow people's car. If they tell u they are hired by them, they are lying. They steal hundreds & thousands of dollars daily. Lots of cash transactions. And they probably go on shopping sprees, Im sure. They need to be investigated. Crooks!

I parked in a designated area that I shouldn't have which I admit but when I went over to the guy to talk to him about it he then sexualized me, started telling me I'm too young to be wearing makeup it makes me look grown, then told me while he's taking the boot off after I paid that "you look good tho, smell good too" like sir handle your business and keep going don't talk to me about how I'm suppose to look. I called the actual company and they basically blamed me because and I quote "I should've called in the moment so they could've handled it" but I had no phone number or any idea of the company. The guy was rude on the phone and It's obvious that they don't respect women and they obviously blame the woman in any aspect of her being sexualized.

Them hoodrats are running an illegal business, forcing people to pay the $100 in cash, which they pocket. I contacted one of the businesses in the lot & they have no dealings with this tow co. So these businesses arent penalizing patrons for parking, these crooks are. U cant even see a sign that says no parking! AND watch the news story on these thieves, they interviewed a man who was ripped off by them when he parked in CVS. According to CVS and another business in that lot, they dont know anything about this ghetto tow company... There is a special place in *** for stealing from poor people going into a place of business in this lot & u put a boot on the car anyways. Get a life! U dont have anything better to do than watch people park go into the business and still put a bopt on car anyways? I hope yall get shut down! and catch cornovirus!

Since Chris and Tim have been so eloquent as to why they felt the need to boot/threaten to tow my car in front of my apartment in the middle of a pandemic, I would like to share my LOVELY review of this company. This isn't my first run in with them since they towed my car last year in the middle of the night from in front of my apartment in the same complex. Whomever the owner or manager at the time was told me to come get my car at no charge because the sticker required to show proof of residency was there and it was overlooked in their excitement to take a car out of the complex. Imagine my surprise a year later, when I move to a different unit in the SAME complex and Tim decides to put my car on the truck AGAIN because of the lack of a sticker. But wait! The sticker is present albeit faded and my replacement sticker is right inside the apartment for when my windshield gets replaced (cause what's the point of putting a new sticker on when you'll be taking it right off?) and Tim is arguing that they can't take it off the truck without some kind of payment. You mean even though I have proof of residency with a copy of my lease and my car is listed under the residency form? So 125 dollars later, my car gets to stay parked in its parking space. Fast forward to this morning, where I speak with Chris as to why his employees felt it was necessary to threaten to tow my car, and he decides to escalate the situation and call me a liar about a STICKER on my car and that his employees got in trouble for only charging a boot fee instead of a full towing fee which is 250 dollars and not the 125 that was paid in duress. And the company can respond to this however they like, but reading previous reviews and responses, it's obvious that they are well versed in predatory tactics and have no problem feeding their families during a pandemic by extorting residents. Enjoy the money boys.

This "company" is notorious for its predatory towing practices. On April 20th, I parked in the Guest Parking of an Uptown CLT Apartment Community with no issues. On April 21st, I parked in the same Guest Parking of the same apartment community. I walked up to my friend's apartment to get a parking permit, when I returned, my car had been towed. I contacted Wheel Blockers and was told that my vehicle was the only vehicle without a parking permit; however, the vehicle directly beside mine had been parked in the same exact spot for 4 days without a parking permit - I know, because the car belonged to my best friend and she had forgotten to get a guest parking permit). The representative from Wheel Blockers was exceptionally rude and extremely unprofessional; and based on their responses on here, their unprofessional behavior appears to be the norm for them. The representative from Wheel Blockers refused to provide his name or the name of a supervisor. I ended up contacting my parents because the conversation with Wheel Blockers made me fear for my physical safety so I was afraid that they might physically harm me if I went to retrieve my car alone. When I arrived to the location to retrieve my car, I found that they are located on a very dark one-way street, and there was a guy with no badge, no identification proving that he worked for this company and displaying gold teeth in his mouth standing at the end of the lot entrance. He opened the gate, took my credit card payment for $275 and walked away. My parents literally had to finish manually opening the gate so that I could drive my car out of their tow lot. When I arrived at home, I realized they had given me a receipt stating I had picked up a Toyota Tacoma truck, which was incorrect. After arriving at the tow lot, I am thankful that I did not go alone because I am not convinced that I would have been safe in their location with such ill-behaved, unprofessional people. I contacted a local news station and was informed that they have received multiple complaints and have done several stories on this company's "stop and watch" and predatory towing practices. CMPD considers their predatory towing a Civil issue so I will be filing a Civil Small Claims Suit with Mecklenburg County against this company. The security cameras within the parking garage shows what time I parked my car, the exact time Wheel Blockers towed my car and the time I returned with the parking permit; so the evidence is on my side, because they should have to provide consumers ample time to retrieve parking permits before they tow a vehicle. In addition, there were scratches on my car that were not there before Wheel Blockers towed my car, so that information will also be added in my Civil Suit. I have also contacted the management of the apartment community where they are contracted to inform them of this issue. The apartment complex has an obligation and responsibility to be sure that they are contracting with vendors that represent their company as well and I am sure the behavior of Wheel Blockers does not represent this upscale apartment community's core values.

A tow truck did not come to my vehicle. A man in a truck did. The sign does not have the boot and tow fees posted, simply "customer parking only."

I reviewed my charge with other individuals. Some were charged $100, some $125… I was charged $250. Wheel Brokers does not show pricing anywhere so they can charge whatever they want. Going forward, I ask Wheel Blockers to be reasonable in the fees they charge and not exploit citizens of Charlotte.

I request they demonstrate integrity and transparency to lower their fees and reconsider the amount they charged me.

My name is Haley and I’m a 17 year old high school student. Today, 6/16/2023, My car got booted. Me and my boyfriend were in Noda, a shopping center in Charlotte. We parked in a parking lot we thought had no pay. Due to the extremely small sign at the front, it read in small letters “private”. I understand the parking was illegal and I’m not mad, it was my mistake for not seeing it. What I’m EXTREMELY mad about was the company that booted my vehicle. The man that showed up to unboot my car was absolutely the most disrespectful and obnoxious man I have ever met. The car reeked of illegal drugs, people complained that he had a firearm and were waving it in their faces so I could’ve gotten shot. Not to mention he WROTE my debit card information on the paper when he had a machine that would take my card. Not knowing what they could do with my card. No one has ever done that, not even my parents have had ANYTHING like this happen to them.Considering I’m a 17 year old that does not have that type of money, when he told me the price, my heart DROPPED. My friends dad is a police officer and the MAXIMUM amount a person should pay is $50 or LESS. It is borderline a crime and a complete scam. All of my savings for college are GONE. I have never in my life received such service.

On Weds 5/24/23 at 7:20pm, my car was towed from an area that does not have signs every 50 ft., per our county's ordinance. I asked for permission to park in the spot I parked as a customer of Skiptown, and was told I could park in the spot by an employee on the clock. When I returned, my car was gone. I asked the two present Wheelblockers employees to show me where the tow signs were. They said everywhere, but could not point out one directly, I took a video, and there is not one in eyesight of my car (which I had permission to park there anyways). I contacted the towing company by phone at that point, and I was told to call back in the morning for a manager, and was hung up on. I googled an address and found my car, which they said would cost $350 to get. I had a panic attack and asked for a manager again, but was told he doesnt come in until the morning, so I left.I called back in the morning and the employee laughed & hung up on me. I have now been hung up on 4x when asking to talk to a manager or gain info about my car/this situation.

I have videos of my parking spot, which I asked to email to the manager, but employees refused to provide an email. During my final attempt to ask for a manager email/number, etc, I was told to google it, then hung up on again. When I googled, the website for the company didnt work, and no email is listed. I am uncomfortable going into the business to talk to the manager in person due to claims of an employee threatening people with a gun.

Their behavior has been predatory, unsafe, and misogynistic. I also tried to get ahold of the company that owns the property (Markey) with no avail, as google says the business dissolved.

Actionable items:

1. The wrong date is on the receipt for $350;

2. Lt. Troutman with the NCDOT has verified that my vehicle was not reported as being called in before I retrieved it. Thus, the tow of my car lacked lawful authority;

3. Entrance signage is incorrect; "Markey" is not an existing business. Also, it fails to specify who the "customers" are, and thus, are not as "clear" as city policies require;

4. There is an absence of postings within the unobstructed grassy area in the middle of the lot, contrary to the following municipal provision: "If there are no curb or access barriers, notices shall be posted not less than every 50 ft. facing the frontage of the public street and facing the private parking lot;"

5. Throughout my attempts to address this matter amicably, I was repeatedly hung up on (four occurrences over multiple days) and even insultingly laughed at when I asked for a manager. Subsequently, a female acquaintance called on my behalf and face the same discourteous response (hung up 2x). Interestingly, when a male colleague contacted the business and spoke to the same employee, he expeditiously received contact details for a manager within 30 sec. with no pushback. This discriminatory conduct has been voice-recorded and reflects an overt display of sexism, at minimum;

6. Generally, businesses have a duty to provide a reasonably safe environment for their customers. If a business's actions directly contribute to a panic attack(as in this case), there are grounds for holding the business legally liable in the state of NC.

I had my car towed and while trying to find it, was laughed at and hung up on. I have tried to call back and was hung up on 3 more times. I was also refused when I asked to talk to a manager, and they said if I can't email a manager either. The laughing in a sensitive situation is completely insulting and I'd advise to NOT EVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCE contract this business or anyone affiliated with it. They are predatory, misogynistic, and enjoy power more than the job requires. I have escalated my complaint to the NCDOT and NC Attorney General.

Return my vehicle that th hey took illegally an wouldn't let me get my stuff

It is a predatory business and should be shutdown for the betterment of the city.

This company is a complete robbery and false imprisonment. I visited local businesses in the lot but the employee of Wheelblockers would not listen. This company is a complete robbery and false imprisonment. I visited local businesses in the lot and still received a boot on my truck. I explained this to the employee of wheelblockers and he would not listen. I asked for his managements number and he explained he was a manager of this company. I advise against this scam of a company in every way possible.

I was parked at a Taco Bell right next to the restaurant I was eating at because there was absolutely no parking nearby. I was there for 1.5 hrs and there were no signs in the parking lot that said I couldn't park there. As I approached my car, wheel blockers were booting cars and asked if one was mine. I said "yes, I didn't know I couldn't park here there aren't any signs indicating I cannot park here for a short period of time" and the man just told me I needed to pay $200 to get it removed. He then processed my payment through his phone.

My car getting booted again and again. Last time my brand new car got booted without any reason, I called on given number they accept it had done by mistake but they took 2 hours to release by car with many scratched. Again yesterday they booted my car with no reason and damaged it. I have every valid thing which is required to park my vehicle in the community. I called on given number but they refused to unlock my car. Last time I spoke to community manager, they told me they are 3rd party vendor, we can't do anything. This is kind of harassment which is tolerated by me without doing anything wrong.

March 26 - this company "started" to tow my car. They had not even pull it onto the truck (I have a photo) and still charged me the full $250. I am not clear on towing laws, but have done some reading, and seems they were not to charge the full amount/ were just lurking in this lot. I only paid because I am a female and was in a dark parking lot with 2 large men and felt scared and just wanted to leave. Even if I was in the wrong for parking, they should not have charged the same rate as they did a fraction of the work involved with towing this was quick cash for them. Additionally, I was polite and just trying to get clarification. The two men were extremely hostile and wouldn't tolerate my questions.

Wheel Blockers took the opportunity to overcharge me $40 because they claimed my vehicle's wheels were too large ($180 to $220 charge) Wheel Blockers attempted to tow my vehicle after business hours (9pm on 11/14), because that was legally allowed by the property owner. They informed me that the $220 charge was higher than what they would have originally charged, $180, because my vehicle's tires were big. They are taking advantage of customers to increase their profits, and I want a refund of the $40. The tow truck driver was still putting my vehicle on the lift when I arrived, and despite trying to be cordial with him and the manager, they insisted that I pay them $220 to drop the vehicle. Notice the scratched out dollar amount on the receipt...

Wheel blockers uses predatory business practices and inconsistent pricing for towing services. I was parked at the Rampart Street and Hawkins Street parking lot in Charlotte, NC on Saturday March 27 at 3pm. I went to a neighboring business nearby and assumed this was acceptable as this lot had 20-30 open parking spaces when I parked, as well as when I arrived back at my vehicle. I was told I needed to park on the street upon my return, but this area does not have any street parking available. In addition, I reviewed my charge with other individuals that have been charged by Wheel Blockers. Some are charged $100, some $125, while I was charged $150. This is inconsistent pricing. Wheel blockers does not show pricing information anywhere so that they can charge whatever they want since they are holding your vehicle hostage.

Car was illegally towed and damaged. Repairs likely will be a minimum of $500, likely to exceed that amount. I was illegally towed from a private property on Feb. 7th where Wheelblockers severely damaged my bumper. I spoke to the manager at the towing service as to why my vehicle was parked and was told that I was illegally parked and there were signs posted regularly about where parking was permitted for the public. However, there is exactly 1 sign stating that private parking exists at the entrance to the property, but there are no signs designating what is and isn't permit parking on the property. I know for a fact now that not all spots are permit only, because I spoke to the HOA directly. Since there is not sufficient signage to designate what is public and private parking, my vehicle was towed illegally, based on the fact that I had no knowledge that I parked in was permit only parking.

Sunday May 9th Wheel Blockers picked up my vehicle while we were still in the process of unloading after returning from a road trip. My 2 year old got very sick on the drive home and projectile vomited, so trying to get him in while unloading and cleaning the vomit out of the car. We were parked 2 wheels on our driveway pad and 2 wheels in the alley, with plenty of room to get around. I yelled for him to come up and help me as our son was vomiting in the bathtub so he locked it and ran up to assist me. A few mins later he went back down to finish and found the towing company there. Driver demanded $220 to drop and at one point demanded cash. This is apparently has happened repeatedly in our neighbor the last 4 months and charges are anywhere from $150 to $400 to not tow the car and at times demanding cash or offering to cut a deal for cash to drop the car, which is predatory and shady, especially when on my own driveway pad while unloading.

This business places a wheellock on our car in error: We parked in front of a boutique and went to eat next door, seeing signs that said "parking for customers only." We visited the boutique after, discovering that they provided car tags. During this time, this Wheelockers business came and put a lock on the car, asking for $150 to remove it. Since we visited a business and had a tag, we asked them to remove this lock which was mistakenly placed. The first associate refused, so I offered to pay and report this to the bank and police after. At this point, things went south: The first associate said "oh no, we need to take cash now." The other associate leaned into my wife and said "sorry this is f***ed up." I called the police immediately since this seemed like a scam - they were trying to avoid a paper trail of this incident and take cash! The police took our information, they were also surprised. The associate did end up taking the card after the cop call.

My wife and I were at Skiptown on the evening of 3/18. We had parked our car at a nearby lot and missed the sign about towing enforcement. Skiptown announced towing was active in that lot. Rushing back, I found our car on a tow truck, with others booted. The towing employee was ready for payment via a mobile app. It seemed they weren't planning to tow the cars away, just engaging in predatory towing. As I paid to release our car, another person tried to get the employee's attention, who then quickly moved to tow another vehicle.

My car was illegally booted, and I was falsely imprisoned and extorted. My car was illegally booted, and I was falsely imprisoned and extorted. I parked at a lot on Central Ave. and Clement Ave. on [protected]. Within 60 seconds of having parked and before I had entered the establishment connected to the lot where I was going, I was booted. The extortionist/lot "attendant" emerged from a car - which had no front license plate, no rear license plate, a "Wheel Blockers" magnet, and a 30-day temporary tag that expired [protected] days previous to this incident, Tag #XXXXXXXX to a 2006 Chevrolet) - and demanded that I pay $150 to have the boot removed. The attendant would not hear why he was wrong, having already convinced himself that this business' plan of extortion and false imprisonment was on the right side of the law. It isn't. It is flat out robbery. When I said I was calling the police, he said he'd have my car towed before they could arrive, an outright threat of theft of my vehicle. Under duress, I provided a credit card, which the attendant used to process a $100 payment via PayPal. I did not sign for the transaction, and there is no evidence I signed for anything, so the attendant scribbled something to process the transaction. This business engaged in extortion, false imprisonment, fraud, threats of vehicle theft, and display of expired vehicle tags, at a minimum. This lot had probably 300 unused parking spots and 20-40 cars parked, so this is clearly a boot-for-pay parking sham and not any legal, legitimate protection of a private parking lot.