Were you overcharged for a tow?

I am writing to document my experience investigating what I believe may be a recurring pattern of overcharging by Busters Towing and what I see as repeated failures to examine it.

Why the charges are hard to challenge

I did not see a rate schedule posted at the office I used, although I understand the contract to require visible rates at the appropriate facilities. When I questioned the weight class, I was told the driver recorded it, Busters paid the subcontractor’s invoice and the customer had to pay it. Counter staff referred me to a billing contact who was often unavailable, and questions remained unanswered. A single disputed tow can involve around $120, which makes weeks of follow-up hard to justify.

Most customers rarely have a vehicle towed and may not know its gross vehicle weight rating. The label can be in pounds while the tow categories use kilograms. That makes it important for the operator to explain the source and units behind each classification.

What my records show

Busters issued a $719.23 adjustment across five bills, about $143.85 per bill. I have records for 13 tows involving different vehicles, drivers and years. My review suggests billing errors in those transactions, and eight remain unresolved to my satisfaction. I also question load-and-secure charges, standby, fuel surcharges and impound fees. Each needs to be checked against the governing rates and work records.

Records and oversight

The Auditor’s office referred to a weight-class dispute process, but I have not received a usable account of how it works or its results. The agreement appears to require records such as tow documentation and GPS information. I understood the City’s information-access responses to say it lacked custody or control of certain records. My attempts to request a VPD investigation were redirected, and I did not get the reference number I requested.

The Auditor’s office characterized the problems as rare. I want to know which records it examined and how it reached that conclusion. An independent review should obtain original tow and billing records, verify the classifications and refunds and publish a method that can distinguish isolated errors from a recurring practice.

Potential scale and public accountability

For illustration, 50,000 relevant tows annually for 28 years at $100 in excess charges per tow would total $140 million if every tow were affected. Each of those assumptions needs testing. My records leave the prevalence of errors and the possibility of intentional conduct open.

I raised these concerns publicly during my 2026 mayoral campaign. I am concerned about my safety and want to continue lawful criticism and protest. I ask CBC, the Vancouver Sun, CityNews, the Mayor, Council and independent oversight bodies to review the invoices, corrections, contract and complaint records. Please ask Busters, the City, the Auditor and VPD for their accounts, preserve the original records and seek a transparent audit and repayment of any verified overcharge.

Scott Gilbert

I asked the City Clerk to circulate this follow-up to Mayor Pete Fry and all members of Vancouver City Council. At 9 a.m. on November 12, I planned to ask the Vancouver Provincial Court criminal registry how to present a private Information if the evidence supports a specific offence.

Busters confirmed it corrected five bills from Category 3 to Category 2, a $719.23 adjustment. I still need the original and revised invoices, the weight records used to set the charges, and the authority and work records for load-and-secure, standby, fuel, storage and impound charges. I did not see a rate schedule at the office I used and asked the City to verify what was posted there.

The Auditor’s office relied on a list and explanations from Engineering Services to describe the errors as rare and declined to investigate the whistleblower complaint further. Its reply gave no sample size, time period or method for testing original bills. Given Engineering’s contract role and the Police Board’s involvement in the towing agreement, I asked for an independent review with published terms of reference, methods and findings.

I asked for the preservation of tow orders, dispatch and classification logs, original and amended invoices, refunds and the records used in the City’s and Auditor’s assessments. I asked for repayment of every verified overcharge and referral of any evidence of wrongdoing to the appropriate authorities.

I planned to demonstrate peacefully outside City Hall and Busters Towing, keeping entrances, sidewalks and traffic clear. VPD’s protest liaison indicated on November 5 that it foresaw no issues with the earlier plan as described and asked for an update on November 10. I also asked VPD for a contact and reference number to report any specific safety incidents.

The email included a court-process overview, protest signs, a flyer, screenshots of outstanding questions and AI-generated protest tracks. Some signs used working estimates of disputed tows.

Scott Gilbert