Marley Properties

Their relationship with J&D Towing is appalling. I just moved to RI from Chicago for a job, and am considering a masters program at URI. I went to meet with a potential advisor, a visit which lasted about 45 minutes. I couldn’t find any lot nearby that didn’t require a faculty parking permit, so I headed over to the Kingston Emporium lot. Although I was already about to be late for my appointment, I saw a car being towed from the lot, got spooked, and moved to an area of the lot that wasn’t directly in front of any of the stores, where there were no signs posted regarding parking.
And yet, lo and behold, when I got back, my car was gone. I called the towing service, describing my car and giving them my plate number, and the man on the other end of the line read me an incredibly creepy, detailed description of my appearance, down to the color of my shirt and the purse I was carrying; whoever was spying on me also mentioned the direction in which I was leaving.
Here’s the thing… I GET IT. And I am partly to blame for taking a gamble parking in that spot that was unmarked even though it was still in that lot. You don’t want students parking in the lot, grabbing a cup of coffee, and leaving their cars there all day. Of course, that’s bad for the businesses in the Emporium. However, if that was really the concern, this creeper who was stalking me could have had the decency to tell me I wasn’t supposed to park in that area instead of waiting for me to leave and immediately calling the tow truck (the slip I later got said that my car was towed at 10:43, which was 12 minutes after I parked). And even though I actually did violate the parking regulations (albeit unknowingly), I have now read numerous online complaints from people whose cars were towed from underneath their noses while they were sitting in one of the restaurants or coffee shops in the Emporium.
These scumbags prey on college students – what a wealthy, lucrative demographic – and people like me with out-​of-​state plates, people who are visiting URI as potential students and unfamiliar with parking restrictions. I had to walk 2 miles to the towing company’s office and fork over $ 118 in cash to get my car back. I am filing a complaint with the RI Public Utilities Commission; when I spoke to an agent over the phone he said they get these complaints all the time. An officer from the South Kingstown Police Dept. said the same thing. I can only hope they will actually DO something about it rather than let these bullies keep targeting and robbing people.