Andrew Yim wrote the following letter to Walgreens:
On Sunday, Sept. 7, after a relaxing morning of exercise and rest, I drove down to my friendly, neighborhood Walgreens (88 York St.) to drop-off and then pick up a prescription. On dropping off the script, the employee told me that it would be ready in an hour.
So, continuing the relaxing afternoon, I decided to take a walk through downtown New Haven for an hour, stopping by a favorite used book store and cafe for a bite to eat, and then going to a sports clothing store to buy a new pair of shoes. After an hour, I headed back to Walgreens to pick up the medication.
To my chagrin, my car was nowhere to be seen. Strange. I approached the assistant manager inside, who gave the me business card of the towing company that had, apparently, towed my car away. After explaining to the manager that I had been told the medication would be ready in an hour, he explained that since I had left the premises, there was nothing he could do. All cars, he said, are towed after 30 minutes. The pharmacy tech responded that I should have told them I needed the script quicker, so as to avoid leaving the premesis.So, after a phone call to the towing company and a long walk through one of New Haven’s choice inner city neighborhoods, I claimed my car with $88 and a photo ID.Please know that I will not be a customer, as much as I can help it, of Walgreen’s in the future. I understand the need to keep the parking lot free in a busy city environment, but customers ought not be punished for leaving the premesis for a time period indicated by staff. Just leaves a very sour taste in the mouth. The culture of very aggressive car towing in New Haven is one of the “bad” aspects of living in the city(tow trucks follow street cleaners each day, swooping down on any and all cars left on streets designated for cleaning). It’s sad to see Walgreens is part of this culture.