Atrocious handwriting on Illinois dad's parking permit gets his car towed and fined $218 after his 19th of June is mistaken for the 10th

  • Matthew Lesh from Chicago had his car towed and had to pay a $218.50 tow truck fine
  • He said his car had a valid permit displayed in dashboard while it was parked in his condo complex's private parking lot
  • Tow company driver thought the 'June 19' written on his parking pass was really a '10' that had been altered to look like a '19'

By Dailymail.com Reporter

Published: 21:06 EST, 8 August 2015 | Updated: 22:56 EST, 8 August 2015

An Illinois father had his vehicle towed and was left paying $218 to get it back after his bad handwriting on a permit displayed in his car window led to confusion.

Matthew Lesh from Chicago said his car, which was parked in a guest spot in his condo complex's private parking lot and had a valid permit displayed on the dashboard, was towed.

The driver from the tow company, Rendered Service North, claimed the 'June 19' written on Lesh's parking pass, which was good for 24 hours, was really a '10' that had been altered.

However, it was just a result of Lesh's poor penmanship, according to ABC News.

Scroll down for video 

Matthew Lesh (pictured left) from Chicago had his car towed and was left with a $218 fine after his bad handwriting on a permit displayed in his car window led to confusion 

Matthew Lesh (pictured left) from Chicago had his car towed and was left with a $218 fine after his bad handwriting on a permit displayed in his car window led to confusion 

Lesh said his car, which was parked in a guest spot in his condo complex's private parking lot and had a valid permit (shown above) marked with 'June 19' displayed on the dashboard, was towed in June

Lesh said his car, which was parked in a guest spot in his condo complex's private parking lot and had a valid permit (shown above) marked with 'June 19' displayed on the dashboard, was towed in June

The driver from the tow company thought the 'June 19' written on Lesh's parking pass, was really a '10' that had been manipulated. However, it was just a result of his poor penmanship (Lesh illustrating how he writes the number nine above)

The driver from the tow company thought the 'June 19' written on Lesh's parking pass, was really a '10' that had been manipulated. However, it was just a result of his poor penmanship (Lesh illustrating how he writes the number nine above)

Lesh, who arrived at the scene with his keys, said the 'aggressive' tow truck driver told him the date on his permit was altered and that his car was towed right before him, despite his appeals he needed to get his ill child to the doctor.

'The aggressive, unprofessional tow truck driver told me that the date on the permit was “altered.” It wasn’t. I wrote it myself the previous day and it was good for 24 hours,' Lesh wrote in a letter to ABC News Fixer asking the tip line for help.

'He towed my car while I watched, despite my entreaties that I needed to get my sick two-year-old to the doctor right then.

'Later, a Chicago Police officer met me at the tow yard of the company, Rendered Services. 

Lesh, who arrived at the scene with his keys, said the 'aggressive' tow truck driver told him the date on his permit was altered and that his car was towed right before him, despite his appeals he needed to get his ill child to the doctor

Lesh, who arrived at the scene with his keys, said the 'aggressive' tow truck driver told him the date on his permit was altered and that his car was towed right before him, despite his appeals he needed to get his ill child to the doctor

After ABC News Fixer took up his case, they were able to get Lesh a refund for the $218.50 fine, only after the tow company agreed to examine his past handwriting samples to prove that his written '9' was in fact a nine

After ABC News Fixer took up his case, they were able to get Lesh a refund for the $218.50 fine, only after the tow company agreed to examine his past handwriting samples to prove that his written '9' was in fact a nine

'The officer said the police are frequently called to their lot for disputes, describing them as overly aggressive. 

'I was urged to file complaints with my condo association, the Better Business Bureau and various government agencies, which I have done.'

After ABC News Fixer took up his case, they were able to get Lesh a refund for the $218.50 fine, only after the tow company agreed to examine his past handwriting samples to prove that his written '9' was in fact a nine. 

While inquiring about the issue, the tip line discovered that under Illinois law, a tow company is supposed to release the vehicle if a owner arrives at the scene with keys before the car has been towed.

'You said you had the keys right in your pocket that morning, so none of this should have happened, but you didn’t know about that law until we told you, so you didn’t bring it up,' ABC News Fixer wrote to Lesh.

While inquiring about the issue, the tip line discovered that under Illinois law, a tow company is supposed to release the vehicle if a owner arrives at the scene with keys before the car has been towed

While inquiring about the issue, the tip line discovered that under Illinois law, a tow company is supposed to release the vehicle if a owner arrives at the scene with keys before the car has been towed

The tip line said that Rendered claims the driver did nothing wrong.

While helping out Lesh with his case, ABC News Fixer also found that Rendered Service North had a number of consumer complaints.

Nearly 3,000 complaints about the tow company were collected by the Illinois Commerce Commission since 2005, which has issued 218 citations in the past two years, according to ABC News Fixer.

Chicago police also raided Rendered's South Side location in November 2014 following allegations of illegal tows.

Manager Bill Nestos told ABC News Fixer that there is no pattern of illegal towing and that many of the citations and complaints were unfounded.