An Arizona National Guard member returned home from training this month to a surprise.
He hadn’t won a new home. He wasn’t going to be the father of triplets.
The surprise was that his apartment complex, Chuparosas Luxury Apartments in Chandler, had ordered his vehicle to be towed.
The bill was $2,000, Timothy Zellers, a second lieutenant, said.
“A huge punch in the gut,” Zellers said of the bill.
“Especially over something you had no control over.”
Zellers had been sent to training in South Carolina on short notice in May, he said. He had renewed his car’s registration with the state, but was not able to put the new sticker tags on his car because he was on the east coast. That meant that his car appeared to have an expired registration.
"I was away serving my country, I had no physical means to put [the] tags on my car."
Zellers said he notified the apartment complex of his training trip before leaving town.
But after being towed, his car would spend more than 50 days impounded, leading to the $2,000 bill. The towing company reduced the charge to $700.
After ABC 15 contacted the apartment company, a representative said the company would reimburse Zellers for the towing costs.
“Chuparosas is sincerely appreciative of Mr. Zellers’ service,” said Susan Kauffman, the director of business development and customer relationships for Chuparosas’ management company, MEB Management Services.
