Houston couple says their car gets towed. Then they found it sitting amidst cars that ‘had not been touched in years’

A Houston couple returned from dinner expecting to find their car where they had left it. Instead, TikTok creator Isabela (@isabeladamian) said they found an empty parking space, two strangers with a towing company card, and a confusing trip to a vehicle storage lot. Isabela documented the alleged experience in a two-part TikTok series, describing how the couple spent about an hour and a half at a restaurant in downtown Houston before discovering the car was gone.

According to Isabela, a sign near the lot appeared to indicate self-parking. The couple initially assumed they had parked legally. They then noticed a separate towing sign and spoke with two men who told them the vehicle had been towed. The men provided a phone number, but Isabela said nobody answered when the couple called.

They also contacted the number displayed on the parking sign. Isabela said that person told them the lot had its own towing company and that the company represented on the sign did not tow vehicles from that particular lot.

Then the two men who helped them disappeared.

The situation became more confusing when the two men who had initially helped them vanished, according to Isabela. Eventually, the couple located the men again and received an address for the vehicle storage facility.

Isabela said the facility sat about 20 minutes outside downtown Houston, forcing the couple to take an Uber to retrieve the car. The ride took them away from downtown and into what Isabela described as a largely empty area with little around other than gas stations.

When they arrived, Isabela said the facility initially looked like a small trailer or house. A sign posted on the fence listed towing fees and information about disputing charges, while a gated area contained numerous vehicles.

The couple confirmed they had reached the correct location and went to a window to speak with an employee, according to Isabela. She said the employee explained that the towing company was separate from the business operating the storage location. Isabela said the couple ultimately paid $300 to retrieve the vehicle.

That payment did not end the experience.

After the gate opened, Isabela said the couple walked through the storage lot toward their car. She described seeing numerous vehicles that appeared damaged or abandoned, including cars with broken windows and other visible damage. Isabela said some of the vehicles looked as though they “had not been touched in years.”

She said the couple worried that their own vehicle might have sustained damage during the tow. According to her update, however, the car appeared to be fine.

The couple’s experience comes amid a long-running history of complaints and disputes involving private parking lots and towing in Houston. ABC13 reported in May 2026 that Houston was reviewing tow-hearing cases after two drivers won disputes involving ParkHouston-authorized tows but had not received refunds. Both drivers had paid $303 to retrieve their vehicles before successfully challenging the tows.

Houston’s ParkHouston also says drivers who believe their vehicles were improperly towed can request a tow hearing through the Harris County Justice of the Peace courts. Texas also establishes maximum fees for private-property towing.

The Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation currently lists a maximum private-property tow fee of $272 for vehicles weighing 10,000 pounds or less, before applicable storage or other permitted charges. Isabela said they left with paperwork that could allow them to challenge the $300 charge.