Pacific Retrieval: Who They Are and Your Rights

Type

Collection agency

Also known as

Pacific Retrieval LLC

Headquarters

Sacramento, CA

Collects

towing and storage lien deficiencies

Phone numbers it lists

(888) 244-4929

Website

pacificretrieval.com

33 debt collection complaints were sent to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau about Pacific Retrieval LLC from November 13, 2023 to November 12, 2026. A complaint is a consumer's account, not a finding that the company broke the law. Read the complaints in the CFPB database.

Who Is Pacific Retrieval?

Pacific Retrieval LLC calls itself a financial services company in Northern California that specializes in lien deficiency collections. Its About page says its team serves the towing industry and has more than 50 years of combined experience in accounts receivable. Its office is at 1520 W El Camino Ave, Suite 228, Sacramento, CA 95833, and its phone number is (888) 244-4929.

We did not find a CFPB enforcement action against Pacific Retrieval.

Why Pacific Retrieval May Be Contacting You

When a vehicle is towed and stored and the owner doesn't reclaim it, the tow company may sell it to cover its lien for towing and storage charges. If the sale brings in less than the tow company claims, the shortfall is called a lien deficiency, and the tow company may bill the registered owner for it. Pacific Retrieval collects those balances for tow operators. Its services page says its reports to clients include vehicle information and current balances.

A letter from Pacific Retrieval therefore usually concerns a car that was towed, often after an accident, an impound, or a private-property tow, and in many cases a car the person had already sold, abandoned or lost track of.

How to Check a Debt Pacific Retrieval Says You Owe

Tow and storage bills grow by the day, so the details matter. Start by matching the bill to a specific vehicle and event.

• Use the validation notice. It must name the tow company you supposedly owe and itemize the balance (15 U.S.C. § 1692g; 12 C.F.R. § 1006.34). Dispute in writing within the validation period if you don't recognize it.
• Ask for the vehicle and tow details: the VIN and plate, the date and place of the tow, who authorized it, the daily storage rate, and the number of days charged.
• Ask for the lien-sale records: the notices sent before the sale, the sale date, the sale price, and how the proceeds were credited.
• Check ownership on the tow date. If you had sold or transferred the vehicle before it was towed, gather the bill of sale and any release of liability you filed with the motor vehicle agency.
• Watch the time limits. In Texas, most suits on consumer debts must be brought within four years (Tex. Civ. Prac. & Rem. Code § 16.004), and debt buyers cannot sue on time-barred consumer debt (Tex. Fin. Code § 392.307). California and other states have their own deadlines.

What Pacific Retrieval Can and Can't Do

A company that collects balances owed to tow companies is a third-party "debt collector" under 15 U.S.C. § 1692a(6) when the underlying charge is a consumer debt, as a tow of a personal vehicle usually is. With that in mind:

• It cannot add storage days, fees or interest that the tow company was not legally allowed to charge (15 U.S.C. § 1692f(1)).
• It cannot claim you owe the balance if it knows, or should know, that you weren't the owner at the time (15 U.S.C. § 1692e(2)(A)).
• It cannot call more than seven times in seven days about the bill (12 C.F.R. § 1006.14(b)(2)) or discuss it with your family or employer (15 U.S.C. § 1692c(b)). See contacts with family and employers.
• It must stop collecting a disputed balance until it sends verification, if you dispute in time.

If a tow-deficiency collection seemed improper, see our Texas FDCPA attorneys page.

We Sue Debt Collectors That Break the FDCPA

Texas Debt Law files Fair Debt Collection Practices Act lawsuits against debt collectors in federal court for consumers in Texas, California, Illinois, Georgia and Colorado. If Pacific Retrieval or anyone collecting for it harassed you, misstated what you owe, threatened action it could not take, or told others about your debt, you may have a claim. A court can order a collector that violated the FDCPA to pay your actual damages, up to $1,000 in additional statutory damages, and your attorney's fees and costs (15 U.S.C. § 1692k(a)). An FDCPA claim generally must be filed within one year of the violation (§ 1692k(d)), so keep your letters, call logs, voicemails and screenshots, and talk to us early. Texas residents may also have claims under the Texas Debt Collection Act. Learn more from our FDCPA attorneys.

Free FDCPA Case Review(214) 851-2250

Or start your free case evaluation online. No lawyer can promise a result; every claim depends on its facts and proof.

Sources

• Pacific Retrieval: home page
• Pacific Retrieval: About
• Pacific Retrieval: Services
• Pacific Retrieval: Contact
• CFPB enforcement actions list (checked pages 1-17)
• CFPB Consumer Complaint Database: Pacific Retrieval LLC, debt collection

This profile is general information compiled from public sources, not legal advice, and it does not state or imply that Pacific Retrieval has violated any law. Company details change; tell us if something here is out of date.