I parked my car at a gas station parking lot for 4 hours one night. I had verbal permission from a different attendant that it was ok for me to park there whenever I needed, provided it wasn't overnight. I got back to the station to find my car missing. Talked to the current attendant, the tow driver and the sheriff.

The sheriff "enlightened" me that even though there are no signs posted and it is a business open to the public, it's still private property and the owner need only to call the sheriff and complain about an abandoned vehicle to have it towed at the owners expense.

The sheriff did actually leave a message on my home phone to let me know that it was going to be towed and that I had about 30 minutes to move it. It was a nice gesture, but ineffective since I was car-pooling and obviously not home at the time.

Needless to say, I paid the $180 to get my car back and stopped back at the gas station to give the attendant an ear full and inform her that her action cost them a very regular customer along with anyone else I could influence to never stop there again.

Live and learn.