This is all just standard operating procedure for the overwhelming majority of towing companies. They're entirely unaccountable, extralegal entities that have no oversight and the ability to disappear your shit for any or no reason. There is no recourse, and the greatest penalty that can be enacted upon them is suspending their business license, which has zero effect on their ability to just keep towing shit exactly like this.

They're effectively allowed to act like modern-day high seas pirates and ransom your car or bike for an arbitrary amount of money. They're responsible for self-enforcing the locally specified towing rate limits, and their lying is just to be expected. The only thing anyone can actually do about any of this is to file a lawsuit in small claims court to get their car back, but the court will almost certainly side in favour of the company.

What I'm saying is, someone could make significant money by creating a towing company or even just getting a job at one and using that power specifically to harass their local chuds.