Got raped by towing company

[keg1]

I tried to make it to the garage because I really didn't want to call a wrecker. It was just missing at first but then it started knocking pretty good so I figured I better stop. I had to pay them before they would set it back on the ground.Service manager at the garage said they're known for high prices.

[GreenGiant2]

Maybe spreading the word on Bmt will help others

[JTFormula]

When my General took a dump 1/4 mile after fueling I called around to a bunch of towing companies before I got someone to do it for less. I had to go 2 miles. Everyone wanted $300-350 just to show up + either mileage or hourly rate with a minimum of 1 hour. I called these guys and they said $275. When we got to my shop he said It was an easy hook up and tow so $225. I really appreciated it.

I almost dragged it back with a tow strap behind a pick up but God forbid something happened, it would have cost a crapload more to me. Plus being a former towing operator and WreckMaster certified, morally it made sense to hook it.

[gearhead204]

Several years ago I needed towed about 10 miles as well

I was 92,000 gross the tow truck had to go a ways past me to turn around then hook and drag me to the rest area then drop the pull trailer, then drag me on to selah to the wearhouse, he pulled me over the scales, then thru the dip tank, I in loaded the fruit and then back Across the scales be fore he set me down, I had a company truck bring in the trailer. All of the towing and screwing around cost 430.00 I was as happy as a guy with a bad e9 could be. So if you ever break down around Yakama Wa.call hwy.towing.

[NY-B61]

This might be a stupid question but is there a Triple A equivalent for heavy trucks? One low annual fee? I ask because a friend had roadside recovery and towing through (I believe) AAA on his 40ft GMC bus registered as a motor home. No hanky panky of any kind with the enrollment paperwork and I believe the cost was around $65 annually at that time.

[JTFormula]

There isn't a AAA for trucks. Simply because a service like that really doesn't pay the towing company anywhere near a good rate. When you are paying $70,000-$100,000 for a single piece of equipment, it will take a lot of $25 tows and service calls to make those payments. Now bump that to a $250,000-750,000 single piece of heavy duty equipment, you need to charge accordingly to cover those costs. That's not counting insurance payments either. A national roadside trucking assistance program is a good idea but you will only have poorly equipped and trained companies doing it because of the minimum rates they will pay.

Best bet is to shop around or call the repair shop and ask them who the most reasonable company is to haul your rig.

[rsb502]

$250,000 won't even get a single axle heavy wrecker anymore, there's a guy here with a new Pete tri axle with a Jerr Dan body and it was a cool million. I saw the invoice on a 60 ton rotator on a tandem axle international once, nearly cried for the guy, $1,112,000. I don't know how they can buy em myself.

[keg1]

I sent an e-mail to better business bureau about this. Got a reply from towing company said he gave me a 50% discount since I was an o/o. He said bill should have been $3600 and some. He said I didn't appreciate someone helping me out. He also said he couldn't help it that I drove an old Mack. What the hell does it matter what year or kind of truck he tows. I've talked to two other towing companies that would have done it for $300 and $350. As soon as I told them what I paid they knew who it was. They both said he's a crook. The one said the crook will charge $50 to $60 thousand for a roll over. He said the most he's ever charged was $8900. I doubt anything will come of this but I'm going to keep pushing it.

[carlotpilot]

$250,000 won't even get a single axle heavy wrecker anymore, there's a guy here with a new Pete tri axle with a Jerr Dan body and it was a cool million. I saw the invoice on a 60 ton rotator on a tandem axle international once, nearly cried for the guy, $1,112,000. I don't know how they can buy em myself.

any body stupid enough to put his name on that dotted line for a frickin tow truck deserves all that comes after

[Superdog]

I sent an e-mail to better business bureau about this. Got a reply from towing company said he gave me a 50% discount since I was an o/o. He said bill should have been $3600 and some. He said I didn't appreciate someone helping me out. He also said he couldn't help it that I drove an old Mack. What the hell does it matter what year or kind of truck he tows. I've talked to two other towing companies that would have done it for $300 and $350. As soon as I told them what I paid they knew who it was. They both said he's a crook. The one said the crook will charge $50 to $60 thousand for a roll over. He said the most he's ever charged was $8900. I doubt anything will come of this but I'm going to keep pushing it.

If that SOB told me he couldn't help I drove an old Mack,I'd beat his door down with a ball bat . Be worth a night in jail .It ain't so bad,worst part for me was they took my hat,bibs and can of Skoal,looked kinda goofy in orange jumpsuit. . They had to use 3 sets of handcuffs on me,too.

[BGarofalo]

My Uncle recently had one of his trucks roll over. Elderly woman cut off the driver and he swerved and put it in the median. Truck was laying on its side with no other vehicles hit. Long story short, my uncle got a bill for $130,000 in the mail. They righted it and towed it 10 miles to their yard. The breakdown on the bill was just mind blowing. They brought in a Landoll and charged $7000 for it to show up. Each of the big wreckers were $27,000. ETC...

I always wondered how these towing companies could afford such nice trucks.

[2stacksuperdog]

Don't forget the 20 "support" vehicles they send that is just an extra charge for nothing.

[keg1]

My Uncle recently had one of his trucks roll over. Elderly woman cut off the driver and he swerved and put it in the median. Truck was laying on its side with no other vehicles hit. Long story short, my uncle got a bill for $130,000 in the mail. They righted it and towed it 10 miles to their yard. The breakdown on the bill was just mind blowing. They brought in a Landoll and charged $7000 for it to show up. Each of the big wreckers were $27,000. ETC...

I always wondered how these towing companies could afford such nice trucks.

That makes my $1800 bill sound a little better

[mrsmackpaul]

My Uncle recently had one of his trucks roll over. Elderly woman cut off the driver and he swerved and put it in the median. Truck was laying on its side with no other vehicles hit. Long story short, my uncle got a bill for $130,000 in the mail. They righted it and towed it 10 miles to their yard. The breakdown on the bill was just mind blowing. They brought in a Landoll and charged $7000 for it to show up. Each of the big wreckers were $27,000. ETC...

I always wondered how these towing companies could afford such nice trucks.

hey mate I reckon you musta made a mistake 130000 it cant be right were they there for days months I just cant see it surely they have to be able to justify the bill

I hope some one got the car rego label ?

Paul

[BGarofalo]

I didn't believe it until I saw the bill for myself. 2stacksuperdog nailed it. All the support crew and extra vehicles and wreckers etc... It was my cousin that was driving an he said they were there a few hours at best. Right now my Uncle is fighting with the insurance to cover it. If they don't, it sounds like he is just going to let them have the truck. The woman that was driving the car stopped and admitted she cut the truck off but it makes no difference.

The towing company has the contract to serve that portion of the highway and can just charge what they want I guess.

Its legal highway robbery.

[Freightrain]

If that SOB told me he couldn't help I drove an old Mack,I'd beat his door down with a ball bat . Be worth a night in jail .It ain't so bad,worst part for me was they took my hat,bibs and can of Skoal,looked kinda goofy in orange jumpsuit. . They had to use 3 sets of handcuffs on me,too.

You know Mike.......with talk like this...........we're not going to call you Superdog anymore. Your new screenname will be "Outlaw".

Was that orange jumpsuit much worse then that Sunday goin-to-meetin' suit you wore back when you were fighting city hall? (I didn't spend the time to do a search to find that pic for comparison)

[PeterMack]

I sent an e-mail to better business bureau about this. Got a reply from towing company said he gave me a 50% discount since I was an o/o. He said bill should have been $3600 and some. He said I didn't appreciate someone helping me out. He also said he couldn't help it that I drove an old Mack. What the hell does it matter what year or kind of truck he tows. I've talked to two other towing companies that would have done it for $300 and $350. As soon as I told them what I paid they knew who it was. They both said he's a crook. The one said the crook will charge $50 to $60 thousand for a roll over. He said the most he's ever charged was $8900. I doubt anything will come of this but I'm going to keep pushing it.

Good for you for pursuing this a little further. You probably won't see any money back but at least you can put the word out about

this guy. Try leaving a Yelp or Google review. When somebody does a Google search for a company those always pop up. You don't

even have to be snotty or slander in the review. Just the facts, $1800 for 10 miles, most people can do math and will figure that doesn't

add up. We have a towing company by me that dinged a guy $17,000 for a tow. A car blew a stop sign and drove under his dump trailer.

The driver stopped as did another person to help the guy out of the car. After they got him out the car burst into flames and burned

away from the truck. The guy in the car eventually died from the injuries but the family thanked the truck driver for pulling the man out

so he didn't burn. Long story longer the truck/trailer were towable (and still on the road today) but the towing company impounded it

till they were paid the $17,000. We will not use them at all and advise other people in our area to stay away from them.

Best of luck with with your pursuit.

[mrsmackpaul]

This going totally off topic now but back in the early ninetys I got subpoenaed to go to court as a witness court was 2500 km away told them stick up there ass Im not going they told me the police will be around shortly to inform me I have no choice and I says tuff Im running a business whos gunna run it while Im not there they say they will pay me the same amount as I get paid if I was there so I say fair enough so they send me off on a plane change plane then the next plane gets delayed anyway the long and the short of it is because I was delayed I wasnt need the court hearing didnt go ahead and they settled out of court I had to stay the night away the next morning they plan was canceled so any way I end back at home I send these clowns a invoice and the bastards say no way were not paying that just my standard hourly rate I thought right we will see about that and the long and the short of it was because I never gave a written quote I didnt have a leg to stand on

fast forward around ten years get a job done for me and I ask for a few quotes before we start and the one I go with seems ok they are all around the same anyway this job is meant to take around a week a few weeks pass the job is only half done this bloke turns up at door going crook I still to this day dont know what the problem for him was but sends me a bill for a half finished job for over $28000 when he quoted $7500 I say Im not gunna pay unless you can explaine how this went so wrong he says Im gunna see you court so of we go the long and the short of it was because I didnt have a written quote I didnt have a leg to stand on so I say to the boss man of the court about the above story and about this story and to me it just dont seem right I was told I couldnt get payed because I didnt give a written quote but I had to pay even with out a written quote his answer was wait for it "DONT BE SMARMY" WTF is smarmy well I have since learnt its to be a smart ass

the moral to the story's dont trust no prick and if you need a job don do it your self no matter what

and stay away from courts there is no winners there

Paul

[DCR]

Just read that Ohio has legislation pending that would stop towing companies from ripping people off. One requirement would be a quote prior to hooking up to the vehicle to avoid a big surprise after the tow.

[keg1]

Just heard back from better business bureau, they closed the case said towing company made an effort to resolve this. Just as I thought it was a waste of time. And after a week and a half of my truck in the Mack garage and nothing much getting done I'm dragging it home tomorrow and swapping engines myself. Tired of people ripping me off. Getting it towed 70-80 miles for $350. At least this guy isn't screwing me over.