Robbed by a tow truck driver

I needed to get my RV moved about 200 yards to a new location in my RV park. I called CoachNet and they declined to get me towed. They would only tow me to a service center. Now how does that make sense that they would tow me 15 miles to an RV shop in Kissimmee but would not tow me 200 yards? Wouldn't it be a lot cheaper? So instead they sent me out some mobile mechanic who told me my battery was shot and would have to be replaced. He said this with no test, just looking at it. Then he smelled my gas tank and told me I would have to have my gas tank pumped since the gas was over a year old. He said I would probably have to have the tank pulled and cleaned and probably a new fuel pump. He said it would be cheaper to have it towed. So I called CoachNet and requested a tow truck that I would pay for. She called me back and told me she found a company that would tow me for $125 an hour. The driver showed up with a really bad attitude, he did not want to tow me but I talked him into it. He tows me, takes about a half an hour and before he took it off the hook he writes up my bill, $395.00. Huh? He says three hour minimum. No one told me about a three hour minimum. So I paid by debit card and I will be protesting the transaction. Meanwhile it took a total of 15 calls to get this done. I am done with CoachNet, I won't be renewing.

Sounds like you really got screwed. Did it feel good?  Was all this because all you needed was a battery? I would have tried a new battery and see if it started with the old gas. I bet it would have.

And just how is this Coach Net's fault?  Isn't this the same as asking a towing company to come move a known disabled truck, from your front yard to your back yard, for FREE?  As for the minimum charge, that's common practice, but you never have to see it on a legitimate Coach net transaction.

Sorry for your unanticipated expense, but I wouldn't expect Coach Net (or any other Ins co.) to have acted differently.

What Lou said!!

Ernie

    I beg to differ with Lou and Ernie.  While Coachnet are likely within their agreement to not move the RV from one site to another, I think they have an obligation to advise Tom that there would be a minimum charge of 3 hours, or $395.  Knowing that he was expecting to get moved free of additional charge under his policy, they should have told him that their operator was going to charge no less than $395 so that Tom could have agreed with the minimum, or shopped around for a less expensive option.
    In my experience with AAA's Canadian affiliate CAA, I had a leaky valve extender and had them come and re-inflate.  They told me up front that they would either install a spare, of re-inflate.  They would not allow me to take the tire in for repair, if required.  It turned out to be the extender, so removal was the only repair required, but I knew going in where I sat.
    This just feels like a "BAIT AND SWITCH" SCAM.

Ed

Just Lou said:

And just how is this Coach Net's fault?  Isn't this the same as asking a towing company to come move a known disabled truck, from your front yard to your back yard, for FREE?  As for the minimum charge, that's common practice, but you never have to see it on a legitimate Coach net transaction.

Sorry for your unanticipated expense, but I wouldn't expect Coach Net (or any other Ins co.) to have acted differently.

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You are absolutely correct Lou. I never should have expected CoachNet to tow a disabled vehicle.

Hfx_Cdn said:

    I beg to differ with Lou and Ernie.  While Coachnet are likely within their agreement to not move the RV from one site to another, I think they have an obligation to advise Tom that there would be a minimum charge of 3 hours, or $395.  Knowing that he was expecting to get moved free of additional charge under his policy, they should have told him that their operator was going to charge no less than $395 so that Tom could have agreed with the minimum, or shopped around for a less expensive option.
    In my experience with AAA's Canadian affiliate CAA, I had a leaky valve extender and had them come and re-inflate.  They told me up front that they would either install a spare, of re-inflate.  They would not allow me to take the tire in for repair, if required.  It turned out to be the extender, so removal was the only repair required, but I knew going in where I sat.
    This just feels like a "BAIT AND SWITCH" SCAM.

Ed

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Thank you Ed, it is nice to know some people around here have manners. The thing that pissed me off about CoachNet is the fact that it took about 8 calls to them to finally find out they would not tow me for free. I spent all day with something that should have been very simple. And two years ago they did come and tow me about 75 feet for free so they have changed their policy.

Hfx_Cdn said:

    I beg to differ with Lou and Ernie.  While Coachnet are likely within their agreement to not move the RV from one site to another, I think they have an obligation to advise Tom that there would be a minimum charge of 3 hours, or $395.  Knowing that he was expecting to get moved free of additional charge under his policy, they should have told him that their operator was going to charge no less than $395 so that Tom could have agreed with the minimum, or shopped around for a less expensive option.
    In my experience with AAA's Canadian affiliate CAA, I had a leaky valve extender and had them come and re-inflate.  They told me up front that they would either install a spare, of re-inflate.  They would not allow me to take the tire in for repair, if required.  It turned out to be the extender, so removal was the only repair required, but I knew going in where I sat.
    This just feels like a "BAIT AND SWITCH" SCAM.

Ed

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Ed, I respectfully disagree with you.  Coach Net knows what the terms of their contract with any given tow service are, but they have no way of knowing what a towing company will charge someone who states "call me a tow, and I understand I must pay for it". 

It's totally unreasonable (in my opinion) for an individual to expect to get the tow service for the same rate Coach Net would pay the independent operator.

BTW - those towing services are contracted, they are not "their operators".

SeilerBird said:

Thank you Ed, it is nice to know some people around here have manners. The thing that pissed me off about CoachNet is the fact that it took about 8 calls to them to finally find out they would not tow me for free. I spent all day with something that should have been very simple. And two years ago they did come and tow me about 75 feet for free so they have changed their policy.

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SeilerBird said:

You are absolutely correct Lou. I never should have expected CoachNet to tow a disabled vehicle.

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Tom, don't you think that Coach Net learned their lesson, from two years ago, when they towed the same disabled rig 75 feet and didn't charge you?  I don't think they changed their policy, I think they just realized who was pulling the "scam'.

Read your policy, it clearly states that their responsibility is to tow you to safety and/or to the nearest repair facility.  It certainly does not state that they will move your broken down rig to a more convenient lot, every two years, for free.

Since when is it bad manners to state one's opinion of the facts?

    Just so I understand you Lou, if you take your RV or car into a dealership for a warranty repair, and they say it isn't covered under warranty, and they will charge you $X per hour, so you say go ahead.  You watch the repair and note that it takes 1/2 hour, but you are presented with a bill for three time the quoted rate, saying there is a minimum 3 hour charge that they didn't tell you about.  You agree with the bill.  Hey, I'd like to do any or all of your service work.
    I think that unless it is clearly advised, it either is or should be illegal to charge more than the published rate.  While the tow truck operator may be independent, they represent Coachnet and were referred to Tom by them, so they have responsibilities to their members.  If they want to change how they adjudicate claims, they owe their members notification.
    At least that's my opinion.

Ed

Comes down to disclosure IMHO.  Coachnet should have advised Tom of the cost BEFORE dispatching the truck, and advised him that it would be out of pocket.  Yes, it's probably in the fine print, but 10 seconds of disclosure over the phone and we probably wouldn't be having this conversation.

In reality, the towing company is not required to tell the 3rd person provider (C0ach Net) that there is a minimum 3hr towing fee because Coach Net was NOT paying the bill.  It WAS Tom's responsibility to GET AN ESTIMATE BEFORE the driver hooked to his MH.

CoachNet undoubtedly has a negotiated rate with the tow operator but no control over, nor maybe even knowledge of, the rates the tow company charges to non-CoachNet customers.  CoachNet did a favor by locating a tow truck, even though it was outside of their contracted services, so they are blameless here other than doing a good deed for their customer.  No good deed goes unpunished, again.

Blame the tow operator for not disclosing his full rate before performing the tow, or Tom for not asking so he could decline the service if too costly.

Hfx_Cdn said:

Just so I understand you Lou, if you take your RV or car into a dealership for a warranty repair, and they say it isn't covered under warranty, and they will charge you $X per hour, so you say go ahead.  You watch the repair and note that it takes 1/2 hour, but you are presented with a bill for three time the quoted rate, saying there is a minimum 3 hour charge that they didn't tell you about.  You agree with the bill.  Hey, I'd like to do any or all of your service work. 

I think that unless it is clearly advised, it either is or should be illegal to charge more than the published rate.  While the tow truck operator may be independent, they represent Coachnet and were referred to Tom by them, so they have responsibilities to their members.  If they want to change how they adjudicate claims, they owe their members notification.
    At least that's my opinion.

Ed

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Wow! any more assumptions you want to pull out of the air?

• First, your first paragraph is so absurd that I won't even comment.
• Second, Coach Net stated up front that they were NOT responsible for a short tow across the park.
• Third, they did send a mobile tech to assist with getting the rig operational.  (In my opinion, Tom had a responsibility to inform them that that was not going to be of help, because the rig had been disabled for over two years, but he did not.)
• Fourth, it was only after 8 calls (Tom's words) that they agreed to call a tow truckand at his expense.  We are not privy to the content of any of those 8 calls.
• Fifth, Tom was NOT quoted a total charge, but was given an hourly rate provided by the tow truck operator (not set by Coach net).  It is common for towing companies to charge a minimum TIME CHARGE and/or to impose a total ROUND TRIP charge.
• There was nothing said about the selected tow truck operator being one of the operators under contact to Coach Net.  In my opinion, to consider them as representing Coach Net is a real stretch on your part.
• I simply don't think Coach Net changed or deviated from any of their clearly published policies, except to do Tom the courtesy of calling a tow truck for him, after declining responsibility in the first seven calls.

Maybe Coach Net did not earn a badge for going "above and beyond" in this instance, but in my opinion, there are a few folks (adults?) involved in this discussion who could benefit by accepting responsibility to protect themselves. 

Our whole society seem to be infested with folks who think that life owes them reparations for every time someone fails to live up to their expectations.  JMHO

I just noticed that Ned and Cant Wait have both made very concise and pertinant posts while I was laboring over this one.

If they quoted a price of 125/hr and made no mention of the 3 hour minimum report them to the department of motor vehicles and anyone else in authority.

If the quote is 125/hr then they can charge you 250 fort a job taking 61 minutes but if even then I would declare the driver incompentent.. When I was towed the first time they had me on the hook within 30 mintues and the 2nd time (Drive shaft still dropped from first tow) in less than 15.

Watched a Coach Net or Good Sams (not sure which) Driver hook up another class A.. Took him over 2 hours and Frankly.. I'd have told him to get lost very fast if it had been my rig.. He also caused additional damage. (My driver did not)

    I guess that's why I chose not to use Coachnet and deal with a more customer friendly supplier.  To each their own, but like many of these types of debates, it is in the eyes of the beholder and after the fact it all boils down to our own opinion.
    Lou, I'm sorry that you didn't understand the simile of my first paragraph. 

Ed

Hfx_Cdn said:

    I guess that's why I chose not to use Coachnet and deal with a more customer friendly supplier.  To each their own, but like many of these types of debates, it is in the eyes of the beholder and after the fact it all boils down to our own opinion.
    Lou, I'm sorry that you didn't understand the simile of my first paragraph. 

Ed

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I understood your attempt, perfectly.  It just bears no resemblance or relationship to the situation under discussion.

Coachnet did their job perfectly.. They found him a tow truck, It's the towing company that I do believed robbed him.

When I had my rig towed the 2nd time I ask for a site to site quote. They gave me a price.. And that's what I paid.

Just Lou said:

Wow! any more assumptions you want to pull out of the air?

• First, your first paragraph is so absurd that I won't even comment.
• Second, Coach Net stated up front that they were NOT responsible for a short tow across the park.
• Third, they did send a mobile tech to assist with getting the rig operational.  (In my opinion, Tom had a responsibility to inform them that that was not going to be of help, because the rig had been disabled for over two years, but he did not.)
• Fourth, it was only after 8 calls (Tom's words) that they agreed to call a tow truckand at his expense.  We are not privy to the content of any of those 8 calls.
• Fifth, Tom was NOT quoted a total charge, but was given an hourly rate provided by the tow truck operator (not set by Coach net).  It is common for towing companies to charge a minimum TIME CHARGE and/or to impose a total ROUND TRIP charge.
• There was nothing said about the selected tow truck operator being one of the operators under contact to Coach Net.  In my opinion, to consider them as representing Coach Net is a real stretch on your part.
• I simply don't think Coach Net changed or deviated from any of their clearly published policies, except to do Tom the courtesy of calling a tow truck for him, after declining responsibility in the first seven calls.

Maybe Coach Net did not earn a badge for going "above and beyond" in this instance, but in my opinion, there are a few folks (adults?) involved in this discussion who could benefit by accepting responsibility to protect themselves. 

Our whole society seem to be infested with folks who think that life owes them reparations for every time someone fails to live up to their expectations.  JMHO

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I am in agreement with all that was said in this post, but want to add a couple of comments in the way of questions for the OP.

First, why didn't YOU ask the tow truck driver what his charge was going to be instead of taking the word of a third party? Buyer beware is paramount here and the responsibility for knowing what you were going to pay fall strictly on you and no one else.

Second, if you planned to dispute the charge, why did you put it on your debit card instead of a credit card? Now, you're on the hook for the money taken out of your checking account or whatever account was linked to the debit card, instead of a credit card company not being allowed to collect the money from you that they have paid out to the tow truck company because you have disputed the charge. Unless the debit card is the only form of payment you had at the time, I consider this to be rather thoughtless on your part. And that's me being PC.

If you're going to dispute this, it has to be against whoever collected the money, so Coach Net should be left out of this equation completely. They did you a favor by finding you a driver at your request, period. Be mad at the driver or be mad at yourself, but don't take it out on Coach Net. They only did what you asked.

I still say Coach Ned did their job perfectly.. They found him a tow truck and that is all they are required to do.

Alas, the driver was less than competent and the quote was given wrong.. Now Coach Net did not give the quote. if anything they relayed it... But they did not GIVE it.  The Tow company gave the quote either to the O/P or Coachnet

And since the Tow company failed to say "3 hour minimum" that means they should only have charged for time served.

Industry standard is 1 hr minimum for most companies.. 2 hours for the folks who do the tough jobs.. I know of no legit tow firm with a 3 hour minimum.. But then I used to deal with a lot of tow companies.. worked for one too.

Most of them were crooked.