Why my back side hurts today

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niagaraman

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Nov 23, 2009
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Good Day everyone. I know there is nothing I can do but sit here and stew so I am trying to relieve some anger from being legally RIPPED OFF while the police watch. My driver blew the rear end out of a truck on the 401 in Toronto the other morning resulting in a breakdown in the right lane. It was very early in the morning and he was in a bad spot so I called the OPP for a cruiser to come out and put some lights on for his safety and then I called a tow truck. The OPP was informed of this but they called a tow truck too.... The towing company chosen by the police showed up about one minute before my guy and although he had only backed up to my truck and not hooked up yet, he refused to pull away and let my tow guy get the truck out of the way. Here's where the hurt comes in. Once he is hooked to my truck, I get the phone call that I will be paying $595.00 per hour and there is a 4 hour minimum charge. That's about four times what I would have paid to have the unit towed back to my shop. I told him to forget it and unhook it at the next exit, he said that's fine but it would still cost me $2380.00 plus tax. What do I do?
I resigned to the fact that it was going to be a really sh!$^&ttty
day and told him to bring the unit to my shop so I would at least get my four hours worth. I had some choice words with the tow driver and he assured me that I was getting a bargain compared to the other guys rates in Toronto. BULLS#$^T!!! I've been in the business for 25 years and seen my share of ripoffs but never have I had someone do it to me so easily with a smile on his face and try to convince me he was giving me a deal!! I guess that would explain why the one hour ride my driver got in the tow truck was not long enough for the tow guy to brag about the campgrounds (2) and various other assets he owned on the side. I won't name the tow company because I'm not that kind of guy, but it rhymes with Pill & Buns towing! Thanks for listening and although I hoped it would make me feel a little better I am now going to spray some brake cleaner in my eyeballs to get my mind off of this for a while. HAPPY TRAILS EVERYONE!!
 
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niagaraman said:
Good Day everyone. I know there is nothing I can do but sit here and stew so I am trying to relieve some anger from being legally RIPPED OFF while the police watch. My driver blew the rear end out of a truck on the 401 in Toronto the other morning resulting in a breakdown in the right lane. It was very early in the morning and he was in a bad spot so I called the OPP for a cruiser to come out and put some lights on for his safety and then I called a tow truck. The OPP was informed of this but they called a tow truck too.... The towing company chosen by the police showed up about one minute before my guy and although he had only backed up to my truck and not hooked up yet, he refused to pull away and let my tow guy get the truck out of the way. Here's where the hurt comes in. Once he is hooked to my truck, I get the phone call that I will be paying $595.00 per hour and there is a 4 hour minimum charge. That's about four times what I would have paid to have the unit towed back to my shop. I told him to forget it and unhook it at the next exit, he said that's fine but it would still cost me $2380.00 plus tax. What do I do?
I resigned to the fact that it was going to be a really sh!$^&ttty
day and told him to bring the unit to my shop so I would at least get my four hours worth. I had some choice words with the tow driver and he assured me that I was getting a bargain compared to the other guys rates in Toronto. BULLS#$^T!!! I've been in the business for 25 years and seen my share of ripoffs but never have I had someone do it to me so easily with a smile on his face and try to convince me he was giving me a deal!! I guess that would explain why the one hour ride my driver got in the tow truck was not long enough for the tow guy to brag about the campgrounds (2) and various other assets he owned on the side. I won't name the tow company because I'm not that kind of guy, but it rhymes with Pill & Buns towing! Thanks for listening and although I hoped it would make me feel a little better I am now going to spray some brake cleaner in my eyeballs to get my mind off of this for a while. HAPPY TRAILS EVERYONE!!
Click to expand...

and i thot i was the only one getting hosed i feel for you.and now you need to charge more
 
You should have approached the cop and made him get the other truck away from yours. You were bamboozled and intimidated and as usual the OPP is a willing partner. As soon as you conceded to the bullying and let him put a chain on your truck you were done for.

Bill and Sons towing probably drove to the scene like a lot of those moron tow trucks do, way too fast and any way they can.

Towing is getting to be a huge ripoff these days, and the cops or government could care less. $595 an hour?? Cheaper to hire a helicopter.

Nick
 
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Here is a key arguable point;

"Once he is hooked to my truck, I get the phone call that I will be paying $595.00 per hour and there is a 4 hour minimum charge."

The rate or contract was not established until after the tow operator assumed control (hooked). You did not accept the rate, at which point he is obligated to unhook.
My inclination is to pay Pill & Bums what you deem fair market value for the tow. If you have your unit back in your possession there is nothing Pill & Bums can do short of small claims. A judgement in their favour is dubious at best given you directed him to unhook etc. just my two cents

Sprat
 
Thanks

I can't do anything about it but bitch. They would not even begin to unhook the unit until they had received payment in full. I just needed to vent and this seemed like the most sympathetic understanding audience that would lend an ear. THANKS EVERYBODY
PS The brake cleaner in the eyeballs felt better than paying those crooks!
 
If you have called your own tow and they are not going to be an unreasonable time getting there, the police should not be calling someone else. Call the OPP detachment commander and tell them you want to make a complaint under the police services act (for info go to www.oiprd.on.ca ).

Suggestion to everyone - have a network of tow operators that you have established rates with. All tow companies have a high hook up fee if it is a 'police call', so clarify this up front. I was with a company and we had a list of operators that we used along the 401 corrider. If they are known, reputable companies, the police won't mind waiting a few minutes (remember their priority is to minimize anything causing traffic delays). In the GTA, we used Hansens (out of Brampton but they used the 407 to get to you quickly anywhere in the GTA)
 
I had the same situation twice, put a complaint into the OTA. This is an issue they say they are working on for the industry.
 
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