DodgeTowGuy134
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Posts posted by DodgeTowGuy134
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I'm still here!
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In the long and short of it YES.
Yes, it's available to a Towing & Roadside company that services a law enforcement/fire-rescue rotation list..
You'll get setup as an "extended user" on FirstNet and get setup as your own "agency account" since you'll be paying the bill.
You'll need a letter/email from the rotation list authority (sheriff/highway patrol/county commissioners/ local police) stating that you provide your services via the rotation list and as such you are supporting the public safety and services... That's how the process works to qualify.
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Since many who are NOT contracted with Agero-Swoop are NOT accepting their credit cards anymore due to the extremely high amount of credit card chargeback cases (FRAUD) that Agero-Swoop is doing, I've noticed that they have now launched yet another "new" program: "The Agero-Swoop Referral Program" where they just email dispatches to you without calling and leave the customers waiting! With this new program, they are now telling the customers that YOU are assigned to the dispatch and that YOU are already on the way to help the customer, all the while YOU know nothing about the dispatch (you didn't receive a telephone call from Agero-Swoop, you didn't call the customer and the customer didn't call you).
I speculate that this is a new method for the outsourced (foreign) call center reps to be able to improve their "call handling rating" which is where the dispatchers have a performance rating of how quickly they can handle a dispatch and get someone to accept it and assign the dispatch to any provider... Since MANY are not accepting credit cards from Agero-Swoop (as explained above) the dispatchers are suffering a hit top their performance ratings, so by just blindly dropping a call onto a (non-contract) provider who they already have an email address for due to prior history, it allows them to now "point the finger" and pass the blame at YOU for not showing up!
I've recently heard of others who have received poor Google Review ratings from these upset customers. Also, in some cases, the customers aren't even being told by Agero-Swoop that they will have to pay out-of-pocket for the services when you arrive, so if you happen to see the email and dispatch a truck to provide service, it's a surprise to the customer when you ask for payment as they state that they "already pay for the roadside assistance as part of their [insert program name here]". This new method of Agero-Swoop shifting the blame to a non-contracted provider is not acceptable.
All-in-All as non-contract providers of our services, I do recommend that we, as an industry, take this oppertunity to take back our industry from the motor clubs! The customers are paying for whatever program they have and expecting to receive the roadside assistance when they need it and Agero-Swoop is NOT able to provide the services and leases stranded motorists to sit for HOURS on end, only to finally tell the customer that they will need to pay for services themselves and submit for a reimbursement request. THIS IS OUR OPPERTUNITY TO TAKE IT BACK!
We provide the actual services needed by the customers and we bill them directly, along with setting our own rate for said services. I encourage everyone that handles a customer in this situation to fully explain to the customer that the roadside assistance programs use a thirt party administrator as the middle man for dispatching and how their motor club model of services actually works. Take the oppertunity to Win Our Customers Back by providing exceptionally great services, along with being educational to the customer about why they should consider dropping whatever program they had been paying for and instead just source their own local service provider when they are in need of help, instead of being at the mercy of the motor club to price show the call to death while leaving the customer stranded for hours! Consider this a Public Service Educational Campaign to educate the Motoring Public about the actual methods of how the motor clubs operate.
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I'm aware that this is starting to take shape and there is currently an ongoing investigation and potential growing Class Action regarding the recent business practices of Agero-Swoop, especially regarding the "Dispute Request" emails and all of the Credit Card Chargebacks.
I'm posting this here if any other providers are having problems with Agero-Swoop and wants to submit your info and see how this progresses.
Check out:-> www.Agero-SwoopClassAction.com <<
Please note that this is primarily about the Credit Card (VCC) chargebacks (theft/fraud) and is NOT about Unpaid or Short-Paid PO's for contracted providers!
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Here's an article about how insurance companies are pushing all parties involved with a claim to take photos, "in effort to streamline the process" but what's in it for you and who you should or shouldn't participate as a tow company in providing photos of a wrecked vehicle and crash scene..also, remember that if you do provide photos, that IS a SERVICE and you CAN bill for it!
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Insurance Risk Services of Georgia finds that Motor Clubs lack financial responsibility, accountability and expose motorists to great financial risks!
Here's an article about the low rates and poor operational viewpoints based on the "motor club model" of dispatching services for vehicle manufactures and insurance companies; it's worth a read! I'd also encourage sharing this article via your social media and by email to help spread the work and risks associated with Motor Clubs.
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***UPDATE***
We have determined that Agero-Swoop has negotiated with their clients (Nationwide, Progressive, USAA, StateFarm, etc) that when they have to go "out-of-network" because they can't get an "in-network" provider to run a call at the cheap contract rates, that the customer (stranded motorist) is required to pay out-of-pocket and then submit for the reimbursement consideration.... This still allows Agero-Swoop to price shop the calls and further reduces the likelyhood of Agero-Swoop being on the hook for the 100% GOA or only deciding to cover a portion "up to the policy limits" which is why the dispatchers are still price shopping the calls and wanting to get quotes, even though they aren't going to issue a VCC (unless customer refuses to pay out-of-pocket or can't pay) and then they only tell the customer the "lowest" quotes they got, not based on the ETA's provided, so a lower quote from "flip-flop Chuck" that's 2-hours away will be the quote provided to the customer, instead of your higher priced quote with a 30-minute LOCAL ETA!
We've been able to confirm this be speaking directly with INSURANCE company representatives (agents/adjusters/reimbursement agents) as well as reviewing the insurance policy coverage pages on various policies that have roadside assistance coverage added to them and also via finding some additional info online..
So, in sum, Agero-Swoop continues to work to influence rates all while NOT caring about the customer experience, safety or timeframe it takes to get them services; they do NOT care if a motorist is stranded for 5-HOURS! (see the post about the Flashcards training and read about their system color coding to show timeframe that a customer has been waiting!)
Agero-Swoop hopes that the stranded customer either won't file a reimbursement request, that they will deny or only cover a portion of a reimbursement request or that the customer will be too frustrated and will just secure their own service.
As for a word for the wise regarding gathering credit/debit card info from the customers in effort for a 100% GOA and to preclude the customer calling multiple companies and the first to arrive "wins" while attempting to not pay the others, here's my advise: Collect the customer info (vehicle, location, name, address, email) and then send the customer an online invoice via your credit card/merchant processor and have the customer go through the online checkout process and pay, INSTEAD of accepting a verbal credit card # from the customer! That way, you can list your Terms/Conditions, any statement regarding GOA and pricing on your online checkout and all of that WILL be available to you to use to support any claim for a chargeback/dispute from a customer in the event of a GOA, since you wouldn;t have been onsite to get a LIVE signature on any of your paperwork if it's a GOA, but by the customer having completed your online checkout, that in itself has established your GOA terms/pricing to help protect you from chargeback/disputes from a customer.
Let me know what you think and your experiences.
This info is presented here as our opinion and belief, based on our experiences, interactions and information gathering efforts.
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Recently we've been receiving calls from Agero-Swoop telephone numbers that we have stored in our phones and the dispatcher identifies themselves as working for "OneRoad" and not for Agero-Swoop....even though the telephone number comes up in our caller ID as Agero-Swoop, so I did some digging and found out the following:
This may simply be a "training issue" for new-hires that are incorrectly understanding how to identify who they are calling from, where instead of understanding that Swoop is the dispatch platform, they instead say that they're calling from "OneRoad"
As you may recall, Agero (formerly Cross Country Automotive Services) had purchased the Swoop dispatch platform (a software company that had competed with Omadi and was really just a method to grab and collect massive amounts of information, but I digress) and after they purchased the Swoop dispatch platform, they rebranded to be Agero "powered by Swoop" although it's one in the same company still. I've found out that "OneRoad" in one of their various INTERNAL dispatch/computer systems. They have the Swoop software, plus their NGP system ("Next Generation Platform") that is their "work (dispatch) from home job opportunity" in response to the Covid crisis and uses a USB to run their software on the new hire personally owned computer . So apparently the OneRoad software is one of their internal dispatch management systems that allows them to have dispatchers work from home, that also handles VCC, instant messaging with supervisors/team leads, etc, compared to the Swoop dispatch system that runs internally on the computers that are housed in their call centers (Texas, New Mexico, MA, etc.)
So if you get any calls from a dispatcher saying that they work for "OneRoad" is IS Agero-Swoop...... The name is derived from their corporate address: 1 Cabot Road, Medford, MA 02155
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I happened to find this link to a training for new Agero-Swoop dispatchers about the various terms (words) and also covers their dispatch scripts and handling of dispatches... This also includes info that service providers may want to know such as:
- How many "in-network" providers they must contact before going "out-of-network"
- a partial listing of the clients in their portfolio
- what they require in order to issue a VCC
- how they explain that a customer has to pay out-of-pocket, even though they have roadside coverage
- that they provide an option to the customer to either pay AGERO directly or to pay the Provider directly for any overages (Yes, they markup your charges as they priceshop)
- and much, Much more...
It's definitely worth the read.... Scroll DOWN to read through all of them, instead of clicking through each "flashcard" at the top..
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I happened to find the Indeed profile for Agero-Swoop and you're able to read the reviews from (current/former) employees.
In reading through these, it goes to show how the internal operations work: they do NOT care about customer safety/timeframe to service, just the pennies to run a call. Even their employees state that people would be better off to just contact a tow company directly and pay...
If you click the link, the REVIEWS sections is in the column on the right for each of their company/division names/DBA's
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Update as of 1/17/22 -
We have determined that this is now also affecting Progressive, Liberty Mutual, State Farm and most other accounts also.. It's our conclusion that the "bean counters" are now "flagging" PROVIDER accounts (Non-contract providers) that charge RETAIL rates and don't give them a discount! Meaning that the Agero-Swoop dispatchers are instructed via the computer dispatch software that if XYZ Provider is used, to ask for a Quote and then tell the customer that they have to pay out-of-pocket.
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Personally I believe that this new "scheme" that Agero-Swoop is using could constitute a BREACH of contract between the customer and their insurance roadside program that's written into their policy! Why? Because the customer (insured) that's needing assistance has ALREADY paid for their "subscription" into the program via payment of their insurance bill which is where they are billed for the additional roadside assistance program, yet the 3rd party administrator of the roadside assistance is Agero-Swoop, who acts as an intermediary between the customer and the actual insurance company; and by Agero-Swoop telling the customer (insured) that they have to pay-out-of-pocket and then "file for reimbursement CONSIDERATION" that is making the customer (insured) jump through additional hoops to obtain the coverages that they have already paid for and are entitled to use!
Agero-Swoop is telling the customer that they have to out-of-pocket the costs because THEY (Agero-Swoop) had to go "Out-of-Network" and as such they require the customer to pay and seek reimbursement CONSIDERATION. And in the event that a customer hows not have the funds to pay or is the customer (is smart enough) to refuse to pay any out-of-pocket and demands the coverage that they're entitled to, then Agero-Swoop WILL still issue a VCC for payment as they have done as standard operation. It just comes down to the customer willingness to be bullied and pushed around by Agero-Swoop or their willingness to stand up and demand the coverage they are entitled to under their roadside assistance policy.
While we as a provider (non-contract) don't have Standing to step in to address this directly, the customer (insured) that's being told to pay and seek reimbursement DOES have STANDING to address this potential BREACH of contract matter!
Looking at this as a whole, this does seem to be a new scheme by Agero-Swoop to attempt to manipulate "market rates" or at the very least the amount that they (Agero-Swoop) pays for the services that the customer (insured) is entitled to receive. in example: Agero-Swoop INCORRECTLY believes that the provider will charge a lower rate to the customer is the customer has to pay-out-of-pocket, instead of Agero-Swoop paying directly via VCC for the services.
On a somewhat related note: Please be aware that Agero-Swoop is attempting to DISPUTE amounts of VCC payments that were issued for services ranging from a few months ago to ~six months ago... According to the Visa/Mastercard terms, a card holder has up to THREE YEARS to file a dispute! <<<<< WOW!
Furthermore, this is an important reason to receive an email copy of the "VCC Remittance Authorization" via email and showing the amount authorized to be billed on the last four-digits of the card. We've used this as proof against Agero-Swoop for their disputes where they claim that a different amount was approved.. Furthermore, this is also an important reason to consider requiring a 100% GOA rate as part of YOUR COMPANY TERMS and notifying the Agero-Swoop dispatcher of this at the time of dispatch and doing so on a RECORDED telephone line!
Ultimately, these various schemes that Agero-Swoop continues to put forth only serve to further delay services to the stranded motorist and are overall attempts to CONTROL the costs that Agero-Swoop pays. As an industry, we should rally and combat these overreaching tactics by Agero-Swoop and to also explain to the stranded motorists what's REALLY going on behind the scenes and why they (the stranded motorist/customer/insured has experienced such a LOOOOOOOOONG wait time!
As for pricing, we each determine what rates we charge, and at what profit margin (unless you're operating as a not-for-profit). We own the trucks, we pay our commercial insurance and all other expenses, so WE control the rates that WE decide to work for. We are NOT obligated to offer a discount or work for sub-par rates that are paid by motor clubs, all so that the motor club saves $$$ and we do all the work. We, as an industry, need to remember that the scales are in our favor since ultimately we are the ones making the customer contact directly doing the work, not the motor clubs.
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Still here and checking in
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I'm glad to still be around here
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Logging all calls that you receive is a good idea.
We log all incoming calls and that gives me the data to review to see who's call for what services and where; it allows me to see trends, such as which motor club needs help in a specific area during a timeframe.
I encourage you to keep logging your calls and then look over them and evaluate what trends you see!
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That's the exact perspective we are interested in finding more info about.. Seems that this attempt at price control by pushing the upfront cost onto the customer to pay out-of-pocket and then get reimbursed would be as issue in conflict with the contract between the customer and the insurance policy.. Please let us know if you find out any more "programs" that they say that the customer has to pay-out-of-pocket for the Out-of-network service provider and then submit for reimbursement consideration.
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***UPDATE***
As an update to this post, we can confirm that it's NOT just the USAA account that Agero-Swoop is running this "New Pilot Program" on, as we've been able to also confirm that they are doing this with 2 other programs as of this point... That would further indicate that this "New Pilot Program" is being initiated by Agero-Swoop and not by the program itself..
In response to the comments by "Stubborn66", please let me clarify how various motor clubs bill for their "dispatch/logistics/administration of a program, as not all motor clubs use the same model:
Agero-Swoop works on a "Breakage" model, where they bill and are paid a flat rate to administer the contract for the program/client (insurance company/vehicle manufacture). They do NOT individually bill the program/client for each service event that occurs! With these types of motor club contracts, the various clubs submit their bid to administer the program for the client and get paid their winning bid amount REGARDLESS of how many "service events" occur for the year. This is known as "Breakage" where the club relies of the odds of the "Lottery" that the customer won't need roadside/towing services and thus "the house" wins, such as in winning the lottery or at a casino.
Conversely, other other motor clubs may have a contract with a program/client that DOES rely on directly billing the program/client for each service event that occurs. This is the case for NSD billing for administering the various "corporate vehicle fleet maintenance programs" that they won the contract for. Where they (NSD) would then bill the program/client for each service event where a vehicle is needing roadside assistance/towing and NSD processes the charge against the WEX fleet card at the time of the dispatch to the provider.
Now, circling back around to the comment about this "New Pilot Program" having been started by Agero-Swoop or the program/client (insurance company), as of this point we believe that that's NOT the case, and that this very specifically is being directly launched by Agero-Swoop on their own, as a "Cost Control" measure pertaining to Out-of-Network providers. This is based on the investigation and documentation we have collected up to this point and is our belief of what's happening. We do not believe that the program/client (insurance company) is aware that this "New Pilot Program" has been launched by Agero-Swoop, also based on the fact that it further inconveniences the stranded motorist and having them "jump through additional hoops" in order to get the service (towing/roadside) that they ALREADY paid for as part of their monthly/quarterly/annual insurance bill and is contrary to well established procedures ( I could further explain this facet, but at this time it's best that I keep this part brief while we further research and document this "new pilot program").
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Has anyone else experienced a sharp uptick in many of the dispatches where Agero-Swoop has issued a VCC for payment and then months later gotten an email from Agero-Swoop stating that they are disputing the charge, even if the services were completed and/or if you tell them at time of dispatch that it's a 100% GOA in any case.
With Agero-Swoop implementing this new tactic to dispute charges directly with the service provider, I'd suggest that everyone that accepts the VCC route for payments, to also require Agero-Swoop to EMAIL you the VCC info and to retain it for your records so that you have proof of the Authorization and the $$$ Amount that was authorized as a charge for each VCC.
Has anyone else experienced this yet? I'm curious how widespread this "new tactic" of Agero-Swoop has become.
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I'm writing this to inquire if others have experienced this "New Pilot Program" that Agero-Swoop has "recently" launched, where if a USAA customer needs roadside assistance and/or towing and they (Agero-Swoop) can't get an in-network/contracted provider to run the service, that they (Agero-Swoop) then tell the customer that they (the customer) has to pay out of pocket for all of the cost of the service and then file for "Reimbursement Consideration", even though the customer (USAA insured that already had roadside assistance) added on their policy and had paid for such as part of their insurance bill, has to jump through these hoops in order to get the services they are requesting all just because Agero-Swoop has to go out-of-network and pay retail rates for service.
Sometimes, the Agero-Swoop dispatcher hasn't even told the customer that they (the customer) will have to front the out-of-pocket charges when the dispatcher is calling around for price quotes and price shopping the call to death for hours while leaving the motorist stranded without any status updates...
This is now how Agero-Swoop is handling these USAA dispatches, instead of following the standard method of just directly issuing a VCC to the service provider...
In speaking directly with the USAA customers they tell us that they are being told by the Agero-Swoop dispatchers that it's because Agero-Swoop has to go out-of-network to secure service and that it's not covered directly, so they must pay the provider and then file for reimbursement "CONSIDERATION"...
We've inquired with the Agero-Swoop dispatchers how this method works when a USAA customer doesn't have the funds to pay or chooses not to pay since they already have coverage that's just not being honored, to which the various Agero-Swoop dispatchers have told us that in those situations they (Agero-Swoop) will still issue a VCC to the provider directly to pay for the services in full.
I'm extremely concerned about this new "Pilot Program" and about the motives behind it being started by Agero-Swoop as a potential tactic for the purpose of price control/price manipulation.
We've experienced this a few times now and I'm collecting more info and documentation about this "New Pilot Program".
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- Geico
- Coach-Net/Pinnacle
- NAC
- Allstate
- Urgently
- Honk
- Quest
- Agero/Swoop
- NSD
- Allied
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I happened upon your post and saw that nobody else had responded yet, so here goes....
We do indeed use BodyCams on all of our drivers in the field and we have found that it has helped tremendously with multiple things, from liability to faud and reported damage complaints. In this day and age of people looking for a quick buck with a fake damage claim to a claim of inappropriate behavior, we have found that using a high quality bodycam has been as extremely positive tool for us!
Although there are CHEAP and low/poor quality options out there, we went with the Hytera brand of Body Cameras, because they have many built-in features and are high quality, not only with the physical construction (built rugged) but the high quality video and audio that also has an auto-switching Night Vision with IR lighting. Plus, they have bluetooth pairing and a swivel head that allows for many carry options.
We have the nylon cases with either a metal sprung steel clip or a nylon belt loop option for our drivers. The cases we use are Raine/Uncle Mikes brand that fit the body cameras.
For the actual models, we use both the Hytera VM680 and the VM780. The VM780 also has the ability to use a cellular SIM card with the PTT option for communication and streaming the video live, whereas the VM680 is more of a standalone option.
We get ours from BodyCameraUSA (www.BodyCameraUSA.com) via their online store, but the actual tech specs for the VM680 and VM780 are also available on their website and on the Hytera manufacture website.
Like I said, there are cheaper options that are NOT built to a high quality design that could live up to the rugged use and beatings that a tow operator typically subjects the equipment to... We tried other cheaper options and were highly disappointed, either due to not being rugged enough and having broken or to extremely poor video/audio or no Night Vision option.
For us, the Hytera VM680 and VM780 have been the way to go. We've been using them for just over a year not are they have saved us from multiple fake damage claims, fake customer complaints against our staff and also by using the audio only recording option, have come in handy for our tow operators being able to record their telephone calls.
On another note, we have had truck mounted cameras, but we've found that the body cameras actually allow us far better coverage, by following the actions being down by the tow op on scene, whereas a stationary truck mounted camera can't capture the live footage while working in a ditch that's over a hillside. This has allowed us to be able to fully document live footage of working wrecks, recovery work and the regular daily tows. Plus be added a dash mount clip to allow the tow op to clip their body cam to the dash and can record either the forward facing (road view) or inside the cabin, which is handy when a male tow op is transporting a passenger (such as a pretty young girl) that allows us the ability to document the interaction and prevent exposure to a claim of inappropriate talk or touch... We use them to take still photos for documentation of scenes and vehicle conditions, as well as the live video recordings. Being able to record audio only is handy to capture telephone calls if you use your phone on speakerphone.
We can plug the cameras into the USB cord and upload the video and audio clips to our office computer for long term storage. Plus the cameras are tamper proof, meaning that the video and audio recordings can NOT be deleted by any user of the device and can ONLY be deleted via an Admin user of the management software. This has also allowed us the ability to make sure we get all the photos and videos of a scene, instead of having our employees using their personal phones and having them email/text the photos/videos to our manager, so this process is much more streamlined by just using these body cameras as an All-in-One device.
If you're also looking for an option that will allow you to use them like a two-way radio (such as the Nextel) then the VM780 with a cellular SIM card can allow these to be an All-in-One solution.
The $$$ spent on the body cameras has saved us far much more $$$$$$$$ on fake claims and internal (employee problems). I'd recommend to check their website (www.BodyCameraUSA.com) and offerings and go from there, but again, remember the saying, "You get what you pay for" and know that the Hytera body cameras are high quality rugged built devices that can stand up to the harsh work environment and weather conditions of our towing & recovery industry.
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Checking in here
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Checking in...
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Congrats on 20-years here!
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February Patron Appreciation Month "Is Nearing A Close"
in Tow411 Main Street
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I'm still here too