fenderbendr6

1 hour ago, Stark said:

middle 70's split boom Readybuilt.

I think you may have it!  I thought that unit was familiar. Years ago, there was a Readybuilt wrecker around here. I can't find any photos, but it looked a lot like this unit.

This is not limited to State Farm.

Thoughts and prayers for the families.

Rest in peace. Prayers to the family.

The narrow winding driveway thing is pretty common here too. People think it's pretty, I guess, but what if they had a fire or a medical emergency? People just don't think about things like that when they build. I had one guy tell me that he had plenty of access because when his house was built, the concrete truck had no problem getting in. Of course that was in the summer and before he lined the driveway with boulders and put in the fence with the 10 foot wide gate.

1. Geico

2.

3.

4.

5.

6. Agero

7. Urgently

8. Honk

9. AAA

10. NSD

We are not contracted with any of them. Geico is the only motor club we have a billing agreement with. The rest of them pay in advance with a credit card. 

Happy New Year from Montana.

It doesn't hurt to let the motor clubs know that you exist, but never sign a contract with any of them. If you do, you will be locked into whatever discounted rate you signed on for. It is much easier to get into a contract than it will be to ever negotiate a rate increase. They may not call often, but when they do, if you quote your commercial rate and make them pay in advance with a credit card, then you make a profit on that call, just like any other call. Keep in mind that they won't accept your price if they can find another tower to do it cheaper. Don't be that guy!

Praying for a speedy recovery.

I have had enough disloyal employees over the years. This one leaves no doubt that he has none!

My condolences to the family.

Condolences.

Never have.

My condolences to the family.

Always! We do no roadside repairs or tire changes unless the vehicle is in a garage or driveway. Even then, we suggest that towing is usually the best option.

You are in our prayers.

So, you modified your car with aftermarket accessories to the point that you can't drive it, thus turning it into a pile of scrap. Then you call your motor club to transport it to storage then nitpick everything you can find wrong with it and blame it on the tow truck driver! Granted, I don't agree with the driver allowing you to drive the car onto the flatbed, but whose idea was that?

I'm glad to hear that the police didn't allow them to try to transport that on a tow dolly. I don't like to be stuck with an uninsured POS any more than the next gut, but the next wreck, in this case, could have been much wrse.

Nice technique.

Condolences to the family.

Condolences to the family.

Still here.

This topic applies industry wide, not just to AAA drivers. In my opinion, there is no place in this industry for bad mouthing repair shops or other towers. Anybody who has attended Wreckmaster training has been taught this. Be honest and professional and don't try to influence a customer's decision about where to take their car unless the customer asks for your advice. Even then give them options without bad mouthing anybody. I have lived by this for over 40 years. Most of the other repair shops in the area call me when they have a customer in need of a tow. This is because they know I will not try to steal their customer!

I'm so sorry to hear of Jim's passing. I always enjoyed his recovery articles and his dedication to the towing industry. His passing will leave a huge void.

Condolences to the family.

I have been having the same issue recently. They insist that the customer give them an address, it seems that a highway number, lane of travel and mile marker means nothing to some of these dispatchers, so they ping a cell phone and find an address to attach to the call while leaving out the accurate information that their member has provided. In rural Montana, the nearest address might be miles away on a different highway or unimproved forest road.