Agero makes me laugh- Priority Accident 20 min eta

[Tow411]

Tow411 Topic by ESC  in December of 2013:

 

They really make me laugh with how brianless they can be.  Yesterday and overnight we were hit with snow and ice.  The roads were pretty much unsafe to travel without tire chains.  Any time there is bad weather, we only do Police or Emergency calls in the very immediate area.  At 12:34 am i was called out 8 miles from our shop (which only happened to be 1 mile from my house) for the state police for a Ford Escape into a tree.  Got the job done, etc.  Fast forward to 8:00am... Agero calls wanting a 20 min or less eta to a priority accident.  The location they gave was very close to where i had picked up the Escape.... so i decline the call, and then ask them, would i happen to be a silver ford escape.... and she says, yes... how did you know.  I told her it was picked up for the PD at 1 am.  The dispatcher said, Oh.... so you still cant help us??   They blow my mind.  Not to mention, this thing was hammered in the front, head on into a tree.  Locked, no keys, customer left the scene, etc.  No way would have touched if for Agero.

When we had signed with them, they had told us the priority accidents would be only for cars with fender bender type damage, pulled off into a parking lot, or driveway sort of thing.  no way will i do recovery/accident work for their rates.  Especially at 1:00am in the ice.   Our charges are actually about 15 times what Agero wanted to pay.... plus storage.
 

Here are the pics that i took. Keep in mind the call came from PSP at 12:34 am.... roads were frozen. I have a 4x4 wrecker with tire chains on. No way Agero.... not a chance.

 

 

 

 

In Memory of NationalAutow who said:

They really don't understand ... the operators get paid to dispatch a certain number of wreckers per hour. It matters not that the wreckers are not needed etc. They don't give a horses patute that you already have the car on a PD rotation etc.

We were contracted with them several years ago and I had a rep tell me to take a GOA on accident calls if I got the same call on rotation. He actually wanted me to double bill for my service. If that doesn't show what type of company you are dealing with then I don't know what does.

I probably should have followed his direction and collected some of the back monies they still owe us but I just could not bring myself to stoop to their level.

Don't blame the operator that called you. He/she is an underpaid and over stressed person in a cubicle that is basically threatened with unemployment if He/she doesn't dispatch enough trucks per hour.

Agero: I KNOW you read this thread. Please come out in public and tell me I am wrong.

 

Chevy2 said:

The owner probably wait till the next AM to call in the accident to the Insurance CO.

 

thtdon  said:

Winter brings a whole bunch of problems that we don't have in the summer.  The worst driving conditions are usually the first hour or two of a snowstorm, until the plows and sanders come out.  It is customary for the state police to instruct tow companies working for them to patrol their sections of the highways, and tow any cars that are abandoned on the side of the road, or off the road.  Meanwhile, I would get a call from a motor club to retrieve a car on the highway that had skidded off the road.  Most of the time, after struggling through slow moving traffic to get there, either the car is gone, or it is in the process of being towed by the tower of that section.  So I leave the scene empty-handed.  All of that for a spitting $15 GOA fee.  I stopped responding to such calls a long time ago.  I'll stay in the city and do my thing, and let the guys who work the highways do their thing. 

I already posted my annual motor club winching policy in another thread in this forum.  I got a call for a winch out today.  I asked the dispatcher exactly how the car was stuck.  She said that the driver couldn't get the car out of the driveway.  The plow blocked him in.  So I proceeded to read my winching policy, which I carry in my pocket.  And that was the end of that call. 

Another thing that I have stopped doing starting this winter is towing pickup trucks with plows and/or sanders mounted on them for any motor club.  These people who are plowing snow are charging big bucks.  If they work for the town, they could be getting up to $75/hour.  It seems inappropriate for me to tow that commercial vehicle for a measly motor club fee.  I want them to share the big bucks with me.  After talking to other operators, it seems that I am the only one who was still doing that.  Not anymore.  Pay up!  I'll still tow a pickup truck for Ford, GM, and Chrysler Roadside Assistance.  But without the plow.

thtdon

 

ESC  said:

Delivered to body shop today... they cut us a check on the spot.

 

AIKTOW4U said:

they paid me for one of their members who was plowed into but it was at my rates and a surcharge for the credit card. then they had a company come get it to go to the Insurance company "preferred body shop" where they don't charge or get paid for the storage. This one I am sure is a total loss so I gotta wonder how that "preferred" status is working for that body shop now.

 

Jef said:

Don, most plow trucks are 1 tons (350/3500) so medium duty by default.

 

thtdon  said:

After thinking about it, I have adjusted what I previously said about pickups with plows.  I have a pickup truck with a plow.  It belongs to me personally, and not to the company, and I do not do any public plowing.  It is registered to me personally with car plates.  It does not have commercial plates on it.  I use it to plow out my shop, my house, my apartments, my mother's house, and my church.  Otherwise, I plow for no one.  So in a case like that, if the truck is personally registered, and not commercially registered, I'll tow the pickup with the plow, if I can.  However, Acme Landscaping, with their Ford F-350 pickup truck with a snowplow, and a sander mounted in the back of the truck, is a cash call.  That's commercial.  No cheapo motor club tow for him.

thtdon

 

ESC  said:

And here we go again.... not a call from Agero all day long.... now 5:00 pm and a few snow flakes, and the phone is ringing off the hook from them to go to areas that i wouldnt go to for them on a dry sunny day. It blows my mind every time they call.

Just an update... they had called us at 4:11 pm for a tow going 35 miles.... from the symptoms they gave, it sounded like it would just be a jump start.  Since it was just starting to snow, i told them i could go out an attempt a jump, or i could tow the customer back to our shop and get them to a hotel, as i dont want to leave the customer standed, but i am not sending a truck 35 miles away as snow is starting to fall.  At that time, i had a 20 min eta.  Now at 6:35pm they just call back.... again asking me to do the 35 mile tow..... guess the guy is pretty cold by now almost 2.5 hours later.... but since we now have 2-3 inches on the ground, we are only accepting calls at our PD recovery rates which is around 5 times what it would have cost them when they called the first time.  Someday they will figure it out.

 

Now today, just over 24 hours from the original call... they called at 4:35 pm for the same job.  Apparently its still sitting there.  They didnt want my services the first two times.... no way am i going to sit in Phila traffic for 35 miles since they waited until 5pm to send me the job.   Maybe they will be calling again in another 24 hours.

 

Always something with these guys.... gotta love the entertainment value.

Just got a call a bit ago from them.... They asked us to respond for a tow from a parking lot just down the street, back to our shop for storage. They told us that a customer had a minor accident, and the police had already cleared the scene, and there was minor bumper damage. The vehicle was supposed to be parked in a parking lot, and the customer was supposed to be with it. I was there within 10 min. What i found of course was slightly different. Approaching the parking lot, we found a large sign for a housing complex had been struck, but i didnt see the car. I continued about 300 feet down a dead end street that leads to a dirt road/construction entrance. I could see a dark blue honda accord about 100 feet from the blacktop stuck in the snow. I quickly checked, and no one was with it. We notified police immediately.  It turned out that the PD had never been notified at all.  Once they arrived on scene, they went to the vehicle owners house and located him. Anyway... since we dont do recovery work for Agero..... we called in and cancelled the PO. PD had us handle the recovery anyway.... what a shame. Turned out this accident was caused by a diabetic issue.

While dealing with this one, Agero called for another tow... a mile away, going 3 miles to a repair shop that is closed since its 8:30 pm. We gave an hour eta, as we were tied up with their first mess..... they insisted on a 45 min or less eta as it was "a valued state farm customer". Its always funny when they call back 30 min later wanting to know if your original 60 min eta would still be good (which would now make the customer wait 90 min). Since they didnt want my help the first time, they can keep looking.

 

In Memory of NationalAutow who said:

ESC said " Someday they will figure it out."

I seriously doubt it.

 

thtdon  said:

Who said that it was a valued State Farm customer, Jake from State Farm at 3 in the morning?  LOL!

thtdon

 

ESC  said:

But of course that was their line..... trying to get me to feel bad i suppose.  Ha. 
They want a rush eta, they need to pay for it.  No way was I going to walk away from a recovery for the police to go to a $50 tow for them.... especially State Farm.   State Farm tries to be very pushy around here..... but we never let em get away with anything.... but they cant expect me to bend over backwards for them.

 

 

 

[ESC]

On 12/28/2019 at 12:41 PM, Tow411 said:

In Memory of NationalAutow who said:

 

ESC said " Someday they will figure it out."

I seriously doubt it.

 

Oh how right NattionalAutow was.... they still haven't figured it out!   If anything, they are worse.

[TowZone]

Oh, how I do miss Philip. His was a positive voice of hope and reason. He sought out the positives in the industry and worked for others to make changes. We have seen so many of these industry professional pass through our community over the past 20 years. I am positive a new generation will step up to the plate, however lacking the guidance of those who had been active members that will require bring their work back. Lacking their further interaction we will need more members which have the knowledge to guide them.

 

Know that I will always respect those I know have past by adding in Memory of prior to their screen name. God Bless Philip and others.