2019 TOP TEN Motor Club Rankings Open for Review!

[TowZone]

This is the 2019 Motor Club Rankings. Please review the list and added you comments. In the end there were well over 100 responses and the list looks somewhat different from past years. If you have nothing to Add you can simply reply AGREE. If your reply is DISAGREE please explain and this is not yet the official list, we always open it up for discussion. All are welcome to comment, of course the comments from those who participated will always be louder. Thanks to everyone that did participate. It is never an easy task to undertake, But, I still believe it is beneficial to the industry.

 

1 - GEICO –

2 - NSD ( Nation Safe Drivers ) –

3 - Netcost/GNCS (Gerber) -

4 - AAA –

5 - Tesla –

6 - NAC ( National Auto Club ) -

7 - AHL (Auto Help Line ) -

8 - Road America –

9 - Allstate –

10 - Agero -

 

Not making the 2019 Top Ten are HONK, Quest, Swoop, Pinnacle, USAC, Allied, Urgent.ly

[Doreen ur Finance Lady]

agree

[5towman]

Agree

[Old Tow]

Looks good to me.

[GRUMPS The Towman]

Agree

[mooresbp]

I wouldn't put NSD or AAA that high but I could live with the others.

 

AAA is plain and simple just low pay, good people just stuck in the dark ages for rates.

NSD used to be very good. But have some issues this last year and still haven't gotten them worked out. They are on my not available for list at this time.

[ESC]

I forgot about Tesla... but they are great... they pay me very very well... but we only hear from them once a month or so recently.

 

NSD- Patrick is their life saver... they are good to me but the volume isnt there.

 

AAA we dumped many years ago- they were terrible but from my knowledge each region is very different and many are treated far better than the AAA Midatlantic.

 

The one I really dont agree with is Netcost- they cheated me out of money in the past and now I refuse to do any work for them at all no matter what the pay is.  They wont gt service from us ever again.

[TowZone]

List becomes final on Friday 02.14.20. At this point I have received only a couple of objections. However, they were only with one ranking.

 

Personally as I compile this list over the entire previous year and not just a couple of months. GEICO was not a surprise as they have worked to regain the number one ranking and come back from issues they had a few years back. NSD and GERBER was a bit of a surprise as there were concerns about NSD last year which they are working to correct, they have a loyal base which they work with. GEICO was the same way when they lost that number one ranking to NSD. Now GERBER which used to be NETCOST came out of nowhere. NETCOST was next to last in 2018 and may finish 3rd in 2019. Talk about a comeback. Anyway, I'm seeking more reviews as it has been crickets for a couple of days now.

[Old Tow]

I would like to tow for Tesla in our area, do they have a portal on line or how do you get on their list? Anyone know?

[yoBdaBenO]

Agree with the List... Would like to know more about GERBER who are they? Also, what does Tesla Require?

[Jeff Poquette]

Ron, were HONK and Urgent.ly on the list at some point during the voting and recently dropped off?

[ESC]

16 hours ago, yoBdaBenO said:

Agree with the List... Would like to know more about GERBER who are they? Also, what does Tesla Require?

Gerber used to be known as Netcost.   They were pretty scummy to work with in my opinion.   Had a box truck tow for them in the snow an hour away going an hour north.  They paid us credit card up front, and we got there within our eta.  Found out they double dispatched and another company was on scene hooking.  We called in to change things up and they refused to cover our time at all.  They wanted a full refund.   I wanted paid for our two hours.  In the end they did a charge back to the card and we never got a dime.  I cut them off completely and will never work for them again.

 

Tesla is great.   They contacted us based on local recommendations.  We only do  a handful of jobs for them, but they agreed to my rates... they expect top notch white glove sort of service.  Going as far as taking a cold drink to a stranded customer during the summer.   They pay accordingly, so if Tesla calls, we jump and get it done.

[TowZone]

3 hours ago, Jeff Poquette said:

Ron, were HONK and Urgent.ly on the list at some point during the voting and recently dropped off?

Jeff, each year I rank the Top Ten using various factors which assign numbers to the Motor Clubs. Early on HONK was looking good in the Number 2 and 3 positions. As the responses came in they dropped to Number 11. Urgent.ly dropped to 17 down from 13 last year. Get this Netcost was ranked 16 in the 2018 Ranking and Gerber formally Netcost is number 3 in the 2019 rankings. Two questions come to mind, how does all the Apps fall out of the Top Ten and A Motor Club that changed it's name go from 16 to 3 in the rankings. I do not make this up, I use the numbers I have to form the list.

[EKYtow55]

Disagree but that's alright I don't see things the way most on here or Facebook Tow Groups different parts of the Country have different issues heck Ron your are in the same state but I don't agree with those down state, economic issues are so much different here what works good here is not worth a nickel elsewhere !

[TowZone]

I finalized the list yesterday, I just have not gotten around to posting it yet.

 

EKYtow55 your list actually isn't all that different

1. Agero  regular customer contracted service provider pays well

 

AGERO got a ton of bad reviews last year of which they never seem to address. This year isn't starting out much better for them. Your experience with them maybe the same as others in rural areas.

 

2. Geico regular customer pays on online within 48hrs

 

GEICO was far in the lead for 2019 after falling behind due to payment issues the previous 2 years. If they keep it up their going to be hard for the other Motor Clubs to reach. Only time will tell, some clubs strive to be number one while others curse the list.

 

3. Swoop few calls pays with credit card regular rate 

 

Negative Reviews concerning the App dropped them way down. Perhaps they should interact more online assisting providers. But, I really don't think anyone is home anymore. Or maybe that is it and they are at home rather than an office. Something to ponder.

 

4. Allstate credit card only few calls

 

Allstate finished 9th and I truely believe if it were not for the issues with the App they could finish much higher.

 

5. Allied Dispatch credit card only few calls

 

This year Allied moved up one, they are next to last. Will we see them continue to move up this year. That's a possibility with improved marketing which includes communication. Otherwise they're going to finish out of the Top Ten again.

 

6. Road America service provider no business with the any more

 

In the Final Release Road America will finish 7th and I cannot explain what happened as they were solidly in the Top Four early on. Again it seems to come down to communications as a contributing factor.

 

7. USAC service provider since 1995 fair rates pay is too slow 30 days not much volume 

 

USAC seems to be slowing falling apart have no idea if they can pull themselves back up this year or not.

 

Because I formulated this list using numbers gathered throughout the year. I do have many opinions as to why clubs rank the way they do, I am non bias as I am not in a position to be a service provider to any motor club. Up until the past couple of years I did not accept Sponsorships from Motor Clubs. I only started this when sponsorships dropped off just prior to the forum being moved to the new provider. Of course the more responsive clubs like NSD & GEICO joined the Sponsorship Program as did INA which is ranked separately.

 

@EKYtow55

[mooresbp]

Just wanted to add that I did a tow for a GEICO adjuster with a car that had a shift cable broken and they don't even use  their own road side assistance for tows!

[TowZone]

GEORGE, WAIT WHAT.... Who did they go through?

[ESC]

GEORGE, WAIT WHAT.... Who did they go through?

Thanks one that I have seen before too. Wrecks at our yard get looked at by a geico appraiser. The. They cut us a check for recovery and storage and the tow out to a body shop. The adjusters know that going through their inside guys is too much hassle.

Years ago we applied for Geico and were told “they have sufficient coverage in our area”. Since then they have added on a few bottom feeders.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[TowZone]

"The adjusters know that going through their inside guys is too much hassle."

 

I can see that, why not just go ahead and take care of it all at one time instead of breaking it up. That is as long as there is a clear agreement on the cost of the secondary tow. I have heard far to many stories of tow companies that wanted twice as much for the secondary tow in an attempt to make up for their low bid on the police contract tow.

 

Far too many still playing the low bid with hopes to make it up in storage or secondary tows. I hear all the time about tow companies insisting vehicles go to their lot for storage or charging high rates to bring the vehicle out of their tow lot. Quite often those secondary charges are not in the police contract tow. So, are they legal in relation to the Police Ordered Tow. I have been told they are not legal unless the vehicles owner signed for the tow from the start. The Tow Company has to go by what the contract states. This may be why Police Contracts for towing continue to become more detailed.

[mooresbp]

Pretty sure it was honk.

[ESC]

"The adjusters know that going through their inside guys is too much hassle."
 
I can see that, why not just go ahead and take care of it all at one time instead of breaking it up. That is as long as there is a clear agreement on the cost of the secondary tow. I have heard far to many stories of tow companies that wanted twice as much for the secondary tow in an attempt to make up for their low bid on the police contract tow.
 
Far too many still playing the low bid with hopes to make it up in storage or secondary tows. I hear all the time about tow companies insisting vehicles go to their lot for storage or charging high rates to bring the vehicle out of their tow lot. Quite often those secondary charges are not in the police contract tow. So, are they legal in relation to the Police Ordered Tow. I have been told they are not legal unless the vehicles owner signed for the tow from the start. The Tow Company has to go by what the contract states. This may be why Police Contracts for towing continue to become more detailed.

Lucky for us, our area is not regulated. However we do bill very consistently across the board. We follow our recovery/emergency rates for accidents and all. Our secondary tows get billed out at our standard non emergency tow rates.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mooresbp]

1 hour ago, TowZone said:

The adjusters know that going through their inside guys is too much hassle."

true statement

[Moose]

Is this List Final?

[Don Doty]

What is the criteria of the rating system? Of the criteria which is subjective and which is objective? What is the required sampling per company to be considered representative enough to project an accurate rating? Are customer ratings included? 

 

Thanks in advance. 

[TowZone]

There a 7 factors that go into the rankings, customer rankings would only be factored into the ranking as a sidebar if there were negative responses found on other social media venues. Because this message board is tow truck owners and operators we do not have those types of customer interactions.

 

I can see where in regards to the HD Logistics polling commercial customers would add another aspect to the ranking which is being missed. In the early years of motor club rankings Automobile Motor Clubs and HD Logistic Organizations such as Coachnet (Pinnacle), INA, TTN, FleetNet were included. These organizations were separated a couple of years ago as many of the tow companies responding were Light Duty Only. 

 

The final list is based on an algorithm (numbers) which are compiled throughout the year from various sources of social media. Ideally with regards to HD Logistics those companies would assist us in researching customer testimonials. I can see where that would possibly change the results on those HD Logistic Organizations. INA has a network of towing companies that participated at a higher rate than did TTN. Not sure where ARI came from as they have not make the list in the past. Coachnet is now Pennicle and doesn't receive the Motor Coach input as years past. FleetNet held a huge advantage prior to James Williams retirement. Company Representatives can make a huge difference by their responses to topics on any social media venue.

 

Many here can relate to Patrick with NSD, Kay with GEICO, Dennis with Honk, Gay with INA all TowForce Participating Members.

 

So, to answer the question the list relies on participation. Ideally, we would have twice as many Tow Companies responding to the polling each year. Though, I am unsure how much the list would change since many of the numbers are gathered throughout the year. The past two years have proved more difficult as participation in the Motor Club & HD Logistics forums have not returned to the level they were on the old Tow411 message board. Unsure if fewer members are currently service providers with the companies or they are not having the issues we have seen in the past. I can say that nearly every motor club can look back over the previous year and cite reasons for the change. This list has been compiled each year for more than a decade now. Hope this fills in some of the criteria, while I do not disclose all details of the method used because some other source may attempt to use that which has taken years to develop. You are welcome to call anytime. Ron (TowForce Admin) 502 376 3071

 

Note: Now is Likely a Good Time to Ask for Testimonials from SERVICE PROVIDERS within the proper forums. We did not do this last year as the daily posts were far less then they are now. Low responses can alter one of the 7 factors. However, in the end when members are asked if they agree or disagree with the list in review and few contest the result they are finalized. This past year was also presented to non members on other social media venues. Hopes are branching out results in more input. This year other than Motor Clubs marketing on Linkedin and some FB with few responses there is little to go on. Normally headed into summer the call volume is up and motor clubs are active. With the current situation summer starting in just over 30 days is in question. Will motorist hit the road in lower or higher numbers, will trucking companies increase loads or run low on freight to transport. Are there any answers to these questions. Hey that might make a great topic on its own.