Complaint Review:
Tri-County Automotive And Towing
Tri-County Automotive And Towing ripped off accident victims off the FL turnpike, by charging more then their towtruck drivers will tell you and not being specific on the details of what they are doing with your car Ft. Pierce, Florida
I recently got into an accident on the turnpike. It was not involving any other vehicles, I simply ran over a semi tire that was in the middle of the road. I was going to call AAA but this towing company told me that they had to tow me because it was classified a crash.
I was not from the area but when I requested them to drop me off at an auto shop that was 2 miles from where I had the accident, they said that they could only drop me there is I could pay $104 in cash. Well then I asked if they took cards, and they said they did, so I offered to pay using my card, and the driver said that would be fine... All the while, he did not ask me if he could tow my car, nor did he answer directly ANY of my questions about how much it was going to cost.
So I thought that it would be fine though just getting it dropped off where i wanted. WELL, as we were driving, the driver tells us that his boss said he wasn't allowed to drop us off there! We told him that we had the credit cards to pay, but he again said his boss said no. He said he had to drop us off at the service plaza 12 miles up the road.
At this point I asked him if there was a mechanic at the service plaza and he said NO that they would have to take my car back to this lot. So I asked, "Will it be free assuming I pick it up in the morning?" He said yes, so I asked the same question again and he assured me yes. He treated me like I was stupid, when I knew that he was being shifty with his words.
As we got to the service plaza, his story changed. He said that in fact he meant "FREE" as in "Insurance." In fact it was going to cost me $140 dollars the next morning! He said that he thought that we didn't have money, that was why he didn't take my car to the auto shop I had wanted, and then he tried to offer to drive it back there, but I would have to pay $280 for the trip TO the service plaza and then BACK in the other direction. At this point there was nothing I could do but let them take my car at least till the next day.
I was able to get my grandparents to go pick up my car. In fact, my car is registered to my grandma so when I calle the towing company they would give me NO information about what so ever. She had to ride down with my grandfather to get my car released. When they got there, Tri County Towing charged my grandparents $455!!! When they should have been charged less than $200.
Then when I proceeded to call and complain the lady who answered mocked me and said that she couldn't even tell me the mileage rate because the car didn't belong to me. At that point my grandparents were still in the parking lot, but she LIED and said they had already left.
This company is a complete disgrace and I seriously warn against letting them put your car on their tow trucks.
They literally stole my car, and then I was forced to pay $455 to get back possession of it. I never signed anything saying they had a right to take my car, and these people deserve to go to jail for conning innocent and often, helpless travelers.