Complaint Review: Tennessee Towing & Recovery - Powell Tennessee

I find that a little hard to swallow. I've bought groceries but that doesn't mean I know the grocery business. Neither of us were there, but you assume it was a simple tow and cheating went on. Do you know the waiting time, whether a winch or dolly was used, whether hazmat was involved, cleanup time, materials used, the condition of the vehicles or surroundings? All these factor in to the final bill. If I have a truck on scene with three men for three hours instead of one man for ten minutes you can bet the bill will reflect it. I'll give you a short example: A simple pick up on the side of the road or extracting the same vehicle from a swimming pool at the bottom of a 50' ravine. Think I'll charge the same?

Sherry, You are right, that was an outrageous tow bill. I have had tractor trailers towed for less than that! Marc is crazy, as I have operated tow trucks. There is no difficulty in towing those rental trucks, it is routine. Hookup is usually about $75 as the drive shaft usually has to be dropped. Big deal. The first 5-10 miles is usually a flat rate, then about $5/mile. That tow should have never cost more than $150, and it should have only been towed once, as when it left the repair shop it should have been running! Tow services work 24/7 everywhere I have ever been, so middle of the night is no excuse. FYI...Assuming that was approx a 50 gallon tank, putting 10 gal of gas in it did no damage, and all they had to do was drain the tank, or pump it out. This is about a 15 minute job. A charge for 1 hour labor would have been sufficient. Anything over $100 for that could not be justified at all. If this ever happens again don't say a word. Just grab the diesel pump and fill it up and go. It will run a little crappy but it usually wont do any damage with that small amount. Put a bottle of Lucas in it for extra lubrication. I have had drivers do this before. It happens. It's no big deal. They took advantage of you, and it is illegal for any tow truck operator to refuse to disclose exact charges BEFORE towing. Even in TN, I'm sure. If you paid on a credit card, immediately dispute all charges as fraudulent, and file written complaints to whomever regulates tow trucks. I think it is the Public Service Commission. Good luck.

Please see my situation. Anything I can do to help the consumer here will be done. The intent is to protect residents of Tennessee in reference to towing companies. Davidson County requires an impounded car to be reported to the Counties' impound within two hours of the tow so a call to the Police Department will locate the car timely. Davidson County also regulates a fair and reasonable $75.00 tow charge and $15.00 per day for storage charges. Sumner County Tow Lobby's website, http://www.geocities.com/sumner_county_tow/index.htm, outlines a matter distressing a Sumner County resident. Their car was towed from their residence. It took five days of consistent calls to locate the towing company. Taking three days of consistent calls to the company before getting a response (company denies) charges had accrued too costly pick up the car. The towing company is demanding over $1,500 or they will sell the resident's car. Good luck!!!

There are many reasons for a $400 dollar towing charge. From what I read here, the actual towed mileage in this situation is the least important. The time of day, the difficulty of the hookup, the size of your vehicle, the tow-truck used, even the amount of phone time and paperwork is factored into the cost. Your truck was towed after normal business hours, and was also hooked up twice on the word of someone, that's no doubt the bulk of your bill. You said the driver was, "Supposed to take it to Reader Chevrolet the first time." Who told him that? Although the dealership was open until nine P.M, that doesn't mean the repair lot was accessible at that hour. The bays are usually chained off and the lots blocked, to prevent people dropping their cars off in the driveway. Budget wasn't going to eat a second towing bill later on, so you were charged. You may try to whittle the bill down with the owner, but the tower's trip ticket should pretty much tell the tale.