Last week, my truck broke down just a few miles from home and I had to call a tow truck to come. I was out in the sun for three hours before the jerk showed up. After he tows me to the garage, he asks me for my Drivers license when I handed him a check. He then says "Are you aware that they made a mistake on your license? I played dumb and said I wasn't aware of that. He then say "Goodbye sir" I was seething mad. I will never ever allow my car to be towed by that prick or his company ever again if I can help it. He actually insulted me twice by charging me an outrageous amount as well. I'm glad that he didn't pull that stunt until after we had arrived at the garage. I shudder to think about what he might have done when he picked me up. It has made me that much more aware at least, so that is a good thing, I guess.
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Comments
Gah. What an asshole!
Gah. What an asshole! People like that pretty much lose my business for life. I've had problems like that closed-minded jackass before, and it never ceases to amaze me how far some idiots will go to insult the person that's paying their salary :-/
*hugs* Sorry Jen. I get a little soap box rantish when it comes to people who need to learn to keep their damned mouths shut, like your redneck over there. If it's any comfort, karma usually comes back to bite people like that in the sweets sooner or later? ;-)
Try to take the high road on this!
Yes, I know it hurts. Those people are out there. The best you can do is try to prevent the situational opportunities for them as best you can. It is a plain fact of life that most of the general population have no idea who we are or our struggles. What he did was no less brutal than to kick the crutches out from under a polio victim. But to that guy, he just decided you had offended his meager hold on his own masculinity somehow and his comment seemed like a restrained response on his part. But please understand, he was projecting. You don't have to buy into his prejudice. I would have slapped him, myself.
I make my living as a problem solver in the IT industry. So I see life as a series of problems and solutions. One solution that immediately came to mind involved dropping his lifeless body into an alligator infested swamp at dusk. But it occurred that it might put the poor slob out of his misery and was overkill, at any rate. So I thought about other solutions, mind you it's pretty focused.
It might be a good idea to join AAA. It costs about $80/year, but there are all kinds of services avalable if you travel by car, "free" booklets listing hotels and nominal prices, etc. and quality maps. You also get something like 5 tows a year, tire changing, and jump starts. All you have to show the towtruck driver is your AAA card. Then if one of 'em insults you or damages or dirties your car you have your recourse through AAA. And never discount the effectiveness of a well placed complaint. Tow companies relie heavily on contract services.
I have carried a AAA card for over 30 years, and I still have an American Express basic green card despite the annual fee. Both companies earn their services in my opinion, and will also honestly investigate billing disputes with the assumption that you are probably right, not the other way around.
If AAA is too rich for your budget, you might also check to see what kind of towing rider is available from your car insurance provider. The better insurance companies often provide towing services without having to come up with up front money to the driver. You just have to call the insurance company to have them dispatch the truck instead of calling them directly.
There is little doubt you were overcharged. Tow truck drivers often charge up to $200 for even a short tow if you call them and don't have a plan with some company. AAA or an insurance company might only pay $35 for the same tow. So you definitely need some kind of insurance!
Hugs
Carla Ann