Tow truck tricks: Don't get scammed after an accident (CBC Marketplace)

this is your marketplace we're heading to the scene of an accident with the cops in Ottawa on the lookout for tow truck drivers dirty tricks this accident just happened but already seven tow trucks have shown up as soon as the police officers arrive they scatter [Music] Sergeant John Kish is a veteran traffic cop and it's bad enough that we have two cars blocking the intersection but then we got six tow trucks in and sometimes the drivers are under the trucks being aggressive with each other with the with the cars involved would you guys like a pool assert six don't truck show up why are they so desperate to get here first the coalition tow is very lucrative to these companies is worth six seven eight hundred dollars to total vehicle and the collision CD this is the thing that were faced with time and time again day after day with so much cash at stake are some tow truck drivers using tricks to take you for a ride Aaron Moore's on her way to work she's a makeup artist in Toronto suddenly the car in front stops fast she rear-ended a tow truck quickly shows up she says no thanks and drive to a side street to exchange info with the other driver but the tow truck follows her he was saying things like it may look fine like I know it just looks like a little fender bender but if a wheel falls off while you're driving down the highway and causes someone else to crash that's on you so Aaron agrees to be towed to the collision Reporting Center but somehow the tow truck driver first takes her to the wrong one an extra hour of towing then he recommends he take her car here to Taurus Auto Collision I'm feverishly looking online for reviews on this place and I'm not finding anything good Aaron wants to find out where her insurance company wants her to go but the tow truck driver takes her car around back she texts a friend to come help not to sound like the damsel in distress but I wanted my guy friend there to lay down the law and say give her her car back but when her friend shows up the owner locks the gate at that point she was saying well you know what that's not a $250 tow anymore and she starts upping it they finally negotiate a deal to get the car back over $700 in cash turns out all that extra towing adds up to 217 dollars for mileage plus 250 for the tow 60 for storage and just a tow her car from the back of the auto body shop out to the street an extra hundred and three dollars I felt duped I felt stupid felt tricked who else will get tricked we're back on the road in an unmarked car monitoring a special police feed for accidents okay let's see he's in a hurry right yes aggressive tow trucks have become a safety hazard racing to accidentally look about it blocking emergency crews that's why Ottawa's got a bylaw tow trucks can't come within 100 meters of an accident unless they're called by the cops or a driver they can be fined a hundred and ninety dollars Hey what are you doing here I was going home actually what is the bylaw say not how close traitors believe in changing I think this is more than I'd like to buy yourself a tape measure find out myself while Kish goes to pace it out it's a very competitive to trying to get these toes it comes down to to almost a race and to you know to how well you are good at you know talking to somebody ain't kind of you know getting them to believe whatever you can say after measuring sergeant Kish says this driver is too close fifty fifty paces from here then I don't argue because if you want me to I'll give you a goal get a tape measure in charge so move on go the tow truck driver starts to drive away but then stops okay walks back to us looking for Barla ticket I got a ticket the gentleman didn't I wasn't there if I can tell you what all the officers are being told to do had a collision scene and forced the by law we've got never-ending public complaints about what's happening at collision scenes because it's out of control arguing with police risking safety to get to an accident we're about to learn why for some tow truck drivers it's worth it fitness trainers to Hill moon lies driving his sports car just outside Toronto when suddenly he's rear-ended tow truck drivers just showed up and within 5-10 minutes I was in shock a little bit obviously so the tow truck guys ago I hope you out no worries so he made me feel a safe and stuff so he lasts where he should take his car there's his lion's body body shop I get my car fixed there all the time they're awesome just take it there leave the car there because it was a Saturday and they said on Monday urine you can talk to your insurance but on Monday when he tries to get his car moved to a shop his insurance company prefers Lions want swapping storage fees for two days eight thousand bugs he's stuck that's when I realized something was really wrong I went online I did my research the reviews aren't exactly comforting do not take your business to them they held the car hostage do not let them touch your car the repairs are only supposed to take a month [Music] I bottle buddy hi there could I talk to Brian please three months later he's still trying to get his car back lion says parts have been delayed finally what he's been waiting to hear for sure today though right but an hour later Lions calls back now they say Sahil can't have his car seems his insurance company won't pay the hefty bill so he gives them a call his insurance agent says Lyons isn't being very cooperative I think they're hanging on to my car as leverage he waits anxious about his car don't get taken for a ride get hooked on marketplace [Music] three months after his accident Sahil Loula is still trying to get his car back from the garage it was told to I'm being serious about getting my car back and I'll do whatever it takes he heads into Lions auto body hey how's it going secretly recording on his phone what why it's not leaving my control just called me and said you should go pick it up she said that is between you and the insurance policy you can meet I would like my car back great yeah that's what you do in this is bull how's that for customer service so he'll now wishes he hadn't let the tow truck driver talk him into taking his car to Lyons why would a tow truck operator take a driver to a particular auto body shop it's well-known that insert elements of the towing industry and auto body shops the auto body shops will give kickback to tow truck drivers for bringing them bringing them the business so they're getting money for steering drivers to a particular repair shop that's not not uncommon argue that's I've heard five hundred two thousand dollars it's a lot of money what's in it for the auto body shop well they get the lucrative repair contract when the average car can run 40 50 thousand dollars you there's nothing to run up at ten fifteen twenty thousand dollar repair bill what's five hundred or thousand dollars that given to the to the tow truck driver that brings into business easy to see why some tow truck drivers are desperate to get you hooked back on our ride-along it's nearby we'll go check that one over another accident comes across the police feed up there looks like there's tow trucks thank you remember Ottawa's by law says tow trucks aren't allowed within 100 meters of an accident unless they've been called to the scene what are you doing here are you trying to make a living he said man have five kids to support don't sit in your truck I won't sit in your truck just wondering did they call you to the toxins personally that's what's that what's the point a guys following us everywhere well we're wondering if you're following the bylaw so he just showed up here without him actually calling you in did you call this tow truck to the scene no he said it he works for the Keith he told you he worked with the police and he showed up here by himself yeah okay so this tow truck showed up at the scene he said that he works with us and he's about to hook up to this gentleman's car which apart the cosmetic damage of the bumper missing certainly seems to be drivable at this stage what do you feel about driving your car there you go drivable not the message they get from the tow truck driver you just was getting ready to tow it and then that police officer showed up so if the police officer hadn't shown up would you have let him toll your car oh yeah I wouldn't have known better looks like we help this couple avoid a tow truck in the nick of time but wait a sec well here's another tow truck what are you doing here what's up I lost a 100 meters either yeah 300 feet you're closer now while this guy tries to scoop some business the first tow truck driver takes off the previous driver here recommended that this car be towed and now he's taking off this car doesn't need to code actually he ran away from ticket I came here to see accident yes I want to go accident because I have two kids I have like a property tax to me so how much money is this little fender-bender worth if you bring it to a particular body shops what kind of Commission do you get from the body shop for bringing in business me personally I don't I didn't deal with that stuff I know that is many body shop they pay money to bring them accidents some people they bathe two to five hundred dollars yes they do they bathe the body shop they bathe the the tow truck have you ever been offered that Commission I got off and yes by refuse how much were they offering they offered me $300 yes this is your marketplace we're revealing how you can protect yourself from tow tricks it's been nothing but headaches for Sahil mullah since his car was towed after an accident he's waited three months to get it fixed battled bad customer service now he's on his way back to Lyons Auto Body hopefully today I will walk out with my car this time with an insurance check for over thirteen thousand dollars money talks I'm hoping money will be the reason they'll release the vehicle today you know they pull something then it's it's gonna be another fight we go in with him hidden cameras rolling how's it going long time no see right though how comes the owner John Lyons how are ya I bet there's a little ding on the quarter when they put the link it's all shorty oh really I think I can fix that in a week and a half when the paint is hardened without damaging because you don't want to come back so that's it was this ding there the last time or something happened after three months the body shop damages the car so sorry about that so he'll can't believe it if you look at it it's it's not good it makes me angry like how do you have a ding on a car before a customer supposed to pick it up I wouldn't tell anybody to go to the shop ever I don't know how they're in business they rely on tow trucks I guess with that kind of service why would a tow truck driver suggest anyone take their car to Lyons we check out the company that toads a Hills car Credit Valley towing their tow truck driver just said Lyons was a good shop but look at all those Lyons tow trucks what's the deal hi this is Anna to find out a marker placed a forgives Credit Valley a call when you take the vehicles to different auto body shops gee you guys sometimes get referral fees there's an auto body shop called Lyons do you work with them I noticed that they're on the web site you do do you have an arrangement with them so did they give you referral fees for bringing vehicles to them Lyons doesn't want to talk to us on camera so we pay them a visit Brian Mehrotra is the manager who handled the hills car Erica Johnson from marketplace we wanted to talk about a customer below a couple questions about John will be back on Monday you can speak to him at that time but what's your position here at you a manager yes so we're curious about your relationship with tow truck operators there's no relation there's nothing okay well are you paying tow truck drivers to bring customers here no shouldn't people know when they're brought here that tow truck drivers are secretly benefiting the manager candidates running naked [Music] keeping people in the dark might explain why Aaron Moore didn't know her tow truck driver was also working for the body shop she got towed - it's been more than a year since she had to pay over $700 to get her car away from Taurus Auto Collision at Oh Aaron didn't even need Taurus tells us they have no recollection of Aaron her car or the dispute and that the tow truck driver doesn't work there anymore hopefully people see what happened to me and they're just become more aware they don't let it happen to them it was a hard lesson for Aaron but there was a silver lining that friend she called to help rescue her car was so sweet he's now her sweetie for years now the Ontario government's been promising new rules to protect people now due sometime next year if you're in a crash don't get hooked call the 1-800 number on your insurance slip and get advice on where to get towed so you're not at the whim of tow tricks [Music]

Channel: CBC News

Views: 9,826,186

Rating: 4.7456417 out of 5

Keywords: CBC News, CBCNews, CBC broadcasting media, public broadcasting news, Canadian News, Canadian Broadcasting Corportation (TV network), CBC News Network, scams, tricks, consumer, tow trucks, towing, cbc marketplace, marketplace cbc, marketplace, car accidents, car collisions, highway collisions, car crashes, crash

Id: sOboCgIhcfk

Length: 16min 58sec (1018 seconds)

Published: Fri Dec 04 2015

Reddit Comments

[u/ecafyelims]

I once slid into a ditch off an icy road. My car was undamaged, but I was stuck. A cop pulled right behind me and made sure I was okay and then asked if I needed a tow back to the road. I could have called myself but figured he knew the local towing companies better then me, so I agreed to him calling for one. Then the cop left and the tow arrived shortly after.

The truck pulled my car out of the ditch and before disconnecting, he tells me it's $250. I say that's ridiculous. The tow guy then informs me that it's more expensive when a cop calls for the tow because they can impound my car if I refuse to pay.

It was an expensive lesson to learn.

[u/[deleted]]

Actually, there is a rotation. There’s a set number of providers for both towing and body shops that will take crash calls, and as a tow operator, I show up when it’s my turn, and I take it to the body shop that’s up on the rotation. The vehicle operator can choose to take it elsewhere, but they must pay out of pocket for the tow, otherwise, it goes to the next in rotation, as they are the ones that foot the bill.

[u/Dontblamemedude]

For me as a tow truck driver and I answered a call it was on rotation and if the owner of the vehicle couldn't pay for the tow it went to police impound if they can pay it went where they wanted . Of course if I had to cross city lines taking the vehicle to wherever and it was or further than 20 miles from the point of the accident then it was extra but usually only 10 or 15 bucks .

[u/KaiserMoneyBags]

AAA?

[u/narcissistictac]

??..where? Where does an accident happen and tow trucks just come out of the shadows like their spidey sense was tingling? This is just BS through and through

[u/ChoiceD]

Your mileage may vary. I broke down last summer (serpentine belt snapped). The tow truck driver suggested several different places where I could take my car and personally called my local insurance agent and made sure they paid for the tow.

[u/Bonny-Mcmurray]

I was in a car accident in a rental car; the only good thing to come of it was getting to say "I dont give a damn what happens to the car" before they took me away in the ambulance.

[u/ineverlookatpr0n]

I mean, so people just let tow truck drivers tow it to whatever they want? Don't they tell them exactly where to take it? I've never heard of this.

[u/Zaratok]

Idiots. They dont fucking just haul your car off to some random place. They will ask you where to tow it if you are able to pay the bill. Otherwise they keep it in their yard till you pay or they auction it off. Or to the impound yard if its crime related.