City Wide towing damaged my car, claims manager won't return call! [Archive] - Beyond.ca - Car Forums

joejoe3

05-09-2007, 03:08 PM

Here's the story

I needed my car towed to Calgary Honda a few weeks ago by City Wide towing. During the process of the drop, they damaged my fender and sideskirt...

So I've called City wide and spoke with their Claims Manager, he said everything is okay if I go get a quote from Shaw GMC, and then they can get a rough idea how much it costs before I take it to a shop I deal with. Also during then downtime I can rent a car which will be paid for.

After I got the quote, I faxed it over but never heard a call back. It took me 3 messages and numerous tries before he answered my call. Said they don't want to cover my door damage (*which was caused by the fender, it got misalign and the door is grinding some paint off when the door is opened.) They said that I could have gone in through the passenger side... Either way I just wanted it fix so I said it's fine, and I'll just touch it up instead of painting the whole door. Claims manager said it's okay, and they'll cover all the other costs.

Anyway, so the time has come and I have rented a car from budget and got my car in the shop. I've been trying to get a hold of the claims manager again, but all I get is his voicemail. I have left over 5 messages asking him to call me and the shop back.

My shop said they don't want to fix the car if City Wide cannot be contacted and confirm that they will cover these damages.

So I decided to go there personally... I went to the citywide towing site, and they only have a PO box and not the address... kinda stuck not sure what to do right now. I told the shop to go ahead and fix the car, and now I have about 5 business days to find out how to resolve this.

Anybody know something that could help?

malaekat

06-27-2007, 03:22 PM

Even if you signed a contract stating on it that the towing company is not responsible for any damages to your vehicle while it is being towed. From the minute they hook up to the minute they unhook they are 100% responsible for any damages. You can and should sue if they at all attempt to make you pay any portion of the tow or for repairs.
when i first started reading this thread i saw other comments about towing in the city - mostly about City Wide. So here are some facts that as a customer you all should be aware of.

*trip km may seem too high but do you realize that tow trucks are required to stick to trucking routes and cannot take shortcuts on non truck routes?

*If your vehicle is 4 wheel dr, high end or a low rider pay the bucks and insist on a flat deck to prevent damage.

*If you cannot be present when your vehicle is towed take a before photo so you have proof. But make every attempt to be present staying out of the drivers way (ask the driver where you should stand so you are not in a 'Kill' zone and don't chat the driver up while they are loading or unloading your vehicle a seconds distraction could be costly.

*tow truck drivers are not paid hourly so their first concern is going to be time so they speed and take unneccessary risks so they can actually make a living. This would be a fault of the industry and the employer. Do not blame the driver they are only trying to live and we cannot live without these people.

*No tow operator likes an AMA call because they make no money from them.

*City wide does use sub contractors when they are 'overwhelmed' (In other words when their drivers won't take a call because its too risky, too far out their way or they will make no money)

*If you land your vehicle in a ditch expect damage during the extraction - don't think the courts would side with you on that one as it was most likely careless driving on your part that put you there. Unless you were struck by someone else in which case their insurance would be responsible for all damage including any occuring during the extraction.

*All towing companies are required to carry insurance, make sure you have seen their business license and/or their proof of insurance before the tow (City wide collects $50 per paycheck from each of their drivers to cover costs of any damages they incur - this is non refundable to the driver even if it is never used - so trust me when I tell you that city wide has a very large damage fund that has interest accruing on it. (Really those city wide drivers should fight in Labor court over this - a company may be able to withhold the money but I severely doubt they can not return any unused portion of it at end of employment - I also suspect they cannot take it to begin with - only garnish wages for recovery of costs after the fact. Otherwise why are they required by law to have insurance and business licenses?)

*Get the drivers name and make sure it matches his drivers license - just like they do to confirm your identity for payment (Take down his drivers license number)

*Expect long waits for tows this actually means that the drivers really are busy and hopefully you will get one who is taking longer because they are more careful

*As for City wide having a monopoly - they DO! Just because they are on a contract doesn't mean that anybody can take a swing at the contract at its expiry - don't believe me? Ask at impound or ask City Wide when the contract expires they will not tell you so that they can keep their monopoly

*Use some brain cells tow truck drivers have miserable lives, lying in mud, snow or whatever to hook up and unhook vehicles all day in whatever weather, they are unappreciated for what they do by anyone. (And if you think that anyone slows down while passing them think again the law may have changed but jo bush drivers respect for the law and traffic safety has not!)

*ask yourself if I go with a smaller outfit is my driver a drinker or a drug user? Even the large companies do not test even though they tell the drivers they will - testing only when there is a commplaint or suspicion. Do you want someone under the inflence towing your baby around?

*Make sure your vehicle is hooked up right to begin with.

If they are using Dollys the dollys need to be as tight to the wheels as possible or they could bounce out damaging your vehicle. Is there a safety chain on the front of your vehicle hooked to the back of the towing vehicle?

If they are using a stinger(That bar on the back of the tow truck) is it safety chained? and is there at least a 1 1/2 foot distance between the front of your vehicle and the back of their truck? Are the chains dangling as close to the ground as possible with out touching as they are supposed to be ?

If they are using a flat deck is your vehicle safety chained at both ends? Two chains at back of truck crossed and tightened and two at front tightened?

Are all chains and winch hook ups hooked to correct places on your vehicle to begin with?

*One or two bad drivers should not reflect badly on all drivers, unfortunately they do but it is up to the consumer to be aware and refuse any driver they feel uncomfortable with and report them to the owners of the companies, the better business bureau and Alberta Infrastructure if needs be.

* Make sure you have left keys for the driver and don't park illegally because a winch on a tow truck can drag your car and are used to drag cars and cause alot of damage in the process that may not show up right away. Mind you tow truck drivers carry lock out kits so they really should be taking the time to unlock a door to attempt to put your car in neutral as long as your vehicle doesn't get wheel lock without a key - but then again time is money to them

*If your vehicle is front wheel drive always try to park nose out in case it has to be towed and nose in if it is rear wheel just in case it has to be towed it will save both you and the tow truck driver alot of headaches.

*Use common sense about when to have your vehicle towed book an appointment for early morning or for first part of second shifts day when drivers are fresh and alert. Tow truck drivers operate on a 12 hour shift even though the law states that professional drivers are not allowed to work in excess of 10hours. Many do not even get nor take rest breaks or meal breaks throughout the day because to them time is money. Many towing companies will not allow you to book a specific time but you can tell them that if they don't arrive prior to a set time than they need not bother you will have the vehicle towed by someone else and then they cannot charge you for showing up and not having a vehicle to tow if they do there is always small claims court they have an obligation to provide a service in a timely fashion as does everyone else.

*Most importantly as with anything you purchase be there for the transaction and protect yourself purchase only from a reliable source. Think about this would you bring your $90,000 vehicle over to my back alley and let me paint it for you because I guarantee I will charge you less than an accredited body shop - you just have to drop it off and I will make sure I use the cheapest spray paint I can find, I will make sure to let it air dry in the great outdoors and not guarantee my work so I save you all the money I can. And if you think you are smart saying my car ain't worth that much to begin with - how much is it worth to have to be without it for a day? A week? Two weeks? while it is being repaired.

*Be an educated consumer - the biggest part of consumer protection is being a smart consumer