Towing Issues: really high tow bill, tow yard, storage charges

Question
i got into a wreck and layed my truck on its side easy to lay back over there trying to charge 400.00 dollars to get it back it was not impounded and only towed 3.38 miles and cant tell me why it so much do i have any options. im located in birmingham al any help?      thanks cory

Answer
Cory,   I would love to answer this question with an honest answer and help you but this tow is really more than just a tow...

Let me break it down a bit more for you.

First of all the vehicle was rolled over onto its side as you say and then it was towed (I am guessing to the tow yard) 3.38 miles which is actually 4 miles as we charge for each portion of a mile.

Now I am in down in Dothan and I will use the rates where I work, as a guideline here to help explain this call as best I can.

Basic police call here for the state patrol, county and the city where we are is 185.00 for the hook up or call out as some call it.

We get 4 dollars a mile for the towed miles and since you say it was rolled over then it would require recovery of the vehicle (that's the rolling over of the vehicle#  We get a minimum of 150.00 for that plus clean up of any debris, fluids, oils or anything like that which is a minimum of 50 dollars.

Without any clean up you can see that our rates would be $351.00 for the tow, and it does not include any storage fees at the yard or even a fuel surcharge which we do charge #and a lot of tow companies charge also)


Now you tell me that the total bill is $400.00..   And you think that is high, it might be but you do what a lot of people do and "LUMP IT ALL TOGETHER" and that is what you complain about.
Been to Wal-Mart lately shopping for food and stuff... How much was the bill??
I know that when I go shopping I spend about $150.00 there, and I can say "WOW that's to much" but then look at what you get for that amount...  You get several things not just 2 or 3.    


Now you can request a detailed break down of the towing and storage charges which should be on the receipt you get when you pay for the vehicle. You should be able to get them also listed if you ask for it if you are not paying yet, but remember that storage will increase each day.

Now I did not get the info in the question as to who ordered the tow. In some areas the tows ordered by law enforcement are under contracted rates for the services and they might have set rates. I am not sure what happened in your area with this tow call.

And if it was ordered by law enforcement then you might have a complaint process if you feel that you were taken advantage of by the tow company with the ordering agency.

Do you have insurance for the accident?  as they might cover it. But if you have only the bare minimum coverage then you were taking a risk of financial responsibility by not protecting yourself with full coverage. That would have been your choice with that decision.


Hope this helps