Towing Issues: Motor Clubs: Working with AAA, etc., tow companies, motor clubs

Question
Hi Richard. Do you work with any motor clubs? I NEED SOME REAL ANSWERS! if you would like to offer them. I recently began working at a call center that is contracted by a motor club. I was trained how to take a call from a cx and attempt to provide them roadside service with tow companies WITHIN the boundaries of the motor club's rules. My question is this: If you answer a call from an employee of a roadside service or motor club...is it obvious that this employee is likely calling from the other side of the US, asking for service and following guidelines? To clarify, and I am really trying to learn this business...I spoke with a tow company owner yesterday that was MAD because he TOLD ME that he wanted more than what he was contracted originally (not a problem) but was MAD that I had the audacity to call a few other tow companies in the area to check their prices before coming back to him to ask for his service. Just following my rules but he caused me a LOT of problems and I wasnt even the customer.  From the tow companies point of view...do they appreciate the business that is sent their way..or is it all just a hassle for them? If it is just a hassle, why do tow companies even contract with these motor clubs at all?  Thanks for your view points!

Answer
Well I work for a tow company who contracts out to provide services to several motor clubs and break down services.

Now I can go on for pages and pages about Motor clubs and their practices. But in interest of not making a "war and peace" novel style answer I will hit a few key points.


First off, MOTOR CLUBS ARE TOW COMPANIES CUSTOMERS, not the motorist by the practices of the motor club providing the services to the member for a fee and then paying the tow company a fee for the service provided.
BUT most motor clubs (using Cross Country for example here) actually do not have ANY TOW TRUCKS or SERVICE VEHICLES so the motorist thinks that the tow company IS THE MOTOR CLUB..

Now motor clubs are kind of like in insurance companies where motorists purchase a plan for service when needed. And the motor club tends to not want to pay a lot for services and keep their money.

RETAIL verses MOTOR CLUB pay for tows is real different. A retail tow (commercial where the customer pays) might be starting at $50.00 and a motor club will want to pay (yes some pay this low) $12.00 for the same thing. But remember the motor club demands service RIGHT NOW, and the customers tend to lie, and not tell the truth or even not tell the real reason for the call. And then some abuse the memberships anyway.

Now your motor club sounds like any other one, where you call around for the "BEST PRICE" provided for the services, EVEN THOUGH your company has "WRITTEN CONTRACTS" which spell out the pay rates and all that.

A lot of tow companies do not like that as it seems as if you do not care about the quality of service provided to your members but actually care about the "BOTTOM LINE, the all mighty dollar"

Do tow companies appreciate the business, well it all depends on if the call is "PROFITABLE OR NOT" for the tow company to do. YES a tow company needs to make a profit and I hate to say it, motor clubs will promise a low pay rate and great volume (that is AAA's speech) but if you are losing money on one call, how can you make money by running 10 calls?

Now I have to also say that most motor clubs do not want to give pay increases, and some contracted rates are anywhere from 3 to 10 years old, and that creates problems. Add in the fact that it is next to impossible for the tow company to get ahold of their area rep to resolve issues and all that.  
And some clubs tend to take 60 to 120 days to pay for the services provided to members, or worse yet they constantly "SHORT PAY the payments" and play that game with the contractors money.

You wonder why some contractors are upset when you call.

And then a lot of tow companies have "cancelled or terminated" their contracts to provide services and they still keep getting calls from motor clubs "BEGGING them to provide services" and take a PO (remember the long pay periods and short checks).

Now you tend to forget also, that you are in a nice air conditioned and heated office - call center and the tow company is out in floods, storms, snow, ice, heat and all those other issues, placing their lives on the line daily due to motorists who do not care about others and yes even get hit and killed while doing their jobs.

Towers lose about 50 drivers a year due to being hit and killed while working on the side of the road. Its a very dangerous job to be doing.

Now like I said, I will not turn this into a long answer and I have already started doing that, but I will leave you with a few links to towing forums which you can go check out and read stuff on. Yes they have sections about motor clubs, but in some cases they are restricted access. But you will get the basic ideas of what is going on with the towing industry.  (Yes I even own one and run it, and I am active on all of them listed)

www.tow411.net

www.towtalk.net

www.priceperpound.info

www.towmemphis.com


Good luck and happy reading and I hope this information helps