AN irate driver is warning neighbors not to use a towing company after they blew out his car battery and charged him over the incident.
The angry driver expressed her dissatisfaction with the towing company in a Facebook post.
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“Tracy Peeps: DO NOT USE ‘Elevate Towing & Recovery,'” California resident Katie Henley wrote on publish.
“THE OWNER REFUSES TO TALK TO US ABOUT THE DAMAGE HIS EMPLOYEE CAUSED TO MY CAR.”
“I needed a simple drum jump to get out of my parents’ house, so we called AAA to send someone our way. The technician took 20 minutes to connect my battery (which was suspicious to me) and then it was SMOKING! BATTERY AND FUSES,” she seethed in the social media post.
“It was very obvious that he had hooked the battery backwards, causing this damage. He claimed he couldn’t jump in my car because his portable battery was faulty (which isn’t true – he just FRIED my battery and fuses now it wouldn’t jump !)”
According to the user, the company was then forced to call another tow truck and take the now-defunct car, as well as the irate driver, to a nearby Toyota dealership.
The car owner revealed that he was forced “to cover diagnostics, a new battery, NEW MAIN FUSES, and also some other random fuses that blew throughout my vehicle.”
Henley said the whole thing cost him about $1,500.
“The real original problem was my alternator (which was covered under our warranty) and my battery which was bad was only 6 months old,” she continued.
Henley stated that she was stuck in Tracy, California, for four days due to the incident as her husband was out of town.
“Our damage claim is now going directly through AAA and we hope to have a full refund for all damages plus the other costs of me not getting home on time (pet care and also missed a combat class which had to be canceled and other expenses!)”
“DO NOT ALLOW AAA TO SEND THIS COMPANY TO YOUR CAR,” she concluded.
The US Sun has reached out to Elevate Towing & Recovery for comment.
Many of Henley’s friends rushed to express their sympathy for the driver.
“That’s not good! We hope all your expenses are taken care of,” sympathized a friend.
What to do if your car is towed
Unfairly or not, recovering a towed vehicle can be a hassle.
If your vehicle is towed after parking in a “No Parking” zone or other legitimate reason, there are some steps you can take to get it back.
Steps to follow when your car is towed:
- Try to find out why your car was towed. Haven’t you seen a “No Parking” sign? Did you miss your car payment? Have you returned to a lot where there were unpaid citations? Finding the reason may narrow down the phone numbers to dial.
- Locate the vehicle. Most states, cities, or counties require towing companies to leave some type of contact information via a posted or mailed sign.
- Recovery dates and times depend on the company that towed the vehicle, but these times will be posted on the website or may be provided by a representative.
- Pay the fees. Be careful to be as quick as possible, as some towing yards may charge per-day storage fees.
If you believe your vehicle was improperly towed, you can dispute the action by following these steps:
- Be quick – many states have a small window of time in which it is acceptable to file a claim against a company that improperly towed your vehicle.
- Gather supporting documents: photos, emails, receipts, police reports, and witness statements, if applicable. The more evidence, the better.
- Familiarize yourself with local laws, as laws for towing companies vary by state.
- Try talking to the towing company. Sometimes it may have been a simple oversight and the matter can be resolved quickly.
- Contact your local Justice of the Peace as they may have more information or resources to help. They are often used for towing cases.
- Speak to a lawyer. Many lawyers offer free consultations and, depending on the case, it may be worth calling on a lawyer.
Source: Oregon Department of Justice, National General, Rak law firm
“What a horrible experience, I’m so sorry mate,” said another.
One of the commenters noted that the person calling AAA should be able to choose which towing company to work with.
“A heads up to anyone who has AAA, you can request which company you want to take over,” they explained.
“You don’t need to take whoever is on duty.”
Henley isn’t the only person who was forced to pay out of pocket when it came to car repairs.
A driver has revealed his new car broke down just a day after leaving the lot.
According to the driver, all the doors and windows were locked and would not open.
“Everything is locked. You can’t open the doors. You can’t open anything,” Kyrstyan Mazzuca told local ABC affiliate WABC-TV.
After calling AAA, it was towed home for almost $800.
Mazzuca said he made more than 53 calls to try to contact the dealership, but to no avail.
When he finally contacted the dealership, he was told it would cost him $500 to fix his car, on top of the additional $1,200 he owed on the other half of his purchase.
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This story originally appeared on The-sun.com read the full story
