Wrecker damaged my Scion!

[pixelnexus]

Well my husband did something stupid. He parked his car illegally when he went to visit his sister in the hospital yesterday and as a result, the xB got towed.

Well the wrecker service pulled it from the rear onto a flatbed and scratched and cracked the front bumper lip.

I've already got a police report and 3 estimates. Supposedly they are insured and will cover it. My camera was in the car at the time it was towed, so I checked for damage and took pics before I left their lot. GRRR!

[CYBERGREENCC]

Originally Posted by pixelnexus

Well my husband did something stupid. He parked his car illegally when he went to visit his sister in the hospital yesterday and as a result, the xB got towed.

Well the wrecker service pulled it from the rear onto a flatbed and scratched and cracked the front bumper lip.

I've already got a police report and 3 estimates. Supposedly they are insured and will cover it. My camera was in the car at the time it was towed, so I checked for damage and took pics before I left their lot. GRRR!

coulda been worse,coulda been the beetle!!!

[kcfoxie]

aw man, that sucks

at least they're accepting the responsibility and fixing it with their insurance tho.

[Herbie3Rivers]

That's some serious dragging there.

[mgwerks]

That bites, Heidi. I know the pain of having a cracked front end....

on my car, that is.

[angelworks]

Make the madness end!

Sorry for your poor car.

[boblamb58]

Originally Posted by pixelnexus

Well my husband did something stupid. He parked his car illegally when he went to visit his sister in the hospital yesterday and as a result, the xB got towed.

Sorry to be a devil's advocate, but.. really, kinda got what you asked for there.

Still, they could have been more careful. At least they will fix it.

[pixelnexus]

Originally Posted by boblamb58

Sorry to be a devil's advocate, but.. really, kinda got what you asked for there.

Still, they could have been more careful. At least they will fix it.

Very true, but I didn't ask for damage. the quotes we got range from $470 to $795 .. I'm sure they will try to fight us on paying. I'm crossing my fingers that they won't tho.

[boblamb58]

Originally Posted by pixelnexus

Very true, but I didn't ask for damage. the quotes we got range from $470 to $795 .. I'm sure they will try to fight us on paying. I'm crossing my fingers that they won't tho.

The damage part was totally uncalled for.. I can conmpletely agree on that point.

I hope they do you right with no fight. (Ack! I wasn't tryin, to rhyme, I swear...)

[squeebug]

If they want to keep a good reputation for being a good and reliable towing and recovery service, they will pay the claim through their insurance. that still sux though.

[dnyed]

Hope it's all better soon.

[larryziegler]

Originally Posted by squeebug

If they want to keep a good reputation for being a good and reliable towing and recovery service, they will pay the claim through their insurance. that still sux though.

Insurance most likely won't be paying. Tow trucks, like repair garages have deuctibles to pay for damage to cars that are caused while in their hands. It is most likely a $500 deductible. The purpose of the deductible is to ensure they are as careful with the cars as possible, and if they aren't, they particiapte financially in the claim. The tow company won't want this claim on their record, given how small it is. For the towing company, this is a cost of doing business. They also don't want to go to small claims court on something as small as this.....a big waste of their time, since they know the likelihood of the outcome. Make sure they cover the cost of a rental car during the downtime of your car.

[MedfordBumbleBee]

That really sucks that there was damage done to your xB. My next car will probably be an xB that will be my marketing vehicle for my insurance agency. I think the irony of owning a NB (curvy and cute) and an xB (boxy and.. well boxy) will be fun.

I agree that they will pay the claim out of pocket without making a claim and good idea on getting a rental car provided to you. The towing company will probably want you to go to a specific shop where they have a relationship with to reduce their cost. Make sure that the shop they recommend or want you to go to is ICar certified, etc. and are a reputable outfit. Not some guys brother with a paint sprayer and a tub of Bondo.

Good thing you had a camera with you. I recommend to all of my clients to keep a disposable camera in their glove box so that you always have a camera handy for these types of situations.

Good luck!

Ed

[pixelnexus]

Well.. the owner was working things out with me. She gave me insurance info, then I came to find out that the vehicle I was towed with was not covered under the policy I was given.

So I went back to owner, and she wants to do it out of pocket, and have HER GUY do it (patch and repaint job). I say no, and tell her that a new part can be purchased from the dealer PREPAINTED, then her guy can install it. I gave her part # and price info. That was on 10/20 and the damage done on 9/28.

She would not return any calls I made to the business. I even try her cell number that she gave me. No luck. Just voicemail or "can I take a message?"

So today I got my State Farm insurance agent involved. If i make a claim, it would be considered collision with a $250 deduct. She calls the wrecker service because we suspect they have (or didn't have at the time of tow) any insurance on the flatbed.

So guess who calls me?? Wrecker service says take the car to the dealership and order the part and let them install. My response was "thank you for the offer, I'll call you next week to let you know how I'm going to proceed"

So this weekend I'm gonna get another estimate and make the decision to let em slide, or just make a claim.

State farm has informed me that they would definatley attempt to recover the cost (and refund my deduct) but it's not a guarantee. At that point I could then take them to small claims to recover deduct I had to pay. All i know is that they don't want State Farm on their

[from Margaritaville...]

You could also notify the police and highway patrol dispatcher services of their lack of co-operation with you AND your insurance company. Be sure to show them your pics. They may just remove this towing company from their call rotation ($$$,$$$!)...

[gilligan]

Sorry but it really isnt't the wrecker drivers fault, its your husbands.....He should be the one paying.
Just my opinion.

[mentalVdub]

i don't give a rats butt...

i would be livid if that were my car and they screwed it up!

[dnyed]

Originally Posted by gilligan

Sorry but it really isnt't the wrecker drivers fault, its your husbands.....He should be the one paying.
Just my opinion.

I don't agree. And neither does the law. Just because he may have parked incorrectly, this does NOT give the tow company the right to damage the car. It IS the wrecker drivers fault.

[gilligan]

Originally Posted by dnyed

I don't agree. And neither does the law. Just because he may have parked incorrectly, this does NOT give the tow company the right to damage the car. It IS the wrecker drivers fault.

I dont think he parked incorrectly, I think he parked Illegally.
and yes the law does state that if you park Illegally you can be towed.
Bottom line it sucks that the cool xb got damaged But I also think if I paid to have a cool scion like that I wouldnt go parking it somewhere where this could happen.

[larryziegler]

Originally Posted by gilligan

I dont think he parked incorrectly, I think he parked Illegally.
and yes the law does state that if you park Illegally you can be towed.
Bottom line it sucks that the cool xb got damaged But I also think if I paid to have a cool scion like that I wouldnt go parking it somewhere where this could happen.

Whether he parks legally or illegally is of no matter. The tow truck driver is at fault for mishandling the vehicle causing damage to it. When one parks illegally, they expect a ticket or a tow with a large tow/storage bill attached, but not a damaged vehicle. The standard of care does not include damaging the car in the process of towing it or loading/offloading it onto a flatbed.