If you've ever been in an accident, you know that your mind is flooded with countless little details about managing the aftermath. If your vehicle is disabled, that's one more complication. It's tempting to want to hit the "easy button" and have law enforcement or the tow truck driver decide what to do with your vehicle. Vision Collision would like to suggest to you that leaving this decision to others is not in your best interest as the vehicle's owner and that initiating your own tow with your own choice of destination for your vehicle is best practice.
If you've been in a car accident that disables your vehicle, someone will need to initiate having the vehicle towed. If you are uninjured, that person ought to be you. If you are taken away in an emergency vehicle, or if you arrange a ride home from someone else and leave your vehicle on the road, law enforcement will arrange a tow.
In the event that law enforcement arranges your tow and you have not specified a destination, your vehicle will be picked up by the towing company who has contracted with the municipality to service that particular geographical area. Without direction from you, the tow truck will take that your vehicle to its own storage lot.
Where it becomes tricky is when you later want to retrieve your vehicle. Tow companies charge hefty daily storage fees, and unethical companies will deliberately limit their availability in an attempt to delay your access and increase the storage fees. Towing companies are beholden to no one, and the vehicle owner has little leverage to force them to cooperate in a timely and ethical manner. If you've allowed another party to assign the tow, you have no control over which company picks up your vehicle and no opportunity to ensure that the job is being completed by a reputable, ethical company. You also have no idea how far their lot is and if towing to or from it will fall within the mileage limitations of the insurance policy covering the accident.
If you initiate the tow, but allow the tow company to choose the destination, you are at the same risk as the situation described above. The tow company will likely tow your vehicle to their lot. Alternately, the tow truck driver will likely choose a shop that offers him financial incentive to bring vehicles in. The tow truck driver's concern is his "spiff," not your convenience or the shop's performance. A recent customer relayed to us her roadside experience of a tow truck driver's aggressive insistence that she must tow her vehicle to his specified shop. Just as an insurance company cannot steer you to their service provider, neither can a tow company. If a tow truck driver will not back down and comply with your instructions, call another company.
The risks to you of allowing another party to direct towing outcomes manifest in financial and convenience consequences. If the towing destination is outside your coverage limits, you may be liable for the difference in mileage. If the trip to the yard uses all of the mileage allowance, you will be responsible for the entire tow to the repair destination. If you later determine that repairing the damage is inexpensive enough that you elect against filing an insurance claim, you will be responsible for the miles towed, and the storage fees, which can exceed a hundred dollars per day. If the tow company makes its yard inaccessible and you experience a delay in retrieving your vehicle, the combined amount of days stored and vehicle repair time could exceed the amount of days your policy covers a rental car. Being intentionally difficult to access means tow yards operate limited hours during inconvenient times, which may result in you having to leave or take off work in order to be at the lot during open hours.
Vision Collision recommends that you equip yourself now so that if you are ever in a collision, you can be prepared to give clear instructions if your vehicle is ever disabled and in need of towing. If you have a few moments, take the time to solicit the recommendation of a friend or family who has had a good experience with a tow company. Alternately, you may take a moment to peruse your favorite search engine or social networking site for reviews of a reputable company that services your region. Vision Collision can recommend a Phoenix area tow company if you are in need of a referral. Just give us a call at (480) 248-9049 or send us an email.
Keep the phone number of your tow company of choice in your wallet, cell phone, or glove box for easy access in the event of vehicle disabling. Vision Collision also recommends that you keep the name, phone number, and address of your trusted Collision Repair Facility or Mechanic in the same place so that you can easily provide it to the tow company. If that shop of choice for you is Vision Collision, our phone number for towing companies is (602) 421-4792. The address for Vision Collision is 1109 N Sickles Dr, Tempe, AZ 85281. Download the Vision Collision Tow Truck Quick Reference for your wallet or glove box.
If you are not ready to make a decision about repairs, having the vehicle towed to your own home is still more in your best interest than allowing another party to select the destination, even if it means paying out of pocket to have the vehicle towed a second time when you are ready for repairs.
Even if your vehicle is inoperable, keep yourself in the proverbial driver seat when it comes to decisions about its repair and future. Only you can ensure that the choices made about its care are in the best interest of you, your time, your budget, and your vehicle. Vision Collision Consumer Alert: Tow Truck Gimmicks that are Costing You Money
If you've ever been in an accident, you know that your mind is flooded with countless little details about managing the aftermath. If your vehicle is disabled, that's one more complication. It's tempting to want to hit the "easy button" and have law enforcement or the tow truck driver decide what to do with your vehicle. Vision Collision would like to suggest to you that leaving this decision to others is not in your best interest as the vehicle's owner and that initiating your own tow with your own choice of destination for your vehicle is best practice.
If you've been in a car accident that disables your vehicle, someone will need to initiate having the vehicle towed. If you are uninjured, that person ought to be you. If you are taken away in an emergency vehicle, or if you arrange a ride home from someone else and leave your vehicle on the road, law enforcement will arrange a tow.
In the event that law enforcement arranges your tow and you have not specified a destination, your vehicle will be picked up by the towing company who has contracted with the municipality to service that particular geographical area. Without direction from you, the tow truck will take that your vehicle to its own storage lot.
Where it becomes tricky is when you later want to retrieve your vehicle. Tow companies charge hefty daily storage fees, and unethical companies will deliberately limit their availability in an attempt to delay your access and increase the storage fees. Towing companies are beholden to no one, and the vehicle owner has little leverage to force them to cooperate in a timely and ethical manner. If you've allowed another party to assign the tow, you have no control over which company picks up your vehicle and no opportunity to ensure that the job is being completed by a reputable, ethical company. You also have no idea how far their lot is and if towing to or from it will fall within the mileage limitations of the insurance policy covering the accident.
If you initiate the tow, but allow the tow company to choose the destination, you are at the same risk as the situation described above. The tow company will likely tow your vehicle to their lot. Alternately, the tow truck driver will likely choose a shop that offers him financial incentive to bring vehicles in. The tow truck driver's concern is his "spiff," not your convenience or the shop's performance. A recent customer relayed to us her roadside experience of a tow truck driver's aggressive insistence that she must tow her vehicle to his specified shop. Just as an insurance company cannot steer you to their service provider, neither can a tow company. If a tow truck driver will not back down and comply with your instructions, call another company.
The risks to you of allowing another party to direct towing outcomes manifest in financial and convenience consequences. If the towing destination is outside your coverage limits, you may be liable for the difference in mileage. If the trip to the yard uses all of the mileage allowance, you will be responsible for the entire tow to the repair destination. If you later determine that repairing the damage is inexpensive enough that you elect against filing an insurance claim, you will be responsible for the miles towed, and the storage fees, which can exceed a hundred dollars per day. If the tow company makes its yard inaccessible and you experience a delay in retrieving your vehicle, the combined amount of days stored and vehicle repair time could exceed the amount of days your policy covers a rental car. Being intentionally difficult to access means tow yards operate limited hours during inconvenient times, which may result in you having to leave or take off work in order to be at the lot during open hours.
Vision Collision recommends that you equip yourself now so that if you are ever in a collision, you can be prepared to give clear instructions if your vehicle is ever disabled and in need of towing. If you have a few moments, take the time to solicit the recommendation of a friend or family who has had a good experience with a tow company. Alternately, you may take a moment to peruse your favorite search engine or social networking site for reviews of a reputable company that services your region. Vision Collision can recommend a Phoenix area tow company if you are in need of a referral. Just give us a call at (480) 248-9049 or send us an email.
Keep the phone number of your tow company of choice in your wallet, cell phone, or glove box for easy access in the event of vehicle disabling. Vision Collision also recommends that you keep the name, phone number, and address of your trusted Collision Repair Facility or Mechanic in the same place so that you can easily provide it to the tow company. If that shop of choice for you is Vision Collision, our phone number for towing companies is (602) 421-4792. The address for Vision Collision is 1109 N Sickles Dr, Tempe, AZ 85281. Download the Vision Collision Tow Truck Quick Reference for your wallet or glove box.
If you are not ready to make a decision about repairs, having the vehicle towed to your own home is still more in your best interest than allowing another party to select the destination, even if it means paying out of pocket to have the vehicle towed a second time when you are ready for repairs.
Even if your vehicle is inoperable, keep yourself in the proverbial driver seat when it comes to decisions about its repair and future. Only you can ensure that the choices made about its care are in the best interest of you, your time, your budget, and your vehicle. 