Motorists in the Nelson area are being warned about an online towing scam that is significantly overcharging people for local roadside assistance services.
According to Western Auto Wreckers’ towing manager, Cody Mackenzie, the company has received an increase in calls from non-local roadside assistance brokers looking to hire Western to assist motorists stranded on the side of the road.
“What’s happening is a lot of people are unsure of who the local companies are. They might be just driving through, break down, or get stuck, and then they Google a local towing company. When they do that, one of the first things that pops up at the top of Google is a towing broker.”
These towing brokers then contact Western for a service quote, only to call the customer back, claiming the service is double the actual price.
“They go back and negotiate with their customer, trying to make a bunch of money. It makes us look like the bad guy because when we show up, the customer thinks we’ve charged them, say, $3,000, when realistically, it would have been a $1,500 bill if they had contacted us directly.”
Mackenzie asks motorists be vigilant and do their research on pricing, recommending that they call other companies if they receive a quote that seems off.
“A tow from just outside of Nelson into Nelson could be anywhere between $200- $300. But if you contact one of these broker companies, it’s going to be double that. You’ll probably end up paying $600- $700 because you don’t know the area very well and just need help.
Just be vigilant about pricing. Do some calling around if you get a crazy price that sounds ridiculous—maybe try phoning the next number down; they might have a better price for you.”
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