B and B Towing

Review: I called the night of 10/19/12 at 7:18 P.M. to report an improperly parked car that was parked on the permit parking area with out a permit. He then informed me he could not come get it because it had to come from certain people who work at the complex, at which time I informed him due to the time there was no one around and he explained a bit more after which I said "ok thanks". I then hit the end call button on my car phone which takes about 3 seconds to send the command to my phone, and he continued to talk and my phone still hung up. After about a minute after that he called me back on and I answer on my car phone of course which might I add plays through my speakers and my family including my 2 young boys can hear, he then tell me I should not hang up on him. I then attempted to explain and he then intentionally cut me of and called me "a rude piece of [redacted] dumb [redacted] who he should come deal with" among other things, and then quickly hung up with me. I then attempted to call him back and ask for an apology when he cut right in and said again "yeah don't like it huh [redacted]" and hung right back up. I attempted to call several more time and he refused to pick up his phone so I left a message that I will be submitting a complaint to the Revdex.com and my apartment complex asking what I am asking of the Revdex.com in this complaint.Desired Settlement: I would like at a absolute minimum, a formal apology to not only myself but to my entire family that had to hear him (Myself, my girlfriend, And my 2 boys). And if at all possibly revoke his workings in my apartment complex or at least with me and my family.

Business

Response:

B & B TOWING, LLC [redacted]

###-###-#### ###-###-#### (fax) www.SpokaneTowTruck.com

October 31, 2012

Revdex.com serving Eastern Washington, North Idaho and Montana [redacted] ###-###-#### 152 S Jefferson St; Ste 200 Spokane, WA 99201-4352

Complaint ID Number 9267742 To Whom It May Concern:

On 10-19-2012, B & B Towing received a call. The call was answered by the owner of the company. The caller requested that we come to his apartment complex and impound a vehicle that he believed was improperly parked. He was told that our company is not allowed to send tow trucks to that property to impound vehicles, unless someone who is employed by the apartment complex calls us to ask. He replied that there wasn’t anyone there because it was after hours. In the middle of responding with instructions as to how to get the vehicle removed, the line went dead. It was assumed that they had been disconnected, as we use cell phones to field forwarded calls in the evenings and this can sometimes happen. A return call was made so we could complete the after-hours impound instructions; however, the caller became irate and hung up. He then called back several times at which point we did not answer the phone for any more of his calls. Eventually, a telephone message was left saying that he would report our company to the Better Bureau and the apartment complex.

When our company did not hear from the apartments the following day, it was assumed that upon taking time to reflect it was realized that company policy was being followed and we could not have sent a truck to remove the car, due to this. Upon receipt of the letter from the Revdex.com, we immediately contacted management at the apartments. They said they were unaware that an incident had occurred. They reiterated that the tenants are not allowed to have cars impounded from the property. It was indicated that the tenants should not call us at all unless they are personally in need of our services for their own vehicles. She said that she would be happy to write a letter on our behalf to the Revdex.com stating what their policy is, what our contract entails and that we followed both of these items.

We take pride that our company strives for excellent customer service. It is extremely important to us, in an industry that is sometimes noted to not place importance on the happiness of its customers, that we recognize our customer’s needs and value their satisfaction. It is unfortunate when we are unable to provide a service or when rules prevent us from performing to a customer’s satisfaction, however , we have significant experience with these types of events and try to be as accommodating as possible.

Thank you for your concern with our side of the story. Please feel free to contact us for any further information.

Thank you,

Office Manager ###-###-#### Ext 1

Review: B&B Towing charged me $521.00 Twice for a five mile tow from Pull N Save Auto Parts to the B&B towing Yard on Trent Ave. My Son's 88 Chevy van and little utility trailer were sent to impounded on Jan 15th at 10:00 pm and I retrieved the van at noon the next day Jan 16th for $521.00 dollars and was told I could not take the trailer without proper identification because the trailer belonged to a friend of mine. When I was able to obtain proof of ownership I was told I had to pay another $521.00 dollars which I did. My Son bailed out of jail twenty one days later and informed me that I had been Robbed and taken advantage off. B & B Towing needs to pay me for the time and embarrassment of being robbed. I am a senior citizen and I have never had a vehicle impounded before. I want to make sure that other people don't get ripped off by these criminals who make up prices as they go. I called today 2-22-2013 and asked how much for a tow from Pull N Save Auto Parts to B&B towing and asked how much for overnight storage and they said $75.00 for the tow and $45.00 for overnight storage. So it should of only cost me $120.00, even twice it would of only been $240 but they charged me $521.00 not once but twice. This business needs to be put out of Business in my opinion who takes advantage of senior citizens like this? B&B TOWING DOES! I hope the Revdex.com can do something about this I am getting an attorney next.Desired Settlement: I believe a full refund would be in order but I would accept $700.00 dollar refund in cash which is not what I had to pay, I paid $1042.00 in cash.

Business

Response:

We received a customer complaint tetter from the Revdex.com involving [redacted]. There appears to be some confusion regarding the pricing on this invoice. T would like to start clearing up the confusion by identifying the difference between a voluntary tow and an involuntary tow/impound. These two services are not the same for multiple reasons and are not billed the same.

A voluntary tow involves someone calling us and requesting that we move their vehicle from one location to another. We establish the rates for these tows. We offer consistent pricing for these tows. They are significantly lower risk than an involuntary tow, although there is still risk involved. Even with the best safety precautions in place, there is a chance that our drivers can be injured during the loading time with no fau lt of our own. One example would be that they could be hit by a car. We are able to maintain significantly lower rates due to the lower risks and costs involved for these calls.

An involuntary tow has much higher risks involved. There is a higher risk of things like an irate vehicle owner assaulting our employees, other inattentive vehicles hitting us, and/or theft and vandalism at the business location. There are also a significant portion of these calls that we never receive payment for, however, we still have to pay our drivers, fuel, truck maintenance; not to mention the calls we turned down during the time we are involved in these calls.

A large portion of impounds are ordered by police, so they are extremely regulated, including the pricing. Washington State Patrol has developed rates for these impounds and anyone who performs impounds for the police is required to abide by them.

I have examined the two invoices referenced in the complaint. I have found that we were in fact compliant with all State Patrol regulations and that the invoices do not reflect the amounts stated in the complaint.

There were several regulations that came in to play with this particular call. The first one is that, there were two vehicles towed in and it took two separate trucks and drivers and so it was billed as two separate calls. This is the protocol outlined in the State Patrol rules. The next is, we are legally only allowed to release a vehicle or its contents to a registered or legal owner, other than, one exception, we are presented with an authorization to release that has been signed by the registered owner and notarized. The final thing that came in to play was the rates charged. I have enclosed a Washington State Patrol issued rate sheet Mr. [redacted] was not in fact the registered owner of either vehicle. His son was in feet the owner of the Chevrolet. His son was arrested on scene and taken to jail. We could not release the vehicle to Mr [redacted] until he obtained a valid Authorization to release. He did obtain one the next day. This vehicle was released with the minimum 1 hour impound rate of $181 plus I day of storage at $46 and tax, bringing tile total to 246.75, [ have enclosed a copy of the receipt that he was issued and signed. The other vehicle, the trailer, belonged to his friend. We also could not release that without the Authorization to Release. It took him 6.5 days to present us with that form for the trailer. The invoice for the trailer, which is also signed by him also reflects the minimum 1 hour impound rate of $181, however, this invoice has 6,5 days of storage on it. totaling $299 and then it also has applicable taxes, coming to a total of $521.76.1 have also enclosed a signed copy of this receipt.

Mr. [redacted] did not pay $1042 for a tow and a night of storage like he stated He paid $768.51 for two I hour impounds and 7.5 days of storage between the two vehicles. If we were to “refund” him $1042, he would be making £273.49.

Ultimately, these two vehicles were impounded because of his son’s criminal acts. His son's actions cost him $768.51. If he is looking to be reimbursed for his time and embarrassment, our company feels that it’s his son's responsibility to reimburse him.

Called on a Friday at 7:30 pm because I was stuck in the mud. Customer phone service was excellent, truck arrived within 20 minutes, and the man who pulled me out was friendly, calm and helped me to feel better about a tense situation. He seemed to know exactly what to do and I will recommend them to everyone and use their service if I should ever need it again.

B&B Towing charged me $521.00 Twice for a five mile tow from Pull N Save Auto Parts to the B&B towing Yard on Trent Ave. My Son's 88 Chevy van and little utility trailer were sent to impounded on Jan 15th at 10:00 pm and I retrieved the van at noon the next day Jan 16th for $521.00 dollars and was told I could not take the trailer without proper identification because the trailer belonged to a friend of mine. When I was able to obtain proof of ownership I was told I had to pay another $521.00 dollars which I did. My Son bailed out of jail twenty one days later and informed me that I had been Robbed and taken advantage off. B & B Towing needs to pay me for the time and embarrassment of being robbed. I am a senior citizen and I have never had a vehicle impounded before. I want to make sure that other people don't get ripped off by these criminals who make up prices as they go. I called today 2-22-2013 and asked how much for a tow from Pull N Save Auto Parts to B&B towing and asked how much for overnight storage and they said $75.00 for the tow and $45.00 for overnight storage. So it should of only cost me $120.00, even twice it would of only been $240 but they charged me $521.00 not once but twice. This business needs to be put out of Business in my opinion who takes advantage of senior citizens like this? B&B TOWING DOES! I hope the Revdex.com can do something about this I am getting an attorney next.