Bill's Towing & Auto Repair

We did not take advantage of the customer and we assisted them to get off the busy road to a safe location where they could get their problem repaired. We quoted for a service and the vehicle owners changed the service by both changing how far the vehicle needed to be towed and also causing more time involved by delaying our employee which increased the cost of service. Owner was made aware at several occasions that time will need to be billed for all the wait time at the resort. We feel that a $200 refund is not permissible due to the base quote given and customer changed towing destination several times and increased wait time. Customer was advised several times that they are being charged for additional labor time and mileage.

Bill's Towing & Auto Repair towed Mr. [redacted] truck on Monday May 9th to our repair center, his vehicle broke down early in the morning. Mr. [redacted] had explained to the tow truck driver that the battery light on the dash of the pickup had been flashing on and off for the previous...

couple of days. When our mechanic looked at the truck both batteries were dead and we placed the batteries on a battery charger. After the batteries were charged we performed a charging test on the system and found that the alternator wasn't charging and we gave Mr. [redacted] an estimate for repair. He stated that the alternator was just replaced and Mr. [redacted] wanted us to install a new alternator and he wanted to take the old part back with him for a credit from where he bought it at. We informed Mr. [redacted] that there was a core charge on the alternator that he would have to pay if he wanted to take the alternator with him. He approved our estimate for repair which included the core charge for the alternator. We replaced the alternator and checked the charging system and it was charging 14.2 volts, which is showing the system is charging the batteries. We informed Mr. [redacted] that his vehicle was ready, during Mr. [redacted] paying the repair invoice he requested a discount a number of times. We didn't offer a discount. Our office received a phone call from Mr. [redacted] wife asking for a discount, we did not offer a discount on the invoice after his wife called either. Mr. [redacted] paid the repair bill and left with his vehicle.  Mr. [redacted] had to be asked a number of times not to be inside our shop while we were working on his vehicle, at one point he was using our air tools to work on his truck even, we instructed Mr. [redacted] that he would have to leave the shop area and wait in the customer waiting area. Mr. [redacted] even stated that he owned his own repair shop, if he did own his own repair shop one would think that he would have repaired the vehicle himself or had the vehicle towed to his repair shop instead of paying someone else to repair it. Mr. [redacted] never called us on his way home if he did have a problem with his truck, we never received a complaint from Mr. [redacted] after we made the repair on May 9th, We received a letter from the Revdex.com on May 11, in Mr. [redacted] letter it states that he “talked to company” on May 9th , that was the day we repaired the vehicle. In his letter Mr. [redacted] stated that the “purchase date” was May 8th , that date isn't correct. Mr [redacted] never contacted us stating there was a problem with the repair. I strongly believe that if Mr. [redacted] did have a problem right after the repair was made he would have called us but there was not a call made to us to make us aware of any problem. Mr. [redacted] lives less than 130 miles from our repair center, I find it tough for a vehicle to break down twice in less than 130 miles after repairs have been made and he wouldn't make a phone call to us at that time. Mr. [redacted] vehicle left our repair center with the charging system working properly. If there was a broken wire like Mr. [redacted] claims, after the alternator was changed the charging system still would not be working, but after we replaced the alternator it started working again which shows there was not a broken wire at that time. He hasn't provided a repair or towing invoice to back up his claim, with Mr [redacted] claiming the batteries were drained twice on his way home he would have needed someone to tow his vehicle to a repair center and charge the batteries before he could drive it again. Bill's Towing & Auto Repair performed the repair to the vehicle that was required and our repair estimate was approved by the Mr. [redacted] before any repair was made. The vehicle left our repair center with the charging system working properly. We will not refund Mr. [redacted] the $656.03 he is requesting.

Revdex.com:
I have reviewed the response made by the business in reference to complaint ID [redacted], and have determined that this does not resolve my complaint.  For your reference, details of the offer I reviewed appear lUnfortunately I believe 400.00 is excessive! Taking advantage. I believe the $200.00 should be refunded for excessive and taking advantage of stranded tourists. 
Regards,
[redacted]

We received a call to assist a stranded motorist and sent out our closest truck to assist them. The truck arrived on scene within 20 minutes according to our GPS monitoring dispatch system and found a full size sport utility vehicle with a flat tire. Our driver inspected the wheel and found...

that the vehicle owner could not change their tire because there was rounded off lug nuts and the spare tire was flat. Our driver advised the law enforcement officer that the vehicle would need to be towed off the roadway to a repair center for proper repair. The driver informed the vehicle owners that is would need to be towed for proper repairs. Communication with the family was difficult because only a teen age son and mother spoke English, the adult males and other small young children did not speak any English. The vehicle owner asked how much to tow the vehicle because they had a family member coming to assist them. The driver called into our dispatch center and advised that the vehicle would need to be towed per law enforcement due to its unsafe location on the highway and they were quoted a price of around $200 to get the vehicle off the roadway to the closest safe location. Once the vehicle was loaded and in tow the family advised our driver that they wanted the vehicle to be towed to the resort they wanted to stay at. They gave the driver wrong information twice on which resort they were staying at causing the vehicle to be towed more miles. When they got to the resort, they were driven around to different buildings as they didn't know which one to enter and attempted to enter. This resort has many different buildings and entrances so it would be unknown to our driver of which location they had reservations at. Once they got to the location of the resort they wanted to stay at, they had to go to the main office to register which took more time with the driver waiting to unload the vehicle. The driver advised that the longer he had to wait to unload the vehicle the more the service would cost. Again, all of this information is being translated through the teenage son. It took a period of time to get registered and members of the family were running around the tow truck. The children were running under the truck and opening the tool boxes. The fuel cap to the tow truck was also taken and not returned. The driver communicated again that they were being charged for the driver and the truck to be held up. After some time they received their room keys and came back out to pay for their towing bill as they had approval to leave the vehicle at the resort instead of a repair facility. The driver advised that the bill was more due the added mileage and time that accrued for waiting for direction of where to unload. The teenage son filled out the vehicle owners information on the invoice due to the language barrier and the mother signed the invoice and paid the invoice. She then stated to the driver that he would have to answer to Jesus. The teenage son was very apologetic and understanding. Our driver then lowered the tow truck bed and went inside the vehicle and placed it into neutral to allow it to be lowered onto the ground as a standard operation for unloading a vehicle off the tow truck. We quoted for a service and the vehicle owners changed the service by both changing how far the vehicle needed to be towed and also causing more time involved by delaying our employee which increased the cost of service. Owner was made aware at several occasions that time will need to be billed for all the wait time at the resort. We feel that a $200 refund is not permissible due to the base quote given and customer changed towing destination several times and increased wait time. Customer was advised several times that they are being charged for additional labor time and mileage.

I am responding to claim [redacted]. We towed the vehicle into our repair center on January 4, 2016 by the owners request for a no start problem and a low coolant level problem. We performed  a diagnostic system test on each the starting, charging, electrical system and the coolant...

system. We charged the vehicle battery to be able to properly load test the battery. The battery passed the load test, next we tested the charging system, the test equipment showed that the system was charging within the normal voltage range of 13.8 volts to 14.3 volts, we also performed a parasitic draw test on the electrical system and found a very minimal amperage draw from the vehicle radio for memory. We could not find any problem with the starting, charging or electrical system at that time.We checked the cooling system and found that the system was 1/2 gallon low of coolant. We added 1/2 gallon of coolant and pressure tested the cooling system to check for leaks. No leaks were found.We called the vehicle owner and he paid the invoice and picked up the vehicle on January 7, 2016. We charged the customer for the tow to our repair center, 1 hour labor for the charging, starting and electrical diagnostic testing , 1 hour labor for the cooling system testing and for the coolant we added to his system. The customer was aware of the charges and signed our invoice. On January 11, 2106 we received a call from the vehicle owner stating that his vehicle is acting up again. We informed him that we would have to look at the vehicle and to be able to diagnose the current problem, he hung up on our employee. We wouldn't have charged the customer a second diagnostic charge.The vehicle owner states in his complaint " The bill was $335 for detailed diagnostic (and the tow) work the results of which were then withheld(possibly in a price fixing agreement with other automotive and government business" I have attached our invoice that describes what each test entailed and the the results, I would say that we did not withhold the results. In the customers complaint it also states that the problem happened the next day after he picked up his vehicle. he picked up his vehicle from us on January 7, 2016 and the next time we heard from him was January 11, 2016, I feel the vehicle owner is not being truthful in his statement.I do not feel we owe the vehicle owner $100 refund for shoddy incomplete and highly exploitative work. I believe that our invoice clearly states what work was performed and the results from the test are listed on the invoice. Our pricing is right in line with what the industry standards are for the work performed.

I am a local customer and have been going here for over 15 years. They have excellent customer service, a beautiful waiting room with snacks, a AAA approved repair shop, they have given me free pick up and delivery. They always call me with estimates. I have never had a problem! They will give you a discount if you recommend someone. I feel good at recommending to my friends. My whole family goes now that my son drives. Love the treats with the service. Thanks Bills!!!

I was very satisfied with the customer service I received. I got stuck on the side of the road with two young kids late at night and they were very kind to help me get out of the ditch. I will definitely be using them again if I ever need to and highly recommend them to everyone. Thanks Bill's Towing!

Review: I took my car to Bill's Towing the week of January 4, 2016. My car would not start; the battery would not jump; I had no extension cord to recharge the battery and I suspected an alternator issue (asI told the dispatcher(s). They sent someone to tow my car for $85 which I agreed to firstly. The next three days I waited. Each day I called the operator(s) assured me they had two guys working on my car and they would call me in the morning. Morning came and went without a call from anyone about my car each day (for two days). Finally they called and said my car was done and there was no problem with my battery or alternator. The bill wa $335 for detailed diagnostic (and the tow)work the results of which were then withheld (possibly in a price fixing agreement with other automotive and government business- to which the police and county's response is essentially laughable). The next day the temperature reached single digits again my car failed. This time I found an extension cord and recharged my battery and drove to a dealership who told me the alternator was in fact failing to charge the battery (as I had to pay for diagnostic labor twice-this time at a much more inexpensive rate but with more transgressions that appear to be tacit among either dispatchers, government employees, and service advisors or mechanics).Desired Settlement: Are they charging me $250 for recharging my battery? I would like a $100 refund for shoddy incomplete and highly exploitative work.

Business

Response:

I am responding to claim [redacted]. We towed the vehicle into our repair center on January 4, 2016 by the owners request for a no start problem and a low coolant level problem. We performed a diagnostic system test on each the starting, charging, electrical system and the coolant system.

We were trying to pay for charges for a crashed car we were picking up for the insurance company and they said we could not pay with a credit card, the driver picking up the vehicle did not have any checks with him. they said they could except the credit card but it would cost an additional $60.00. The total fees were 719.00. I asked if we could just pay the 4% credit card fee that the credit card company would charge them and they told me no it is a $60.00 charge for a credit card. I believe this is extreme gouging. They are not friendly in any way either.

I was very satisfied with the result of the towing of my truck and of the customer service I received. Bill's was very customer oriented and even gave me a discount (which I'm very thankful for!!). I will 100% use their services again if ever needed. I highly recommend them and have already recommended them to family and friends. Thanks again Bill's Towing!

Review: Broke down on Highway, was totally taken advantage of. Diagnosed and billed an hour labor for diagnosis only to have my truck break down again after I left. They diagnosed it as I needed an alternator even though it had just been replaced. After finally getting home, after breaking down 2 more times due to drained batteries, I found a wire going to the alternator that was bad and then I took the old alternator to a local shop and it was bench tested as good. They rip people off because they are broke down and THAT'S NOT OK! Other than the $135 for the tow they basically stole $650 from us!Desired Settlement: Refund for the repairs not the tow. If we don't get refunded we will be taking them to court for the days wages lost as well for our business.

Business

Response:

Bill's Towing & Auto Repair towed Mr. [redacted] truck on Monday May 9th to our repair center, his vehicle broke down early in the morning. Mr. [redacted] had explained to the tow truck driver that the battery light on the dash of the pickup had been flashing on and off for the previous couple of days. When our mechanic looked at the truck both batteries were dead and we placed the batteries on a battery charger. After the batteries were charged we performed a charging test on the system and found that the alternator wasn't charging and we gave Mr. [redacted] an estimate for repair. He stated that the alternator was just replaced and Mr. [redacted] wanted us to install a new alternator and he wanted to take the old part back with him for a credit from where he bought it at. We informed Mr. [redacted] that there was a core charge on the alternator that he would have to pay if he wanted to take the alternator with him. He approved our estimate for repair which included the core charge for the alternator. We replaced the alternator and checked the charging system and it was charging 14.2 volts, which is showing the system is charging the batteries. We informed Mr. [redacted] that his vehicle was ready, during Mr. [redacted] paying the repair invoice he requested a discount a number of times. We didn't offer a discount. Our office received a phone call from Mr. [redacted] wife asking for a discount, we did not offer a discount on the invoice after his wife called either. Mr. [redacted] paid the repair bill and left with his vehicle. Mr. [redacted] had to be asked a number of times not to be inside our shop while we were working on his vehicle, at one point he was using our air tools to work on his truck even, we instructed Mr. [redacted] that he would have to leave the shop area and wait in the customer waiting area. Mr. [redacted] even stated that he owned his own repair shop, if he did own his own repair shop one would think that he would have repaired the vehicle himself or had the vehicle towed to his repair shop instead of paying someone else to repair it. Mr. [redacted] never called us on his way home if he did have a problem with his truck, we never received a complaint from Mr. [redacted] after we made the repair on May 9th, We received a letter from the Revdex.com on May 11, in Mr. [redacted] letter it states that he “talked to company” on May 9th , that was the day we repaired the vehicle. In his letter Mr. [redacted] stated that the “purchase date” was May 8th , that date isn't correct. Mr [redacted] never contacted us stating there was a problem with the repair. I strongly believe that if Mr. [redacted] did have a problem right after the repair was made he would have called us but there was not a call made to us to make us aware of any problem. Mr. [redacted] lives less than 130 miles from our repair center, I find it tough for a vehicle to break down twice in less than 130 miles after repairs have been made and he wouldn't make a phone call to us at that time. Mr. [redacted] vehicle left our repair center with the charging system working properly. If there was a broken wire like Mr. [redacted] claims, after the alternator was changed the charging system still would not be working, but after we replaced the alternator it started working again which shows there was not a broken wire at that time. He hasn't provided a repair or towing invoice to back up his claim, with Mr [redacted] claiming the batteries were drained twice on his way home he would have needed someone to tow his vehicle to a repair center and charge the batteries before he could drive it again. Bill's Towing & Auto Repair performed the repair to the vehicle that was required and our repair estimate was approved by the Mr. [redacted] before any repair was made. The vehicle left our repair center with the charging system working properly. We will not refund Mr. [redacted] the $656.03 he is requesting.

Review: my daughter was in a accident on sunday the police were involved they called the towing company, the tow truck driver told me it would be 180 dollars if I came and got the car on monday, I went to the facility on monday nobody could answer any of my questions my bill wasn't ready and I was told they would call me back, finally today, wednesday ,I called again and somehow my bill is now 350 dollars with no storage fees, when I asked why it's because lawn forcement calls cost more - as soon as I said "kickbacks" I got hung up on - they probably call it a "charitable donation to local law enforcement" for taxes

also we told the baraboo police department NOT to call for towing

It does not cost them any more because of who called, they are crooksDesired Settlement: $180 and I collect my car

Consumer

Response:

This has been Resolved.

This is the letter emailed and sent to Bills towing:
Bill’s Towing
W13202 Wisconsin 188
Lodi, WI 53555
Dear [redacted] Apparently you stated that there was confusion with our correspondence. You felt by the email you sent me, that this is the only time I asked for information. This was not the case, and obviously, you and your company do not believe in customer service first. I have been waiting for final diagnostics on our car to correspond with all of our dealings with you. I must say first, I have never written a note such as this and I work in customer service and I would NEVER treat anyone as I was treated by the receptionists (3 separate [redacted]) and by [redacted] himself.
Our experience started when I needed to have my car towed on April 27. [redacted] was the dispatcher and was very friendly and sent someone to get our car. [redacted] told me that my car would be looked at first thing in the morning. Which ended up not being true...If she had told me that she did not know when the car would be looked at or if I couldn't count on the car garage to get the car taken care of, I could have had my entire family sent home with friends and not needing another stay in a hotel, food, and stressing out me and my two children as well. At this time I asked for a towing receipt and the gentlemen that towed my car explained that they would get me one later and that was fine with me. Later, I learned he copied my phone number incorrectly.
On April 28th being stranded at the hotel I had to call the dispatcher 6 times starting at 8:34 am and the dispatcher continued to put me off saying that it was going to be looked at SOON. I trusted the garage thinking it would be looked at soon and my car would be taken care of so I could leave for Michigan. Again, I missed another chance of getting rides home--6 HOURS AWAY. The car was not looked at until 2:00 and each time I called, I was assured that I would be called back with the status of my car. I was NEVER called back and was completely stranded with two children in a hotel that needed us to check out of our room and to make matters worse, it was raining all day and were unable to go anywhere.
By 4:00 pm of April 28th I was finally told that the car would not be fixed until Thursday May 1st because it needed a new timing belt and was asked if I agreed to pay for it. At this time I was told by [redacted], "They (someone from [redacted]) told me they called you, but they must have called the wrong number." and laughed at that. Isn't that funny that you guys have been stranded this entire time and now we called the wrong number?
I was next contacted on Wednesday April 30th, the timing belt was in, but the car would not go over 30 mph, and was asked to authorize additional time to look at the car. Thursday the 31st, I was told that the engine was now blown, and that it a result of an interference engine, and that it had blown earlier when I as driving it. The seemed unusual as the car was running when I parked, it would just not start after an extended rain. I was told that a replacement engine had been found, and the car could be fixed for $2600.
The next day my husband drove the six hours (one way) to get my two children and I and we left the Dells. Again, we waited for [redacted] garage to call but no call was received until we contacted Bill’s on Friday at 1:00 to find out about our car. The garage called me back at 1:37 pm to tell me that the car needed a new motor and they would find me a used one so my bill would now total $2700.
At this point, my husband and I (with advice from our local mechanic) decided we would tow the car back ourselves. I made multiple calls trying to verify that we would be coming to get the car 6 HOURS AWAY, that we needed a towing receipt, and the location of the car. I emailed and spoke to [redacted] when she was making it clear that the almost $660 bill needed to be paid for to get our car off their lot. I asked and asked please let us know the location. [redacted] said she would email this to me along with the towing receipt that day. No email, no call. This was after I tried to explain, we will be driving down 6 HOURS to get the car and asked for all of this information with the promise that we would get it from [redacted] also said the car would be outside and ready for us to pick it up and tow home.
Saturday came and we received no calls and no emails to the location of our car. We provided all the requested information, paid our bill, and were now driving to pick up our car. Again I called the dispatch person and got [redacted] was extremely helpful and surprised that she didn't have a note or any indication that we were coming to get the car. She called and spoke to [redacted] who gave the location and address of the car as Lodi.
We arrived at the Lodi location and no car. At this point we were extremely frustrated with all we had been through. We found a gentleman to help us [redacted]. He had to deal with our emotions which he did not want to in the least bit and threatened us with an attitude of leaving us stranded without our car. It was made clear, "I don't even have to help you". [redacted] that is true, you don't have to help and you were perfectly fine to collect our money but you didn't want to hear about how your staff had treated us, now I see where your staff get their customer service skills. You were more concerned with us knowing that you had 4 locations and holding up four fingers in case we were could not count.
Finally, [redacted] explained where we need to go to get our car. Fortunately, we followed our GPS because his directions were from the wrong location. The towing people that helped us with our car were fantastic and were pleasant to us, and put the car on the tow dolly for us.
We got the car home with no problems, and took it to our usual mechanic who originally encouraged us to pick the car up so he could look at it. He put the car back together after inspecting the timing belt that had been installed. He was quickly confused because the car started and ran, but he could hear what appeared to be a problem with a vacuum line. Further inspection found a kinked vacuum line, and a line off. He remained confused as a forwarded the receipt from [redacted] stated that the engine had been blown, and that an additional 1.5 hours of labor had been charged at $85 an hour to confirm that the motor was blown. In the end, the car was fixed for simply $96 in labor to fix the mistakes that were made by Bill's Towing.
Please learn from what you put us through. The time, money and stress weren’t necessary. It would have taken [redacted] 5 minutes to give us the correct address and location of our car so we could get it easily, it would have been nice if [redacted] knew our car wasn't going to get looked at in a timely manner. [redacted] could have been honest too, stating she was unsure of when the mechanics would look at the car and not laugh when she realized the other receptionist called the wrong number.
To conclude I would propose this: The timing belt was going to be replaced at about 90,000 miles, so I feel that that is a fair charge. The explanation that the engine was blown was either poor mechanic work, or an outright lie. I feel that it is fair for Bill's Towing to reimburse the 1.5 hours of labor that were charged at $85 an hour after the replacement of the timing belt. Our mechanic is more than willing to speak with your management to explain the work that was done on the car, and explain the repairs that he made.