Decker's Auto Body

I was over charged for towing after being involved in an accident and was treated in an unprofessional manner.On July 18th, 2013 I was involved in a motor vehicle accident. A tow truck was called for my vehicle by the responding police officer. When the tow truck arrived from Decker's Auto Body of Great Barrington MA, I explained to the driver that I wanted my vehicle towed back to my house approx. 12 miles away, in North Canann, CT. He told me he had to bring the vehicle back to his shop, at which time I explained to this tow truck driver I did not want my car to go to his shop and that he should just leave the vehicle and I would get another tow truck. He was insistent that the vehicle be taken to his shop, I then asked the police officer at the scene for assistance and to explain to the driver to not take my car to his shop. The driver then stated to myself and the police officer that he was not a tow truck driver, that he was a mechanic at the shop and that he had to return to the shop and that they would simply switch drivers once returning to the shop and my car would be towed to my residence as requested. Once we arrived at Decker's this driver parked the flat bed tow truck with my car atop inside their lot and instructed me to go into the office and explain to the people inside where I wanted my car taken. I proceeded to do so, at which time the office personnel told me their tow driver was not available currently and I'd have to wait approximately a half an hour. Being shook up and not feeling my best from the accident this was a little unsettling but I had no other choice and said ok and sat there patiently and waited. When the 30 minutes was about up I asked if the driver had returned, they said he had and asked me to pay my bill at that point before they would tow my car back to my residence as I initially requested from the accident scene, which was closer in proximity then when my car was taken to Decker's which is further away from my residence then the accident location. Decker's Auto body is approximately two miles further North (away from my house) then from the accident scene which was approximately 12 miles from my house. The office [redacted] then told me the bill for towing would be $271.64, I was astonished and asked how could it be so much. She held the bill and read from it explaining to me that the 1st. tow to the shop was 90.00 and $16.00 more for miles plus a $6.64 fuel surcharge, and that there was a charge for a second tow $75.00 and miles $84.00 from their shop to my house. I told her I was not going to pay that amount because I never requested to go to their shop, my vehicle should not have been taken there in the first place and only was taken there because they needed to make a switch of drivers (which turned out to be a 30 minute wait) because they needed their "mechanic" back. I must also note my vehicle was never off loaded from the tow truck while at their yard. The [redacted] relayed the information to another female working in the office whom I later learned is part [redacted] of [redacted]'s and she said she would not remove the extra and I contend illegal charges. I informed her then that I intended to call the police and if possible have the responding officer from the vehicle accident respond to the shop so he could sort it out and she could explain to him how it was now two tows. She said she would call the police and she did. She talked briefly to them then handed the phone to me, as I was explaining on the phone what had happened she instructed her [redacted] to remove the second tow fee, I then handed her the phone and she said over the phone she was removing the second tow fee, but I would later realize the second mileage fee of $84.00 was never removed. That whole time she treated me in a rude and obnoxious manner. I paid 196.64 at that time and my vehicle was towed back to my house by another driver who was quite nice. I believe the attempt to overcharge was illegal or in violation of Massachussetts towing regulations and that the first responding driver may not have been a Lic. tow operator.Desired SettlementI would like a refund of the second tow mileage charge $84.00, and this complaint to be forwarded to the appropriate agency if in fact the tow company violated any law, statute or regulation.Business' Initial Response On July 18, 2013 we responded to a tow dispatched by the [redacted] Police Dept. The driver that responded to the accident is a mechanic at our facility, however, he does tow for us as well during closing hours, and does back up during business hours. The charge for the second hook up was done in error and was corrected once it came to our attention. According to Mass Regulation for towing the total tow invoice should have been $215.53, which is not the total billed. The charges only reflected the tow from accident scene to his residence in North Canaan, CT, we did not include the mileage to return to shop. The invoice was broken down in accordance to the driver towing the vehicle. That is done due to the fact that the drivers get paid on a commission basis. We did discount the tow for the inconvenience of having to come to the facility to exchange drivers. The complainant stayed at the window and paced furiously in the lobby until the second driver was ready to leave. The complainant repeatedly asked about the invoice and time for leaving. He continuously asked for the invoice prior to leaving and while trying to accommodate his rush for the invoice is when the error was made. The women in the office felt as if they were in an awkward position and were on defensive side. We did apologize profusely for the delay, and did attempt to meet his demands.Consumer's Final Response (The consumer indicated he/she DID NOT accept the response from the business.)There was no error made they intentionally billed for two hook ups, and at first they refused to remove the charge for the second hook up. It was not until the police were called when they agreed to remove the charge for the second hook up. I still contend I was overcharged for mileage, they charged from the accident scene to their shop and from their shop to my residence. Additionally, I have since learned that the first driver that responded to the scene , fraudulently misstated the location of the accident to further embellish the charge. This is reflected on the tow report and the actual accident report. The notion that I paced furiously (how does one pace furiously?) in their waiting room is preposterous. I was not feeling well and was disoriented from the accident and was more than happy to be sitting. I only asked about the invoice after it was presented to me for payment and I objected because I was clearly being overcharged for the towing. Once again I must reiterate had they just towed my vehicle from the accident scene to my residence this all would have been avoided. Instead they chose to play games, either in hopes of acquiring a vehicle to fix or in over charging for a second tow and the associated additional mileage.Which ultimately they did. When I was in the tow truck (during the initial tow) to their shop I heard their dispatcher say over the two way " you're bringing that vehicle back to the shop right?" to which the driver responded that he was. It was orchestrated. There was no discount given, the female [redacted] conducted herself on that day in a rude and obnoxious manner, I was over charged, they misstated the accident location, they attempted to charge for two tows, those are the facts. Their response is filled with baseless lies in an attempt to cover up their improper conduct.Business' Final Response The two separate charges reflect for internal use only. Driver's are paid on commission basis and it is easier to keep track of by separating charges. Which we tried to convey to the consumer. We used [redacted] Street due to the location being dispatched to, the accident scene was two business' down from that address.

non certified diesel mechanic - did not have equipment to qualify repairs then told me to pick up the vehicle after several days 700.00 nothing fixed.After contacting [redacted] the tow driver solicited my business saying they could fix a diesel truck. The kept the truck several days - contacting me twice, letting me know that they were buying parts, once they were aware they could not fix it - because they are non-certified diesel mechanic and also that they did not have the equipment to fix it, to come pick it up and take it to another mechanic that was qualified. They charged me 700.00 and they had not fixed anything and they also need to charge me for towing to another shop. I don't thing that I should have paid for the parts that did not fix my truck because they were just guessing what might be wrong. Sadly disappointed. Desired SettlementWhy would I have to pay for products that they did not even know if it would fix it or not. I should have been informed from the start that they are not diesel mechanics and just hoping that something they were guessing at would work. No equipment to test to see what the problem was. 700.00 is a lot of money for them to guess with. The parts that they ordered did not fix the problem.