Wendy discusses the rules and responsibilities of the tow truck industry
Wendy chatted to several professionals in the industry regarding misconceptions, rules and the rights of both the consumer and the tow truck operator. If you missed the show, take a listen to the audio at the bottom of the article!
Some tips from Wendy:
*If you have insurance, programme the name and number of your insurer’s towing hotline into your cellphone, and call them when you’re in an accident and your car needs towing.
If you aren’t insured, programme one or both of South Africa’s towing associations into your cellphone - phone them from the scene of an accident and hey will give you guidance and details about their members.
United Towing Association of SA (UTASA) - call centre number 0861 188 272
SA Towing & Recovery Association (SATRA) - 24-hour line - 0861 072 872
*Never let anyone phone your insurance company on your behalf. What many do is pretend to call your insurer and then tell you they have approval, when they don’t, and you end up paying for the tow as a result.
*Never sign a blank towing form - make sure you stipulate on the form where the car will be towed to, and check that what the tow truck operator has quoted you in terms of the tow, and storage fees is what is recorded on the form. There should also be a checklist of what is in the car, such a spare wheel.
*Get all the tow-truck company's details before they disappear with your car - full name of the driver, the company's physical address and landline number, and the registration number of the truck.
*If insured, call your insurer soon after your car has been towed to ensure that all is in order. If not insured, and your car has been towed to a tow truck company’s yard, make arrangements to have it collected as soon as possible to avoid sky-high storage fees.
*Never put your signature above the terms and conditions on the form. Many companies state this on their forms: "By signature hereto, you agree to the terms and conditions on reverse hereof.” Motorists who don’t read the back of the form get a fright when they release their vehicles - a massive bill made up, for example, of towing rates of R3,950, storage of R250 per day, recovery of R2,300, admin of R950 and security of R950.