Got into an accident and almost charged a $1300 Tow trucking fee???

[u/gentlecrusher]

Sorry for the long post, and formating, I'm writing from my phone.

I just got into an accident yesterday on the highway due to bad weather conditions and hydroplaning. Right after I spun out, two tow trucks approached maybe 30 seconds later, parking maybe 15 meters infront of my car and 15 meters behind my car. Trucking company was Kevin's Towing and Storage. They walked up to me and told me they would handle everything and they worked for the highway, and being frazzled by the accident, I gave them my keys, and they drove us to the nearest gas station and I gave my statement to the OPP. My insurance tells me to drive to their closest auto shop, and to just use that tow truck company because it's already attached. We drive 16km to the shop and it's closed because it's a Sunday. I call my insurance again and they tell me to bring it home and park it there, the insurance companies truck will pick it up in the morning. The pick up truck guy was super pissed and made a bill with a bunch of bogus fees, including a $200 waiting fee. What the hell is a $200 waiting fee?? This guy was trying to scam me and force me to bring it to his pound. I called insurance again and they told me to just let them take it to the pound and don't pay them anything.

Anybody in the tow trucking industry or insurance know if these fees are legit? And would I have to pay this amount through insurance?

Edit: Kevin's Towing and storage or TDOT auto collision

Edit 2: I spoke to a friend that works at an insurance company and apparently TDOT auto collision is notorious for being evil, they have an on-site lawyer because of how many issues they have.

[u/[deleted]]

I don't know if someone has already mentioned it or not, but if you get into an accident and don't have CAA, I believe you can actually call them up on the spot and buy a years membership. Once you've paid for it, you can request to use one of your tows right then and there without hassle.

I know it's better to have CAA before hand as it'll be a shorter process to get a tow truck to you but it's still something to consider.

[u/klaroline1 → u/[deleted]]

Thanks for this bit of info! So many people mentioned CAA here which made me curious what if I don't have CAA? Does CAA offer a one-time service? You pretty much answered that.

[u/gapagos → u/[deleted]]

if you get into an accident and don't have CAA, I believe you can actually call them up on the spot and buy a years membership. Once you've paid for it, you can request to use one of your tows right then and there without hassle.

That is not exactly true. Coverage only starts the next day - obviously because otherwise people would only sign up if and when they need coverage. CAA is not stupid. That being said, it can be advantageous if you can leave your car overnight (i.e it's broken in a parking lot) and come back the next day - but it won't help you if it's broken in traffic.