Do not be caught in the crossfire of fraudulent towing firms and tow trucks.
It’s hard to not feel stressed when you’ve had a booze binge and you’re in shock. you’re in a rush, traffic is rushing ahead of you, and all you’re thinking about is taking your vehicle off the road and getting it out of the way. When suddenly, a tow truck driver comes to remove your vehicle and you’re so content you’d kiss them.
So, do you simply take the first truck to show up at the scene and believe that they’ll take care of your needs? We’ll explain how to proceed in case of an emergency, what to be on the lookout for and what the regulations regarding tow trucks are in your area.
I’m in need of a 墨尔本拖车 How do I get one?
Call your insurance provider before you sign anything, you should contact your insurance company. They might be able arrange for a tow and provide you with the information you need to be expecting.
Make sure you check your cover towing cover differs from insurer to insurer, and it could be that you are not insured for towing. It’s recommended to read your product disclosure statement to verify the limits of your policy.
Don’t sign on thedotted line. Never fill out a blank or insufficient the towing authorization form. It should contain the exact address the place where your vehicle will be to be towed and the fee for towing.
Be sure to read the fine print. Always review the terms and conditions on a form for towing authorities. If you see anything suspicious do not sign it as you may be signing with more obligations than you had bargained for.
You have the right to choose where your vehicle is towed.
Make sure you take your time. If you’re in a hurry to weigh your options, consider having the vehicle taken to your residence. So you don’t get charged storage charges and will be able to decide when your mind is clearer, although you could end up having the expense of two tows.
“While it’s secure to use the majority of tow truck services however, if you’ve had an accident and your vehicle is not safe to drive, we suggest calling your insurer promptly and let them arrange the towing,” an RACQ spokesperson declares. “Insurers might have limitations regarding the amount they’ll offer for towing following an accident, and you do not wish to be without a reimbursement.”
Be aware that it’s unlawful for anyone to try to force you to purchase items or services Don’t allow anyone to force you to accept an tow if you’re at ease with the idea.
Always make sure you read the fine print
In the case of accident-related towing documents Any improbable deviations from the norm are buried in fine print. So make sure to ensure you go through it carefully. (Hard to do while still in shock from the crash however, 5 minutes of study could spare you a lot of pain over the long haul.)
A lot of states have forms that are regulated that are issued from the government of that state. So when you see something that looks more like an advertisement or contract instead of a standard one, be wary.
“Don’t sign any document at the site of an accident, except the official towing authorisation forms. This form must only include relevant information regarding the car as well as contact information and you should obtain the original,” says Campbell Fuller who is the insurance council of australia’s general manager for media relations and communications.
Carnapping and ways to avoid it
Certain towing companies make use of the state of mind after an accident to get you to sign a flimsy document even though you’re exhausted and unable to read all the small print. This is referred to in the field as “carnapping”.
In addition to giving towing companies permission to pull your vehicle Certain contracts also have incredibly unpleasing terms, such as forcing you to use an individual repairer that will be able to charge you (or your insurance company) excessive costs in exchange for storage or repairs.
“If you are liable for costs that are higher than what is covered by your insurance company under the policy you have you could end up having to pay the cost make sure you contact your insurance company prior to signing any contract,” an RACQ spokesperson states.
Next-level nasty
A particularly nasty ploy that takes carnap to the next level is unaware drivers signing papers which allow lawyers with a criminal record to take action on their on their behalf.
In 2017 Victorian attorney Nicholas Logan was found guilty of misconduct over his role in a scam where drivers who were not at fault were tricked into signing a contract that granted the lawyer permission to sue the at-fault driver to recover inflated repair costs.
Most of the time, victims weren’t aware of the scam until they were taken to the courtroom. In one instance, Logan try to concoct an insurer of a victim greater than $30,000 for the repairs.
Logan agreed to plead guilty to seven counts of misconduct and was barred from practices for a period of two years.
“Signed my whole life to go”
A rough day was made more difficult and more difficult for CHOICE member Kieren after he was involved in an accident in the year 2015. “Immediately following a collision head-on I swore my life to a shady towing company which charged me a hefty storage fee,” he says.
Kieren claims the driver of the tow truck put the incorrect date on his towing authority paperwork that effectively meant that he was only entitled to the right to store his vehicle for 48 hours rather than the 72-hour period he’s entitled in Queensland. Kieren was then billed storage charges of $66 per day. (Storage charges for towing accidents aren’t subject to regulation in Queensland however, storage charges for vehicles removed from car parks owned by private owners are only $25 per day.)
When he tried to get his vehicle removed from the holding yard of the company He was told that it was only possible to use the personnel of the company that tows it to lift it. Consequently, the wrecker hired by him to remove the vehicle was not permitted access to the vehicle. That meant he needed to pay a higher amount to the company in order to have his car towed to wrecker.
The Transport and Main Roads spokesperson claims that there’s no legal requirement for the same operator of a tow truck to be used to perform a second towing from the holding yard however, there aren’t any rules that prohibit it.
Although the company did not technically breach legality, they discovered ways to steal the most amount of cash from an unwitting person regardless of the restrictions of a controlled industry. This is the reason it’s important for you to make sure that you double (and triple) verify everything prior to you sign any documents.
What’s the situation for me in the state I’m from?
The industry of towing accidents is controlled at a local level, and the rules differ across Australia. In some areas, fees are limited and rules are enforced. In other areas there is no regulation, and shady companies continue to defraud consumers.
We’ve looked at the laws and laws (or the absence thereof) throughout Australia.
Do not make deals that are dirty
The industry of towing is not without its shady past Think standover strategies and connections to organised crime, and scandalous backroom deals.
The majority of states have tightened things up, however Western Australia really is the wild west of towing accidents and has no regulations on charges and accusations of charging excessively.
“Spotter’s fees” are not legal in all states. Australian states, however in WA companies, there is a blatant advertisement for the possibility of a payout up to $200 when you inform them of an accident.
While things are being more controlled however, the industry of towing isn’t always clean. An NSW law enforcement officer from NSW was fired in 2017 for supplying the towing company with accident tips in exchange for cash and a 2014 audit of the NSW smash repair industry revealed that drivers of tow trucks engage in illicit deals with smash repairers in order to “capture” jobs from drivers who aren’t at fault.
We spoke to one Sydney company owner that was given a’spotter’s fee by a towing business in the year 2017. His company was located near an intersection with a lot of traffic and plenty of auto collisions.
“One day, a tow-truck driver came in and told me, ‘If you notice a collision and you see a crash, call me and I’ll pay you 50 bucks and a half,'” Mike (not his real name) claims.
Mike claims he contacted the driver seven times. Despite the towing company taking care of the call He claims the driver only received an amount of $50. The last straw was a collision between two vehicles that the driver called him but did not receive a payment despite having seen the towing service load the two cars. “I haven’t contacted them since then,” Mike says.
Inducements such as spotter’s fees are prohibited under NSW pursuant to the Tow Truck Industry Act 1998.
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