Don't get scammed by 'unscrupulous' tow truck operators: AMA

A vehicle on a tow truck in a stock image. (Source: Pexels)

The Alberta Motor Association (AMA) is warning drivers about an increase in towing scams and has tips to avoid them.

With the arrival of winter comes an increase in accidents on the roads.

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On Dec. 10 in Edmonton, 138 collisions were reported before 4:20 p.m. according to Stephanie Greening, the western Canada operations manager with Accident Support Services International.

On Monday, the AMA launched its provincewide Know Before the Tow awareness campaign.

"Being in a collision or broken down at the roadside is stressful enough; the last thing any Albertan needs is high pressure from an unscrupulous tower," said Jeff Kasbrick, the vice president of advocacy and operations with AMA.

Part of the campaign is ensuring Albertans know their rights when it comes to having their vehicle towed.

"These rights may ultimately seem straightforward, but in moments of distress, they can be easily forgotten, and that's why we're urging all Albertans to be prepared to know their rights before they actually need them," Kasbrick said.

The five key rights in the campaign are:

• the right to refuse unsolicited towing services;
• the right to choose who tows your vehicle, and where, unless otherwise directed by police;
• the right to access your vehicle to retrieve personal items during a storage facility’s business hours;
• the right to ask if the towing company receives a kickback for taking your vehicle to a particular storage facility or repair shop; and
• the right to a quote prior to service, and an itemized invoice prior to making payment.

"These towing rights are clear and remind every Albertan that they’re in the driver’s seat when it comes to who they choose to tow their vehicle," Kasbrick said.

Edmonton and Calgary are seeing an increase in reports of "predatory towing," according to the AMA.

These towing companies will listen to emergency scanners to find the location of a collision and pressure drivers to use their services.

"This can result in highly inflated or improper charges, and sometimes the vehicle and its contents being withheld at a remote lot or shady repair shop until an exorbitant fee is paid," according to the campaign.

"Police have even laid theft charges in these situations, as people’s cars are essentially being held for ransom."

Drivers who are in a collision do not have to immediately remove their vehicle from the roadside unless police have told them to, added the AMA. In that case, police will have an approved tow operator.

If police aren't there, drivers are advised to take their time to contact a trusted roadside service provider.

"High-pressure tactics are the biggest tip-off of a tow scam," according to the AMA.

"Be sure to ask about towing and impound fees and, if towed to an auto shop, never agree to repairs without a written estimate."

Predatory towing was a large issue in Ontario for many years, leading the province to take over oversight of the industry and create new requirements for companies.

• Here are your rights when towing your vehicle in Ontario
• New tow truck requirements kick in, as province takes oversight of troubled industry

"With the new reforms coming into play in Ontario … we saw an influx come in this spring, and we've noticed that there's been a migration west," said Don Getschel, the president of the Towing and Recovery Association of Alberta.

The issue began to grow in the summer and fall, but exact numbers weren't available for how widespread the problem is, as it relies on the people being scammed to report it, Kasbrick added.

If drivers are unsure in a situation, they should ask questions because they have a right to transparency from tow companies and it is the driver's choice where and when to be towed.

"If you have not heard of this particular towing operator, Google them, see if there are any reviews, see if there's any reputation with regards to it," Kasbrick said.

"If there is an absence of that, be skeptical and feel free, because you have the right, to refuse that service."

Reputable companies will also have identifiers on their trucks, like the company name, logo, phone number and/or website, according to Getschel.

"Also, any tow company that is providing the service would be able to provide you with the cost of that service right up front," Getschel added.

Last week, Getschel's cousin was in an accident and called him for advice. Getschel told his cousin that he was sending a truck and that he would be approached by other operators but to tell them he already hired somebody.

"And he had three towers show up at that collision, and he said that they were going to tow the other person involved in a collision to the point where they got in a verbal argument on scene," Getschel said.

"These are not practices you're going to see from reputable outfits."

The AMA said that the province's towing industry is "highly reputable" and that it's the behavior of "a minority of unscrupulous "accident chasers"" causing the issue.

"People enter into towing because of a sense of service, they put themselves often in harm's way, but they feel that there's a greater calling, because they are helping their neighbors and fellow Albertans in difficult circumstances," Kasbrick said.

"Anything that happens in our province that runs the risk of harming that reputation is something that our operators are very concerned about."

The City of Calgary is looking at implementing a bylaw that would place a buffer zone around a roadside scene that no unsolicited tow truck operator can enter, violators would be subject to fines.

The City of Edmonton has a similar bylaw established already.

"(But) the fine has to be prohibitive enough that it disincentivizes that operator from going in (rather than) just accepting that risk of a fine as maybe a cost of doing business," Kasbrick said.

The province is also planning a towing roundtable next year and the AMA plans to suggest that the proposed buffer zone and fine be applied provincewide.

More details on what your rights are when it comes to towing are available online.

All AMA centres will soon offer free printed copies of the information that drivers can put in their glove boxes, the organization added.

If Albertans find themselves in these types of situations, they are encouraged to report the incidents to police.