A STUNNED driver was hit with a $525 bill after a towing company took the “long route” when his car died on the highway – and he had the proof to back it up.
Patrik Bohn was traveling home for the holidays when his 2013 Subaru Outback came to a shuddering halt.
Patrik Bohn was hit with a $525 towing bill just before Thanksgiving[/caption]
He was able to provide proof his car had been towed on the shorter route[/caption]
The driver from Wheeling, West Virginia contacted his insurer, AAA, to have the card towed.
Bohn ended up almost missing Thanksgiving with his family in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, but his troubles were only just beginning.
AAA charged him $525 for the 275-mile route, rather than $310 for the 230-mile direct route it would have taken along Pennsylvania’s Turnpike.
Under his platinum-tier membership, AAA would have covered the first 200 miles of towing.
But Bohn claims that the towing company lied about taking the longer route home to rack up a higher bill.
He says he can prove they took the Pennsylvania Turnpike because he left his work cell phone – complete with tracking technology – in the glove compartment of his car.
“It has live tracking on it because I do a lot of traveling for work,” he told local ABC affiliate ABC27.
Thanks to the GPS feature in his phone, Bohn says he has time-stamped video recordings of the towed car making its way along the turnpike before getting off in Carlisle.
He even provided a time-stamped photo of himself inside a house in Carlisle at the same time.
Bohn said he paid the $525 and asked AAA Central Penn – where he’s a member – to pay the $315 difference.
He says after being pushed back and forth between AAA Central Penn and the local club that dispatched the truck in West Virginia, he still hasn’t been helped.
“AAA told me that this is at the tow truck company’s discretion, and the owner of the tow truck company is calling me a liar despite all of this evidence,” he said.
AAA did not immediately respond to The U.S. Sun’s requests for comment.
Bohn says he filled out a reimbursement form with AAA Central Penn before going to the news.
What to do if your car is towed
Wrongfully or not, retrieving a towed vehicle can be a hassle.
If your vehicle is towed after parking in a “No Parking” zone or other legitimate reason, there are a few steps to take to get it back.
Steps to take when your car is towed:
- Try to figure out why your car was towed. Did you not see a posted “No Parking” sign? Did you miss a car payment? Did you return to a lot where you have unpaid citations? Finding the reason can narrow down the phone numbers to dial.
- Locate the vehicle. Most states, cities, or counties require towing companies to leave some form of contact information via a posted sign or sent by mail.
- Recovery dates and times depend on the company that towed the vehicle, but those times will be posted to the website or can be recited by a representative.
- Pay the fees. Be careful to be as prompt as possible, as some tow yards may charge storage fees by the day.
If you feel your vehicle was wrongfully towed, contesting the action can be done with the following steps:
- Be prompt – many states have a small window of time where it’s acceptable to file a complaint against a company that wrongfully towed the vehicle.
- Gather supporting documents: photos, emails, receipts, police reports, and witness statements if applicable. The more evidence, the better.
- Get familiar with your local laws, as laws for towing companies vary per state.
- Try speaking with the towing company. Sometimes it may have been a simple oversight, and the matter can be resolved quickly.
- Contact the Justice of the Peace in your area, as they may have more insight or resources to help. They are often utilized for towing cases.
- Talk to a lawyer. Many lawyers have free case consultations, and depending on the case, it may be worth it to utilize a lawyer.
Source: Oregon Department of Justice, National General, Rak Law Firm
Several days on, Bohn received a call from AAA Central Penn saying it would reimburse him.
“The reimbursement is the outcome of a process to verify details that began immediately after the member notified us of the situation,” a spokesperson said.
Bohn said getting the money back was a huge relief.
With his partner in full-time education finishing school to become a physical therapist, he is the main breadwinner in the household.
