I feel that this whole situation is terrible. I'm not mechanical and,
if I hadn't had experiences with prices on repairs to other cars, probably would
have paid him, no questions asked. I've been very fortunate that I've
been lucky with auto shops.
I had a situation last week that wasn't as bad is this, but an
example. When I got my 1965 Crown, I knew it had to have tires, so the
seller took me to a local tire shop and I got a nice set of four Cooper
white-walls with a 70,000 mile warranty for about $450.00. On my trip
home, I ended up in West Memphis, Arkansas with a broken alternator belt.
The shop replaced ALL the belts on the car as none of them were in very good
condition, at a cost of about $165.00. Both places basically dropped
what they were doing, worked on my car, and got me on my way. I felt these
prices were reasonable for the work performed.
As far as the tow, and we're talking 20 miles, $135.00 tops. My '83
Volvo broke down at work last year (a fuel relay), which is over 30 miles from
my regular shop and the tow-truck charge was $135.00. This year, the
alternator failed about 10 miles from the shop and the SAME tow truck driver (I
have his card) charged me $70.00, as that's his minimum.
I suppose, if it were me, I'd first call my insurance company and have them
get me the tow and then charge everything else on a credit card, if
possible. I'd do what you're doing and e-mail everyone in the world about
this guy and contact the state because there are usury laws in every
state.
That's my nickel's worth.
Timothy Callaway
1965 Crown 4-door See what's free at AOL.com. |