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My neighbours car broke down on a motorway slip road this morning. She was alone in the car. It was a three year old Discovery just out of warranty. She called Land Rover Assistance who arranged a tow truck, while she waited for them to get back to her she also called a family member who is a mechanic. He arranged for a local recovery truck to pick her and the car up.
While she awaited the call back from Land Rover and the mechanics tow truck, a Dial a Tow truck pulled up. When asked if The family member had sent him he said yes and proceeded haphazardly to load the disabled car onto the recovery truck. That turned our to be a lie, he had had no instructions from the family mechanic. He instructed my neighbour to call Land Rover assistance to cancel their truck.
Whilst in the process of loading a second truck arrived. This it turned out was the truck sent by the family member. There followed refusal by the bogus opportunist Dial a Tow driver to get out of the Land Rover until the second driver took action.
There is no knowing where this could have ended up had she gotten into the Dial a Tow truck.
What is the best way to report such an action to a regulatory body if indeed there is one? Are they regulated by the council or Police?
There isn't one as far as I'm aware. It sounds as though a chancer took advantage of a stranded woman and was hoping to get the car back to his garage and no doubt fixed for more than it should have cost.
It does sound rather iffy - woman being mislead into strangers truck?
AT the very least I would have thought police would want a chat about his behaviour, and how it could be construed...?
As this is now after the fact, I'd call 101 to report to the Police or pop to the local station. They'll tell you if there was any criminal wrong-doing.
Thanks folks, I think it would be well worth reporting his actions to the Poliice. There was the suggestion from the legitimate driver that that this wasn't the first time he had heard of this driver / company's similar actions.
Trading standards perhaps? Although they haven't carried out any dodgy work, it is deception surely?
I can't offer any advice on the regulatory body, but I am aware of the company and not surprised that this happened.
I'd like to know if background checks are carried out on drivers?
Mcmoonter, to the best of my knowledge recovery drivers and recovery companies are not licensed or regulated in any way. They ar even exempt from some normal commercial vehicle rules..
So trading standards are obvious route. If there was an attempt to defraud then police.
Report to Police, lone woman getting into a tow truck she had no details of.
a few years ago, stopped on a local main road, van overheating, no problem allow to cool and refill with water, 10 mins after stopping a tow truck turned up and offered to take me to my destination, i refused, they said they had been sent by the police, i still refused, few days later talking to a police officer customer told him, he said it was a scam, they recover you and want let you have the vehicle back unless you pay them large amounts of cash, and as youve accepted a tow/recovery you have to pay as its then a civil matter.
Also somewhere in the AA book of rules it says to make sure any tow truck that attends is sent by the AA, if not one of their vans.