Thursday Morning
I went and called Williams Towing company to get my car delivered to Mr. Autobody up on McCowan Road. Mr Autobody was a friends recommendation and it is a one man show that does good work on a secure barn site opposite of Markham Fair Grounds.
The car was picked up at 6 a.m. to be delivered to Mr. Autobody. I called Williams towing at 10 o’clock to confirm that the car was dropped off, they said yes. I then called Mr. Autobody right after, and they had identified that my car was no where in sight.
I called Williams towing again, and the dispatch and myself realized that the tow truck driver had dropped it off NOT at the designated location, but across the street.
Williams towing and the truck driver proceeded to correct the mistake after I called, and everything seemed fine and dandy.
I went over to Mr. Autobody on friday to drop off the money for the repairwork, and I had taken pictures of inside the hood, and the pictures are digital and dated.
I just got my car towed back to my house by the same towing company and even the same driver. I quickly found out that my catch can, my fuse box and my fuses had been pulled out of my hood. I have pictures from friday verifying that the components are missing and George from Mr. autobody is willing to put down a police statement.
Markham fair grounds was also called during the incident and they acknowledge that my vehicle was dropped off at there property instead of the bodyshop.
I want the towing company to pay for the damages.
If I file a police report, do you think that is possible?
How do you know it’s not Mr.Autobody that did it?
He jumped at the opportunity to file a police statement. How long was the car at Markham Fairgrounds for?
Was it dropped off at a Company on Markham Fairgrounds?
I would say to try to pull a BBB report on each of the three companies first to see if they have any history of this activity. You heard stories from two people but you’re still missing a story from Williams Towing. What if they say they are willing to file a Police report as well? Then what? Where do you start over?
You saw the car
Before the first tow
After the first tow
Before the Second tow DID NOT SEE
After the second tow
Considering you didn’t see the car before the second tow (the section in red) and you assure the car was good after the little mishap with putting it on Markham Fairgrounds, then it could be either Mr.Autobody OR Williams Towing. That leaves the from Friday after you left till when you received the car a few days later for things to happen. You paid for everything in advance so I would see it that the Autoshop feels free to do whatever he’d like to do.
I did not pay for everything in advance, it was 50/50. WHen I showed up on friday, the parts had already been removed, i had actually taken a picture directly of the engine bay without realizing that the parts were gone.
I don’t think anyone has the balls to remove my components, and then stand right in front of me as i take a picture of the missing components, and pretend like nothing happened. This guy is reputable, he was a recommendation from my friends and he did a great job.
The car was left at the markham fair grounds for 3-4 hours, between the time of 6:00 a.m. from when it was picked up to 10 a.m. when i began calling and confirming and realizing the issue.
The Mr. Autobody site is secure, with a german shepard guard dog, a residence and owner of the land out front and gates. Mr. Autobody is also a one man shop, he does all the work himself, and personally speaking, I trust him.
I also don’t think the tow truck driver stole it, why would they steal just a catch can and a fuse holder, with gold plated fuses??? They just made a good 100 bucks off me with the tow. None the less during the time in which this incident could half occured, the number one fault was that the car was towed to the wrong location, which was unsecure, and the end result was that something was stolen, and at the timeframe and liability of whom? the tow truck company
So you said the parts had already been removed when you got there… yet you took it to an auto body shop. What were they doing? Swapping the engine or something? Some people are pretty smooth and remain calm when certain things happen. Was the car in a running state? Didn’t he have to start it to move it around the shop? Wouldn’t he think to tell you that the car wasn’t running right, if at all?
I’ve seen lots of people deal with a reputable vendor because they were referred, only to get screwed over themselves. It’s not impossible for it to happen to you and not someone you should factor out yet. A few years ago there was a guy on ebay. He was a power seller that had 10000+ sales, 100% positive reputation. Then out of the blue for 10 or 20 transactions straight, he posted things online that were high priced items, but didn’t really have the items to sell. He took the money and disappeared. It’s not impossible for this to happen.
So did you, or have you paid for the second half yet?
So it was a done deal even before you saw it the first time. Check out Markham Fairgrounds. Take a look at what type of place it see
It was rust work, and I would have done all the work myself if I had a welder and the time. THe car had no interior, and everything was stripped to the bare bones. no fenders, no radiator, and it was just a rolling chassis. Due to the fact that it was not driven to a secure location at the shop, i believe that is why this issue arose. I’ve already paid the second half, i understand your caution towards the shop itself, thanks
hmmmm, this situation is pretty tough. All three know they’ll get away with it perfectly fine. They probably don’t care much about a little bad reputation and a lost customer so it’s really just a shot in the dark.
When a car roles in bare bones like a parted out vehicle, the worker usually thinks that the owner won’t remember exactly what was or wasn’t there, and takes it. A car that sits in the open for hours is easy to strip, especially when unattended, but just as easy with minor supervision. I’ve heard of some tow truck drivers that like to take a little extra on the side of their paycheque, so it’s really hard to pinpoint where it happened.
its just the principle of the event. if i can get the tow truck company to replace the parts, i’m happy. if not then i’ll flame war them to hell across every single car forum on the GTA. considering i’m almost part of every single car forum in the gta anyways. this was a mistake that was made by the tow truck company that ultimately led to the stolen items, it is the principle of the issue for the tow truck company to recognize that this issue would not have occured if they had done their jobs correctly in the first place, as such, i am placing the blame on them, and no one else, not even the thief who probably stole the stuff at the markham fair grounds, or the tow truck driver, who was a ****ing idiot.
yes, but have you ever made a mistake yourself? Would you want the same thing to happen to you if you were in the same position as the towing company?
The thing is, the tow truck company quickly resolved their messup when they found out about it. I don’t know the exact conversation that was had to lead them to the wrong place, but it could also have been a misunderstanding on the phone.
What if the towing company doesn’t pay you back, but fires the tow truck driver instead for messing up? What would you say then?
You would still be upset because you’re out a few parts. You need to focus your attention on finding the thief and not lay wrong blame.
I mean if I was the theif, the car looks like its half stripped next to a barn in a public place I’d have a field day checking out whats in it for me to steal.
The good thing is that for everything else I had, Turbo in it, downpipe, wastegate, bov solenoid, and my gauges!! were all installed very well by me and cannot be removed easily. IF my car was not dropped off at the wrong location then this would not have occured. and Yes, I have made mistakes, and I have been caught with them, but this is life, and we are all professionals, especially when paid a hundred dollars to tow a car. If you **** up, there are consequences, that is life.
The key was in the ignition so that the bodyshop could navigate the car. The hood was not locked, but the interior was, hence, nothing was stolen from the interior. If the car had been placed in a secure location drop off as designated by my instructions, then the vehicle would not have been visible to the public as the shop is not located in a dense urban area, but a farm