[the_tow_guy]

Just some suggestions to make your next towing experience better and give the overworked and underpaid driver a break:

1. If your vehicle is at/near an address or intersection, don't try to give directions to the location - just give us the address. If we're not familiar with your area we'll ask for clarification. Telling us to "turn right on Elm St" is only helpful if we're coming from the direction you THINK we're coming from.

2. Don't assume we'll be there in an hour and a half if we said 45 minutes. Barring any emergencies, we'll be there when we say.

3. Please make sure the car is accessible for towing; if it's blocked in by another vehicle, please clear the way before we arrive. If there is going to be a problem getting to the car, let us know in advance; sometimes we need a different truck or will need to schedule you for a later time. Additional note: If your car breaks down every other day and needs to be towed, please don't park it in weird locations where a tow truck can't go.

4. Please locate your keys BEFORE the truck pulls up to your house and if you have other keys on the ring, please remove them.

4a. If you are leaving the keys for an unattended pickup (under the seat, under a floor mat), do NOT lock the car door! DUH!

5. Remove your important stuff, babies car seat, CDs, beer cooler, school books, and anything else you need before we are hooked up and starting to drive away.

6. If you have instructions for the garage/mechanic, communicate with them directly or write out a note and leave it on the driver's seat. Sometimes what you tell us to pass on to the mechanic gets lost in the translation. Plus, if you tell us to "have them fix that transmission leak while they're doing the brakes", your leak's probably not getting fixed until the mechanic talks to you anyway.

7. Don't assume we'll take a check. Especially don't assume we'll take it if the check number is 101.

8. Please don't stand in the way giving hand signals unless requested.

9. Most tow trucks can only carry one or two passengers. If you have 4 people in your vehicle, you will need to make transportation arrangements for the overflow.

10. Please don't wait until you car is already hooked up to tell us you have a motor club. Inform us when you request the tow; we may or may not be able to do the tow for you. ESPECIALLY don't use the phrase "I have Triple-A"!

11. Don't call for a tow/jump start if you are going to continue to try to fix the car/get it started yourself. We just LOVE driving 10 miles out for a tow and as we pull in you're slamming the hood and saying, "Nevermind, I got it started".

12. Don't expect the driver to make a diagnosis or repair. Our insurance company doesn't like it and neither does your mechanic.

13. Make sure all the parts that you took off while trying to fix it yourself are reinstalled properly before we haul it off down the road.

Thank you and have a pleasant day.

TG