AAA Automotive - towed from Germantown, PA to Devon, PA - charged $ 250 - should have been charged $ 95

From:

RE: AAA Automotive - towed from Germantown, PA to Devon, PA - charged $ 250 - should have been charged $ 95

I was towed by AAA three weeks ago on Wednesday, November 5th. I drove through a puddle, and about 5 or 6 blocks later, my car stalled. Although I don't have AAA membership, I called to get my car towed. Over the phone I was told they offer a one-time emergency service that costs $50, plus $3/per mile - it sounded reasonable, so I agreed.

They took my credit card number over the phone. AAA arrived an hour and a half later and towed the car. My car didn't arrive at the designated dealership until the next day. The dealership was only 15 miles away (the tow was from Germantown to Devon, PA) so the total cost should have been $50 plus $45 for the miles, for a total of $95. However, now my account lists a deduction for AAA in the amount of $250.

I spent about an hour on the phone trying to get AAA to tell me what the charges were for. After an hour of waiting on the phone, I was never given a specific breakdown of costs, but I was told that the charges were for the following:

(1) extricating my car from a puddle of water. I was told the charge for extricating a car from water is anywhere from $85-$120, but was never told how much I was specifically charged. Moreover, I had driven 5 or 6 blocks after going through a puddle - my car stalled on a dry street, not in the middle of a puddle, so AAA did not have to extricate my car.

(2) storage at a facility. I was never told my car would be stored overnight, nor did I provide any authorization. The charge for storage is $35.

(3) 35 miles, to and from, the storage facility. Again, I was never told in advance, and never gave any authorization for the storage or extra miles.

(4) miscellaneous charges for sending the AAA truck away and then calling for another truck. I was never told how much this cost, but most important, I never cancelled the truck. I waitd an hour and a half until the AAA truck arrived.

AAA told me that they would not refund any money to my account, and that my only option was to dispute the amount via my bank. I'm sure I'm not the only person in the Philadelphia area who this has happened to, especially considering I was never given any paperwork, any bill, and never signed anything.

The only reason why I realized I was overcharged was because I recently looked at my account online and saw the $250 charge - I'm sure there are plenty of people who get overcharged and don't ever realize because they don't keep track of their accounts.

I expect a refund of any amount over the $95, which is the only amount I agreed to for the tow.

My name is Beth M. Gellman, and my phone number is 267-266-ssss. Please feel free to contact me if you need any further details.

Note, a copy of this email has been sent to the Philadelphia Better Business Burea, the Federal Trade Commission, www.complaints.com, and various individuals at AAA.