Seth Babaei was on his way home from work in late May when he got into an accident. He says a tow truck showed up at the accident scene, one he did not call.
“I was in a near-death experience. My brain doesn’t work, it’s 2 a.m., I just had an eight-hour shift,” he tells CityNews. “He was talking to me and said, ‘Do you want your car towed?’ At first, I refused, I said no, I don’t want my car towed, but even with my refusal, they still stayed there.”
After contacting his insurer, he was told that towing was not included in his policy. He then made the decision to use the tow truck that was already on the scene.
“I asked him about the prices. He did not give me any breakdown of their prices and the services that they’re going to give me,” Babaei explained. “Later on, they pulled up to a gas station, and they gave me a piece of paper to sign. On that paper, there was nothing on it, no handwriting, nothing of the prices and the services that they’re going to give me. It was an empty piece of paper.”
Last month, the Ford government passed several new measures aimed at strengthening oversight of the troubled tow truck industry as part of regulatory changes to the Towing and Storage Safety and Enforcement Act.
“You are required to sign something, but it cannot be blank. It should not be blank,” said CAA spokesperson Teresa Di Felice, who notes that while the new towing laws have cut down on bad actors in the industry, drivers still need to be vigilant.
“If you’re getting a lot of pressure about where to go or for services or to sign something, you can call the police for help.”
CityNews reached out to the tow company in question, who say they followed all the rules, including giving an itemized price breakdown of the initial consent form.
Babaei says he did receive an itemized bill, but only after he went to retrieve his car and paid more than $2,000 to get it back.
“He did not show me any of that,” he said, adding he’s filed a complaint with the Ministry of Transportation, asking them to investigate.
Following his experience, Babaei had this warning for others who find themselves in a similar situation.
“Watch out for the papers that you sign, and no matter how bad the situation is, do not agree to something that you don’t feel comfortable with.”
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