i made the news on the CT river run

[action20]

http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=1487816

I made the news but not in the fashion that i had hoped. I was treated at a local hospital and i am fine. i have some bruises but i am ok. I was wearing my life jacket.

To all you of you CT area people be aware of Bishops towing and recovery in Cromwell Ct.

I went into their shop and told them i was there for the boat. Bill Bishop told me in the office that it would be around 600.00 which was an estimate that his father came up with. He said" if had had my way it would be between 800 and 1000.00 dollars". Shocked by the price of 600.00 for the recovery. I said fine. He then asked my if he wanted me to bill the insurance company. I told him i didn't have insurance. I then went and went to go view my boat and await the invoice. The price had now jumped to 850.00. We argued i told him he was crook and he said "go get the cash i don't like your attitude" and locked the gate behind me. I have since filed a claim with the better business bureau.

Through all of this i had Help from "2.5H" Brad Snow and also "Rich Owen". Thse guys were great and offered thier time and services to help in any way they could.

I also like thank Dean Hazzard for getting the water out of the 225 crude Rude and firing it up for me and making sure the motor was OK.

thanks Guys !

[action20]

Thanks Jay "5.7VegasIO" for pulling me out of the water and keeping Hazmat away from the scene !!

[Liqui-Fly]

We saw the Action's bottom on the 11 pm news Saturday night. Those cruisers were throwing some serious wakes the assholes. We even gotr a little spay in the 36 Spectre. Tell that douche bag to give your boat back for free or visiting his shop will become an annual thing for the CT river runners.

David

[Scream And Fly]

That's incredible, and I am VERY glad to see you're okay. The boat can always be replaced or repaired, and we are all here to help.

Greg:)

[wing nut]

first off im glad your OK. that guy who pulled your boat is a major A-hole! keep us up 2 date on whats happining with the boat..

scott

[transomstand]

Scott,
The most important issue is who called for the tow. Police, DEP, Coast Guard? If it was one of those agencies it was a nonconsentual tow. The rates are regulated by the state motor vehicle dept. If an official agency calls for a tow, and the boat was not a hazard to traffic. That agency may be liable for ALL the charges. You can request a hearing for this. Forget the BBB, nice people but useless. Especially when dealing with an asshole like this. To hit him where it hurts, get a bigger asshole after him from DMV. They got the big hammer, they control his license. Check the Ct state DMV website, look under dealers, repairers, towing. There is a wealth of info about this.
Pete

[Rich Owen]

Good info Pete ! ( I'm still amazed you've had that Ventura since 1975)
Here's the link Scott .
http://ct.gov/dmv/taxonomy/ct_taxonomy.asp?DLN=30152&dmvNav=|30152|&dmvPNavCtr=|30185|#30185

[mr.clean]

I WOULD TAKE MY BOLT CUTTERS AND MAKE A NIGHT OF IT ;) my 2 cents:) :)

[at100plus]

Question - with all the S&Fers there all the trucks trailers etc... why did you need to hire a recovery service?

That really pisses me off that they are charging you so much.

[thaw ripper]

:) Glad to hear your still alive and in one piece! Boats & Motor can for sure be replaced. Lifes and Limbs can not. Video sounded like you were very unlucky, but in a way real lucky. I agree with wing nut what an A-hole some guys just don't give a F@#K :mad:

[TTriton]

Glad to hear that you are OK..

[action20]

Great info transom stand !!

I will do just what you suggested.

The only thing that concerns me is the fact that the cops were all freaking out because they saw gas. They almost called hazmat and that would have been much harder on the wallet. Luckily they didn't. It was not in the in the way of traffic because my my friend jason had pulled it to shore. The cops called for the tow. I will look into the DMV thing and see what i can do. At the very least bring that jerk to court for a day and make him sweat.

Thanks,

Scott

[AnthonySS]

Glad you OK...sorry it had to happen tho. On the bright side I think events like this happen to make us all a bit wiser and they really show the true character of your boating buds. Sounds like you were in good company and your buds respect you back...THATS COOL!!!

[TTriton]

I can't stay quite.. It does suck that it happend but $850 for the salvage of a overturned vessel is cheap!! And as for who called.. It is your boat.. It doesn't matter who called as long as it was a officer.. They have the athority to call the tower and have the hazard to nav removed or a accident scene cleaned , cleared and secured for accident investigation. And yes a one boat crash is a accident and the law has the right to call the tower and secure the boat in its yard for however long they want till they release the boat to the owner. And they can call to have it removed Expecially if it is leaking gas. Which is not so much of a containment problem. Gas can't be contained in a boom it must be allowed to dissapate or it will build up to a explosive condition. We normally charge $100 Per for for salvage plus $125 per hour per boat involved. Granted many times for smaller boat that are light like your we will give discounts to and expecially if the ower is uninsured we will also give discounts. As for a midnight run to get your boat you will end up in jail.. BUT... Here in florida you can get your boat back by calling the police and with your title and a officer he will have to turn the boat over to you. But now he will go after you in court in any number of ways. Simple civil court and sue you.. Or what we normally do is have the boat arrested by Federal marshalls. After a boat is arrested it will be siezed and held by the tower or a storage yard. Now you will be resposible for the arrest fees $2500 plus the Salvage fee and then the storage fee's. It can get very expencive very fast.. Granted for a smaller boat that is not worth big dollars having a boat arrested is not a wise option for the tower unless that want to get stuck with the boat. We only will arrest higher dollar boats that if it does happen we would be more than happy to get stuck with.

If I can be of any help just let me know.. And remember all my info is for FLORIDA.. Your laws or rights might be diffenrent in your state.

[transomstand]

The laws are much different in Ct. Because the police called for the tow, it is a non-consentual tow. The rates are strictly regulated by the State. A boat in Ct is a motor vehicle just like a car. The same rules apply. I called my own towing service today, and he confirmed all this. He thought the $600 was outrageous. He also said Mr. Bishop (the father), was a pretty good guy. So maybe his son is the problem and a call to his father will straighten this thing out. In any case, the max fee for a tow is $74.00 and max $4.00 per mile. He can charge labor for additional services, extra man, etc. but it all has to be documented and the labor rates have to be posted in his shop. If you get a copy of the bill, I can look it over for you. State law says it has to be fully itemized and legible.
Pete

[Electric Fish]

Almost sounds like a scam. Why would the driver be arrested if it was at midnight? If he is sober what is he being arrested for? So if their is an accident and you happen to get the call and it is a nice boat and you would like to have it you just rack up the charges until he says just keep the thing. Like I said, sounds like a scam.

[TTriton]

You don't arrest the driver you arrest the boat.. And no you don't just rack up charges till you take the boat.. Granted some other companies might try that but we do not.. And a boat is NOT the same as a car in florida.. And I truely doubt that it is there also. A boat is very different and you are dealing with maritime laws. And a max charge for a tow of $74.. No marine towing company could stay in biz with that fee.. We ourselfs pay $15,000 a year in insurance and go thou motors like they are disposable. If you want my personal opinion that fee is VERY just and fair.. he gave you quite a deal from what I would think it would cost from the info that I have.. The boat was sunk and upside down correct. If there is info that I don't know or understand please fill me in.. Did the tower salvage the boat? As in he is the one that righted the boat and got it to shore and on the trailer for you? Or did you or your frineds do everyting and he just towed the boat on the trailer? maybe I don't understand the compleate situation.

[TTriton]

I just made some phone calls and this Cromwell towing and recovery a TOWTRUCK company NOT a marine salvage company.. that does make a big differacnce. So what they did was probably hook a cable to the bow of the boat and drag it onto a flatbed.. Like I said I needed the complate story. when we salvage boats and charge $100 per foot we are SALVAGING the boat and causing no more damage to the boat and all costs. Them being a commercial LAND based towing company I would say they would be contrained to land laws and not maritime but then agian I'm not familar with CT law and I'm in no way a lawyer..

[action20]

i already picked up the boat and paid 850.00 for it. the deal is done.

i don't know what your talking about with the jail time thing ???? why would i get arrested ?? he ripped me off !!

the guy did 45 min of work for 850.00. my friend dragged it to shore. he just filppid it over and took it away. that is a rip off and he raised the price on me after he found out i didn't have insurance. That is a crook regardless of what any law says.


maybe i completely mis understood your post ????

please clarify ,

Scott

[TTriton]

the comment about you getting into trouble if you were to go there at midnight cut the lock and remove the boat without the tower being there.. I thought that was clear. Mr Clean said "I WOULD TAKE MY BOLT CUTTERS AND MAKE A NIGHT OF IT" and that would be illegal. I'm sure he was joking about it I just was making a comment that taking that corse of action would end you up in jail. I think that is clear.. If anyone still doesn't understand I can try and explane it more clearly. As for the price the guy raising the price because you were not insured.. that is crazy!!! We always give uninsured boaters a break.. It the insurance companies that pay full price. But as bad as $850 sounds I still think that it sounds resonable but as I have said before I DO NOT KNOW all the details to how the salvage was done.. If all he did was tie a rope to it and drag it onto shore then he could have done more damage and it would not be a salvage it would be more of a wreck removal.

[Rich Owen]

Electric Fish , I believe TTriton was alluding to Mr Clean's post about liberating the boat with bolt cutters after hours . You certainly can be arrested for that .
I also believe the charges by Bishop to be totally outrageous .
The boat was upside down by the dock at the CT Outboard Association ramp . Bishops personnel were going to winch it up onto the flatbed with out righting the boat ! Jason along with Rob (Cole V-Drive) convinced the police that righting the boat first would help curtail any further fuel spillage (which was minute at most) . The officers ageed that this made more sense than Bishops plan . COA guys helped Bishops with this (that's Rob standing on the hull in the WTNH photo) . I believe Scott asked them to leave the boat on the tarmac until he could come back with the trailer and Bishops insisted on taking it to their yard .
This whole thing sure leaves a bad taste in one's mouth .

On a positive note the police were helpful , even allowing Jason to drop his boat and tralier in the nearby police yard while he went to pick up Scott at the hospital .

[Liqui-Fly]

Seems like they owe Rob consulting fees. I say we all bring our brokern pistons next year and throw them through some plate glass windows!! We can'tr let "what comes around goes around" go by the wayside. It's our duty!! Who's with me??

David

[Capt.Insane-o]

:confused:

[TTriton]

I understand more now.. That is wreck removal not salvage.. How much more damage did they do by dragging that hull onto the flatbed. Salvage is the preservation of the boat as a whole to the best of ones ablility. Not just hooking a cable to it and dragging across a boat ramp and on to a steel flatbed. Did they arrainge for the motor to be taken care of or did they just throw it in there storage yard and forget about it.. that is also a major issue there.

[Rich Owen]

Lee , I believe they just locked it in their yard . I think they also charged Scott a "gate fee" , have you ever heard of that ?
Does that mean they charge to open the gate to retrieve your vehicle ?
Pete (Transomstand) maybe you could find out about this fee .

[TTriton]

Gate fee.. Got me on that one.. We run a full service company and don't just toss a boat in a yard to rust.. We have a certified mechanic waiting for the boat so when it hits the shore the motor is saved.. And we take care of any other needs that the customer needs.. We have picked people up and delivered them to where ever they need to go. We take stuff out to them when they want it or need it.. We make sure the customer is happy. Or as happy as they can be in there situation.

[heath brinkley]

Sorry to hear the news, glad your OK.
I could barely make sense out of the newspaper article (it read like something I would have written, or worse).

Triton, $850 may be cheap, but if you quote $600 you need to stick to it and take your lumps on the other $250. If not, your about as worthless as a pile o'****.

boltcutters.;)

[transomstand]

Geeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeez,
Didn't mean to get everybody all wound up. Let's start over. I think we're agreed this was not a marine salvage operation. This was a land based towing service. Some of my comments were poorly stated in that I did not specify that they are all in the context of land based towing. I should say that I currently run a body shop in Ct that repairs 1400 cars per year. I've dealt with more than a few wrecker drivers in my time. Towing charges have been the topic of conversation in my office the last couple of days. I called my towing company today, said I had a question for him, he cut me off and said "don't tell me, let me guess, GATE FEE!!". This is the latest scam that crooked operators charge. It is legal, but barely. The insurance companies are lobbying very had to have the state outlaw this practice. The guy is actually charging you a fee to open his storage yard gate and let your vehicle out. Most insurance companies refuse to pay it. They also charge office fees, labor fees, somtimes they even charge for the time they spend arguing with you. Because towing fees are strictly regulated, crooks get very creative with non towing fees. The thing that REALLY perked me up was when I heard that Scott wanted his boat left on the ramp. At that point the tow should have stopped. Once the boat was out of the water, the fuel spillage hazard was over, if there was no objection by the police, the boat should have been put down on dry land right there. He was due his basic fee (73.00). If Scott said leave my boat, and the guy took it, he was stealing Scott's boat. A complaint to DMV will bring a substantial refund.

Pete

[VEGAS-5.7L-I/O]

Here is the deal.
After I had towed the boat down river to the launch area, the tow company became involved after the the police requested assistance. The boat was floating overturned at the end of the dock and leaking fuel. The docking area is also the boat launch area for this town. The tow company arrived with two vehicles. A wrecker and a flat bed. The initial intent was to remove the boat from the river upside down. After discussing the situation with the officer it was agreed that the boat needed to be overturned
before it could be removed from the water. The winches on both vehicles were required to overture the boat. From this point the flat bed was backed down to the water line and the and the bed was extended to remove the boat from the water. From there the boat was taken to their shop and placed on tires in the storage area.
Was the charge fair???? I'm uncertain and not in that end of the auto business. I don't tow them, I just fix em. I did note to action20 that the tow company did utilize at least a 100 grand of equipment to overturn and remove the boat from the river. I was aware there would be a flat rate per vehicle to just show up, the time required to overturn the boat, remove the boat and store it would be additional. Honestly I was expecting 5 to 6 hundred. I was surprised that it was closer to a grand. But then again....... 80 dollars an hour does at up fast. If these charges are fair then......having a running outboard at the end of this experiece was worth the 850. After all the river could have swallowed the outboard to.

The good thing is that everyone was ok. I'd like to thank everyone who helped and say thanks to the guys with the crommwell police dept. You guys were great!

Rock on!
ps: The vegas is still for sale, any takers:D

[transomstand]

Let's put a pencil to it

Wrecker # 1 73.00

Wrecker # 2 73.00

1 hr labor
@ 80 X 2
men 160.00

Mileage 2
trucks@ 4
10 miles? 80.00

3 days storage
@ 25.00 day 75.00
_______

461.00 looks good to me


I know I'm beatin this to death, but I run an honest business, and I've been accused unfairly many times of being a crook because of the reputation my industry has. Guys like this need to be ground to dust. This kind of story strikes a nerve with me.

[VEGAS-5.7L-I/O]

Pete,

I really appreciate the info. I wasn't that far off when I guessed 5 to 6 hundred.

Just sucks! :mad:

Hey scott, you still have a running outboard:D

Shouldn't be that tough to find a boat;)

[CRMERC]

I just realized that your the guy I bought some merc electric parts off of. Blondie also Known as Diann was on the beach at CT river run talking with you before my boat went into the Abyss. I think you may have even grabbed some of floating debrie. Thanks for the help both times.

P.S. Salvage and tow guys Kick you when your down thats why it stings so much. I can tell you that i have heard worse storyies of theivery.

[Charlie M]

We have had a few vehicles "stolen" from us by tow companies. Not much you can do about it, and they need serious reforms. From what I have seen of them is all they want to do is take your vehicle and then auction it off and act like they got totally ripped off. Tow companies are a sore subject arround our store!!!!!

[action20]

Thanks Transom stand !!

Thats how i furgured it too !!

I'm going to do what you suggessted and see what happens. I feel i'm a reasonable customer and i don't feel that was reasonable price.

Thanks again for the input !!

where you at the run ?? didn't i sell you a trim pump asembly ??


Scott

[sho305]

They just ripped you best they could. I was at a bodyshop for a while and seen all kinds. They will do anything to get your property into their yard even taking it there when you say no. At the least they can charge more miles that way and storage. If the boat was righted, why not put it on your trailer or did it not float? The best I would guess is to dispute the charges, even compare estimates from other towers. Here you can sue in small claims for $15 filing or something even for that amount, but you need to figure out how to nail them; likely on the unsubstantiated charges I'm guessing or the verbal price swap. I would not care about the money as much as drilling a jerk.

Glad you are OK:cool:

I've done some total cars, and half the time the tower does as much damage as the accident if the car went off road. If it has mud packed in it, beware.

News 8; "We repart the neuws so u noe what is goin on!"

[transomstand]

Yup,
We were there with your pump in the boat. We came a little after noon from the Rocky Hill ramp cause we didn't want to make a long run. I had the apricot Ventura. I was trying to drive the boat and video tape everybody, and wasn't doing either very well. I was zigzagging around like a drunken sailor while I was taking video of my sneakers. We were trying to get everybody coming back down from Hartford. After going through them, we found one of yours, it must have been just before the crash. I think we were just north of the marina where everybody was getting gas. I can post it if you want, but I'm not sure if you want a picture of it just before the end.

Pete