Tip #39: If the job changes on scene, get the new price before work starts
Sometimes the job you booked is not the job the car needs: the jump start fails, the spare is flat, the car is deeper in the ditch than it looked. When that happens, the new job should be quoted and agreed before the driver does it.
Tip #39 in one line
Sometimes the job you booked is not the job the car needs: the jump start fails, the spare is flat, the car is deeper in the ditch than it looked. When that happens, the new job should be quoted and agreed before the driver does it.
Stuck right now? Skip the reading and call.
Call nowHow jobs change
The most common changes are simple. A jump start works, but the car dies again a minute later because the battery or alternator is finished, so it needs a tow. A flat tire change is booked, but the spare is flat too or the wheel lock key is missing. A car that rolled onto the grass turns out to be stuck in soft ground and needs a winch out before anything else. Or the destination changes because the shop you named cannot take the car tonight.
None of that is anyone's fault. What matters is how the change is handled.
One call, one flat quote, 24/7.
Call nowHow it should go
The driver tells you what he found and what the car needs. The new job is priced the same way as the first: a roadside job is one flat price, a tow is a flat hook fee plus a per-mile rate to the destination you choose. You hear the new price and agree to it before the driver starts. With us, if the jump start fails and the car needs a tow, the dispatcher sends a flatbed or wheel-lift from the same call and you do not pay a second callout.
If you do not agree, you can say no. You pay for the job you booked and that was done, and you are free to make other arrangements.
One call, one flat quote, 24/7.
Call nowProtect yourself with any company
Do not let anyone start additional work and tell you the price afterward. Ask for the new total in plain numbers, and make sure the receipt shows the original job and the change on separate lines. If a different company ever handles your car and a bill appears that nobody discussed, keep your notes; the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs takes towing complaints. Our towing questions page covers how we quote.
The same rule applies in reverse. If the driver arrives and finds the problem is smaller than expected, such as a tow booked for a no-start that turns out to be a dead battery, the right outcome is the smaller job, with the smaller flat price. You should only pay for what was actually done and agreed. Write down the name of the dispatcher who gave you the new price; it takes a second and avoids confusion later.
One call, one flat quote, 24/7.
Call nowMore on towing rules & pricing
Keep reading, or go back to every post on the blog.
- Flatbed vs wheel-lift towing: which does your car need?
- What happens to your car after a police-ordered tow in New Jersey
- Towed from private property in New Jersey: your rights
- Towing pricing red flags in New Jersey
- Local tow company vs national roadside network: who actually shows up?
- Moving a car long distance from New Jersey: towing vs car carrier
- Tip #34: Choose the destination before the truck arrives: home, shop or dealer
- Tip #35: Ask the destination about storage charges before you pick it
- All posts
Need towing and roadside assistance right now? One call, truck on the way.
Real dispatcher, 24 hours a day. Quoted price before we roll.