This scam can cost you thousands of euros, beware of unscrupulous repairmen

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• Waze: This scam could cost you thousands of euros, beware of unscrupulous repairmen

Some unscrupulous repairmen are hijacking Waze to interfere with breakdowns in front of companies imposed by motorists' insurance. The problem is that drivers notice a lot of abuse when it comes time to pay the bill. Explanations.

Millions of people use Waze to plan their routes and know about potential disruptions on their way such as traffic jams, accidents, or broken down vehicles. As you know, the application mainly depends on Collaboration between userswhich reports various events observed on the road.

However, it sometimes happens that Maps is misused for dishonest purposes. However, as Luc Le Baron explains, Troubleshooter and Vice President of the Troubleshooting Branch From the Mobile Professionals Syndicate on the air South Radio.

Beware of tow truck scams

During his intervention, the professional wanted to warn motorists against this new type of practice. To sum it up, when your car breaks down, you generally pass Your insurance company or via a nearby aid station to contact a tow truck.

Next, your insurance or the police will be contacted Authorized repair company To implement intervention and get you out of trouble. All you have to do is wait for the tow truck. However, as Luc Le Baron pointed out, some opportunistic breakdown assistance companies are micro-scanning broken-down vehicle alerts on Waze Intervene instead of companies authorized by the police or your insurance.

“There are troubleshooters who monitor all the broken down vehicles via alerts on Waze or other various apps. In fact, they are stationed in certain strategic locations and as soon as they are seen they arrive.” He explains.

Read also: Waze adds two new alerts that could save your car

Explosion of bills for the driver

Naturally, the driver at that time does not know the difference. It must be said that after any breakdown, you are very relieved to see a tow truck arrive quickly to tow your car. The problem is that these companies intervene on their own initiative, without being authorized, purely.”“unfair competition” According to Luc Le Baron.

If this practice therefore represents a loss of income for the breakdown assistance companies, It is also harmful to the driver. For good reason, when you are repaired by a company sent by your insurance company, Prices are controlled and regulated (In general, the intervention costs on average between 140 and 150 euros according to Luc Le Baron).

Read also: Computer repair scam – scammers have claimed over 4,000 victims and pocketed €1.2 million

Hostage taking according to Luc Le Baron

Unfortunately, this is not the case with non-delegated companies. In fact, the nightmare begins when it's time to pick up your car. Numerous testimonials from motorists given on the Mobilians website indicate this Moon billsand in particular security fees that can fluctuate Between €750 and €2000 per day ! Towing packages also explode (€456 in the case of this driver quoted on Sud Radio).

“Once these repairmen bring the car home, they try to fix it, and try to find out if the customer is willing to go to the trouble of fixing it. And if you don't want it, they don't return it. Anyway, the car is at their place. They only return it after getting paid for the babysitting fee. From the moment your car is towed, you become their hostage.” Luc condemns Le Baron.

Good reactions must be adopted to avoid falling into the trap

But then how can we avoid falling into this trap? Luc Le Baron recommends that motorists adopt certain reactions in the event of a breakdown. First of all, when you call for assistance, whether via terminal or by phone to your insurance company, Always ask for the exact name of the expensive repair company.

This way, you can be sure that the tow truck that shows up is actually the one sent by your insurance company or the police… And send the opportunistic troubleshooter out to pasture. However, be extra vigilant, as some repairmen will not hesitate to tell you that they have been sent by your insurance, demanding e.g. Unavailability of the responsible company. You must understand and maximize the information obtained from the police or your insurance before allowing anyone to tow your vehicle.