When you wonder what is happening to small businesses and why they are folding around the country-this should help answer at least part of your question. I'm unaware of any towing/roadside assistance proprietors/small business owners who can survive when these deadbeats do not pay. Signature motorclub, subsidiary of Allstate motorclub, is more than 90 days past due on invoices that total over $10k. Online billing department is a joke. If by some miracle you are able to speak to a real person, who is actually located in the U.S., they either tell you that they have not received your invoices or you will have to speak to a supervisor, or, my personal favorite - "We mailed that last week, it should be there any day." We have billed online, faxed them in, mailed them in, and sent repeated emails to our field representative. Aside from flying to their U.S. Headquarters I'm at a loss as to what else to do to receive payment for work performed. Their dispatchers are located all over the world trying to give you a roadside assistance call to a place they have never been, or do not know anything about. Despite the fact that we have been in this business over 25 years, we are told that google or other online mapping programs know the area and distance to the customer better than we do. Well, I guess they may be right if you follow cattle or sheep trails that you wouldn't dare drive a vehicle on. Dispatchers are untrained, unable or unwilling to take sufficient notes while giving you call information so that you can attempt to get paid for your work. They are willing, however, to promise you anything so that you will accept the call. But wait, there's more. One could argue that it might still be worth it if the pay was enough. But alas-after all this they want to reimburse you for 1/2 of your commercial rate. YIPPEE! Just a word of caution to any of you out their who have a roadside assistance program; if you have to wait a long time for a provider to respond to your call for assistance it might be because companys will service their paying customers first. Not too many want to jump to do a call for Signature motorclub for 1/2 their rate and then wait 3-4 months to get paid for it.
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