Toyota's Roadside Assistance Leaves You Stranded Out Of Gas
Reader Chris spent some extra money on a Toyota extended warranty which comes with free roadside assistance in the event his vehicle breaks down or runs out of gas. Unfortunately, that's what happened to Chris' girlfriend one day when she ran out of gas on a Cleveland freeway. She called roadside assistance for help, but when the rescue driver finally arrived he'd only brought a half-gallon of gas, not enough to get her RAV 4 started. Since the roadside assistance terms allow for 3 gallons of gas she asked the driver to bring additional gas to which he replied, "They don't pay me enough for that," and drove off. Chris' letter, inside...
Dear Consumerist,
My girlfriend and I bought a new car from Classic Toyota. Along with it we bought the extended warranty. I know these usually pad the pockets of the seller, but she's a high milage driver since she drives for work quite a bit, and since we were able to haggle on the pricing a bit, it came out to about the same price as a AAA membership, and comes with free roadside assistance. I figured it would be worth it. Boy was I wrong, apparently.
On the 9th, she ran out of gas on the freeway I was at work at the time so I couldn't run to the gas station and pick up a gas can. Well, that stinks. Good thing we have roadside assistance, right? Wrong. After an hour's wait (perfectly reasonable, I wasn't upset yet and nor was she) the employee from roadside assistance pulled up in the eastbound lane (she was in the westbound, and told the call center that multiple times) and yelled across multiple lanes of rush hour traffic "Hey are you the one who needs help? Are you out of gas?". She told him that he was and he drove saying "I'm going to go get you some gas". So, apparently when you call up roadside assistance and told them you run out of gas, they don't actually bring gas with them?
Anyway, he drives ahead to the next freeway exit, gets some gas, and comes back westbound to "help" her out. When he gets out of his car she immediately notices something is up. He has a tiny gas can in his hand. She knew immediately that there was no way it held even a gallon of gas. He put it in the tank and told her to start it up. Obviously, it didn't work. My girlfriend drives a Rav 4 with a 15 gallon tank. Half a gallon wouldn't even fill the fuel line. She asked how much gas he put in the car, and the man lied and told her it was 2 gallons! They pushed the car forward a bit to make sure it was on level ground, and it still didn't work. I told her via text message to leave the key in the forward position for a bit to let fuel enter the engine. Still no dice. She asked him again how much gas the man put in. He said "It's two gallons, but half a gallon should start this car. Half a gallon should definitely start this car".
He gets back in his van, and talks on his walkie talkie for a bit, then comes back out. My girlfriend asks if he can go get her some more gas. Even pretending that the guy actually gave her 2 gallons of gas, we were entitled to up to 3 plus up $100 for repairs plus a tow. The roadside assistance guys response to more gas? "No. They don't pay me enough for that." Then he got in to his van and drove off! We called up the dealership and raised hell with the general manager, and he eventually got someone to come out and give my girlfriend 2 gallons of gas. But all told my girlfriend spend 3 hours on the side of the freeway in 95 degree heat and 60% humidity because the roadside assistance guy "doesn't get paid enough. Thank GOD my girlfriend was on the way to pick up my infant daughter from day-care as opposed to driving home with her.
I've been wrestling ever since with the dealership and First Extended, the company that handles our contract. First extended tells me I should be calling the company that actually came out. The company they sub-contract to. Roadside Rescue of Cleveland, LLC doesn't return my phone calls. The dealership handed me a $25 gas voucher and told me I can cancel my warranty and have the prorated amount refunded. This outcome is completely unacceptable. Do they have any idea how much day care charges for keeping your baby over? A hell of a lot more than $25. That's how much.
Where the heck am I supposed to go with this, Consumerist? I can't get anyone to talk to me, let alone help me out!
We agree that the contractor Roadside Rescue is at fault and Toyota is also responsible which is perhaps why they gave you a $25 gas voucher and are willing to refund your warranty. We think you should take your voucher and refund and be glad that you are rid of a dysfunctional relationship. Companies usually won't compensate you for events that happened because of their blunder, whether it be lost wages or day care fees so chances are you are out of luck in that area. Also, Consumerist readers might already know that extended car warranties are a usually rip off.
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Comments:
Come on, Chris, admit it. You asked her why the hell she was driving around on empty, right? I know that's what my husband would have done.
And while the service you received was terrible, I think they offered a fair resolution. Not overally generous but fair.
In all fairness, running out of gas is totally irresponsible. The guy with the tow truck behaved poorly, but seriously, if you have a child and you're driving your car that close to empty, you shouldn't be a parent.
The only roadside assistance worth a crap is AAA. Fast response, and they do what they promise. I've had AAA for 20 years with the exception of 6 months with a manufacturer program. Took them three hours to respond to a tow call, while 8 AAA towtrucks drove by. I re-upped with AAA that day.
Half a gallon of gas should be enough to start any car, it doesn't matter where the line on the fuel guage is, if there's gas in the engine it will run.
The trick, which the roadside assist should have known, is that on a car that has run completely out of gas, you have to get some fuel into the engine first. The way to do this varies from car to car. In the old days, you'd just take the air filter off and put a few drops of fuel directly into the carburator. Now of course you have fancy-shmancy electric pumps and injectors so figuring out how to get the fuel from the can into the engine can be tricky, and should be the job of a decent roadside assistance professional. The leaving the key in the "on" position for a while is one that I've heard about too.
Regardless, they should provide the service they agreed to.
Cars come with GAS GAUGES but that's another story. ;)
Dang, is everybody going to blame the OP?
But yeah, that woman needs a good backhand...
I would agree with the consumerist advice here. you paid toyota to do a service. if they sub-contract it out, and that results in poor preformance, that is not your issue. you paid toyota, period. however they seem to have offered you an amicable option to sever the relationship. while the gift certificate doesn't cover the day-care, but it wasn't a toyota day care. their offer to cancel the service and prorate the fee is fair, but not fantastic. i'd accecpt their offer and consider this a lesson learned.
@Juggernaut: He, he, then I can start with comments that my insurance (as a women) is half of what guys pay ;)
Maybe she got some sort of adrenaline rush from driving while it was on "E" and lighting up the gas can warning light?
yeah, don't blame it on the dealership. your girlfriend should have been more responsible. or should have atleast called a friend, waiting for 3 hours is playing with fire, in MN you can get a ticket for running out of gas on a HW.
my infant daughter...
So the infant is his and not hers? That's one understanding girlfriend.
Where the heck am I supposed to go with this, Consumerist? I can't get anyone to talk to me, let alone help me out!
What the heck are you supposed to?
You're supposed to stop and fill up your tank before you hit the freeway - there are probably 20 gas stations within 5 miles of your house, and certainly one near the on-ramp to the freeway. That's what the heck you're supposed to do.
Should have just gone with AAA. I've had to use them quite a few times and they always get the job done quick and right
half a gallon of gas = $2
extended warranty including roadside assistance = ~$500
Blaming the OP('s gf) for running out of gas to begin with = priceless
I don't see why people should run out of gas in the first place unless of course they are in the middle of the desert and there are no gas stations. You try to save money by not putting in gas is ridiculous. $4 a gallon is cheap considering it is $5.60 a gallon in Canada.
I call shenanigans on this whole letter! Everyone KNOWS Toyota's NEVER run out of gas, heck they run on perfume water and release fresh air. While they drive they plant flowers and pick up trash.
Ran out of gas......HA!
I think people need to stop blaming the driver here. Most roadside assistance problems are the drivers fault (locked keys in the car, running out of oil, even flats--make sure your spare is infalted)
Who we need to blame is the roadside tech who didn't solve the problem.
Why am I the ass? I wasn't the first to blame the OP and I certainly won't be the last. Your anger is very misguided. So that makes you the asshole. Sorry, the truth hurts.
I heard that they can also detect cancer and they divide by zero when needed.
Consumerist editors have you ever considered moderating your comments to try and put an end to the victim-blaming and misogyny? The self-righteous know-it-all commenters really ruin your site.
I hope you'll think about it at least.
@pmathews: Why am I the ass? I wasn't the first to blame the OP and I certainly won't be the last. Your anger is very misguided. So that makes you the asshole. Sorry, the truth hurts.
My guess is your But yeah, that woman needs a good backhand... comment.
@pmathews: You weren't the only who blamed the OP but you were the only one who advocated hitting a woman.
I'm surprised your post didn't ask why she wasn't at home taking care of the kid in the first place.
Ah, yes, I forgot that part.
Oh, well...nobody is above a good backhand...I'll save the beating jokes for another day.
My experience with Volvo roadside assistance is similar, though not nearly as stomach churning.
in my case, I called to fix a flat . I was told they'd be there within the hour. 80 minutes later they called back to see if the guy had arrived. No dice.
So they call him, call me back, tell me it will be 30 minutes at the latest. 50 minutes later, they call me back, he's still not there.
Same routine - they call him, call me back, promise me he'll be there in 5 minutes. This is where I figured out they had a twenty minute cushion built into their followup calls - 25 minutes later they call back, he's still not there.
In all, I waited just over three hours for the guy to show up to change a flat tire - a flat that I could have fixed in a few minutes myself if my "certified" used car had included a lug wrench. Imagine my surprise when he actually said "What, no tip?"
@Me: is right, get AAA - the others are crap.
on running out of gas.....we don't know all the details, and without them i don't think we can pass judgement on her for it happening. maybe she made a mistake, maybe not, in either case the mistake is provided for in their service agreement and the other party didn't live up to that agreement and THAT is the issue. let's ask her if she has a bank of america debit card, or a container of juice that holds 12 ounces less than the old container for the same price, then beat her up about that. party.
@CreativeLinks:
I totally agree with you. Stuff happens...to all of us. The only thing that should matter is that she paid for a service and when she needed it, that service failed her. Everything else in the story is just white noice.
Just realize, everyone. AAA does not provide the roadside assistance themselves. So it's possible that one of their contractors will be just as rude or ill-prepared as this guy. I hope, at least, that AAA would be more strict in their contractor selection though.
I'm not saying AAA is a bad choice, just saying that there is no guarantee.
Maybe your girlfriend should look at the gas gauge more often and fill up when it gets to a 1/4 tank.
@pmathews: Domestic violence is NEVER the answer. If it was a joke it was in the most poor of taste.
Come on, now. Sometimes it takes one to learn. Youth to middle age is a series of lessons, and folks get to look back to things like "remember when I ran out of gas on the freeway and that rescue jerk only brought a half gallon? Well, that was the LAST time I ever let a tank get that low, and it's been, what, thirty-three years."
"Yep, we were young and stupid, bright girl. It's a miracle that we survived at all."
I agree that the roadside assistance guy was in the wrong, but I can't look past the fact that he was called out because she ran out of gas.
It is completely irresponsible to not keep track of how much gas you have in your car, especially if you are someone that travels often.
I'm starting to think that Ben needs to fire up another round of membership cancellations like in the old days.
AAA is only $55 per year. So you're saying you negotiated a high mileage, extended warranty down to $55 per yet? Yeah, okay.
This article is making me want to look into getting AAA, even though my own extended warranty came with free roadside assistance. (the dealership offered the warranty for free after I'd been there a couple of hours haggling.)
Good job, Consumerist.
@NameGoesHere: Wow, you've discovered the solution! People, you can throw away your gas cans now, all we have to do is be responsible and we'll never run out of gas again.
@heavylee-again: At least here in Syracuse, NY, AAA does have a fleet of their own vehicles in addition to farming out some.
I have AAA Plus and although I've only used it a couple times I consider it money well spent. I once had a blowout in heavy rain and they came out and were able to put on the spare in just a couple minutes despite the driving rain. A few years back I had a complete transmission failure thanks to an inept mechanic who performed a regular service on the car I had at the time. All the fluid drained out of the transmission while I was on the highway. My AAA coverage included 100 free miles of towing, and it ended up being about 110 miles to the dealer I wanted it taken to (not the dealer where the mechanic screwed up). The AAA driver was able to get me there just before their shop closed for the night and also said not to bother with paying for the additional 10 miles since the paperwork was a pain in the *ss. That tow alone was well worth the years of membership in AAA.
@timmus: I *totally* agree with this. The other Gawker sites do this; I don't see why the Consumerist can't as well. It is so disheartening to read the comments on here. Like raisitup said, we don't know why she ran out of gas. Things HAPPEN. People make mistakes. So what if it was her own fault for not paying attention? She paid for a service and it wasn't delivered. THAT IS THE POINT, not why she ran out of gas or what a bumbling fool-who-should-never-be-allowed-to-take-care-of-children she must be because she ran out of damn gas.
I just can't believe that not one of the victim-blamers here has never done something stupid or made a mistake. The woman in this story doesn't deserve to be crucified, and it's certainly not appropriate to joke about hitting her. I would expect a comment like that on some low-brow site, but not this one. The Consumerist used to be one of my favorite sites to read every day, but with all of the victim-blaming and holier-than-thou attitudes in EVERY SINGLE STORY, it's just frustrating.
There's an age old adage.. let he who is without blame cast the first stone... or, in modern terms, you don't get to whine about other people's stupid mistakes if you have ever, or will ever, make one as stupid. And I would say that there's a 100% guarantee that you will, you cocky shmucks. >:D
This is why you use AAA.
The roadside assistance obviously kept the other 1.5 gallons of gas he said he "gave" to OP's girlfriend. This is what happens when gas prices are high.
OP should be glad Toyota did something. Next time, your girlfriend should keep a can of gas in their car....that will solve your problems...hopefully.
@acknight: At least here in Syracuse, NY, AAA does have a fleet of their own vehicles in addition to farming out some.
I sit corrected, thanks.
@people asking for accounts to be canceled:
An alternative solution would be for members to have the ability (maybe only within 5 minutes of posting) to edit one's own post. In this present scenario, maybe certain posters didn't realize their joking comments wouldn't come across as jokes. Or maybe they weren't jokes at all, but the poster soon realized that they wanted to redact the comment.
I also know often I find grammar and punctuation mistakes in my posts, even though I proofread before I submit. I'd love the ability to make these small changes, just cuz I'm anal like that.
She had to have known she was on empty. Also, according to the story, a gas station was at the exit she just passed (assistance dude was driving the other direction and went to the next exit to get gas), so what's her excuse for not pulling over when she knew she was on empty?
I agree that the guy acted like an asshole, but if I'm getting close to empty and see a gas station, I stop and re-fuel.
@nytmare: Hehe, if I of all people am capable of never running out of gas, I imagine others could do the same.
Watch me end up with an empty tank next week. :P
@jnrcorp: running out of gas is totally irresponsible... you shouldn't be a parent.
@pmathews: But yeah, that woman needs a good backhand...
@xphilter: don't blame it on the dealership. your girlfriend should have been more responsible
@NameGoesHere: It is completely irresponsible to not keep track of how much gas you have in your car,
@evslin: What the heck are you supposed to? You're supposed to stop and fill up your tank before you hit the freeway
@timmus: "I'm starting to think that Ben needs to fire up another round of membership cancellations like in the old days."
I agree.
@timmus: @MissPeacock: I do think it's unfair to expect everyone to blindly pledge their alleigance to every poster though.
But you two are right... people get too caught up in the no gas issue (which has happened to many people and my guess is that this woman felt like an idiot when she realized what was wrong) INSTEAD OF ANSWERING CHRIS'S QUESTION. He wants to know where he should go from here.
Did Toyota's contractor provide adequate service? I say no, they did not. Did Toyota provide fair compensation for the trouble? I say (as I did earlier) yes. So I agree with Jay - where you go from here is to take Toyota's offer and go on, lessons learned.
Seriously, NO one here has ever run out of gas? Because I have maybe three times in the 15 years I've been driving. You think, "I can make it to the next exit," or maybe you've just got something else on your mind and you forget to look at the gas gauge altogether. Granted, it's been many years now since I've done that, but we were all young and made dumb mistakes at one point.
Can I get in with a women drivers comment? No, well alrighty then.