Complaint Review: Cross Country Motor Club - Medford Massachusetts

So bad that they deserve a NEGATIVE score.

Note that this U.S. company is part of Agero, a global boiler-room dispatcher that is the provider of roadside assistance to almost every U.S. car and insurance company. Long-winded post follows...

On April 11 at about 7:30 PM my 1992 Acura NSX experienced a major engine problem while driving so I limped it to the first safe spot I found, the parking lot at a Boulder County park called Flatirons Vista. I contacted Hagerty Driver's Club for roadside assistance and was sent a text to initiate a request for towing.

Through a combination of text and phone calls I provided the call center agent with all pertinent details. After almost 90 minutes with no response I called the dispatch company (which I later learned is a third party called Agero) and was told that they had called over 30 tow companies and that none would take the tow.

I tried to arrange my own tow through Visa Concierge (which ironically also uses Agero) and after four attempts to locate a tow I was told one was arranged. I told the dispatcher for that company (not sure if it was Agero) that the truck needed to be a flatbed capable of loading an extremely low car like a Ferrari.

They texted me a contract to sign and it had incorrect information. I called and asked them to fix it. They also wanted payment of the $298 fee via Zelle, reasons for which would soon become apparent. When that truck arrived at about 10:30 PM it was clear that the driver couldn't load the car without damaging it (see photo) so the driver called his boss who told him not to take the tow.

At that point I called my wife to get a ride home while leaving my collector car in an unsecured parking lot (I did call the sheriff's office to tell them it was there). On the way home I saw a missed text from Hagerty/Agero saying they had canceled my tow because they did not have the address for the pickup (which I repeatedly told to the Indian-sounding agent who apparently entered it wrong).

I also called Hagerty to arrange a tow for the morning and the agent was very empathetic and helpful, but requiring all the pertinent info again. I reiterated the requirement for a tow company experienced towing low, expensive sports cars like Ferraris.

When I arrived home after midnight I called Agero and told them that the driver refused the tow. The agent said it was because the car was lowered and they weren't told that. I replied that's untrue, the car is stock and the contract they sent clearly showed the car was low. The agent said I'd have to pay a $179 cancellation fee.

At this point I nearly lost it and said I hope you are recording this call, because I have a photo of how the driver nearly damaged my car and I have a contract that shows that the car was low. I said if they do not refund me that I have more than enough proof to have my credit card company do a chargeback against them (you can't do this with Zelle).

The agent put me on hold for a few minutes and came back on to say that her manager listened to our call, that the driver lied, they would refund my payment and they apologized. [Follow-up: they sent me a check for $100 - not the full $298 charge - so I disputed the charge with my credit card company]

Still trying to get a tow via Hagerty, the next morning I spoke with no fewer than four different Agero reps with accents ranging from Russian to Indian and after failing to get a confirmation from them that they would dispatch a suitable truck I gave up and asked my own mechanic for a recommendation.

They recommended an outfit called Monarch Towing so I called them at about 8AM. I spoke with owner Casey Jones and even though I had barely said a word he said "is this Don Gallo with the '92 NSX who tried about a half dozen times to get a tow last night?"

Turns out he was contacted several times by Agero but they refused to meet his price of $450. I told him I'd pay him directly and I told him that Agero was impossible to work with. He said the same thing and that they owed him over $50,000 for tows he'd done for them over the last five years. He scheduled the tow for about 9AM.

At about 8:30 I received a text from Agero saying that Monarch would tow the car. I called Casey back and asked him what happened. He said that he knew the tow was for me so he agreed to take it and that he would fight with Agero for payment. I told him I'd pay the difference between what they paid him and what it really cost.

Monarch sent a vehicle and driver suited to my needs. The car was safely delivered to my mechanic with no damage. I kept their contact info so I can use them again.

This was without a doubt the worst customer experience I have ever had. That a company with a premium brand like Hagerty would contract with such a schlock outfit as Agero has permanently lowered my opinion of Hagerty. I've switched back to AAA.