Quote:
Originally Posted by phatdaddy
from what i understand. there are 2 distinctly different business plans for each company. sea tow nationwide keeps a smaller portion of the yearly dues and the local captains are obligated to respond at very little or no profit. it's like insurance, they are hoping 80% of the members will never use it. towboat keeps a larger portion and re-emburces the local capt at a predetermined rate. like car dealer warranty. with sea tow, the more less they tow, the more they make. with towboat us, the more they tow, the more they make. i think we have a member who works for sea tow, i'm sure he can set us straight.
i have found there are good and bad in every profession, doctors, lawyers, contractors, cops,etc.
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I work for the local TowBOAT US. The way it works for us is when a member breaks down, if they have the "unlimited" coverage, they pay nothing for tows and "soft" ungroundings. Even though I have personally pulled boats from "hard" groundings (pulled from dry land)and still didn't charge them. We fill out a tow sheet which the customer signs. That tow sheet has the total bill which is submitted to BOAT US. They cut us a check for the tow. Our BOAT US rate is a little less than non BOAT US but we tow a LOT more members than non members. I used to work for Sea Tow back in the 90's. If I remember right each franchise would get a share of membership revinue. That money is used to pay the captain doing the tow. So there is much less motivation for them to tow you. Hell I'll tow you wherever you want. They can't wait to get rid of you if they even come out.