Stuck This Winter? Vehicle Recovery, By Donation.
 

Shoei, don't worry, this will be the only thread I plan on posting in. I'm not here to crash any parties.

Anyway, so, after pulling about 1834290 cars out of the snow last year, I got the idea of putting my vehicle to good use. So, this coming new year, I will pull your car out by donation.

How it works:

You get stuck. You text a prepaid cell phone number (which I will provide on this website on Jan. 1 2010) with your car, location, and details about the condition of the vehicle, and how much you're willing to donate. I will text you back immediately to either accept or decline your offer. Should I accept, I will give an estimated time of arrival, and will proceed to dig, tug, or winch your car out of whatever mess it's stuck in.

Why am I doing this?

Because I can. I've got all the necessary gear, and since the government's too busy building condos for athletes to bother helping the needy, I figured I should help out. This is the best way I can come up with.

Caveats:

I'm just one guy. I'm not a towing company nor some huge charity. If I'm at UBC and you're stuck nearby and are willing to donate a few bucks, I'll probably help. If you're in North Vancouver and I'm at home in Tsawwassen, your donation will have to be larger to vindicate my efforts. If you offer $2 bucks to drive for 2 hours, dig for 1, and get you back on the road, I won't show up.

I am not going to be held liable for damage you did. I will be taking pictures of your vehicle prior to pulling it out, and if there is pre-existing damage, I will note it. I will make you sign an paper recognizing any pre-existing damage. Likewise, if I do not think myself, my shovel, my truck and my winch can't get you out safely, I won't even try. Again, I'm not a towing company.

I will be attempting to cover my costs (fuel). The remainder of the donations will be donated to a charity to be chosen by those that donate. I will have a list of 10 charities to choose from, and that charity with the most votes come the spring thaw will receive the money.

If I show up and you've got summer times, or you're inebriated, I won't get you out. If you pose a danger to other motorists, stuck in the snow is the safest place for you to be.

I will not be unhooking my shackles and straps from your car until you pay the agreed upon donation.

So, in summary...

If you end up stuck in a parking lot, your driveway, the road, or wherever... shoot me a text. As I said, I'm not going to waste my time, but you never know, I might be just around the corner. I will let you know if I'm interested right away, and I will be willing to negotiate if someone's offer is reasonable. So, my hope is that people will text me instead of calling the tow company.If I can't help you, all you've lost is 30 seconds of your time before you get my reply, and if I can, well... hopefully I can save you some money, and your money can help someone else.

Welcome back man.

Fantastic idea. Great to see people still happy and willing to help others in need. Not enough of that anymore. Good to see you back, I hope you stay as your input was always great.

I don't even really remember why you left. This site was better with you.

And thanks for the service that you're providing, and better yet, some of the conditions of your services.

Cheers.

Wow that's really nice.

Good man! You're doing a nice thing, could use more people like you in the world

You are a good man. Christmas spirit over 9000 for sure.

You might want to post up your cell phone number on here so people can text you.

:thumbsup:

How it works:

You get stuck. You text a prepaid cell phone number (which I will provide on this website on Jan. 1 2010)

what kinda vehicle does the OP have?

^ Land rover

A very large one. With bright headlights -__-

Good idea and all, but wouldn't it be better if you offered this service earlier? Unless you are busy and all.

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_QIm-BnwnBN...20/Mr_Plow.gif

What charities are you looking to donate to?

op has the best business plan.


charity blah blah,

take cash, hop in range rover to "put cash away"

drive off while rs person is stuck and couldnt possibly chase after me.

I have some concerns towards OP's plan.

1. If you say its by donation, then why does it matter how much a person gives. You should still be willing to help that person , because by your proposal, it is about doing a good deed and spread the kindness of you heart to help other people. right?

2. This line " I will not be unhooking my shackles and straps from your car until you pay the agreed upon donation." this sounds like, if you don't 'donate' or pay , then I'll take your car as collateral . Again, isn't this about giving kindness and donate on behalf of your good heart.

Anyways, I would not call this 'by donation' . this is about how desperate you are, and maybe I can 'help' you depends on how much I can profit from your desperation.


just a thought.

^
i bet its legalities involved. if he says "so n so" much money, then technically hes receiving an income which he must report to the gov't or some may recognize is as a "business" he is operating which again involves legal issues etc.

other than that, good idea, i support

Well, it's not like you would go around helping people whenever they call for free now, would you? -_-

No, of course not. But I would definitely not advertise it that way unless I do ever intend to.

so do we still have to pay you then? if you drive from home to north van and say "i can't dig you out" what the cost to me? and to you? is there a min. fee?

Thanks for the welcome back from those that remember me.

Now, to address those concerns.

First off, I won't be pocketing the money. I will be posting pics of every recovery on here (unless the owner would rather remain anonymous), and will maintain a running tally of the total donation. If you have doubts about where your money is going, just log on and see if I have added your donation to the total. Also, I will post evidence of the final donation. I have no intention of profiting from this. I'm not exactly in a financial position where I can donate a ton of my own money to a charity, but I have the time and tools to do this instead. I just figured I'd turn my time, truck, and tools into a charitable donation.

Second, I'm not really doing this to help the people who are stuck. I'm doing it because I want to help a charity. Those that are stuck do get to benefit from what is essentially a cheaper alternative to a tow truck, and can drive home with the good karma of donating to a good cause. Basically, it's a win-win. You get your car out without the ridiculously high rate charged by a tow truck, and a charity gets to benefit.

As for why I'm doing it by donation isn't any legality thing or anything... it's actually just because the rate will vary. If I'm on campus and you need to be pulled out of UBC's B-Lot, I'll do it for a hell of a lot less than if I'm at home and you're stuck in UBC's B-Lot. This isn't anything too complex; it's literally just a deal between you and me. If your offer is a little low, I'll give you a call and try and work something out. If it's insultingly low, I won't bother. I'm not doing this for toonies.

I have no intention of holding your car as collateral. If you say you're going to donate $XX dollars, and you suddenly can't find your wallet once you're back on the pavement, I'll simply put everything I moved back where I found it... and that includes your car and the snow. Also, if you make an offer to donate and I accept it, I will probably get your car out. If I don't, you won't owe me a dime. That said, I should also mention there's one other caveat: I'm not going to shovel your driveway. Don't call me to your house and point to a driveway mogul and say "there's my car, it's stuck." If the snowplow stuck you in overnight, that's a different story. But if it's been snowing for 3 days and you haven't moved your car or shoveled anything, that's not stuck... that's lazy.

Oh, and I'm not doing it until the new year because I'm just too busy.

can we pay debit or visa :D

what if there is snow before jan 2010?

Then don't get stuck! :haha:

Good on you Z28, hopefully I won't need you but :thumbsup: to you.