My van broke down at Ice Lake, between Canyon Junction and West Yellowstone, MT. I was able to…read morepull-off the road, into the Ice Lake parking area. So, I was not blocking traffic or causing any difficulty for the tow truck.
As an AAA Member, I called AAA (after I managed to get my hands on a cell phone that worked, another story).
AAA is not allowed to enter the park to service their members. Hmmmmm, why not?
So, the AAA dispatcher transferred the call over to YPSS, Inc. at Canyon Junction, 8 miles away. They sent-out a tow truck, a flatbed.
Did the tow truck arrive promptly? Yes.
Was it a state-of-the-art flatbed? Yes.
Was the driver, Dave, courteous, efficient? Yes.
Did Dave, know what he was doing? Yes.
Were the towing charges reasonable? ABSOLUTELY NOT!
It is exactly 31 miles from Ice Lake to the mechanic (Jake's) where the van was dropped-off in West Yellowstone, MT.
The towing charges were $565.65!
That is $18.25 PER MILE!!!
As a retired "business guy," I think it is wonderful that independent businesses, corporations (large & small), are allowed to do business in our National Parks ... vendors of all stripes ... restaurants, stores, etc.
That said, these exclusive agreements are NOT a license to steal from visitors to our National Parks.
[UPDATE, 6 MAY '18]
I just had a fellow, Derek, a local to this area, pushing-back rather vigorously on the review, above, which I have toned-down a wee bit. (I'm still not clear on Derek's relationship to this business, obviously a friendly one.)
Derek was going out of his way to explain how difficult it is for a "provider" to operate in a National Park. Based upon Derek's comments, it certainly sounds difficult, with loads of overhead and unusually high expenses, including a cut taken out of the business profits by the National Park Service. Okay, fine.
It is also noteworthy to know that an outfit like this one, YPSS, has no competition in the Park.
So, it is difficult for a vendor / provider to operate in Yellowstone. Okay, fine. I still say that $18.25 per mile is exorbitant and I'd like to know how much of that $18.25 per mile is PURE PROFIT for the "provider".
