I'm a little fuzzy on the exact time of the first call to Payless that morning, but believe it was shortly after 8:00 AM. I had left my hotel in Minneapolis and was driving back to Chicago on Interstate 94 to return the rental car when the engine light came on along with the message "engine power reduced" and the car slowed to about 20 MPH. Thinking it unsafe to continue on the Interstate highway, I exited as soon as possible to find myself on another limited access highway, Route 10, so I quickly exited onto Warner Road, then turned onto Fish Hatchery Road and parked in the lot in front of the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources.
I called for roadside help, and while I had an exact street address from the DNR sign, but not the town, I said I was just outside St Paul and described the series of route numbers, roads and the exact location as best I could, including the name (Minnesota Department of Natural Resources) and street address (Fish Hatchery Road) of the parking lot I was in. The operator said they could use my GPS data from my phone (how do they do that?), and shortly I received my first text message of a series - the string of which are detailed below:
Roadside CC
NAME: LNM TOWING AND RECOV
ETA: 09:21AM
To reach us: 612-323-8652
Message and Data Rates May Apply
Reply STOP to end texts
Reply HELP for help
Roadside CC
NAME: LNM TOWING AND
NEW ETA: 10:21AM
To reach us: 612-323-8652
Message and Data Rates May Apply
Reply STOP to end texts
Reply HELP for help
I called the number given, a few times, but there was no answer. The third text message I received about 11:30AM (more than three hours so far) or so provided a website to allow me to monitor the arrival of the assistance vehicle, I assumed:
Roadside CC
Visit www.roadsvc.co/?id=6178991440 to monitor your roadside event.
Message and Data Rates May Apply
Reply STOP to end texts
Reply HELP for help
So when I logged on, I was surprised to find that the assistance vehicle had been dispatched to somewhere (I don't remember the town name) about 80 miles from where I was (according to Google Maps) and was headed for somewhere on Fish Hatchery Lane, not Road, in another town somewhere south and west of Minneapolis.
I then called Payless and noted the location issue, and the operator was very considerate and said she would fix everything and also would notify Payless customer service to make an adjustment on the billing for the rental. So I started getting a new series of texts:
Roadside CC
NAME: SMITTY'S BIG TOW
ETA: 12:44PM
To reach us:651-955-6475
Message and Data Rates May Apply
Reply STOP to end texts
Reply HELP for help
Roadside CC
NAME: SMITTY'S BIG TOW
ETA: 01:32PM
To reach us:651-955-6475
Message and Data Rates May Apply
Reply STOP to end texts
Reply HELP for help
Roadside CC
NAME: SMITTY'S BIG TOW
ETA: 01:32PM
To reach us:651-955-6475
Message and Data Rates May Apply
Reply STOP to end texts
Reply HELP for help
About 1:45PM I called Smitty's number and he answered and said he was on his way; I'm not sure exactly when he arrived, but after loading my car on the flatbed, he took me to the Payless facility at MSP airport in Minneapolis. I think it was just before 3:00PM (seven hours after I had left the first time) when I got a replacement car and was headed out again. This facility is very close to the entrance to Interstate 494, and I directly took the entrance ramp and headed east to resume my trip to Chicago. I could not have possibly done any damage to the tire, as there were no curbs or obstructions within sight. Except for the first mile or less, I was only on an Interstate highway at speed. Imagine my shock when only 14 miles later I had a blowout of the right rear tire. I called the service line again, and shortly received my first text message:
Roadside CC
NAME: STILLWATER TOWING IN
ETA: 04:56PM
To reach us:651-439-5744
Message and Data Rates May Apply
Reply STOP to end texts
Reply HELP for help
I didn't want to wait two more hours, so called AAA who dispatched the same service provider, Stillwater Towing, in just 15 minutes! After AAA changed the tire, I returned to the MSP Payless location for my third car, and I left the Minneapolis facility around 5:00PM with the car that I turned in at the end of my journey - nine hours later than my planned arrival time.
I was stranded in a car that would not run for almost seven hours in ten degree weather. I wrapped myself in all the clothing from my suitcase to try to stay warm - and this in a remote location on a Sunday morning with no traffic except the occasional car-carrier semi that seemed unlikely to assist me.
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