So, its been a while since I ever felt to RANT about something that occurred onbase, so here it goes.

This morning while driving to work, my car was going around a corner at 30KM.
The back of the car started to slip away from me, and my car went into a spin, because I was stupid enough to hit the breaks instead of turning into the turn.

Anyhow, the cars back tire got bent from the axle, and it was not able to drive anymore.

So here I am, stranded, pouring down rain.  Luckily I didnt hit anything or anyone, just my back tire was bent out of frame.

So I called the Yokosuka Base Autoport.  I wanted to get a tow about 10 minutes away from the base.  I live in Zushi, and had just got on the toll road from Ikego to Yokosuka.

The Autoport attendant (Japanese) answers the phone.  I explained I am stranded on the toll road, and I need a tow truck to assist me.

He said:

"I'm sorry, but our tow trucks are busy all day, there are none available."


I said:

"excuse me?  I am stranded in the middle of the toll road, and you cannot help me.  I just had a scary situation, and I need a tow truck."

He said:

"Where are you sir?"

I said:

"I am on the toll road right near Zushi exit."  So, there aren't available at the moment, but when will one be available, anytime today?

He said:

No sir, they are all busy with other customers..

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You have to be KIDDING ME!   All day, busy.

You have a member of the base, stranded, and his answer was no, the entire time.

I even asked him, what about this afternoon.  He said no to that also.

So let me ask all of you if you agree with this..  You have a SOFA sponsored individual who just got into an accident.  You call the base for help, and then turn you away.  I dont understand that.  I truly dont.

--------------------------------------------

So I asked him next.. 

What about a Japanese Tow Truck?

He said:

Yes I recommend that sir.  They will get there much faster than we will.
Hold a moment while I get there number for you.

.......

He gives me the number, and mentions they dont speak english.
So I call my wife, and give her the info.  She calls, and then calls me back.
Guess what.

It was a wrong number.

So I call him back.

I get another Japanese guy on the phone.  I ask him as well about the base tow truck...  He didnt seem to know, and put me on hold for almost 10 min, to come back and say, "I'm sorry sir..."

He attempted to then give me phone numbers for off-base tow companies.
First one he gives me, is the same one the first guy tried.
I said, no no.. I tried that one.  Didn't work.

He gives me another.

I said, do you have anymore just in case.

He had another, so I wrote both down..  GOOD THING I DID.

I called my wife, and she told me the first one she tried was disconnected as well.  The second one, she got through, and it was somewhat near in Hayama.

She said, they were on there way and will be there in 20 minutes.

So I waited until they arrived.

He got there, (1) Japanese guy, and did a great job.  He let me wait in his trucks front seat, while he got everything on the lift.

He brought my car back to my house where it sits now. 

Now for the fun part...

10,000 yen - Just going to the car
 5,000 yen - Labor fee
 3,000 yen - Fee because it was on the toll road
 1,000 yen - Every 1KM they had to drive
        x yen - whatever the toll fees add up to

Total 24,000 yen for my car to be driven almost 7 min from my house

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After wondering about this all day, I figure that I was told no for a few reasons.

Any of these may of been the reason.  Now take into account, the Japanese attendant said, ALL DAY, they were not available.. They had service to attend to.

1) They are getting ready moving cars that are parked in the FLEET REC for the upcoming bazaar on October 2nd.

2) They were too lazy to come, because it was pouring down rain

3) They were junking cars today to the junk yard.. (highly doubt, but still possibility)

I dont know what the real answer is, but its been bugging me, how someone that needs help, and is stranded cannot get the base tow truck to come and service them...

Someone please shine some knowledge on why I was refused service.
I left the question very open.  ALL DAY?  He said yes sir..  ALL DAY... 
Unbelievable...

Hello Adam,

So sorry to hear about your misfortune and the grief that followed.  That you're ok is the most important part of your tale.

My wife got into a minor accident (300,000 Yen damage to our car) recently when she leaned back to refasten our 3 yo's seat belt at a stop light, didn't realize her foot had slipped from the brake pedal.  She hit the car about a meter in front.

I can imagine how your wife felt when she got your call.

Have you considered JAF?  When we've had to use them, they always responded quickly.  Now with a new Jones on the way you want to know that help is on the way when you need it.

Take care..

So Sorry Adam. You know, the Autoport won't come jump your car either?!!! I have had a dead battery several times, and I call them each time just hoping someone will come out to help. (because it usually happens when my husband isn't home! lol) They always say, no, no one can come out to jump a battery, but instead tell you to call a cab for a jump. Sure, a cab will jump you, for a $25 fee! I usually leave the car until my husband gets home or I can get a hold of a friend or their husband. I shouldn't complain about a dead battery when you clearly had a bigger need.

24,000 yen is crazy. It's not the Autoport's fault, but that's a lot of money that some people might not have on hand or can afford.

The base should have a tow truck available for emergencies all the time. Or at least one that can drop what it's doing to assist emergency calls (or help after it's done with a customer). That's all we've ever needed a tow truck for --emergencies. And I'm sure many other people feel the same way. Unacceptable, sorry.

Adam, sorry about your encounter with how the base handles this type of situation. It's never happened to me, but you never know when it could happen to anyone. I rarely use my car, maybe once a week to get groceries since I live close to the base and ride my bike most days, except when it rains pretty hard. I have a few observations I'd like to share after being here for over ten years.

1) Does the base have a SOP, Instruction, or other written policy that governs emergencies such as these, or is it handled on a so-called "case-by-case" basis? If they don't have one, they should seriously think about developing one in the interest of quality of life of SOFA personnel out in town on the roads.

2) What department on the base is responsible for this? I would guess it's either NEX, Public Works, or Security.

3) Do they cover this in Base Indoc? It's been so long that I've gone through it I can't recall if it was addressed or not.

4) Are you considered submitting an ICE for an official response?

Sorry to hear about the lack of support. But, yeah I would definitely recommend people to join JAF.

http://www.jaf.or.jp/e/index_e.htm

4,000 yen a year and they take care of you anytime you break down or have a dead battery/flat tire etc off base. Bottom line, I try not to count on base to take care of anything for me when I am off base. As you can see by this happening, sometimes you will be disappointed by base services, usually when you need them most.

Mike,

Thanks for the response. Yes I am going to submit one, and ask similar questions as you have noted.

I doubt they prepare new people for these type of situations in indoc.
www.japanbases.com

Blacklabel.

Sad thing was, I was a member of JAF. For 2 years in a row.

I never used them and decided to cancel it. What do you know? Now I needed them. I am not saying anything towards autoport, and if they were truly busy, then fine. I understand. Nut I honestly doubt they were busy all day. ALL DAY! No way.

I guess the only was to test this is to call randomly, when you don't need anything and ask, can I get a tow and see what happens. See what there response is on an constant basis.

Have you ever gone into the autoport to service your car after 9am. Everytime, please come back tomorrow and bring your vehicle before 7am.

Maybe security has another towing vehicle for emergencies that base security are authorized to use if needed. I doubt it because of lack of knowledge.

Someone told me auto hobby how and auto port both have towing services. One is run by NEX and one by MWR.
www.japanbases.com

What would you have done if you didn't have a Japanese wife to call the tow company for you?! 

I don't know what I would have done.....it makes me think about keeping some handy base numbers in my cell phone in case s/thing happens while I'm off base. 

Anyway, glad you are safe, Adam. 

Sad thing was, I was a member of JAF. For 2 years in a row.

I spoke with my wife tonight. We are going to go ahead and sign back up with JAF. I guess its better to have it just incase.

I don't know what I would have done.....

I agree. I am sure there are a lot of dependents that would be completely lost. Imagine being out there lost, and you need help.

It made me think about something today, I am going to develop. Its going to be an emergency section on JB.

You will be able to send via email, to the website, and it will post your emergency or stranded need help..
Maybe you need a jump start, or you ran out of gas. Maybe someone just needs a life to Yokosuka from Negishi.. Whatever the case is, maybe, just maybe someone can help 1 out of 10 cases.

I needed someone to help me today, and as I sat in the car, I just wondered if I had sent an email to the site, from my cell, if someone would of come to my rescue..

Sometimes real situation trigger ideas, and I think this is something I will add to the list...

Anyway, glad you are safe, Adam.

Trust me. I have had the images in my head all day, going in slow motion. My car spun around because of the water, and how slippery it was. I was stupid to hit my breaks, but when its spur of the moment, I think you freeze and your natural reaction is to step on the breaks... I am just glad no one was behind me, or no bicycles or motorcyles were near me..

I like that idea about setting up an emergency section on Japanbases.   I kinda see Japanbases members as family......we all look after each other and try to give advise to those out there looking for answers. 

I would have been there in an instant to help ya out today Adam! 

I would have been there in an instant to help ya out today Adam!

Thanks.. Appreciate knowing you guys got my back...

That would be a great section, Adam. Yoko has a point. There is no way I would have been able to talk to the Japanese tow company, and most of the people I know are in the same situation. That's why the base NEEDS an emergency service.

That's why the base NEEDS an emergency service.

The idea I have, is basically a EMERGENCY BY CELL PHONE service.

We all have email available by cell phone.

So if your JB account has your cell phones email address, it will be recognized as an official account with the website.

Now, you just send an email to (example: emergency@japanbases.com) and it will automatically post to the website.

One thing you would have to do, is have the website setup automatically to SUBSCRIBE YOU to the Emergency section.
That way if someone responded to your post, you could receive the email to your cell, and even reply back to them instantly from your cell.

I do it all the time, and if you see any of my posts that have japanbases.com at the bottom of my posts, its because it was because I sent it from my cell phone. I have it set that way, so I can remember where I was when I made my posts.

You could also do it another way.

Before you submit your emergency post, you could just send and email to the example: (emergency@japanbases.com) section, and just send an email with SUBSCRIBE in the subject line. Nothing else is needed.

That way, your automatically subscribed to the entire emergency section. You make your post, and get all the replies.

After your done, you send another email to the email provider with UNSUBSCRIBE. Thats what I was thinking to create.

It would do the job.. I will have the email provider check for any new messages every 2 minutes, so it would be a constant flow of incoming and outgoing messages.

If a person has an AAA membership and less then 1 year from entering to Japan, JAF provide free road services. JAF also offer free tow service up to 15km for AAA members.

http://www.jaf.or.jp/e/fia.htm

Even if you aren't a JAF member (nor an AAA member), you can call JAF by "#8139" special number and get road service from them (not free, though.). JAF said they speak English. I doubt that all of JAF telephone operators speak English, but you can ask "Can I talk to English speaker?" (I think you have to say this 1st phrase very slowly.) so that your call will be forwarded to English speaking operator.

I'll be the lone wolf here with a positive thing to say about towing company.

I lived next to Daiei and one morning my car wouldn't start. Took shuttle bus to work and called base towing. They set up a time to meet that afternoon. Guys were there right on time. They were all ready to tow my car on to base to the garage. One guy pulled out the quick charger and found out the battery was dead. I felt really dumb.

5000 yen to call them out. But mostly, I felt really dumb that I didn't realize it. Lesson learned? Listen to the CAR GUYS on Eagle 810 every Sat. morning.

Sounds like things changed. That was 2 years ago when this happened.

Adam, Sorry for your unfortunate incident, but like others, very glad you are safe!

After reading through this thread we are definitely signing up with JAF as well, we didn't even know it existed! Thank you for that information. We live off base and like many, my husband is often at sea, so it is prudent to have a back up if base is 'too busy' to be helpful.

This sort of situation was not touched on in our AOB/ICR in March, and I don't know if it has been since. However, it should be! Has anyone made a suggestion to FFSC? If not, I would be willing to.

I really like the idea of the Emergency Section! I would definitely help someone out if I was able to - that is just what you do!

Adam,

I had a bad experience back in July and called the Autoport, too. It was pretty much the same thing, the guy barely spoke English and put me on hold. Someone else came back on the line and told me to call the Auto Hobby Shop.

I wasn't aware that they have a tow truck, but they do. I'm not sure if they go off base, but at least it's an option for on base many probably aren't aware of. Right now, the auto hobby shop is closed for reonvations, but when they are back in business-perhaps this information will help someone.

Glad you're ok, sorry for your experience.

Thanks for sharing all this Adam. So to clarify, you didn't hit anything at all yet your rear axle got bent out of alignment? I didn't know this was possible. Can you clarify from the physics perspective what happened? Anyway, I'm glad you're ok and despite all obstacles got your car safely home.

Now for my prediction.... CFAY will go nuts regarding your emergency email idea. They're going to say "you're trying to take over our job!" meaning you should notify base security when you have an accident or emergency off base (at least down in Iwakuni that's the policy.) Of course, you have the natural rejoinder: "I did seek emergency services and they were unable to help." So we'll see what they say about that.

I don't see how ANY towing service can in good conscience claim to be busy all day. Any of your scenarios are equally absurd yet possible. If they did have something going on like moving cars on base, they ought to have a blanket policy that says any real-world service call takes precedence over pre-planned vehicle movements.

Adam,

Your idea about an email address for emergencies is wonderful and another example of your forward-thinking and the power of the local community. We oftentimes assume the base will take care of certain needs, but as you found out you have to think out of the box to solve today's problems. Most of us on this site have iPhones, Blackberries, or as a minimum a cell phone and could certainly tap into this emergency resource. We can argue all day about whether the base should send a tow truck out and in the end they will respond this way - "The needs of the Navy take priority" and that's that. Keep us posted about this endeavor.

Mike

I think the idea of an emergency help line on here is scary and dangerous. It leaves a door wide open for some creepy pervert or psycho to find you in a vulnerable position. I understand the good intention, but it's not something I would ever use. No offense to anyone here, but some nut job could easily respond and pretend they are Mike Applegate from JB- how would I ever know?

It leaves a door wide open for some creepy pervert or psycho to find you in a vulnerable position.

You do have a valid point, and I agree with you. But I dont think it was intended or thought of for that situation. Bad people exist everywhere.

I was more or less looking at it this way also:

Lets say for example, you need help, or you need some advice and you are stranded. You need a phone number for example.

You could post a question, or issue you might be having. It immediately gets posted to the website within 1-2 minutes. Now someone responds, and you get an email back, from the website, with your answers, or a HOLD ON, I AM GETTING THAT FOR YOU type of reply.

BOTTOM LINE is this: If you have an emergency and your onbase, contact 911. If your offbase, contact 119.
You can also contact the onbase security offices through a japanese direct extension, like 046-xxx-xxxx (example)...

If you honestly are stranded and dont have anyone to turn to, call the base security office. That is what they are here to do, and protect if your in a situation...

But if its not an immediate emergency, or one that, maybe you just need a quick answer, you could use this emergency section.

Does that make more sense?

I am sure, you will have those people that are more comfortable being onbase, Ikego posting.. Hey I just got a flat tire, and I live at XXXXX Tower.. Can anyone come help me change my tire....

Hey I have a dead battery onbase Negishi.. Anyone free to help me jump the car?

Road to hell is paved with good intentions. You know the saying, you know the other side here, Adam.

Hope CFAY either disbands the autoport towing (freeing up tens of thousands of dollars that can be spent on other things), or figures out another way to help the people on CFAY. Glad so many people posted other options for towing, options that don't involve the horrible on-base towing services.

Just to note the English page for JAF has changed: http://www.jaf.or.jp/e/index.htm 

...well one of the reasons I don't use AIU (apart from the fact that company took millions of all our tax dollars in the form of a US govt bailout and paid bonuses and bought a soccer team in the UK) not to mention the invalid "full coverage insurance" I paid over Y100,000 on a motorcycle several years go that they sell (but you can't use that coverage to make a claim on if you "aren't operating the vehicle" at the time it gets hit) = causing me to switch to ACE insurance; this the reason for the pleasant surprise I just got in the mail today!

ACE insurance now gives is members an English speaking 24/7 emergency road side assistance and I didn't solicit this = I just got the free notification post cards in the mail today for all my POV's that I hold policies on with ACE!

I used Ace's services a couple weeks ago when I came out to a flat tire. They sent a repair truck to my house, he took off the flat and put on the spare. He was here within half an hour...and it was 10:30pm when I called. I tried to get them to wait till the morning but they insisted since it's a 24hr service.