AAA is assuring its members they shouldn't be impacted by the recent closure of Padgett & Sons Towing, with spokesperson Amy Parmenter saying that within 24 hours of being notified by Padgett & Sons, AAA had six other contractors lined up.

"We literally had contractors sleeping in hotels in New London, so that they could be in the area ready to serve our members," she said. Parmenter added that AAA will have a contractor based in New London "in short order."

The automotive assistance company supplements its own fleet, which Parmenter said is more toward the Hartford area, with contractors along the shoreline, and contractors must meet quality standards. She said AAA is working to fill the gap "as quickly and as safely as possible," but it's not going to just fill it with the first person who volunteers.

"We had good relationships with Padgett's for a long time, and we're sorry to see it end, let alone abruptly," Parmenter said. Asked about reports of longer wait times after the closure, she said that "if there was a blip within the first 24 hours, it's certainly not something that should've extended beyond that."

She declined to name the six contractors lined up, and it's unclear exactly which companies will be servicing New London.

Messages left at Northeast Towing and Transport in Norwich and Guy's Oil Service in Niantic, which both list AAA towing among their services, were not returned. On its website, the former does not list New London as a city or town it services.

The owners of New London towing companies that don't contract with AAA said they've been seeing Desmond's Auto trucks, which does AAA towing, in the area, but the owner of the Colchester-based company declined to comment.

Evans Mobil in Pawcatuck is a AAA contractor, but owner Ellison Evans said its service area does not include New London. Grappling with the same issue Padgett & Sons and others referenced about not being able to find workers, Evans Mobil has not towed for AAA on weekends for the past month.

Evans said AAA pays the least of the motor clubs with which he contracts. He noted that when he started working with AAA about 30 years ago, about 25 percent of the tows would go back to his garage, whereas now they mostly go to the dealerships.

Evans said he continues working with AAA "because I've been doing it so long," and added they do give a bonus.

"This may sound corny, but I like helping people," he said. "When people break down, I like to get them off the highway."

Parmenter declined to comment on AAA's pay structure, except to say that tow companies can make more money or are incentivized by member satisfaction. AAA is a nonprofit in which members can get services such as roadside assistance, battery checks and towing for as little as $57 per year.

As for the issue of more cars getting towed to dealerships, Parmenter said that as vehicles have gotten more complicated in their technology over the years, the trend has been for people to want to be towed to their dealership. She said this has not resulted in a reduction to AAA's contractor network.

e.moser@theday.com