This is not just a bad business, it is a predatory operation that ignores legal protocols and engages in theft. My vehicle was recently towed, and the experience has been nothing short of a nightmare that violates California Highway Patrol policies.
The most evil violation: After my vehicle was towed, I contacted this company. They flat-out refused to grant me access to retrieve personal items, even after the CHP had verified and confirmed that I was the registered owner. My registration is easily accessible in the glove box, but they refused to retrieve it themselves or allow me access to prove ownership further. Instead, they demanded I go to the DMV and incur more unnecessary fees.
This refusal is purely punitive and unprofessional, showing zero regard for the law or common human decency.
The most heartbreaking violation: This company has stolen irreplaceable personal items with immense sentimental value that cannot be replaced. Due to a recent move, all of my essential belongings—including items critical for supporting my 5-year-old child—were inside the car. The company is actively refusing to let me access these personal necessities, knowing full well I am in a state of distress and transition.
I cannot emphasize enough: this company operates with callous disregard for both the law and the people they are supposed to serve. They are demanding extra money and time while holding personal property hostage, including stolen items. They are the absolute worst in the business. Avoid them at all costs.
READ BEFORE CONTACTING;
Like many here state, they’re an absolute scam, no doubt about it. I don’t know how these people sleep at night but here we are. I hope I can give you info on how the keep the costs lower after our incident.
If your car is towed off the road; get a release asap. Even though this place says it’s closed, still pick up the release from the police immediately. Our car was towed off our street when we were on holiday. Upon figuring out where it was, we were told on the phone this place was closed (4th of July) so we picked up the PD release form the next day. This was a weekend, we were still told they were closed. When we arrived on Monday (the door was closed on opening hours because he “forgot” to open them after lunch, but that’s another issue) we were told that you can pick up a car whenever, you just need an appointment. So we didn’t want to pay for the days they told us on the phone were “closed”. The guy told us to go to this HQ.
When we explained the issue, they still said we didn’t “try” on the 4th cause the release is from the 5th. After a lot of heated back and forth he was going to cut the costs of the weekend off. When we agreed, he went back and came back and told us they gave us the “wrong fee” and it would still be more for our district. Meaning; we’re still paying almost exactly how much it was before the “generous discount”. Also fun to add, that because I was not going to let this slide and he kept changing my words to try and fool the situation, he just started ignoring me and spoke to my husband only. The guy is called Adrian, and he’s supposed to be the manager.
Don’t be fooled, you CAN pick your car up even though they tell you otherwise on the phone!
Additionally, if you made it this far, someone in line told us they scam people on accident tows too. The cop will name the price, but as soon as they leave, they’ll try and scam you by saying it’s wrong and it’s actually 3 times the price. When the person in line then called the cop to clarify, the cop TURNED AROUND, and came back to the accident site and yelled at the towing employee the actual price. You can find these prices online or the cop on site can tell you how much it is. Make sure you note it down as well as the officers name.
I doubt the employees will ever read this, but dang. Y’all should be ashamed of yourselves scamming people in this economy.
EDIT: after reading some “good” reviews, funny that it’s only when the car is going to be totaled (aka they’re not going to make any money off of you, that you have a good experience.)
Told me 1 price over the phone and then once dropped the vehicle off charged me MORE . Rude office lady and owner as well .
Be careful . There are cheaper and honest business tow trucks elsewhere .
They rip people off. Got my car towed in hayward, went to pick it up 2 days later, they had transferred my car to fremont location without ANY NOTICE, because they had "no space" had to pay extra fees and on top of that they work close with the police in towing cars. Cops were patrolling my neighborhood reporting any broken down cars parked on the street and Jack James was right there to collect!!
Zero stars. Long hair driver came to accident in livermore in December. @4th Traumatic experience enough. Wallet on seat for police & insurance. full of holiday$ stuff gone I think drive name is Jose. It's gone.
Unfair price, not make sense at all. Bad customer service, bad attitude, not helpful. Only one person was working, and wait a hella long time. I don’t understand why the policy department work with this company.
Car stolen from the city, cops found it and towed here. These clowns wanted me to pay over a grand to release stolen property. California Penal Code § 496 may apply! They couldn’t find my car or tell me anything about its appearance but costs somehow kept stacking up! Spoke to Leticia who was very unhelpful and only wanted to collect payment. She told me the car was at x and I went and found no car. Thankfully I spoke to a much more competent individual at x and was given accurate information for the first time. Shady. For folks in this situation: I’m getting the car without spending a dime as there is a path to do so with the help of law enforcement. If you go to where the car was reported stolen they can give you a “release of stolen property” form and with your title in hand, they must release the stolen property to you or your insurance. You should also be warned that if you speak to Leticia, it’s likely you will be receiving inaccurate information.
Leticia will give you nothing but incorrect information. Service was bad to the point that we are considering legal action.
Side note: if your car is stolen to go to the police department for a vehicle release form . Do not give this place a cent for the privilege of returning your stolen property!
Very surprised at the negative reviews. My truck was in an accident & CHP used Jack James tow on 09/04 around 6 in the morning to have my truck removed. My mom came with me 09/05 (yesterday) to get my truck out. The lady at their office who helped me was very kind and explained everything to me. I felt comfortable with the charge, as I have never been in a situation like this & have heard horror stories about needing to pay $700+ for a tow & one night of storage. She gave me a printout that clearly listed the charges & even included directions for how to get to the actual tow yard. When I got there, I was absolutely heartbroken to see the damages on my baby, but Alex was respectful when letting me onto the lot to remove my belongings from my truck. It needed to be towed out so we called our insurance provider, who sent the wrong truck. When the driver arrived he said he did not have the proper equipment to tow my non-operable vehicle. We struggled with our insurance for about 4 hours trying to get the right tow truck to do the job, & we wanted to make sure my truck was off the lot before their lot closed at 5pm. Alex saw us waiting a while for our truck & came out a few different times to let us know if we needed anything he was there, we could just knock on the gate, he'll be around, etc & then closer to 5pm he let us know that he'd be leaving soon but that there are other options if the tow truck comes after 5pm, we could call their office again & they could send someone else to open the gate so we could get my truck out. I thought this was very kind of him/the company to offer, I had assumed we would just be stuck accruing more fees if my truck was not out by 5pm. After several hours of going back & forth with our insurance who made this whole situation a nightmare, we decided to just call Jack James' office again & see if we could pay them out of pocket to tow my truck to a repair shop since my insurance company was far from helpful. Without any hesitation, Jeanine accepted. I am not sure if Jeanine was the same woman who helped me when I went to pay my bill at their office (who was also very nice), but she was extremely kind over the phone & sounded genuinely eager to get this situation resolved. I read a lot of reviews about items being stolen out of peoples' vehicles, rude attitude from the women at the office, and just overall "horrible service." I left a lot of valuable things in my car, & I was nervous that stuff would be missing, but to my relief absolutely NOTHING was removed from my truck. The ladies at the office were pleasant in person & so helpful over the phone. During the most saddening & frustrating time while I was dealing with the loss of my truck, Jack James really made the situation bearable. Would certainly recommend them, & they will be the first people I call if I ever find myself in need of a tow again.
Avoid this place. The owner of this place towed the car. When I try to get the car next day. They try to delay more days. Gave me difference reason said I need to have release record which I don’t need. When I get to the tow place I waited 1 hr for them. And got my car back. Owner’s attitude is bad
Terrible service from these guys, all of the bad reviews are true! incompetent people who simply do not care about providing any level of service or decency to people who are stuck having to deal with them because of their contract with local law enforcement. just wait til you to lose that contract with the city and you have to compete based on your reputation, which a basic google search will show is terrible..
My vehicle was involved in an accident on 8/6/2022 and Jack James towing picked up my vehicle and took it to their towing yard since they have a contract with the Hayward police department. My vehicle was determined a total loss and when I went to pick up my belongings, my $500 drone was missing from my truck. I called many times to find out who had taken it out and was told many times that the supervisor, Alan, would call me back.. it's been two months and till this day, no one has called. Be aware that if you're involved in an accident, and your vehicle is taken by this towing company, they will steal any valuable items from your car while you're in the hospital.
I had the worst experience with the worker called Ryan whom has been working there for years he’s the most rudest person I ever came across which will definitely leave a bad repo to this tow company him being so proud of telling me that I’m not the first one to complaint on him and that he doesn’t care was very shocking and makes me never wana do any business with this tow company in the future! Bryan was my hero of the day who was very helpful :)
These guys have a contract with HPD and when your car is stolen you have to pay these guys to get it back from their tow yard if your not there in a hour to pick your stolen car up. Why do I have to pay to get my car back that was stolen? thats why!! I see your dirty little secrets Jack James Towing and HPD!!! CONTRACT TOW MONEY WIN WIN RIGHT?
Thank you Guys. Got a recommendation from Micheal out in CA Bear Collision. They had better rates for my situation plus they are based out in Hayward, where my rig needed to go.
They where very easy to work with. I provided sizing and picture of my rig. They where able to tow the rig the next following weekday. They towed my rig with no damages and where able to get the job done quickly. They disassembled the drive train and towed the truck. I did have to meet the tow truck in person either for pick up or drop off to provide payment. All in all had a swift and easy time with them. Hopefully I don’t need any more tows but if I do they will be my first call.
horrible experience!! they need a 0 star option.
I was calling needing assistance. a guy answered and was not willing to help and was VERY rude for no reason he even hung up on me. this is so unnecessary especially when people are going through this frustrating experience.
the dispatcher needs to be more helpful and understanding.
Not sure where all the bad reviews are coming from, i had a very friendly experience with them, my car had a crash and was towed to their yard since they were called by Hayward police, they showed up within 15 mins, i went later next day to pick up my personal stuff and they were very clear on the process and how i should navigate to the yard etc, but my car had a dead battery but the friendly yard keeper "Alex"was so nice and helped me jump start the vehicle and worked with me to help unlock my car and get my stuff, i dint have to pay a penny anywhere and they efficiently charged my insurance directly and worked with them to move the car later to workshop. They were being very cautious about releasing our car to the right party with correct details. The only drawback if at all is their yard is mostly from trashed cars and full of mud so couldn't be there long to access my car and was sad to see my new Tesla sitting there but that's just my rant. Kudos to the management and their yard staff.
The lot super Rito treated me sub human after traveling 5 hours to retrieve personal items out of my vehicle after being victim of accident. Do not trust or use this company, trust the poor rating. I am filing BBB complaint specifically because of manager Rito and his deliberate attempt to withhold my personal items, including medications. Avoid this company at all costs.
Besides the fact that they towed my car... The ladies at the office are incompetent. I paid my fine then they sent me somewhere else I get there and then the gate was locked so I called them and they say "oh well send a guy over" um excuse me YOU SENT ME HERE. YOU KNEW I WAS COMING. And you didn't think to call someone them. ( I have to kids under 13 months with me and she knew) so we wait another 30 min. HOWEVER the tow guys are super funny and nice just full of life. Made my horrible experience 100% better
Regardless of all the other bad reviews, this company was the only one who answered and was able to tow my car around 3am on the bridge after trying to call so many other companies. Don't know the guys name who came to help us but as soon as he got there, he did what he had to do quickly and efficiently. I would definitely call this company again if I had to.
I cannot believe that the Hayward Police department contract with such a rip off Company like jack james tow service. There is absolutely NO empathy from these people on a bad situation getting worse than having to deal with Janine and pay $315 to get my grandsons car off their lot. My grandsons car was stolen. The Hayward police found the car 'crashed' in Hayward and used this 'contracted' business to tow the car and store it overnight for a whopping $315.00. Then it cost another $240 to get the car towed to a service station. WOW..there is no justice in this world and with people like the owners of Jack James obviously no humanity. I hope they sleep well at night knowing that they rip off folks who have nothing just to fatten their greedy pockets..Peace out!!
Made me pay and then told me my car was in Depot Lot, drove there for 30 mins waited another 30 mins. Later was told that it was in the Fremont Lot, drove there for 40 mins and waited another 45 mins to find out that they had the car in there main business location which is where I had paid. Had to drive back back 45 mins to wait another 30 mins for a driver to come and release my car. Found out that the car was there from Friday, and when I had called on Friday evening they said we don’t have your car, And on my paper of release it says the car was towed and was in there possession from 4pm on Friday.
This tow company must be in cohoots with Hayward PD because they have a really good scam going towing cars. I was charged $340 after my car was towed. I had a valid permit to move my car and it was still towed. They had the car for less than 48 hours but were able to charge me for 3 days! Its disgusting how the tow companies take advantage of the public by using local ordinances that the majority of the public is not aware of... If you like paying outrageous fees then by all means use this tow company. I wouldn't use them simply because they are OK with screwing the public!
This place is absolutely horrible!!! No sense of customer service at all. Paid the money to get vehicle. They told me they would put it outside so I could come back with a tow truck. Come back with a tow and the vehicle was still inside. Had to leave vehicle for the night. Came back next day, the vehicle was buried behind a bunch of cars. In the middle of trying to get the vehicle out, guy gets a call and just leaves me there with my tow truck again waiting. The most horrible experience I have ever had with any company. Avoid at all cost!! Invest in an auto club to be able to avoid these pieces of garbage here. Lady at the counter is so rude like she hates her job. She needs to stop being so miserable in her everyday life and taking it out on other people who had no choice but to have their vehicle towed by this garbage company.
Went with a friend, whose his car was stolen and found by CHP.
Car was towed by this company!
We waited almost 30 mins just to pay the towing fees and get release documents, because there is only 1 person there and was answering phone calls while serving my friend.
Pain didn't end here. When we went to the yard where towed cars are kept, nobody was there and we had to call them more than 6 or 7 times and wait for almost 3 hours till somebody came to open the gate and release my friend's car.
Horrible experience and very very bad service for the so expensive service.
This place is a serious racket. The most rude dishonest tow company I have ever dealt with. They were called by Hayward police to remove my car after the car was totaled in an accident. Instead of being patient, they didn't ask where I wanted the car to be taken just told me to come to their office to sign a release for the insurance company adjuster. After 3 days of dealing with the insurance company to figure out if an adjuster was going to go out, the insurance company suggested I call to check in on my car. I called Jake and Jack to figure out what was happening with car I was told that I needed to pick my car up within 9 minutes and it would cost $625 and $85 to tow it to my house because they were closing. If I didn't come get it on that day the cost would be $775 and $85 tow to my house the next day. I called back in 9 minutes to find out if someone else could pick up the car the following day the same person answered and said we are closed I cannot answer your question. I called the following day and was told something completely different. It was $165 for tow and $60 per day. I was also informed that if I didn't pick it up on that day it would be an additional $70 lien "state mandate". So I went to pick it up. I arrived to attitude city the woman at the desk seemed to hate her job as much as she hated customers. They had already assessed the lean which shockingly they begrudgingly removed. I paid the 4 days of fees which ended up being $485 including tow to my house. I was told the car would be there in 45 mins to an hour and 5 hours later it still had not arrived. I even tipped the driver $20 in good faith. This place is a scam and should be shutdown. My favorite part is they have a sign clearly posted that says "We cheat the other guy and pass the savings on to you" I guess this is them being cheeky but I felt like "the other guy"
Wish I could give them Zero or Negative Stars. Extremely RUDE, unprofessional and nasty people. I was standing on the roadside over 6 months pregnant, and told the driver exactly where to go, he was terribly rude, stopped at the location for 2 minutes and then took off w/o saying where he was going. I also noticed that he was particularly nicer to my husband when he showed up on the scene, in this day and age who wants to work with sexist, rude, scam artists, when I brought the driver's behavior & action to his attention he took off to extort storage fee. It's a scam to get money out of people by storing their vehicles overnight besides getting 183/hr for towing. The driver later concocted the story that he was afraid for his safety that's why he took off. . . . the nerve!
Unehtical, unprofessional, rude to the CORE.
I was rude to the man on the phone since I was stressed about my car breaking down but he was calm and still very nice with me. Looked up a shop to tow my car to and everything. Then the man who actually towed my car, was very nice and helpful as well. Hope I never need a tow again, but if I do, I hope they are close by to call again. Price was good too!
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