What clients say about North Valley Fleet Services Inc., DBA Dependable Tow in Truckee (CA)
WARNING TO ALL TRUCK DRIVERS, CARRIERS – STAY AWAY FROM THIS PLACE
We are posting this review from our company after a very disturbing experience our driver had with this roadside assistance/repair shop.
Our driver called them in the morning to ask about a battery. He was quoted $259 + tax for the battery and $225 per hour for labor. That sounded reasonable, so he drove the truck there and also asked if they could quickly look at his trailer. They agreed.
After about 2 hours, the owner suddenly tried to charge our driver $900 for 4 hours of labor. Our driver immediately told him he has an ELD (electronic log device) in the truck and the exact arrival time is recorded. The logs clearly showed it had only been about 2 hours. After being confronted with actual proof, the owner said he would “check” and call back.
Later he came back with another number — $675 for 2 hours and 7 minutes, which still didn’t make sense.
While they were changing the battery, our driver was restacking cars on his trailer. A random guy from their shop came over pretending to be friendly and started “helping” unstrap the cars. Our driver never asked for help and didn’t need any help. Later we discovered they added another 2 hours of labor on the invoice for that second guy who “helped.” That was never requested and never agreed to.
It gets worse.
After presenting this inflated invoice full of charges for things that were never requested or performed, the owner closed the gate and blocked our driver inside the yard, refusing to let him leave unless he paid the amount they demanded. Our driver felt intimidated and harassed.
From the company side, we were extremely concerned about our driver’s safety. The fact that a business would lock a gate and trap a driver inside until payment is made is completely unacceptable. When we tried to contact the owner to resolve the issue, he used harassing language, had a terrible attitude, and behaved completely unprofessional.
We operate 20 trucks and run multiple routes every day between Sacramento and Reno. After this experience and this level of customer service, we will never use their services again.
Our safety team is currently reviewing dashcam footage and ELD records, and we are considering escalation of this matter with the appropriate regulatory and legal authorities to determine whether proper licensing, billing practices, and operational standards are being followed.
Drivers and carriers — be very careful dealing with this place.
This experience felt dishonest, aggressive, and completely unprofessional.
The tow truck driver was prompt and professional. He worked incredibly hard and was sensitive to our needs at the time. He is an asset to the towing company and I would certainly use them again especially if all the drivers are as good as the young man that provided service for us. I'm very grateful to him for all of his hard work.
-Tom & Jim Brewer
Dependable Tow came out and winch+towed my SUV after I started sliding down a hillside and was leaning against a tree on the south side of Donner Lake in a snowstorm. They did a great job of saving the mirror and keeping the vehicle drivable so I could get home. Sent two guys to help and they did the job excellently. Also had to custom-make chains for their smallest truck because the hill was still treacherous. I would've liked a lower price, but who wouldn't. Appreciate the help! Thanks to Mike and his coworker
We were stuck with a snow chain/tire problem on a Christmas Day. We called 10+ companies and no one was able to dispatch. North Valley sent William to us - told us to expect maybe 30-45mins for them to get to us, but arrived in just 10 mins. William was so nice, helpful, and professional - my son says he’s our Christmas hero. We were charged exactly as we were quoted on the phone. So thankful!
ATTENTION PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THESE PEOPLE UNLESS YOU WANT TO GET RIPPED OFF AND TAKEN ADVANTAGE OF!!!
They don’t tell you about all their hidden fees until the end they say 370 an hour port to port and they will purposely look for any reason to extend the time and take longer on purpose so your final invoice comes out to more, real scummy place getting charged almost $3300 for just 61 miles absolutely outrageous and ridiculous.
Not to mention I was up in the tow truck bed having to help the driver load and unload my car which is very unprofessional and not allowed by any other tow company I’ve had experience with in the past
Danny at Dependable Tow provided great service when I was in need of a tow. He came quickly, was kind, and patiently explained the options. He also was very detailed and thorough in getting my car un-stuck. Would definitely recommend!
I don’t know how this company has such low reviews. They were a tremendous help tonight. Edgar was amazing and Mike was extremely polite and helpful. They got me out of my rut in less than 15 minutes. I would use them again.
2-4-24 was a bad day, but North valley fleet saved the day. they were fast, polite, and got us home safe and sound.
They also worked with us on the bill, and I am very greatful for that.
THANK YOU MUCH!!!!!!!
Barbara
A woman alone; right before Christmas, not only did they steal my car, caused me to lose my job at North Star. But had the nerve to steal my plates, my bike, all of my belongings inside after I paid for car rental to go and get my things. Charged $700 to tow 5 miles $100 a day while weather not allowing me to pick it up. Refused to take a credit card over the phone. I just thank God I wasn’t like many so many people on the east coast who passed away in this snow storm. These guys are heartless crooks for sure!!! THEY OFFERED TO SELL it back to me for $4000, but said I would have to PAY NOW and come back in a couple of days to get it outside the fence (Take another day off work at my new job, rent a car again AND pay more than it bluebooks for?!?!?)
NOW you respond 11 months later
Why did I try to pay by phone is your response…because I80 was closed…
Furthermore you stole all of my belongings including expensive bike rack bike security cameras in car etc…and my plates
…when the roads opened I did come in person.. you said there was too much snow to give me my car or my things.... remember now?!?!
After I paid for a car rental to get to Truckee
And I lost my job with no transportation
SHAME ON YOU!!!!
I don’t usually leave reviews on anything whether it was a good or bad experience. However, my experience with this company is worth sharing. Mark is the employee who “helped” my family and I and it was a horrific experience. He overcharged us for a service that was not needed. We had 2 infants in the car so we paid to avoid any further issues. We are not from the area and he took advantage of the fact we were far from home. This company is overpriced, sneaky, and not worth calling. EVER.
Five star BEN must not have dealt with employee MARK because MARK is ANYTHING but honest. He charged over 3,000 for a service he DIDN’T PROVIDE!!! Untrustworthy! unreliable! Dishonest! This was the worst road side assistance experience…MARK needs Jesus in his life.
Waited all day (6+hours) for a service that was supposed to arrive in 60-90 mins even though I was broken down right in town, overall I would steer clear of them if you can try and go to Reno and find a place, the damage for 2 tire patches was $750USD :(
Have used this company a few times and they are very dependable. John really took care of a messy situation in crystal bay on Lakeview. Thank you much! I would definitely recommend using this tow company any day. They are honest and the best in the industry!
Had a blow out trailer tire and mike came out after midnight to change it for us, however he had only been working for this company for 3 days and did not seem very confident in his abilities. The way our trailer was bounced around on the side of the road not only made us nervous but also caused some issues inside the trailer along the seems of the back wall and jarred our fridge loose of the spot where is should be. Prices are extremely high for simple tire replacement. All in all if you are able to find a different company to come out I would not recommend this company unless you have no other choice.
BEWARE!!! This place is a ripoff. Driver called to get a quote on road service, was quoted $550 which seemed a bit much, so he limped to their shop, got the tire replaced with his own spare. At the end they told him the total is $550 and it has to be in cash. They wouldn’t let him leave until the full amount is paid. If you come for service be ready to call the cops when they’re done.
Do not use these guys at all. called in for a tire change in which they charged me 879 just for a tire. on top of that call out fee and labor which totaled out to 1300 dollars which anyone in the trucking business knows thats a steep price. had no choice since all other spots were about a 4 hr+ wait. To top it off they wanted the money paid upfront BEFORE they did any work on the truck. paid it and they took longer than 2 hours because mechanic brought the wrong jack. turns out the mechanics mistake came at a price and wanted to charge me an extra $350 because "it took longer than expected" threatened me to call the police because i chose not to pay the extra fee. told them to do so in which they didnt because they knew they were trying to scam the whole time.
And for any truckers they charge $350 an hour. Dont know how they came up with that number. but just keep that in mind.
I had a flat tire in Palisades during a huge winter storm. Mike took a difficult situation and made it seamless for me. Te driver, dealing with bad road conditions, eventually made it to my destination and took the car in for a new tire. The driver was friendly and took great care with my car. Six days later, I ended up in a pothole and couldn’t get out. AAA would not assist and I once again called Mike. He was good-natured and said he was close by and would assist. Mike was at my car within 30 min and may have spent 45 min getting my car out of the pothole and would not take payment. It’s unusual these days to receive kindness and great service and through both instances, Mike could not have been more helpful.
Don't use them. Guy doesn't know how to talk and they'll rip you off. They charged 4000 for a 60mile tow. They're not even recommended by Peterbilt in Reno.
I called for road service for a tire repair out on interstate 80 at mile marker 194 literally 7 miles from their shop. Called for service around 9 AM was told would take about an hour or two I’m like OK that’s fine, 11 AM goes by no sign of driver called again. They said he’s on another call. He should be there shortly half an hour later no sign of driver called their phone number went to voicemail, so I called somebody else. They said should be about an hour. That other road service actually got to me before dependable did. I had actually tried to call and cancel their road service but again they didn’t answer the phone. They should change their name to undependable tire. Also they quoted $475 plus tire repair fee talk about highway robbery literally. Missed my delivery in Sacramento and had to sit all weekend because of this poor service.
They charged 3700.00 to tow me 60 miles in snow.
This is the biggest ripoff company I have ever seen.
Just thiefs, will not use them again.
Will inform everyone I know about these crooks.
Also I run Sacramento to sparks NV 5 days a week,so I will get the word out.
I’m Actually From Truckee and I live in Reno now and I have also been dealing with Aaa for several years and I switched over to a different tow company and they used dependable tow and Jack went out of his way to make the experience very pleasant and extremely easy on me. I really appreciate the way they conduct their business and I would recommend them to anybody hands-down!
On a Sunday morning we lost our tire and rim on our toy hauler camper I80 at the Donner Pass Rest Area. Our axel was ground down and the other axel and tire over heated and bent the axel too.
We called countless tow company's and most will not work on Sundays. Finally, Sunday afternoon a CHP came by and informed us that most people are stuck three days before they get a tow truck out.
The CHP gave us Dependable Tow's phone number. They are one of two company's that the CHP calls for emergency's
We called the owner of Dependable Tow and he promptly sent his driver Scott out to see if he could chain the rear axel up. Scott worked hard, but couldn't get it chained and called this boss. He explained to his boss that the other axel looked compromised. His boss accepted the advice from Scott .Which It turned out to be true. Our second axel over heated and was bent too. Scott was amazing and more than willing to work on a Sunday.
The owner was more than willing send out the semi with the landdoll lowboy trailer Sunday night.. We asked them to do it Monday Morning at 6:30 AM. The tuck driver (Schmith) was there promptly and proficient at loading the 33 foot toy hauler.
The truck driver ( Schmith) was friendly and enjoyable to do business with.
Dependable Tow hauled the toy hauler trailer 45 miles to an amazing company Johns Spring Suspension LLC . Johns Spring and Suspension replaced both axels , rims and tires within 24 hours.
I recommend Dependable Tow especially since, their employees are willing to work on Sundays and late nights. Both drivers we delt with were great employees!!!
These guys are a bit of a scam; I think they are used to having high $$ Tahoe folks, and they have all these fees. They tried to charge me $1200 for a 3.5 tow once. Just be careful.
Typical story with tow yards...charge exorbitant rates for towing and storage.
At least they're fair about letting you access your vehicle during business hours. After hours you'll pay a gate open fee.
If your vehicle is totaled you can expect to pay a lot for them to haul it off to the salvage yard too.
I think tow from the accident was about $700 and storage fees are something like $150-200 per day.
He was incredibly knowledgeable, we managed to get 3 AAA tow trucks stuck in the snow trying to get to us, and he singlehandedly got two of the big flat beds out and our Subaru out of some deep snow. Incredible service, would recommend to anyone looking for a tow in the truckee/tahoe area. 5 STARS!
My insurance sent them out to pull me out of my driveway after I was stuck. After being "towed" and I mean pulled violently into the ice wall messing up my bumper and putting my car up on two wheels...also the man didnt put it in neutral at all before pulling it. After I pointed it out. They just left my car in the middle of the road. I have now had to report this to my insurance and my car is not only still stuck but now has major damage! The pictures I submitted to my insurance says it all. They clearly dont care about your property or care about acting like decent human beings! Negative stars! These people should be ashamed!
Very personable on the phone and really seemed like they cared about helping out. I called back several times throughout the week with ongoing car troubles, and they always remembered me, even offered a discount for repeated service. Tow was there within 10 minutes of my request, and everything went smoothly. Local and good rates for the area. I recommend!
Great Tow Service! I've lived in this town for over twenty years and have always heard good things about Dependable Tow--always fair and honest about the service they provide. They have towed my car several times, doing it professionally and quickly. Thanks Edgar, Sawyer and Gaylene and the crew
Got caught in the snowstorm coming back from Reno on Nov. 15th. 2015. Pulled over to take my chains off when a dependable tow truck parked behind me to drop off a tow. I had trouble getting one of my chains off and ask if he might have snippers or pliers I could borrow, here is what he said. "$130.00" I could see maybe $10.00 but $130.00. Get real! I guarantee I or any one I know, will ever call on this company for ANYTHING!!! My daughter was able to get the chain loose and we made it home safe.
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