Total scam. They charged 2.5 hours of towing when the actual drive was no more than 20 minutes. $100 per day for storage and $822 just for towing — absolutely insane. This feels like straight-up extortion. They can make up any price they want because you’re stuck and have no choice. Customers are forced to pay whatever amount they decide. It is mafia!!!! Stay away!!!
S&R was responsive and timely in the handling of our tow. We especially appreciate our driver, Roland, who took good care of us and got us and our car safely to our destination, an hour drive away.
Towed one of our highway tractor and trailer units from Escondido area to San Diego today, great overall professional and friendly service, pricing was very fair.
This is a long review, but I need to share this in case any other service member or civilian ends up dealing with this company. SR Towing has shown some of the most money-hungry, predatory, and questionable business practices I have ever experienced. My fully paid-off vehicle was towed on Tuesday (For expired registration that I was going to get the day my car was towed, I just got to California 2 weeks prior to this incident) August 26, 2025, at 12:53 PM and released on Friday, August 29, 2025, at 3:30 PM (roughly 74 hours) yet they charged me for four full days of storage. From the start, the pricing was erratic and unreasonable. It began at $450 and jumped to $660 within two hours (so i started screenshotting the price changes). By Wednesday it was $760, Thursday $860. When I went in to pick up an itemized invoice at $860, it gave me almost no real breakdown and showed they were charging CHP rates even though my tow was done by base police on a two-way street, not a highway.
By Friday morning, the cost ballooned to $1,030. When I called to address discrepancies, I was met with attitude and hostility from Jody for merely pointing out that the price had jumped almost $200 overnight. When I requested another itemized invoice, they refused but conveniently dropped the price to $816 without explanation. On top of that, they placed a lien on my car that morning without notifying me, which violates California state requirements for prior notice. My car is fully paid off and solely owned by me, yet they acted as if they had the right to claim it as their own.
The way they handled my title was particularly concerning. When I asked if they could work with me to pay the $760 balance, they suggested giving them my title, implying this would let me get my car back. When I called for clarification, I was told surrendering my title meant forfeiting my vehicle entirely. I declined, yet they repeatedly asked about my title after that. Jody and Kristy were consistently rude, dismissive, and unprofessional throughout BUT claimed they were trying to help me -_- They only applied a military discount after I mentioned my service status rather than offering it upfront when they clearly towed me from camp Pendleton they said "every person on a military base isn't military" but a professional company would have at least asked, and every request for transparency was treated like an inconvenience.
In the end, I paid $816 in tow and storage fees, plus $1,307 in registration just to retrieve my own car. The entire experience reflects a pattern of money-hungry, predatory pricing, lack of communication, and deliberate withholding of crucial information while pressuring me to surrender my vehicle. I have photos with timestamps and their rates to show their inconsistent billing. Judging by previous reviews and conversations with fellow service members, I am not the first or last to experience this. I would never recommend this place to anyone. STEER CLEAR. If I could give negative 100 stars, I would.
They took 40-50 cars from marines on Camp Pendleton, are charging 700$ for the tow and 100$ a day, I just bought the car less than a month ago, and went on leave and it was towed in the 4 days I was gone. Absolutely no remorse from them and are bleeding me of all my money to get the car, which doesn’t even seem possible with their rates and policies, I can’t believe this happened and worst of all, all of my things in the car (3000$ worth) is going to cost me an additional 200$ just to go retrieve. Just unfair and unnecessary, but they don’t care because it’s not happening to them. Just terrible people.
S & R Towing helped us out when a thermostat failure disabled our car and left us stranded near Julian. We needed to get our car to Indio and weren't sure how that was going to work out. S & R was great! Two drivers tag teamed to get us home. We rode in the truck with them for more than 3 hours total. We really appreciated how friendly and professional they were, and their willingness to make that long trip. They treated our car with care. I highly recommend S & R.
Very awesome customer service from the front desk and also the Tow Guys were super nice too! The circumstances were hard but they made the process easy and I appreciate it. Many Blessings!
The worst tow company. I was told it would take 45 minutes, which turned into two hours and 20 minutes later. They used the excuse that they give priority to law enforcement. Read a few reviews while I was stuck waiting and found that they used that excuse before.
Called S&R towing around 9:15am today tire blew out. Asked for a tow they said no problem, they gathered some info and told me ETA was about 60mins give or take, I said perfect. They called back around 9:24 to confirm a few things w the truck being towed then said that they will text me w driver updates, got a text from them saying eta is 60 mins. Then they called me around 9:47am and asked me more questions pertaining to the vehicle being towed. Then gave me an eta of 60mins again. I call around 10:30am because I have not received a text from them since 9:24am I’m simply calling for eta update. Girl answers phone and she asks me what type of vehicle is being towed. I tell her, she keeps me on the phone for about a minute or so. back on the phone and proceeds to tell me that my ETA is now 60 to 90 minutes, I tell her that they told me that at 9:15 and 9:24 etc… stays quiet then says oh it’s because they give priority to law enforcement, which I understand and say to her that’s great but why haven’t I gotten an update maybe I could of called another company and she repeated well law enforcement gets priority. I tell her again yeah but an update w a text or call would of been great that way I could decide if I wanted to wait or look for someone else. I tell her to cancel the service and I called a smaller tow company. Oceanside tow picked me up within 35 mins of call. I do not recommend s&r just based on lack of clear communication and disregard for client .
Service was professional and prompt. They have a dispatch system that sends you text message updates. The driver was friendly and I felt safe riding with him in the truck. I would use them again.
I just want to thank HEATHER for being such a kind, sweet and patient soul! After having such a tough and unexpected day, she was absolutely professional and understanding of my situation when I went to pick up my towed vehicle. I can’t thank you enough Heather!
I was broke down at the rest area just north of Camp Pendleton on I-5 and after spending the night trying to get a tow from another company which never happened, I called another company who said they were very busy and gave the number for and referred me to S & R Towing. After calling S & R Towing and they told me it would possibly be a slower time for service due to the traffic situation at the time. The ETA was almost spot on perfect. Aaron was the driver and he was so professional and kind through the entire process. The final charges were almost $350 less then the 1st company quoted me. I can not RECOMMEND S & R Towing enough. Fantastic service and pricing. Dave
My brother in law had a motor home break down and a bad part of hwy 78 going towards julian California. He had Alstate Road side service. The said they couldn't fix anyone to tow him.
Then a S&r towing truck told him to talk to the main office. And he called Alstate back and gave them the # And they talk to S & R towing.
S&R Heavy Towing came out. Brett was the drive . He was professional and Amazing he got the job done. He knew what he was doing. Made it look easy. He towed our 98 Ford pace Arow. Vision 33ft motor home. And got use off the bad spot o. The road we were on. Thank you Brett.
We have the HARDEST driveway to back into but Andrew was able to do it! Also had to pull the car at an angle. He was so friendly and a pleasure to work with. Thanks!
Great service! Tim showed earlier than expected, was fast and efficient. Polite and courteous and we had awesome convo on the way to dropping off my car! Hope I don’t need them again, but if I do I will totally use them again.
I locked myself out of my car on a cold blustery early morning. The driver was prompt, polite, well groomed & friendly. I can't say enough about his professional standards. He represented your company very well. One of the best I've had the with AAA roadside experience. Thank you so much.
I have had to use S&R towing twice now, and both times the drivers were very nice! Both times I’ve had 75 minute estimates, and they came about 20-30 minutes early, and their service was fast and friendly!
My most recent experience was with Willy, and he was nice and pretty funny! He even gave me some advice about how to avoid my situation in the future!
Excellent service from both dispatch and driver! Dispatch called me twice to update me on scheduled/estimated time of arrival. The Towing Driver (Jorge) was not only punctual but he greeted me with his name over the phone first, and then again in person. He informed me of where my car would be towed and took care of the situation with professionalism. I'm very grateful for your teamwork and communication! Highly recommended services!
Drive arrived very promptly, truck was immaculate, hook-up went seamlessly well, driver was cautious & extremely friendly, drop-off went without a hitch. Overall awesome ordeal. Totally obvious that driver has had a tremendous amount of experience. What might've been a disastrous situation, turned out to be surprisingly pleasant. Thank-you.
Great service! My vehicle lost all power while I was driving and I couldn't roll the windows up or down start the car or do anything. S&R got to us quickly, got our car on the truck quickly and Our driver took time to help us get our windows up. Our insurance company said it could take up to an hour for them just to arrive but S&R got us to our mechanic, windows up and unloaded in less than 45 minutes. Old fashioned caring and helpfulness you just don't see today. I would definitely recommend them!
John S. was absolutely phenomenal when he came to assist me! He provided great customer service and went above and beyond in helping me get my car to my mechanic. I would refer S&R to the world based off the professional yet genuine service I received. This guy deserves an award!!! If I ever break down again, John will definitely who I request to help me out!
Great service. They make it look easy. I lost my keys and they got me into both vehicles very quickly. They've helped me with dead batteries more than once and towed me to the next town last month. All were excellent experiences
Customer service was excellent, there was no long wait time. When the dispatcher called me and gave me a time of about an hour it was ok with me, but it was less than the expected time. Prompt,and reliable!!!!!
Had a flat tire on my motorcycle on Thursday and waited about 30 minutes before they came to pick me up. Greg was the one who picked me up. He was awesome! He took extra care of my bike, was knowledgeable about how to secure it on the back, and just knew how to provide good customer service. I really hope S&R recognizes this guys hard work and kindness to his customers. If i were them i would give this guy a pay raise before he goes somewhere else! Guy's like him make all the difference in a service oriented profession. Thanks Greg!
I forgot his name but the guy who helped me was very kind and helpful. He came very quick,sooner than the waiting time they told me he will arrive. I asked a lot of questions but he patiently explained to me what's going on with my car. He even gave me ideas what's going on with the car and where to go To fix my car that I will not be ripped off and save money as well. Thank you very much. Very good service. Happy costumer right here.
These guys were AWESOME. After calling around these guy were by far the most professional. I explained my situation and they had no problem looking up my location and where I was taking the vehicle. They had a truck their in 15 minutes after I hung up the phone. The driver I got was professional and made sure he didn't cause any more damage to my vehicle.
May 08, 2016
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