California Towing & Recovery JunkYard in San Diego (CA)

AAA needs to drop them as an affiliate. They quoted me 1hr. Called back after the hour, then they said 20 minutes or less. Called back 30 minutes after that, then they said another hour. I finally called to cancel and they said the driver was on location. That was a lie. They canceled tow and we just took our chances with the car running hot🤬. They need to stop being greedy, picking up calls they know they can't make it to.

Today I had an accident in my car and I was very shook up. Juan came with the flatbed tow for my car and got there in a very timely way. He was very kind and went out of his way to make the expe less difficult. He also did a great job of getting the car to the dealership and placing it correctly since it couldn't steer. I am very grat for his help and professionalism. Thank you Juan.

August 15th, 8:16 am. A drive flew out of the driveway of the business like an absolute freak to get into the left turning lane on mission ave which was a red light. The light to go straight on mission ave was green, causing me to have to make a complete stop which threw my dogs in my back seat into the front dash of my car or I would have smashed into the bed on his truck. ABSOLUTELY UNCALLED FOR & DANGEROUS. After I beeped at him so he would recognize his actions- he flipped me off. Clearly this shows how this business is ran & who they allow to drive their vehicles. He should be fired.

On April 26, 2024, a tow truck for this company was at the side of the road and then merged into traffic. He came up beside our semi and showed us the finger. He proceeded to pass us. He changed into our lane and slammed on his brakes. Cars behind us had to get out of our way so they wouldn't collide with us. We contacted his dispatch, and they were very rude to us.

California Towing and Recovery is a liability to AAA. Is there no quality control in AAA? Isn't AAA supposed to promote safe driving??? b/c several one star reviews are from fellow drivers on the road with these guys who have witnessed DANGEROUS driving habits. Cut ties with these guys to avoid disaster!

Do not work with this tow company. Will only tow your car if you sign a waiver making them not responsible if they damage your car. That is absurd. Sorry, this is your business, if you cannot tow a car without damaging it, you are in the wrong industry. Complete waste of time.

AAA dispatched this company to tow me 7 miles, they took the order but it was going to take 2 hrs, during night after 9 pm so I canceled. I have family that have worked for tow companies as well as currently, there is no reason it should take that long.

John came by today and was excellent! He was able to resolve my engine problem in very short order - He provided some very helpful tips and was totally professional and friendly !! Thanks John !!! Great job !!

Sergio went the extra mile and was able to get my car running again negating the need for a tow. Very knowledgeable and helpful.

HORRIBLE EXPERIENCE! We locked the keys in our car, and AAA dispatched this company to our location which happened to be in a restaurant parking lot. The tow truck driver popped the lock and quickly jumped back in his truck to leave, he was flagged down and told that he broke something on the car. He got out fixed the piece and then locked the doors before we could retrieve the keys, and then sped off. We immediately called the company and the receptionist gave us the 3rd degree, but finally agreed to send out another driver. The new tow truck driver came out and said he had to get an okay from AAA for the new call. As we waited for him to "process the ID", we asked several times if there was a way to expedite the process so he could unlock our car, he kept saying he was on hold with AAA. A police car pulled up and the tow truck driver got out of his truck to talk with the officer. Apparently the first tow truck driver claimed that we were DRUNK because he saw my cousin walk unsteadily (she has a limp due to her MS) and that’s why he PURPOSEFULLY locked the car. The 2nd tow truck driver was instructed by his company to wait until the police showed up to open the car lock. The officer could tell we had not been drinking, and described the first tow truck driver as "unskilled and rude." The judgement and subsequent actions from the California Tow & Recovery driver were beyond unprofessional. To LABEL and PROFILE my cousin as drunk from the assumption that she couldn’t walk steadily, due to her disability from MS, is infuriating and caused undue stress and embarrassment for my cousin.

Today I had the amazing good fortune of meeting a fellow named Charlie… The number on his flatbed tow truck is number 67SM. Charlie came to tow my truck from Carmel Valley to Balboa, and when he got to where my car was, he decided he wanted to look in the engine under the hood and see what was wrong. He pushed the car backwards himself And open the hood and found a loose wire and reconnected it and my car started right up… He certainly did not have to do that. He could’ve just put me on the tow truck bed and driven me all the way down to Balboa, but he took the initiative of figuring out my problem and resolved it for me. he is such a funny, kind, amazing clever, creative, talented mechanic… I called his place of business and they said he is such a revered person and has been working there forever… If you are lucky enough to get Charlie, consider, your problems solved and your day blessed… Thank you so much Charlie for helping me today Sherry moseley Carmel Valley

Robert was so very helpful this morning. It was a joy talking to him, my situation. Props to Robert working graveyard.

California Towing was sent to me by AAA to fix a battery. They sent a technician out with a "trainee" and managed to break my battery terminal in the process. When I went to start it a few days later, it didn't start. They came out again, diagnosed the problem, and basically said "oopsies, nothing we can do" before driving off and leaving me without a working car. We are going on 3 days now of me having a non-working vehicle with no response from this company. Several attempts to contact the company have been a waste of time. Apparently there's a supervisor named Robert but he's never there or able to take calls/find time to return calls. Avoid at all costs and if you get stuck with them, prepare for them to break things in your vehicle and leave you stranded without the respect or courtesy of a response, apology, or solution. You're better off disputing their services with your credit card company or taking them to small claims court. Bunch of shady characters!

Absolutely fantastic service! We had an uncommon problem that required them to respond with two drivers and offer creative solutions. They did exactly what was needed and helped us get where we needed to go!

Who wants to deal with the hassle of getting their car out of the tow yard!? Yeah not the great place.

Place is awesome and very helpful.

The driver arrived within 10 minutes, which was a pleasant surprise since it was for my daughter, who had already had a long day with her one year old, who was with us. The driver from the towing company was very efficient and professional. I was pleased with his fast pace, yet took time to answer questions. It was apparent that he knew what he was doing. I was very pleased with the service! 5 stars for sure! 👍😊

Service was impeccable. My husband's car broke down about an hour before the border (which was his destination, TJ airport isidro) and California Towing & recovery was so professional and patient. They not only helped me take over the case for my husband (since he had a flight to catch) our driver was able to communicate with me and coordinate the car towing back to Sun Valley CA. Which is about 1hr 30 min. Away. Our drivers was so polite and professional. Would highly recommend this service.

California Towing & Recovery was quick and efficient with getting the spare tire on my Porsche so I could get back on the road. They are friendly, knowledgeable, and professional people. Thank you California Towing & Recovery!

Terrible service. I called to check on the status of my tow after the tracker told us my driver arrived because he was not there(I even gave it a few minutes knowing trackers aren’t 100% accurate). The guy at the desk told me the same thing as the tracker, and that he should be arriving in a few minutes. I wait for 15 more minutes and call back when my driver has still not arrived. This time the guy at the desk proceeds to put me on hold for 20 minutes. I call back on another line and he immediately answers and asks how he can help. What great customer service ignoring customers that are paying for the service. Only reason for 2 stars is because the actual tow driver (Freddie) was extremely friendly, careful, and did an amazing job putting my car on the flatbed (it’s lowered so it’s difficult to get on the truck). He almost made up for the terrible customer service from that man at the desk. My “awesome” customer service experience was on August 30th, 2020 @11:50am PST.

I had a very nice experience with the tow truck driver. He was patient with me while I was running about 5 minutes behind him for the meet up for my tow. He even helped remove my son's car seat from the car. He drove me to the auto place and was very friendly. I almost never write reviews for these kinds of things, but the experience was so pleasant I felt that now was the time to share my experiences.

Steve was great! Arrived quickly, got my car loaded even faster, and made an unfortunate situation so smooth. Steve was very friendly, seemed very good at his job, and displayed excellent customer service - Glad AAA sent this company!

The customer service representatives are extremely unfriendly. They do not care about you and will take there time (excessive) doing anything. They also have attitudes towards customers that are just try to receive there property. They also will make it Extremely hard for your insurance company to handle things after an accident when you are in the hospital. I hope a manager sees this and decides to start fresh with their “customer service representatives.”

Our technician, Garrett, was very professional, knowledgeable, polite, and pleasant. He called ahead to alert us to his arrival time, and he arrived when he said he would. He took care of our dead battery problem in no time at all, and even did some additional tests on our alternator and starter. I would give him the employee of the month award and also grant him a nice raise!

The driver was nice and friendly and prompt! Engaged in conversation until we arrived to the drop off at the mechanic and made me feel better about the situation! He definitely decreased my stress and anxiety levels just with conversation! Only wished I would have caught his name! 100% satisfaction!

Woke up to leave town for the weekend and my car wouldn't start. Called AAA and they said 45 minutes. These guys showed up in 10 minutes, installed a new battery and had me on my way in minutes. I was very pleased! Technician was great. Helpful and knowledgeable. Thanks again

This was by far the best experience I have had with a towing company period. My general expectation with towing is someone comes and simple needs to get your vehicle without causing a commotion. In this particular experience we had left our keys in the vehicle and needed to have them come and open the door for us. Steve who was the gentlemen who came to assist us was extremely professional about the whole ordeal and by far had some of the friendliest demeanor I have had the pleasure of dealing with, he conducted himself in a manner which allowed him to work effectively while making sure we were not simple treated as customers who were in the way. The cost of service was very reasonable and with that level of service, we couldn't expect better. Again many thanks to Steve for your service and good nature and we will be sure to call back in case we are in need of this service again.