Sucks to have your car towed. Cost over $650 to retrieve my car — with a discount since it was the first time it was towed. Staff were professional. Retrieved my car in about 7 minutes as there was no line about 6:30 pm on a weekday. I then had to pay the parking ticket. Lesson: carefully read parking signs in San Francisco. Expensive. Use a garage if you must.
The person at the impound gave me a deluge of wrong information that mislead me and lead me to make decisions under false assumptions. 1) they said I had to find whatever means possible to pay the fee (750$) even though upon later investigation I found I could have a hearing in 2 days rather than waiting a month then over call DENIED ever saying this when I made clear that I HAD TO pay to contest a tow and 2) said I can access photos of my car online and refusing to show me how (I can’t). They hung up on me and refused to pick up calls when I wanted to follow up on finding photos. Overall incredibly ignorant and gave me such factually incorrect advice for a situation that is causing me so much distress and financial burden. No, I can’t just “borrow” (in his words precisely) 750$ in one night. This is not the situation to haphazardly give information. It’s clear the person had zero respect for my circumstance or my right to access information
I apologize to anyone who has to deal with the SFMTA tow yard . Beware of outrages fees for illegal tows and additional fees like city admin fees and storage fees if you are 1 min late on their 4 hr rule . They will not waive anything even in extreme circumstances like you had to wait for someone in Vallejo , Ca to bring your DL to obtain your car in heavy traffic. I wouldn’t have been considered late , however they won’t give you your car back without your physical license so I had to wait it out even though I had a photo of my license on my apple wallet . Almost triple the price of any tow yard and have zero heart .
SF will tow you for just a little time over.
Worse if you loose your license you can’t get your card.
And no one will let you speak to anyone else or help you. No empathy.
30min = $618
That's insane. After reading recent reviews it's a $700 fine to get your vehicle back after being towed the same day. I had the same experience back in 2016 or so and it was $532 to get my vehicle back on top of the parking fine which may have been $80-100. This is for sure theft on the hard working people trying to get by.
Gave me false information giving miss info to keep my car longer. Once I got s.f. release s.f. pd told me i never had a hold on my car i didn't have to wait til Monday didn't have hold. Sad times are hard enough got people looking into this tow scam. S.f.pd said call tomorrow so they could assist me with issues
For those of you giving this place 4 stars LOL. How do you give a place 4 stars for towing your car and then they charge you 700 dollars for just 2 hours of keeping it in the lot. 100% a scam. Shame on sf for letting this happen.
Wednesday morning: coffee brewed, bag slung over my shoulder, ready for class, I step outside— and my car has vanished. $700 tow PLUS $200 ticket it’s not easy to chew up for a college student. One star for the stuff working here.
The unofficial tax of owning a car in SF. My registration is paid up and got my tags last week. Didn't put the. In immediately, so they towed my car. Don't own a car in SF! Also SFMTA is here to collect their cut of a public service they provide!
Avoid SMFTA at All Costs – They Exploit Your Misfortune
If I could give zero stars, I would. After being involved in a serious accident, SMFTA towed our vehicle. When I arrived to retrieve my belongings from the totaled car, I discovered that my $900 hoodie was missing. Conveniently, no one at SMFTA had any answers or seemed to care.
It’s bad enough to deal with the trauma of a crash, but to have a towing company take advantage of the situation and essentially loot valuable personal belongings is beyond disgusting. They had complete control of the vehicle, and somehow, an expensive item vanished—draw your own conclusions.
SMFTA profits off people’s worst moments, and instead of offering professional service, they add insult to injury by either allowing theft or directly benefiting from it. Absolutely shameful. If you ever have the misfortune of dealing with them, be prepared for more loss than just your vehicle.
I called to ask a question and this person, Carlos started yelling at me. I’m not really sure why he was so rude. He wouldn’t let me talk and dismissed my questions and said- either that’s not my job or I’m not answering hypothetical situations (so much attitude out of nowhere). I’m a very nice person and I have wasn’t being rude or accusatory in any way. I was genuinely turning to ask questions that could inform my decisions about a situation. I felt like I called a mean girl hotline! So weird for a “customer service” person…
$710 to get my car out of impound for being parked overnight in the Mission with 15 different signs all providing conflicting information, not to mention curbs that are chipped and barely painted. This is organized crime. The police here are a joke. This city's laws are simply ridiculous. Makes it impossible to own or drive a car in San Francisco. If you have a car I recommend never coming to this city. It's a huge rip-off in every way possible down to the aggressive way they tow vehicles. Parking tickets are a thing of the past. Now you just get towed on the first infraction. Have fun paying thousands of dollars every month for driving in this craphole of a city
I had a very pleasant experience from the people who work in there today (Both SF and Bayshore facilities). The lady was kind to help me find my car and waited patiently for me to get all my things . She even called another employee to help me bring the heavy stuff I recovered from my damaged car, using a golf cart. They were very helpful and accommodating to a stressed car owner. Thank you so much for an easy and supportive interaction.
You know, places like these never get good reviews. Everyone is already pissed off because getting towed sucks. That being said, they are just doing their job, dude. I got mine towed today. I was walking lost all around the city. My friend, thank goodness, got hold of these people. He said it would be over $600. When I arrived, I took my number ( do not forget to print your ticket number at the entrance or you will waste valuable waiting time ) and was greeted by the lovely Leela. She was so polite, respectful and had such a nice attitude that I immediately felt better about my bad situation. She informed me that I only needed to provide $100. That was such a huge relief. I was also worried because I only have an out-of-state ID right now. This worried her, but she worked with me and we solved the issue with something else that I had on-hand! She was so amazing! Thanks to her, I have my car back and feel like I was rescued by Leela. I am so glad she gave me her name because she truly deserves a glowing review. Women like her that probably get yelled at all day and stay that kind are such an inspiration ( yes I am a dude but some women are my hero's it's true ) and I will strive to be half the person that she is. It takes a lot to stay that nice in a place like that with all those raging people that probably treat her badly. Thank you so much Leela I hope you get the recognition that you deserve in this career and get treated as well as you treat others! Have a great day.
Hate this place. First of all, they towed my car for "6 months or older expired registration". Mine ended exactly 6 months in April 2023 but was paid for till 2024 but Because I couldn't pass smog, i didn't have the sticker. Then they towed in front of my house in a residential area with no traffic where they have multiple cars, and trucks,
in the area with no plates at all.
Difficult to access location for public transportation (taxi or ride-share service is recommended). Run of the mill counter staff (think DMV on a slow day); lot security is jumpy, afraid of physical battery when it comes to recovering stolen property. Only one person (the registered owner) allowed in the lot proper to inspect the vehicle before release. Aggravating this is a "no documentation/electronic device" policy, which hampers communication between individuals in the lot with their technical assistants. Do not visit San Francisco — the whole place is now rivaling actual Hell on Earth, and needs to be smothered like ancient Sodom.
For what it is, I can't complain too much. They were efficient and courteous and we were in and out within 15 minutes. They accept all forms of payment, including Google Wallet and Apple Pay. The people there didn't tow my car, so my complaints aren't with them.
They will only release the car to the registered owner with ID; this is pretty standard practice. There is an administrative fee, a towing fee, a storage fee, and the cost of the citation It was a $750 mistake we made not reading the sign carefully when we parked. The City and County of SF acknowledges their pricing is grievously high. They call it deterrance. Well played.
I must say they were very helpful anduring this unusual experience. I don't believe I should have been told in the first place. I have questions about getting a bread refund and about their policies on choing cars unnecessarily
Well spent city resources towing the cars of people who aren’t blocking the right of way nor are their parked cars affecting public safety. But at least those costs are recovered through $600 towing fines! Criminal organization. Disgraceful.
Not sure why the people complain here, they are doing their job, if you left the car in the tow way zone even for 20 min you can expect it to be towed away.
But the service in retrieving the car was pretty efficient, I got my car back in like 5 minutes I arrived there!
Horrible experience! luckily I got my car back that same day! My family had to help me out because the charges are insane!!! I got a ticket plus all the fees for the towing. Super shady business going on here! I was parked for like less than 20 minutes and my car was towed in minutes! Honestly, I’m staying away from San Francisco.
I suggest you do NOT park on any street near downtown area! Your car is not safe, Just pay for a parking spot in a parking garage! Save yourself $800 dollars!!
Adding insult to injury, they are super rude. First I got yelled at for walking through the unlocked door where 3 desks were open but I hadn't taken a number, then they sent me down to a locked gate with no signs or instructions. I could see people walking around with flashlights in the distance so I called out to them and got yelled at "Wait!" Sure, happily, but how was in supposed to know you even knew I was there? They have a lot of process and there is no signs to tell you what to expect.
My car was towed because I was 7 min late. I think the city should have left me a ticket instead of towing my whole car. I took an uber to pick my car up from this tow yard and thankfully they have wavers to help. The people at front are unable to drop or wave anything more than what is offered in the waiver so keep your pride and don't give them a sob story. Was able to pay and grab my car in about 10 min. After your car gets towed expect a (±$105) ticket in the mail.
Giving them a 3 for affordability and speed
After waiting for 3.5 hours in the middle of the night in the pouring rain for another tow company who kept delaying their arrival, we called SF Tow. Samuel arrived within 30 minutes of our call. He was professional, helpful and caring. I highly recommend their services.
My vehicle was stolen and recovered by police. It ended up at AutoReturn. I physically watched them drag my Subaru while in park by the front tires with a forklift they then pushed it in the same fashion. Imagine that, my cars alignment is now jacked and possibly frame damage... May also have transmission damage. Good job guys. The only reason I gave two stars is because the attendant at the counter was friendly and polite.
The best $4,200 I never spent. The ppl at the counter sucked, very short in their answers and not informative at all in regards to what I had to do in order to retrieve my vehicle. It got worse when I went to the back and my battery was dead. They don't even help with jump starting the cars after sitting for two weeks. I literally had to pay a tow truck driver $5 and I promise to give him five more just to get a jump to get out of there it was like a backyard hustle terrible job service
Carlos and Nicole at the front desk were both very kind and extremely knowledgeable. Security in the lot was also courteous. I arrived at 3:55 and got into my car at 4:15. I can imagine that this is not an easy for job for anyone and I appreciate everyone's time and energy involved in alleviating and resolving my predicament.
These people towed my car, but that's not why they get 1 star. They get 1 star because they did $2500 worth of damage to it when they towed it. Going through the claims process now. If they are fair, I'll update my review to reflect the good faith. If they jerk me around, I'm going to sue.
Nobody does business here for a good time - I get it - but you don't have to give them a bad review because of it. What I can say is that the clerks act like they don't want to be there, the decor is dead like a prison visitor center, the lighting is life draining and, of course, you are going to be overcharged like you just had an ambulance ride. Come on, put in some fake plants and some warm LED lighting; you have the money. At least the guys in the yard have a better attitude; they were helpful and sympathetic (and why not? They get to reunite you with your car while the clerks inside have to listen to you scream while they drain you of money). I know that this review won't change anyone's mind about this place - maybe it's catharsis or maybe this will evoke a smile to the poor sap looking up Google to find where their car got towed.
Very unsafe place. While there, a homeless guy came in off the street and tried to start trouble with the desk clerk behind the glass-plated window. Then, he tried to drag my friend and me into their argument. Not wanting to involve myself in someone else's argument or escalate the tension, I just ignored what was taking place; which made the guy a little bit more angry. He then felt compelled to grab my arm to get my further attention (as if he didn't have it already). The desk clerk phoned the police. By the time the police got there, the guy had gone back outside and was staggering down the street. After my friend and I retrieved his car and we're driving off, we did see that they had caught up with the guy and were questioning him. The plated-glass window did provide protection for the desk clerk, however left my friend and me vulnerable. AutoReturn knows there is potential for this to happen and should go a step further by providing the same protection for their customers; the very same people who are there handing over hundreds of dollars to retrieve autos that had been towed. Isn't that injury enough without having to possibly sustain bodily harm while on their property? Kudos to the desk clerk for phoning the police, and to the parking lot attendant who provided a jump start to my friend's truck whose battery had drained.
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