I couldn’t be happier with the service provided by Occidental Towing. I called them and the person on the phone was a reassuring and gave us an estimate time of arrival. We were about an hour away at a campground. The battery was dead on my car and I couldn’t get it started after some failed jump starts. The woman on the phone said “Does it have a 12 volt battery… he’ll get it started.” The guy that showed was as nice as could be… super friendly and confident as well, and sure enough he got it started. A very pleasant experience during a stressful time.
If I could give this company zero stars, I would. This is without a doubt the most unprofessional, dishonest, and downright rude business I have ever dealt with.
When I questioned their outrageously high charge politely, the boss immediately turned hostile instead of explaining the fees. They cut me off constantly, spoke to me with complete disrespect, and even hurled unpleasant remarks at me as if asking a simple question was some sort of crime.
To make matters worse, they flat-out refused to let me pay with a credit card — which is against California law. Their excuse? They were “afraid” I would dispute the charge. Ironically, I hadn’t even mentioned anything about disputes until they brought it up themselves! Because they forced me to pay cash, I now have no proper transaction record, which is creating major issues with my insurance reimbursement. In short: they trapped me in their shady little scheme, and I’m left chasing paperwork while they pocket untraceable cash.
This company operates like it’s stuck in the Wild West: sky-high prices, sneaky payment practices, no accountability, and some of the rudest customer service I’ve ever encountered. I will be filing in small claims court because refusing credit cards in California isn’t just bad business—it’s illegal!!
Save yourself the headache, the wallet-drain, and the disrespect: avoid this towing company at all costs.
It’s funny how every review is a positive one. Couldn’t give a zero so they get 1 star for screwing us over. Guy came out and couldn’t get our RV open because he didn’t have the right tools even though he knew what type of vehicle it was. So his “BOSS” was going to come open it. We found a window we could open and put our grandson through. Called them back to cancel and they were still going to charge the 125.00. for doing nothing. Dropped 25.00 off saying it was for the gas.
Don’t use these thieves..
Occidental Towing committed to pick us up, then cancelled after we waited all day. Because they accepted the request, AAA was not trying to source another company for the tow, and it cost us an entire day on the side of the road. By the time they cancelled, most other local companies were closed or closing. We called to express our distress at potentially being left roadside overnight, and the Occidental Towing dispatcher told us another driver could be there in 90 minutes. We accepted, then found out through AAA the second driver was also not coming. Poor service, poor management. Would advise that if the company is short-staffed, don’t accept contracts you cannot honor.
John C. took the best care of me yesterday when my car went dead at a one-way construction stop on CA-1 along the remote Mendocino Coast in the slamming rain. I thought I’d have to be towed, but John hooked up the jumper cables and the car started up immediately. He stayed with me until he was sure I could get home safely. My interaction with John was delightful from start to finish. He was calm, friendly, optimistic and exceptionally competent. He kept me informed of his progress so I knew when he would arrive. Occidental Towing, you have an outstanding employee in John. He made you look very good yesterday!
Casey came to our rescue this past weekend when we had a flat in Gualala. He was patient and very helpful in getting our tire repaired and safely back on the road. Thank you Casey!
I had a flat front tire on my way home from work at 2:30 this morning. Just my luck, my spare was also flat. Called Occidental Towing, and Evan was there within 1/2 hour. He pulled the rear tire, filled the spare, put the donut on the rear, and put the rear tire on the front. Had me on my way in no time. He’s a real nice guy, too. Took the time at that ungodly hour to do things in a way that were safer for me to drive, not just the fast and easy way. Thanks, Evan - we need more people like you!
Amazing experience, especially for a tow truck company! My vehicle broke down on CA-1 and they were able to make it over in about 1.5 hours (reasonable given how remote I was).
My driver Evan arrived at the expected time, was extremely friendly the whole time and able to get me some quick suggestions on where to take it to as well.
Even though it took a little longer than expected to load and unload (as you can see he had to dig me out), they still charged me a fair price.
If you're looking for an honest tow company in the area I'd recommend these guys!
I have used Occidental Tow for several years and always had a good experience with them. Johnny the driver who handles the RV calls towing ability was impressive.
Long-delayed in posting this (and posting under a nom-de-plume) because, Google. But, wanted to give a shout out to Occidental Towing for helping us out over Fourth of July weekend. We had a low-speed blowout in a rural area in Cazadero, and the few other two companies we could get a hold of in the region would not come out given how far it was from Santa Rosa. (The one local repair shop is closed on the weekend).
Occidental, I think a man named Jerry, came out and towed us in to Santa Rosa to get a new tire. It took some time because they had other people in the queue ahead of us, but in the end it worked out and they were great about getting our car from a narrow dirt driveway and in to town.
We probably would have been stuck over the long weekend if they had not come. So, a big thank you! Hopefully you do not need a tow, but if you do, they seem to be the one to call for Western Sonoma.
Terry was very professional and an expert at his craft. I appreciate his help and his willingness to drive my truck all the way to Ukiah. Very good company.
These guys are the absolute best at what they do. I have never in my life felt so at ease while getting towed from a ditch. Top notch customer service and office staff are extremely professional, efficient and effective. God forbid you ever drive into a gully on a full moon or have a dead battery out in the middle of nowhere like me, but if you do these guys are the only ones I call and count on. And a shout out to Dispatcher Erin Phillips! She handled my call and made everything smooth and as painless as possible! Thanks Occidental Towing!
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Does not even deserve one star. Waited over an hour for tow only to find out he had the wrong flat bed to tow my car with a dead battery. Horrible customer service. Guy yelled at me for having a dead battery and left. Could have at least helped me charge my battery. Thanks for leaving me stranded a-hole
Waited over an hour without a callback to let me know they had not dispatched and when I called no picked up. I had to contact my insurance provider to get a hold of them and they let me know that my service wasn’t there top priority. I never leave negative reviews. But I had to on this on.service is unacceptable.
Incredibly nice people. They picked me up sooner than expected when my car blew a tire. They then took the time to see if they had a replacement for me rather than charge me to get towed all the way back to where I live in Rohnert Park, which would've been much more expensive. They replaced my tire and gave me a great deal. It was a bad situation that turned out so much better than expected all because of their kindness.
Best tow service in the western hemisphere in my oppinion. They're super down to Earth, reasonable and kind. They have helped me multiple times on very short notice and when no one else would have been available or affordable. I highly reccomend this company and it's fantastic people.
Driver was great. Helped find us an automobile repair shop and somewhere with hotels. Had good conversations during the 2 hr ride. Thank you for coming out to get us!! I'd recommend you to anyone (if we lived in CA). Thank you again from a MN family broken down in CA.
Occidental tow is great! From the friendly office ladies to the truck drivers and mechanics. They have wonderful prices and have always been will to work with me. The owner Jerry is kind and caring not just to his customers but his community. All around a great company with amazing staff.
Fast, professional, and friendly! Jared came to my campsite to help me with an accidental lockout and got me into my vehicle intact, without a tow. Can’t recommend enough! A joy to work with.
Kevin was our hero! Very professional, knowledgeable of his profession, and friendly. My motorhome was stuck in a muddy field---(don't ask how or why I was there)---, but Kevin had no trouble getting it out in short order. The price was super reasonable. Highly recommend this company!
My husband and I are stuck in Bodega bay at Coleman Outlook. We needed a flat bed to move our rig to the nearest auto shop and because it was such a short distance they gave us a break on the price! Very professional, would use them again in a heary beat! Very fast as well they told us 30 mins guy got there in 15! So if ya ever in need of a tow in the area Occidental is where its at!
I was lucky to have AAA send this business my way. Fully expecting an expensive auto shop bill, the tow truck operator not only was pleasant and arrived promptly but was able to fix the vehicle issue on site, preventing me from needing the tow to a shop. The tow operator actually saved me money! I am grateful to have been helped by Occidental Towing. Highly recommended!
I just had a great experience with someone from Occidental Towing, I think his name badge said JC. Got my first flat on a new (to me) car and it turns out the lug nuts have some kind of special custom lock I did not know about. He stopped to help without me even being on his schedule and did all he could do in a highly unusual situation, offering all kinds of advice on how to move forward. Thank you Occidental Towing!
Occidental Towing is SO fantastic. We are from out of town, we were hit in our rental car and had zero cell service. Terry, from OT came to pick us up. He kindly gave us a ride back to their yard which is so nice. It's tucked away, clean, and very welcoming. Jerry, the owner, came out to talk with us as my husband dealt with the rental car company. He offered to take us to breakfast or anything else we needed . After many issues with our rental company, Jerry personally offered to take us out to the Santa Rosa airport (a 45 minute round trip for him.) He even let me hold his puppy, Chew Chew, on the way. He even gave us a tour of the town. The while staff was kind and patient with us as we worked everything out. I would HIGHLY recommend using Occidental Towing. Very professional, friendly, and knowledgable. Thank you for saving us OT!
We lost our key in the ocean at Schoolhouse Beach, Bodega Bay. We called AAA and they sent out Occidental Towing. Danny was amazing and got our truck unlocked immediately. Then he went above and beyond and helped us contact a locksmith company that agreed to come out (we had tried calling ourselves but kept getting turned down since it was a Sunday after 6pm). We are from AZ so hopefully we won't need their services again, but highly recommend them.
We were towed from Guerneville to Santa Rosa for roughly $180. The driver was very friendly but NOT knowledgeable about a Prius (hybrid). The problem was a dead battery and we didn’t need to be towed... just jumped. I blame the company for not properly training their employees. So $180. for the towing & $150. to do the diagnostics at Toyota was a waste. The driver did not know where the battery was or how to connect once he found it. Luckily he didn’t ruin our car because of non training. Beware....$180. for such poor service gets a bad review...you supposedly offer a service???PROVIDE IT!!
Really awful service. Was setup with Occidental Towing through my auto insurance; rescheduled a next-day AM pickup with their office over the phone. Driver showed up 2 hours early for scheduled pickup, blamed me when I called them at the designated time, yelling and shouting over the phone, then refused to pick me up. Left me high and dry.
Rude & unprofessional. Especially disconcerting considering they are in a business focused on helping out people who are in troubled spots.
This tow company is very professional there website is top notch they even have a button you can press to text them and there response time was fast and very helpful. They helped recover my stolen motorcycle that was taken from me 4 months ago. Highly recommend these guys for any towing or recovery needs!
