R.C. Towing & Recovery in
Tampa (FL)

Why be towing people in the middle of the night and we come to promptly pick up a car and they dont even have anyone to give us the car back.

Called the gorlock that works in the office and was told my vehicle would be 330 to get out of their lot, got there the next day and they tried to snake me for 615. Keep a good eye on these people when they are handling your funds. BEWARE.

This may seem like a "fake 5 Star review" but I can assure you it is NOT A FAKE REVIEW. Long story short, my apartment complex improperly towed my truck while I was on my trip over the holidays (Towed on 31 Dec / 1 Jan, recovered 6 Jan, cost approximately $650). For context, the apartment complex openly admitted they did not properly look up my vehicle AND they also admitted they did not notify me in any way such as email, phone call, or text message. Yes my vehicle is on my lease as well. I have no idea who was at the desk in the office as of me writing this review (6 Jan 2026) but they were nice, professional, knowledgeable, and courteous to me over the phone and in person despite my fustration at my apartment complex. They were even perplexed it was labelled as "abandoned". The tow truck drivers who towed my vehicle did not make any additional damage than what was already pre-existing to my truck. They actually took care of it. My only "complaint" would be is if the tow warning sticker was installed by RC Towing (odds are they did not put the sticker on the window) that it would be a sticker that is easier to remove and doesn't leave so much residue / backing behind on the window. But odds are the complex put it on there. I thank you to this place for working with me to get my truck back and being patient on me by allowing me to reinstall the battery into my truck. Thank you RC Towing for the help on getting my vehicle back & if I am in need of an actual towing service, I will definitely be adding this company to the top of my list of places to call.

Edit in response to their reply: I had informed her when she rudely asked “is there a problem here?” that I was checking my friends cars. I was not at any point given the phone to talk to the police, and I did not speak to them on my own at all, nor was I even given any opportunity to do so. I informed the lady what I was doing, so for the company to lie in response to my review in attempt to make me look bad is just another review telling of this company’s bad character. I have been towed twice by this company, and both times the lady who tends to the gate has been extremely rude. When I called to find out if they had my car, the lady who answered the phone late at night was very sweet and helpful, so I’ll give an extra star only for that. When inspecting my car and my friends’ cars for damage (multiple of us got towed the same night), the lady at the gate said they are not responsible for any damage and called the police to trespass me because she said I was taking too long and shut the gate so I could not get out. I was taking my time to inspect my car as they damaged my friend’s car and last time they towed me, they burnt my brake (I keep my parking brake engaged). The police did not show up. She is very rude when answering the gate as well, demanding my ID without a please and shows a very impatient attitude. I understand that it’s their entire job to tow cars, but there is no reason to be so blatantly disrespectful and rude to people coming to get their cars.

Illegal happenings of all sorts at this tow yard. If you have to deal with them for anything major, **get an attorney**. Mr Alajandro Diaz is leading the unprofessional team I have had the displeasure of dealing with in ages. I have multiple complaints filed against them and am pursuing legal action for the total loss of my car, due to their negligence and lack of willingness to comply with FL law.

My car was towed this morning which it was 100 percent my fault for parking in the handicap parking spot of my complex. I have had the toughest week losing a family member, going through some financial issues this was the last thing I needed was for my car to be impounded. But the lady on the phone was so sweet and very informative and understanding of the situation they gave me a timeframe to come and pick up my vehicle even tho I didn’t want to pay lol but very sweet people wasn’t what I was expecting in a tow company normally tow companies are rude.

Let me start off by stating that no one likes getting towed. It's just them doing their job.. but there's a sense of decency to be considered too. I was nice and respectful throughout the process in hopes of the same respect.. That being said: I wouldn't have to review at all if they replied to their email like they told me to send them. Earlier in the month I had picked up my car from this tow yard off of N 56th Street in Tampa. I'm unaware if there is anything to be done about the situation, but since this took a lot of my time, I feel to share my long story. The day of/prior to the incident was my birthday. I had come home late and brought some things inside with the intention of moving my car as serval other cars constantly park in the handicap spots. I fell asleep in the process and not more than a couple hours later, my car was removed. This being said, I woke up later to meet up with some family and found my car gone. There was no other direct way to find this company other than to walk over to the office for my apartment and get the number. The lady over the phone told me it would be $219. Which included a day storage fee?? I had to pay for an Uber to get there as this is my only means of transportation. I was instructed to call when I was on my way with a time frame. Then to call when I arrived. I called and was told someone was coming to open the gate. As it is basically 100 degrees outside in Florida with the hottest temperatures we've ever hit, this was upsetting also being out in a bad area for just about 20 minutes. Then the nice lady pulled up to open the gate and informed us that it was now $237. Nice. She did inform me that there is a student discount! But when she came back with the receipt, she said that the student discount only applies in the morning?? I don't know why she even brought it up just to go back on the discount offer. I took the little cash I had from my savings that I was moving to my checking account as it was in the negatives and gave it to the lady. She was very nice and polite, but then again there is suspicion with the prices constantly changing and why I was even charged a day fee when it hasn't been there even 12 hours. There's also constantly other cars constantly parked in those spots and a moped that has been in the same spot for years according to the current residents and the temp plate on it expired back in 2023. I find the selection intriguing. I was instructed to email them directly to discuss this and possibly avoid any further issues with this company.. but it's been weeks and they haven't replied. I'm shocked.. 1. This is a first time offense, and 2. There was a constant back and forth of changes in pricing. Now looking at the reviews online it all makes sense. The fact that the lady (that took 20 minutes to even show up to let me in the gate) said she had no control over the prices... but in the review responses they mention giving several people discounts and even taking off the towing fee. I've had a better experience paying my taxes. And it seems like I'd have better luck getting in contact with my deceased grandmother than whatever management this place has.

This company illegally towed my sister in law car from the apartment complex where she resides. Where she was parked didn’t have any signs of not parking or towing as required by Florida law. They decided to discount the towing fee and I was instructed to email de owner which I did and have not receive a reply yet. They declined to call the owner for us, so we have to paid them.

Took my car after accidentally parking ONE spot from the visitors parking lot. It’s literally the 4th of July and this is what I’m having to deal with rather than enjoying my holiday. This is exactly the kind of stuff that just makes life 10x harder.

Of course having your car towed sucks but they're just doing their job and I got to say that I've never been to a tow yard and had such friendly prompt help. The lady at the desk was really awesome!

Towed our car from my apartment guest parking spot . Then said they towed it for “no tag”. It’s guest parking, that’s the whole point.. you don’t need a tag. We show up at 8 and no staff arrived until 8:45. Very rude lady over the phone who kept ignoring us, now refuses to send us pictures of where it was towed. Very shady business, rundown tow yard. Throwing your car wherever they want

Updating to give a more detailed review and because I wrote the first one out of anger: I apologize for being rude to the lady on the phone and the dude at the tow yard. I was wrong for that, however it does not negate from the lack of professionalism and humanity that I experienced from this “family owned” business. My car was towed after only being parked for an hour at a friend’s house. I came outside literally 10 minutes after it was towed. After finding the towing company and figuring out next steps I ended up uber-ing to the tow yard as I don’t have family locally and my friend doesn’t have a car. After being dropped off at a locked gate at 12 in the morning, I called the number on the gate and was told that my wait would be within an hour. Issue #1: How can you tow cars overnight but not have a staff member to man the office overnight to accommodate in situations where people are coming to get their cars the same night? I was a young single unarmed woman stranded on the side of the street at 12/1 in the morning, so naturally I felt very concerned for my safety, uncomfortable, tired, and frustrated. Additionally, after calling several times to get an ETA, the lady dismissed my safety concerns and then completely stopped answering my calls altogether. This was after about 50 minutes to an hour of me waiting at this gate. But I have two phones (both were under 15% charged at that point), so I called again from my second line. She answered, this immediately pissed me off because I realized that the lady blocked my number. I guess I annoyed her while she was doing her job, super professional and empathetic . I hope you never end up stranded on the side of the street ma’am because you might see how it feels and know that its uncomfortable and nerve wracking. Naturally, I cussed her out. Was I wrong? Yes. Did she ignore my concerns and brush me off like I was annoying her? Yes. She then hung up on me. Cool. Buddy eventually shows up (After almost an hour and a half of me waiting) and proceeds to tell me “there was an accident”, as he drives in with an empty hitch. That makes sense … He thens tells me I must meet him by a creepy looking office door on the lot. As I approach the office, I ask him my charge and he proceeds to tell me almost $300 , frustrated i ask him to break down the charges. He then mentions an “after hours fee” I asked him “How am I being charged an after-hours fee when you towed my shit after hours?” He proceeds to give me a bs response and I press him on the fact that my car was parked for no longer than an hour. He tells me I should have parked in visitors parking and I let him know that there was no available “visitors” parking as neither me nor my friend were aware that visitor parking even existed and I didn’t see a single spot that said visitors anywhere while parking. Additionally it wasn't even past midnight so it’s not like they could assume I was staying overnight. He then barks at me “I was the one who towed your car”. I replied “I know that you towed my car I didn’t think anyone else did” so he proceeded to bark “If you park there again, I will tow you again!” continuing on his power trip he then yells “Matter of fact, you better be the registered owner of the car, go get the registration right now!” But alas, his final battle card was a fail because *gasp* I am in fact the registered owner . So he couldn’t say much else, I paid and he gave me my receipt. Overall, I was wrong for cussing and being rude but y’all were also wrong for being unprofessional and lacking empathy. I get that this a job but its a predatory one, I imagine that this power hungry man would’ve been excited if I wasn’t the registered owner just so he could leave me stranded outside the gate again. If you can’t deal with angry people while working in a role where you legally steal cars and withhold them until someone pays your ransom for release, then I suggest you stick to the body shop business.

One of the most unprofessional unreliable towing services in the area. My vehicle was wrongfully towed and on top of that I was given a time to show with no staff. Business hours are posted for 8am. I waited at their gate since 745 am. As seen in the photo, now approaching almost 830 and No Staff Onsite. Absolutely unacceptable. The staff member answered the phone and advised that she was having issues with her daughter. Again, UNACCEPTABLE. If you are unable to balance your work and personal life find a different job! Absolutely repulsive.

My car was illegally towed from the property, despite having the emergency parking brake engaged. The towing company failed to properly release the brake, resulting in significant damage to what is considered a collector’s car. Due to their negligence, I will be pursuing legal action through my insurance. On top of that I sat and waited at the gate for over an hour, and when speaking with the dispatcher she was rude and said she didn’t have an ETA, despite the fact that they claim to be a 24 hour towing company. I asked if our conversations were being recorded for insurance purposes, and she abruptly hung up on me. Never a good experience when your car gets towed, but the way they handled everything was even worse and I would be surprised if they still had a license within a year.

Very unprofessional make you drive to different locations. Don’t give our correct information charge extra because I’m stuck at work like what in the world I’ve never heard of such in my life. It’s crazy. Honestly, You say the place is 24 hours a day but gonna charge extra because I couldn’t get there before 5 o’clock. These people are just crooks.

Absolutely horrendous experience with this towing company! I parked my car for just a few minutes to grab a tag, and by the time I got back, my car had already been towed. I understand rules, but this was ridiculous. To make things worse, the lady I spoke to on the phone was incredibly rude and unhelpful. She was dismissive and condescending, making the whole situation even more frustrating. I’ve never encountered such poor customer service. Avoid this company at all costs if you don’t want to deal with awful service and unnecessary towing!

-100 Stars: Completely Unprofessional and Unreliable! I called RC Towing in Tampa at 1:30 AM on November 15th, needing urgent help. I attempted to contact them several times, but the employee, who I later found out was supposed to be on call, completely ignored my calls. I tried reaching her multiple times, but each time the phone went unanswered. To make matters worse, I was told later that she was “too scared” to respond to emergency calls in the middle of the night. If you're too scared to do your job, then you have no business working in a 24/7 service industry! This level of irresponsibility is beyond shocking. It’s clear this employee has no regard for customers or their needs. This is not just incompetence—it’s negligence. RC Towing should be ashamed of having such an unreliable person representing their business. If you need help in an emergency, do yourself a favor and look anywhere else, because you won’t get the service you need here. This experience was a nightmare, and I wouldn't trust RC Towing with any of my business. Zero stars if I could give them. I understand it is a towing company (which often has the worst types of customer service), but the level of incompetence is insane and unnecessary. At least come back to the property to get your money! Maybe someone who has no business experience is in charge (embarrassing!!!!!! in my opinion). Get your degree honey, or maybe use it? lol. Weirdddddddddd for a “functioning business” Delete this. I dare you.

This is the worst towing company! I have been living at my apartments about 4 years now and early Sunday morning my car was towed. I called and asked why was my car towed and everynight it is in the same spot and has all of the requirements. The lady said the person mustve mad a mistake and the only way to get my car is pay $325! I paid the money because if not it would have been more. This place didn’t even ask for my registration, or anything just my license which is illegal. Anybody could’ve came and got the car with a license. Also on the ticket it said my house was 60 miles away from the tow shop and it was only 6.5 miles. This place is horrible and money hungry. I am getting a lawyer involved, reaching out to the better business bureau & disputing the transaction with my bank.

I came back to a warning about my car being towed for an expired tag at The Ivy apartment complex. My tag is already renewed and the sticker hasn’t been delivered yet. If my car is towed tomorrow I will be pressing charges. This is not in my lease agreement and quit frankly none of your concern. If you were a cop you could look it up in the system which is probably why I haven’t been pulled over for it! DO NOT TOUCH MY CAR!!!

Bad for business and probably down bad financially. Lied and told me one price to get the car out then added $100 On top. I was very polite each time but these people that work in this business all have a certain attitude and demeanor just rude and no compassion. Until something bad happens to him. Update to their response: spoke to their employee on Friday and she stated care can be picked up with no proof of ownership as long as it’s cash or debit. Stated if using credit will need proof of ownership. Don’t let them fool you.

Car was towed from my apartment complex that I’ve lived in and parked at for over two years now. At 3:20 yesterday morning, my truck was towed. First off, who in their right mind has nothing better to do at 3:20 in the morning except tow cars?? I was expected to pay $243 for the service which is also absurd. When I asked for a breakdown of the fees, she charged $48 for “fuel” and $35 for “storage” because I didn’t pick the truck up within 3 hours. First off, I didn’t ask you to come tow my truck and I sure as hell know it didn’t cost $48 in gas to drive 5 miles. Secondly, how am I supposed to pick up my truck within 3 hours of you towing it if you DONT OPEN UNTIL 8AM? Your timing and fees make no sense. If you tow me at 3:20, and expect me to pick it up within 3 hours, that would expect me to be there way before you even open. Front lady desk was rude. Told me that this “wasn’t her problem” and that she “didn’t care to help me.” Yes, I may have had a little episode and was very angry when I went to pick it up, but what else do you expect if you decide to tow me for the first time in two years? Be careful of the angry front desk lady and overpriced fees for absolutely nothing. Shame on RC towing. Shame on you. Update, response to owners response: You can say I’m not overcharged, but we both know it didn’t cost $48 in gas for 5 miles. Also, a storage fee should not be charged for someone picking up a car when you just opened. Absolute fraud of a company.

Two locations but this location is not listed. Towing lady never picks up 7 missed calls went to other location and she gave me address of this location waited 1 hr outside when the timing is listed from 8am -to 8pm.Worst place ever. No staff at sight to help out poor staffing .

This is the company my partners apartment complex contracted to tow unauthorized vehicles from resident parking. Because my partners car is in the shop, he’s using my car for the week. we obtained a RESIDENT parking permit from the leasing office and were told to display it on the dashboard to avoid towing. However, we woke up this morning (Sunday) to the car missing. The towing company had towed my car and disregarded the fact there was a permit on the dashboard. They also had no way to return the wrongfully towed car back to us so we had to Uber to the pick up location. The only reason there’s a 1 star is because the person they have on the weekends (offices are closed sundays) was super helpful. The picture attached is literally the photo the towing person took (you can clearly see a permit on the dashboard). Don’t recommend using them at all.

This company does not do its job, they offer 24 hour service but they never answer and when they do it is a voicemail saying that they have an unregistered voicemail. In the complex where he lived they called them to leave them so they could provide service and they never come. Here they park in the disable spaces without permits and this company calls them and they turn off the phone, which is a cell phone, they do nothing. This company has a mediocre rating, do not use it. The worst service I have seen in all of Tampa. 2 different situations with different cars so it's not the same review. And thisbsituation had not being resolve yet and the car still there.07/05/22 11:09am

They dont answer the phone and send you to unregistered voicemail that you cant leave messages. When they answer they always giving excuses that they only have 1 person towing but never seeing them working on my complex and they do not answer to reports. Worst experience ever. They towed my car and I have a disable permit but when I report a violation of cats parking without permit no show.

Original Review: RC Towing illegally towed my boyfriend's car (he was parked in a visitor spot in front of the leasing office before the gate-restricted part of the complex, where he was repeatedly told by a staff member he was allowed to park). He had parked here several times before without incident and received an extremely rude response to his questions about the situation from two different RC Towing employees he spoke to when we were looking for the lot his car had been towed to. When he disputed the charge with RC Towing with clear evidence and pictures that there was a misunderstanding between RC Towing and the apartment complex (1810 The Social) about which parking spots were authorized, he received a curt, one-sentence reply from them with no attempt at professionalism or an apology. To anyone parking at 1810 The Social, I suggest using the shopping center directly next to the complex where RC Towing has no authority to tow. EDIT IN RESPONSE TO THE COMPANY'S REPLY: As mentioned in the original review, we spoke to the employees at 1810 The Social multiple times and they informed us (and probably others as well) that it is okay for guests to park in front of the leasing office after hours. Even if office managers have said the front of the leasing office is not authorized for visitors, more than one employee has told residents there otherwise, and we have given the names of those employees to office management. It was very clearly a misunderstanding due to the apartment complex's mixed messaging to residents and your company, and tenants should not take the fall and/or a financial burden when this happens. It is up to the complex to communicate its towing policies to the tenants and it is completely unwarranted to shift the blame onto tenants and their guests for not understanding the towing policies when they are never communicated. This review is not even in response to that miscommunication, but to the extremely rude way your employees spoke to us when we were calmly and respectfully trying to resolve the situation, despite the frustrating circumstances we were in. It made an already upsetting situation that much worse, and I hope you understand that the majority of our dissatisfaction stems from the way your employees spoke to us. Thank you for taking the time to respond and explain your position, but whether a tow is authorized or not, no person deserves to be talked down to the way your employees treated us and we hope that you will educate your employees to provide more compassion, empathy, and common courtesy in future situations. There is also no signage at 1810 The Social that says anything about parking "after hours" that you claim is in the complex, just the generic sign that says "unauthorized vehicles may be towed" with no distinction between the spots for guests in front of the leasing office and the visitor spots beyond the gate (it's in a spot impossible for visitors to even see after they have entered the complex because it is facing the opposite side of the street). I attached a picture for your reference.

I've had bodywork done and a tow done by this place and I like their work. I had a busted headlight and my hood was slightly raised, the fixed it and made it look like it never happened. Shortly after that, I was in an accident and need the car to be towed. They arrived quickly and picked me up and towed my car. Really nice people.