Documented with North Port Police Department – Photo Evidence Included
On November 26th, I had one of the most unprofessional and unsafe experiences I have ever had with a towing company. Coastal Towing sent out a driver named John, and his conduct was not only aggressive—it was dangerous.
My vehicle had a completely flat tire, and I politely asked John not to accelerate it too hard up the ramp to avoid causing further damage to the rim. Instead, he gunned my car at full throttle, completely disregarding my request and showing zero care for my property.
When my 18-year-old brother calmly tried to reiterate the concern, John escalated the situation and threatened to physically fight him. A grown man threatening a teenager during a service we were paying for is beyond unacceptable.
And it still got worse.
As shown in the attached photo, when John sped off with my vehicle, he failed to properly secure it to the flatbed. This is not only unprofessional—it is a massive safety hazard to other drivers on the road.
Due to the severity of the situation, this entire incident has been documented with the North Port Police Department, including the reckless handling of the vehicle, the threats made, and the unsafe transport.
Coastal Towing should be seriously re-evaluating who they allow to represent their company. No customer should ever have their safety compromised, their property mishandled, or their family threatened by someone who is supposed to be providing help.
If you value professionalism, safety, and basic respect, I strongly recommend avoiding Coastal Towing altogether.
Coastal Towing is incredible! We needed a tow from I-75 south - they were there in a hurry and got us to the shop really quickly. Our driver Robert was super kind and we so appreciated him!
Dave saved the day! After my son called AAA, Dave promptly called to let us know where he was and his ETA. He was professional and was there when he said he would be . He was courteous and professional, and had the car on the truck then back home in no time. Would definitely recommend Coastal Towing.
Called CAA who put me through to AAA Florida to arrange a tow for my disabled vehicle. Had to wait two hours for the tow truck to arrive. Robert, the driver, was quick to assess the situation and get my car on the flat bed. Drove me straight to the dealer for service, and was very knowledgeable about what was likely wrong. (He was right.) Aside from the initial delay in getting the tow truck to my vehicle, the service was excellent.
Amazing company! They responded so fast to my AAA call when no one else would, literally the day before a hurricane! RJ picked my car up and towed us right to BMW in Sarasota. He was prompt, polite and I highly recommend!
Neal and his girlfriend towed my car to my house after working a double shift when my tire blew out and they were nothing but warm and friendly. I had a great experience riding with them. I would definitely recommend using them.
While on my way down to the Keys, I had the unfortunate experience of losing my powertrain/transmission on I-75 near Fort Myers. I limped to a nearby gas station. I called AAA. AAA called Coastal Towing to my location to save the day and to save the weekend trip! I met a wonderful man, Cleve, who arrived with a cheerful spirit to assist me. His spirit brightened my day! He took great care loading of my truck and drove us back up to Clearwater, my hometown, for extensive repairs. We had a wonderful conversation, and the time flew by despite some traffic. Cleve took great care of unloading and making sure my Ford dealership took great care of me! Thank you, Coastal Towing! Thank you, Cleve! I highly recommend Coastal Towing!
I'd like to thank Chris for turning our 15 minute wait into over an hour and then cancelling on us to take a different call and not at least tell us. This was also after he passed us because he didn't realize that cars can be on either side of the road, even though we told him over the phone which side of the road we were on before he even began heading toward our location.
AAA sent a gentleman out from Coastal to replace our batteries in our truck. Unfortunately, they only had one of our giant batteries on their truck and we needed two. They went out of their way to send another technician out with the two batteries so that we would be able to leave for our vacation on time. They were wonderful!
I had an issue with my car computer not allowing the vehicle to start which required it being towed by Coastal Towing to a local area garage. It was a very busy day, yet Ira was most kind in keeping in contact with me regarding his pending arrival. He was also the most professional tow truck driver with whom I have dealt in decades. Most importantly, he was a very safe and courteous driver considering the traffic on 41. Ira is certainly a top notch representative and public servant for this business, and I recommend Coastal Towing highly.
Needed a flooded vehicle moved from hurricane Ian. Called and got same day service (a couple of hours from the time I called), while other towing companies were giving a week or longer lead times. John was helpful, the lady who took my info was friendly, and Andy the driver was a true professional. Excellent service all around.
Yesterday my car overheated on Daniels @ Treeline - at 7:30AM (those who know there area will know just how bad this could been). My call to AAA was assigned to Coastal Towing. Mitch arrived earlier than expected, got the car on the truck and got me to my repair service in short work. Mitch was professional, pleasant, and obviously very knowledgeable and experienced. My thanks to Mitch, Coastal Towing and AAA.
DJ was awesome! AAA said they were expecting higher than normal calls and told me it would take a couple hours for a tow. DJ called me sooner then expected and let me know he was on the way. At 8pm on a Friday the last thing I needed was a broken car hassle. DJ showed up and pretty much said he would take care of it. He coordinated getting it over to the repair shop and dropped off the keys. Great customer service even when they are busy!
I contacted AAA due to running over road debris and blowing out my 2 passenger side tires. Thank goodness I was very close to home. This was my first time using AAA (I've been a member since 2012). Needless to say AAA is a MESS. But thank God for Coastal Towing and Tyler. He called and said he was on his way (after his extremely long night towing others) and he arrived early on Saturday morning. Tyler was wonderful! Professional, respectful, and took care of loading my Jeep on his truck. Drove me over to Tire Kingdom and unloaded me Jeep while I checked in. Tyler was kind, pleasant, and truly understanding. For those of you that are rude to tow truck drivers, shame on you! These guys work very long hours and are up most of the night assisting others. Thank you Coastal Towing for being the go-to for AAA members. As a female- I felt safe and secure with Tyler; and not all the time can you say that. Tyler- thanks for coming to my rescue! Your the BEST!!!!!!!
I had contacted AAA for tow service as my car was not recognizing my key fob, and wouldn't start. I was all set to tow it the 20 miles to the Nissan dealer in Venice. Steven showed up and immediately diagnosed I needed a new battery. He was able to sell me one on the spot, which he also installed, and removed old battery. Cost was very competitive. He also added air to my tires per my request. Steven is a very personable, knowledgeable tech. The tow alone would have just about equalled the cost of the battery. I highly recommend Steven and Coastal Towing.
Had a driver today come for a friends car through triple A. His name was Steve. He was a pleasant man, and was professional at his job. It's nice to encounter a person who is nice and curious, especially when under stress. Would recommend him, and if all drivers for his company are this nice,, you got a good business, and I would highly recommend your business and Steve. Thank you for making the tow a better day.
Robin rescued my husband, myself, and our three children (in partnership with AAA) when our van broke down and stranded us 60 miles north of home, late at night, in unseasonably cold weather. He was professional, very friendly, and determined that we would not be stuck at a 7-11 for the night. We felt that we and our van were in very good hands with this company, and we would frankly have not gotten home without him. Would highly recommend.
When my car wouldn't start this morning, the service that I received from Coastal Towing was EXEMPLARY. Steve arrived on time, quickly diagnosed the problem, physically pushed out of the parking space so he could access the hood, got the car started and went above and beyond offering to follow me to the dealership for the required service. He was friendly, super courteous and professional. I can't say enough nice things about my experience today. I would really like to give him TEN stars!!
My mini-coup conked out in the middle of a busy intersection in south Ft Myers. I called a few tow companies that connected me to voicemail. Nothing worse than to hear that when you're in a desperate situation! Coastal was the only local company that answered their phone. The woman dispatcher couldn't have been any more nicer. The driver Steve arrived in about 10 minutes. Steve was very professional and a nice conversationalist. He gave me some very good advice about getting AAA.!
Coastal Towing came when my car wouldn't start. It turned out to be a dead battery. They replaced the battery immediately. Their employee Robin arrived sooner than I expected. He was professional, yet very personable. He gave me good advice that greatly benefitted me. I highly recommend Coastal! You won't be disappointed
Called Coastal Towing this morning needing a boat moved that was on a non functional trailer. Karrie answered the phone and was able to answer all my questions. Set up a time within 2 hours of me calling to have one of their trucks come hook up the boat, they arrived almost half an hour early. Chip was the driver who came and was very professional and friendly. Got the boat hooked up and delivered without any problem! All around great experience! They came highly recommended and now I see why! Not to mention they were nearly 150$ cheaper than anyone else I called! Thanks again guys! You will be the first I call for any towing needs in the future! Job well done!
Great experience from Coastal Towing! We were vacationing on Fort Myers Beach and our car battery died when we stopped to get gas. They showed up in great time and got us on the road quickly. Gizmo our driver was very nice and professional. Thank you for making a frustrating experience not so difficult.
Steve from coastal was amazing! He arrived so quickly. He was super professional and friendly. He made me feel at ease from start to finish. He got my car out of the driveway and hooked up to the tow truck and only two minutes. He came on a Saturday night and was gracious about the whole thing. Thank you so much! I would highly recommend this company and Steve!!!
Thank you so much Ovi One for taking such good care of my bike. You were prompt, kind, considerate and professional. I know my bike will be in good hands while traveling to the shop and I will certainly request your assistance again when needed.
Ovi was my driver and just the kind person I needed to help me out. He towed my car, made sure I was okay and maintained contact with my insurance. I felt at ease and we had casual conversation on our way to the tire place that was nearby. Everything went well and I would definitely recommend these guys. Thanks again!
This past weekend our car broke down and we called AAA for a tow. The driver who assisted us, Ovi, was wonderful. He arrived within the time AAA estimated, called me as he was getting close, and was helpful and friendly. He took great care of us and was a pleasure to deal with. Hopefully we won't need a tow again anytime soon, but if so we definitely know who to call. Ovi and Coastal Towing, thank you!!
Late on Friday night I got a call from my 82 year Dad saying he was pulled off to the side of the I-75 Freeway broken down. I was concerned and asked "Oh no! Are you OK?" He was "I am fine and Ovi is here with me from Coastal Towing. He got here super fast, car is already loaded and he is taking me and the car to the repair shop by my house" This was the best option for my Dad, not the closest for Ovi but he genuinely cared about my dad and his needs and safety. I met them there, Ovi shook my hand, told me what a pleasure my Dad was and that he was glad to help. Help he did. He was AWESOME and I would highly recommend Ovi and Coastal Towing!
Ovi was my driver and I was very impressed. He got to me sooner than expected, very respectful, made me feel comfortable riding with him. And I forgot my wallet in his truck for two days, he brought it back to my house with everything still in it. Very trustworthy and honest. I would definitely recommend them to my family and friends.
OUTSTANDING customer service!!! OVI from Coastal Towing came in his tow truck to save me today! I've never received such fantastic service in my life!!! He got to me QUICKLY-- ahead of the time AAA said he'd be there. He called to let me know he'd be there in 10 minutes. He showed up less than 10 minutes later (approx. 1/2 hour faster than AAA said he'd be). He got my car going in about 2 minutes. He was super polite, friendly, & competent! When I was back on the road, he was in front of me and I was amazed how clean, shiny and spotless the tow truck is! I wish my car was that clean! This is somebody that really cares about his customers. I HIGHLY recommend Ovi and Coastal Towing! Wish I could give more than five stars!! Bravo! OUTSTANDING!!!
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