This place towed my car illegally on January 11th when I was parked in a free parking zone my battery died and they literally waited for me to get in an uber to tow my car and had the nerve to be rude on the phone. They had the nerve to tell me that I have to pay $300 in cash today otherwise everyday by midnight it’s an additional $50 added on. I’m filing a lawsuit against this company they are stealing parked cars illegally and I have legal proof of where I was parked and a picture of the meter. YOU WILL BE SUED
I want to give an actual review about this place. I came today on January 1 for starters anyone that gets their car towed it is not the people in the tow yards fault they did not tow your car so do not walk in here with an attitude or they will make you wait in line longer if you run your mouth, they will make you wait for hours so you have to pretend to be really nice and follow. What the rules are. You need a copy of your registration you need your city sticker you need your ID and only the owner of the car is gonna be able to get the car out. You also need to bring cash with you because they may or may not accept debit cards.
Send most you probably don’t have cars if you choose not to take an Uber take a green line to the California stop then take the 94 bus and it will drop you in front of a warehouse looking place and you walk north and around the corner, it is really not that scary it’s lighted and if you’re a female, yes to be on a aware alert and also some of the guys in the top yard may try to flirt with you. Just be nice to them and get out of there as fast as possible don’t try to cause problems by giving an attitude the more you give him an attitude the more you open them up to do something to you or give you a mouth just be super nice everybody and then just Leave. Is this ideal though but that’s the only way they’re gonna play a game with you so you have to play a game with them
YES I messed up and parked on a main atery road on Dec 1st (during snow ban), not that I will not be doing that again but my experience at Chigo Auto Pound I had no problems with the peopple there they were kind and professional. Had a great time talking to some of the tow truck driver's there. Overall I'm glad I learned my lesson and will take the extra mile looking for this in future. No more parking on the artery roads ever
They tow my car from paid parking spot. No visible sign with notice abouth towing around parking spot. Long waiting. Cashier was so lazy. Terrible service. Ps. They using most dirty car ever to give you a ride to your car.
I’m really pissed off! I parked my car normally, and there were no signs or warnings at all. Then suddenly my car got towed? That’s ridiculous! Why didn’t the city give any notice at least a week in advance?
Had a rental car that was towed and was "missing" with 311 and CPD - had to report it stolen because no one could find it. Mayra was extremely kind and patient during a stressful process and I appreciated her working with me to get the rental out of the tow lot.
My new car was towed downtown at night. When I picked it up, the window was open, and they opened it themselves. If my window had been open, the app would have shown it. The inside of the car was very dusty and dirty because they opened the window themselves. What's this? Why do people allow someone to break into their property? A friend had the same thing happen; they also opened the window. Not only did I spend half a day there, but they didn't think anything through. Everyone was standing there, there was nowhere to sit. The place left a bad impression, to put it mildly. It's a shame to give even one star for this experience.
I came to this place at 8pm alone as a woman and I was SCARED. First thing they said when I came in was that I needed $175 cash. They recommended I walk alone in the dark 10 minutes away to withdraw from an ATM or beg the tow truck men outside for cash in exchange for a Zelle. Even though it was terrifying to be alone outside in a dark, dirt lot with a group of strange men, the guys were actually quite helpful and helped me get the cash. This does not take away from the incredible insensitivity and unprofessional behavior that I received from the desk workers. On top of this, I waited so long in the freezing cold room for my paperwork to be processed. I was then told to go outside GET IN A CAR with another strange man to be driven to my car. Again, HORRIFYING experience. Not to mention as I was leaving a worker (man) came up to me dancing and saying "You should stay, you should stay, it's almost halloween!!" Like what?!?!?!? Women out there please, if you can, bring someone with you. You will probably be okay alone but it will be worth it to avoid the panic. Incredibly frustrating to have to make the choice to either come after dark, or pay another fee to wait for the next day.
The worst service ever received! The ladies that are working there are so slow, lazy and rude! Can’t believe this happens in a big city like Chicago, I’ve seen trees grow faster than the workers there writing my papers. Someone should check on them and replace them with real good employees able to do this work!
Will get you robbed or possibly worse. After a horrible day of getting towed, they do not accept cards which is sketchy, on top of being cash only they do not have an atm. So the options were walk through sketchy parts of humboldt park at 11:30 p.m. at night to a gas station then walk back with near 200$ in your pocket or wait a day and pay the fee. Inhumane people and tow truck driver who dont care about you, your safety, or your money. I get everyone has a job to do but getting your car towed shouldnt run the risk of getting seriously injured, after being watched pulling money out of the atm, I was chased by 4 people and showed back up at the impound sweating, all they did was shrug and joke that at least I made it. Horrible. People.
The room is extremely cold because of the air conditioning, it’s very uncomfortable to stay inside. The staff are rude and work very slowly. Most of the time only one window is open, while other employees just walk around instead of helping customers. Very poor service.
We all know it sucks to get our car impounded. I was stressed about finding it and getting my car back. Everyone who worked with me at CAP really made the process of getting back my car faster and easier for me, especially Tina! Thank you to everyone for all their help!!
I’m helping a Spanish speaking friend get their scooter out of the pound and each time he goes, they tell him he is missing something else. When I ask for a list of required documents, certificates, stickers, everything he would need, they act like I’m the one speaking a foreign language. Absolutely obtuse, unhelpful and ill-prepared to do a job that requires clarity and communication. People have jobs and other responsibilities and not enough time to come to a pound three times in two days. I’m so done with this city and everyone who acts like asking them to do their job is asking too much.
Place was nothing but headaches. Had to retrieve my motorcycle myself from a puddle cause the workers were too lazy to help. May god have mercy on your soul if your vehicle ends up here.
Absolutely disgusting building that smells like sewage and has gum all over the floor that’s impossible to avoid stepping in. Understaffed and terrible operational system. Makes me feel embarrassed to live in this city honestly. Chicago needs to do better
There was at least four other the people that had their car towed for the same reason. the sign was not posted anywhere noticeable for any visitors when we were complaining about it to a nice polite man. This one lady in particular, don’t know her name, came in and said “maybe if y’all knew how to read then this wouldn’t have happened” Keep this in mind, we payed to park. They didn’t even cover the pay to park area. They decided to cover a pole with two little papers that says do not park here, barely noticeable.
This place is absolutely terrible. My friend and I went to pick up her car which was towed by Rite Hook Towing. We arrived at 3:30am and did not leave until 7am. The workers were extremely rude and there was not enough workers on shift to adequately handle the crowd in the building. I understand no one wants to be at an auto pound, but waiting in an absolutely filthy and under staffed building while experiencing the rudest and poor service did not help with the matter. I hope NO ONE ever has their car brought here and has to deal with what we dealt with.
I visited the tow company today, June 6th, with everything I needed to retrieve my 2024 Grand Jeep Cherokee. Unfortunately, when I attempted to start my vehicle, it wouldn’t turn on, and I discovered something was damaged inside. The company that towed my vehicle caused significant destruction.
When I addressed my concerns with the staff, I encountered the manager, who approached the counter with an unpleasant attitude. However, I was fortunate to receive assistance from Luis, who was professional and genuinely helpful throughout my experience. I believe he deserves recognition and promotion for his excellent service, especially compared to the rude demeanor I encountered from the manager.
The Chicago auto pound is one of the worst-run operations I’ve ever encountered. Many employees aren’t even wearing ID badges, which is unacceptable and raises serious concerns about accountability. The entire experience is stressful, disorganized, and hostile from start to finish.
They charge outrageous towing and storage fees, making thousands—if not tens of thousands—of dollars every single day, yet provide service that’s worse than many developing countries. In fact, some developing nations have more respectful, efficient, and humane public services than what I saw here. It’s a disgrace for a major American city.
Inspect your vehicle thoroughly before you leave. If you find damage, call the police immediately and file a report—do not leave without documentation. I understand that they tow our cars but then at least they need to keep up in a good condition not in a dirty muddy condition over here.
The City of Chicago really needs to investigate how much money this place brings in, where that money goes, and why the service is so atrocious. It doesn’t feel like a city-run operation—it feels like a racket. Taxpayers and residents deserve transparency, accountability, and respect. Right now, they’re getting none of that.
Writing this review because all of the overwhelmingly negative reviews added to my panic and anxiety when I found out my car was towed here. However, my experience was nothing more than perfect.
Obviously, it’s not fun getting Your car towed, but once I figured out what documentation was needed to retrieve my vehicle, the process took all of 15 minutes. The staff was extremely nice and helpful and easy to work with. I truly believe that if you treat people with kindness, you receive kindness back. Understandingly no one wants to be The pound picking up their tow car, however It is not the people at the windows fault that And I can guarantee that if you come there with the right attitude and be mindful of how you’re speaking to people that you’re experience will be good too.
As someone who works in customer service I can almost guarantee you that most of these negative reviews are because of the way that these customers treated the staff not the other way around.
Absolute garbage and as sleazy as they come. My 2 week old brand new car was towed and damaged in the process. After 4 months, my claim was denied even though it’s evidently clear the damage was done by a tow truck. Seems like they’re in the business of damaging cars and denying claims. Never dealt with anyone with less morals or humanity as United Towing. I hope the city cuts their contract with this scum of a company.
A complete scam and totally illegal. Car was towed on Sunday but not entered into the database until Monday with the wrong tow date, wrong color, wrong VIN number, and no license plate. We called just in case the white car they had was our blue one, but were told they didn't have our car. We even called 311 and were told nothing had been towed with our license plate or VIN. That night we showed up anyway and confirmed it was in fact our car, but they wouldn't let us retrieve it unless we went to the DMV and changed the VIN first. We went back the next day with a copy of the title (they wouldn't let us get the title from inside the car to prove it was ours, or even get our toiletries from the car for that matter), and after eventually confirming their mistake and giving us the car, we were then stopped again driving out the gate and made to wait another 30 minutes because the VIN still didn't match. We were made to pay for 3 days storage despite having screenshots proving all of their mistakes had prevented us from locating it for 2 days. Spent a total of 4 hours walking around the neighborhood in the rain thinking the car had been stolen, so now I'm extremely sick too. They also denied us a hearing that we're legally entitled to.
The fines associated with whatever got you into this place are nothing compared to the ridiculous and tedious process that they make you go through to get your car. 5-7 hours of grueling slowness makes you beg to pay the $175+ to get your car out of this hell. Workers are incredibly slow and outwardly trying to scam you. When we finally got our turn, the attendant behind the glass tried to tell us that we did not have a city sticker, which we had the receipts for and which was current, clearly visible and present on the car. We had to get the registration from the car in order to complete the process and the outdoor staff proceeded to argue over the whereabouts of our vehicle because they had somehow lost it within the 4 hours since it was towed. If it was simply a matter of going to this place to pay up and get out, I would not be bitter. They have to tow the car if it’s violating the law in some way, that’s on me. However, the blatant lack of care and medieval practices make this place unbearable. Needs a serious process and personnel audit.
We can all agree this is a scam—no question about it. Pure fact. The people behind the plexiglass, framed by wood branded by the thousands of thoughts and feelings of previous scam victims... were actually okay. Slow, but okay to deal with.
You might not think this if you had expired emissions testing or a rental car; however, that was not my experience. Thank God.
The guy in the entrance shed on February 16, 2025, at 3:20 AM seemed calm, collected—nice even. Just a guy checking in trucks and trying to assist people as needed. I noticed he was constantly being distracted and had to struggle to be heard over some random degenerate yelling threats and orders out of the window of a grey grocery-getter, apparently used to block the entrance. Even though he was threatening violence.... nobody was really paying attention which leads me to believe his coworkers are desensitized. Nobody should have to work in that kind of environment. Even here. This place doesn’t have a lot going for it as it is—getting rid of whoever that was with his little tantrums would be a better look and likely provide a better work environment.
Now, about the tow truck operator. I was an operator for only four years, and I can tell you that whoever this was— Absolutely blind, didn’t care, or was simply ignorant. Both ride-height sensors were sheared clean off the front lower control arms. The plate holder was bent all of the way down. The car was not able to drive properly off the lot.
What’s the protocol for this? File a claim with them, tow the car they broke to three auto shops to get an opinion on whether it’s broken and the repair cost—then maybe get paid..... The upfront cost for this experience? $175 out of your hard earned stash. From my research, a payout is a lengthy process and unlikely to be successful.
I’m not able to give a negative star rating, so one star will have to do while their $4,000 towing lesson shows up. My honest rating, as far as business integrity goes, would place this establishment right with loan sharks, pawn shops, and the Cook County City Council. 5 stars as a people watching spot though.
No notification of Tow Zone, outright Fraud and Theft. I will be suing through the Small Claims court for $10000 and a jury demand. This is a SCAM. Location was outside Parlor Pizza and Einstein Bagels in River North by House of Blues.
The poorest customer service. Making up lies about using profanity to push people back of the line and threatened to refuse service. Employees moving so slow to get anything done and walking away from the windows for long periods of time. It took me 5 hours to get my vehicle out of this location.
The workers were okay. They actually were friendly but need to give better instructions. Tell you to go get a document then when you bring it They tell you something is wrong with it or it can't be digital.
Tow Truck driver cut off a lock off a 1978 Moped that has pedals thta was locked up to a pribate property fence. They denied it. They wouldn't release the 100lb moped unless it would get towed out of their lot.
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