Southwest Auto Tow

These people are truly disgusting, unprofessional and unorganized. My car was towed last night from my apartment complex and the worst part I was parked in my assigned spot. So after I contact my apartment manager and had her contact the towing company she called me back saying they were bringing my car back and its been over 3hours now. So I contact the towing company to ask if it would make it easier if I had someone drop me off to pick up my car cause the holding lot is less than 20 mins from me and apparently they have two offices one in Dallas and one in ft. Worth but the dispatcher at the ft worth site keeps transferring me to the Dallas location and all they have to do is call the the driver that picked up my car from my spot and have him call the holding lot to verify that my car can be released but instead the Dallas office is acting like they don’t have a way to get in touch with him and they keep asking me to hold for a min but instead of placing me on hold they keep putting the phone on mute and just sitting there till I hang up and call again so this is the type of service these idiots provide for our communities when they should be trying to go as fast as possible to get my car back to me since it was wrongfully towed. I hope and pray they don’t do any type of damage to my car cause they will be held liable for any damages. I hope anyone that actually needs their car towed goes somewhere with responsible and respectable people cause these guys are worthless and very crooked.

Terrible customer service. Operators are incompetent and seemingly unable to operate a switchboard. Predatory towing practices. Caused damage to my vehicle while towing it.

They don’t listen even tho the law says different. I will schedule a hearing on monday about my illegal tow. Even the HOA from the place I was towed suspended business with them because of their b.s. I came out to see my car just leaving, hollering at the driver who looked dead at me and smiled. Payback is a bitch, yall just wait.

My car was illegally towed from my apartment complex. After getting no where with both the office, or the towing service, I was forced to pay $ 260 to get my car back. It had only been towed a few hours before. After inspection, I found the front bumper had new scrapes like it had been drug on the ground. I am filing a claim but from what I have heard, they won’t honor the cost of repair. Steer clear of Southwest towing!

The guys really took care of my daughters car. They towed it from the dealership to Dallas Frame and back home for a great price. They were also friendly and trust worthy. Thank you!

This is a tough business. But I can’t imagine a company could be run more professionally. From the lady who answered the phone, to the manager to the owner, I was grateful that they did not let the negative demeanor of many clients bleed over onto me. 5 stars all the way!

This company illegally towed my car. They never stickered my car with a warning, even though they claimed they did and are required to. They claimed they towed it for unauthorized parking, which is strange since there is clearly a parking permit on my mirror. Furthermore, they had no authorization from my apartment complex to tow.
My complex called this company and worked it out that I would not need to pay. When I arrived to pick up my car, they tried to say I owed them over $ 215. I explained the situation, and she immediately «discovered» the note.
So not only did they lie and say they gave a warning (or reported a warning and threw the sticker out), they lied about not seeing a parking permit which was on the mirror, they towed illegally on private property without the complexes permission, but they capped it all off by trying to charge me for the tow and storage of my vehicle hoping I was unaware of the deal made with my Apartment complex.
It is no wonder they have a D– rating with the better business bureau, and have never tried to be accredited. I understand needing to make a living, but taking from others that are not in the wrong is truly disgraceful.

They towed my car, damaged it and declined my claim. I will be taking this forward with an attorney, the damage to my car was over $ 1200. Horrible service and huge scammers. Stay away!!!

Here are the hihlights of the night —
1. Middle of unloading, and the car gets towed away.
2. The car gets towed away from my own apartment?
3. Then I call and yell at the lady who answered the phone since she was rude to me.
4. Took an über to this unsafe neighborhood.
5. Since its my husband’s car, he had to pay an extra $ 6 since I am paying on his behalf.
6. We didn’t carry any cash and they were merciless. And the stupid people said we can pay the $ 164 by card but the $ 6 has to be in cash. I mean wth?!
7. Walked 10 mins to the nearest gas station to get that $ 10.
8. Got the car and we notice these idiots trying to pry open somebody’s car. Hope it’s not somebody’s other than their’s. So now they like stealing too?
9. The place was entirely bug infected. My husband comes home bit and with rashes.
10. Did I tell you this was from 3am to 5am on a Monday? How much more effed up can it get?

Well, at least they’re open 24 hours… kind of feel like you’ve dropped off the edge of the earth trying to reach them. Man, I went into the wrong business… what a racket.

Dishonest company with poor management and customer service. Today we spent the entire day debating with South West Towing about them returning our vehicle that they towed from our assigned carport at Hyde Park.
Yes. They towed our vehicle from our own assigned parking spot that we pay additional fees for. They spent hours debating the fact that we were wrong and that we completely parked in the incorrect carport after loving here for over a year.
These people are scammers and thieves. They have also caused damage to the vehicle so I would not recommend them for roadside assistance either.

Why would they tow a vehicle that is in visitors parking? Why would they tow a vehicle that’s in it’s assigned parking @ the condo the owner resides?
Very slick tow truck drivers that are assisted by the supposed «security» at the complex.
They take two vehicles at a time, park them less than a mile from the were they were towed, ironically a church, in order to make quick pick ups while another tow truck picks up from that location, the church, and transports the vehicles to SWAT.
Quite a slick scheme they having going here! Can’t wait to take this up w HOA in the morning!

Webster’s defines the word «predator» as «one that preys, destroys or devours.» While that is entirely accurate, I am going to venture a guess that there is something missing from that definition and it is a picture of this establishment next to the word. You know, it helps for readers to have a handy visual of a crooked operation that stalks locations for the perfect time to announce their «contributions» to society as one that definitely preys, destroys your faith in other legitimate towing companies, and devours money in a pitiful attempt to practically belittle you for their own deficiencies as they apply to both business and personal relations. And before anyone accuses me of having sour grapes for being towed by this organization, I was not — I was just there to witness their performance and marvel that such a place is able to function without someone stepping in for regulations.
A group of us parked in a lot on a Saturday night next to our friend’s apartment complex. He let his dog out while the sun was still shining and our entire trip there took about seven minutes. Not a lot can happen in seven minutes. It’s just enough time to use the bathroom, put the leash on the dog, and take a stroll around the grounds. Needless to say, when our other friend followed behind us and called to say someone’s car was being towed, we thought it was a joke. Turns out the only joke of the evening was the ease in doing business with this team.
There were a duo of signs in the lot, in Spanish, that implied towing was a concern. Conspicuously enough, the only parts in English were the location details and pricing for where to find your car after it was towed. Rather convenient, and it should be pointed out that this is not the fault of this towing company, but rather the property owner. However, that’s where the blame being passed will stop.
If you’re asking yourself how a towing company could load up a car, take it away and come back for another in the span of seven minutes, you’re not alone. It’s almost as if they were scoping out the lot and immediately descended on it like the vultures they are. And, just like those birds of prey that feast on carrion, the tow truck driver’s personality was just as rosy when he returned. The owner of the car towed walked up to the driver’s window to speak to him and he responded by gassing it out of the lot instead of, you know, answering questions. It’s okay, though, driver: I’m sure you’ve seen some danger in your profession and are gun shy around victims. I’ve seen «Repo Man» and it had infinitely more charm than you did. But take comfort in knowing your license plate number reads the same 10 feet from me as it did when you sped off to an intersection to get away from us.
I drove my friend to get his car back and the actual towing facility is dilapidated, probably to better match the personalities occupying it. In the 45 minutes we were there, I witnessed a son driving his rescued car out of the lot while his mother walked behind it to inspect it. Seconds later, a tow truck leaving the lot was honking at her, and him, to get out of his way. Very sunny and cheery workers all around.
The sign at the lot where this all started promised $ 121 to tow a car under 10,000-lbs. I’m pretty sure a four-​door Infiniti clocks in well under the 10,000-lb. mark so you can imagine my surprise when the total was $ 165. You can also imagine my surprise when I was ordered to step back when I went to accompany my friend in the lot to look at the car. «Only one person at a time on the lot!» bellowed a voice that was perhaps agitated I took him away from his XBOX. Oh, that’s right: you could see the staff playing an FPS video game in the claims booth. If they devoted half the time they spent fragging players online to developing social skills, they might be able to communicate without making you question if de-​evolution exists.
I returned outside and watched as a few stray dogs ran by. Twenty minutes later, my friend returned with his car and some new scuffs to the front end. Perhaps they were some parting gifts for spending our time, money and patience with these individuals.
Long story short: may whatever deity you believe in have mercy on you if you are on the receiving end of this organization. From the shady, borderline stalking they do of their lots to the even shadier operations they demonstrate, you are more than likely going to end up on the losing end of the equation. My advice is to take copious notes of your experience and document everything. It may not make a difference but at least your complaints will pass along the headache (s) they undoubtedly caused you back to their team.

Shady & crooked company. They attempted to tow my classic car from my condo complex even though I had a parking permit. They damaged the car in the attempt, sent us to a body shop that did terrible repair work & further damaged the car. When I tried calling Patrick who handles the insurance, I was given the run around for days. I finally spoke to him and rushed to the office since I knew he was there… But was told he was out at the auto body place… He was not. Good luck trying to talk to them and apparently no matter how many times you ask, call, or go there, they will NOT give you their insurance information to file a claim. Extremely rude & condescending.

«Absolutely horrible and dishonest business. Not only was my car towed from my apartment complex from where I live (unauthorized, towing charges were refunded by my apt complex), but they caused $ 1800 in damages to my car body (deep paint scratches). When i filed a claim within 48 hours, the claims rep — Patrick– called to YELL at me over the phone, denied my claim, threatened me, and condescended to me. Perhaps he thought I would back down because I am a woman? Perhaps because I’m not a white male? Perhaps because he thought I was unaware of my rights under Texas law? I’m not sure, but he was promptly notified that I was a law student and I knew my rights under the law and I have researched his company, which only infuriated him further. First class customer service (website)? Absolutely fraudulent business and they treat you like a criminal after they tow your car and cause damage to it. I reported them to the BBB. I also let my insurance company know and they will pursue the towing company and their insurance should I choose to file a claim with my insurance company. I sincerely feel sorry for you if you ever get towed by this company. If you are wronged, I would suggest you read the Texas Occupational Code on towing — it lays out all your rights and what you have to do to recover from them. Apparently they don’t like it when you are aware of what is granted to you under Texas law (just mention it and the response you will get is absolutely ridiculous).
By the way here all their information:
Mailing: Ms Joann Messina P.O. Box 29 304 Dallas, TX 75 229
I believe they are insured with Farmers Insurance (they claim to have insurance, but this has not been verified)
The towing facility itself is in a VERY bad part of town, and the „booth“ that you slide your card and information through is horrible. Expect horrible customer service and even worse business practices. »

If you are towed by these hitmen — or any tow agency in Texas — you have the right to appeal your tow. Familiarize yourself with the the Texas Towing Law, Occupation Code Chapter 2308, Sec. 2308.252.
You are entitled to an appeal in small claims court, but you better have all of your shit in order because the hearing is in front of a Justice of the Peace (ie, a «judge» who is not required to have a law degree and who is an elected official). As elected officials, they are recipients of campaign contributions from towing companies, so you are going into a situation where you are heavily disadvantaged: No way a judge is going to rule that a towing was not justified in towing your car when the person sitting across from him/​her — the person who towed your car — also writes checks to the JoP’s re-​election campaign.
On your receipt from the towing company are instructions on how to file an appeal. The company that towed you is also telling you how to appeal it? How nice. I wasn’t suspicious enough, apparently, but you will be after reading this: The instructions provided by the towing agency are purposely misleading, omitting key elements, and providing only the bare bones minimum of what the state requires they disclose. Do you think they’ll give you the correct instructions?
Here’s how I got scammed: The towing agency’s instructions told me to provide in my appeal «the address of the towing company that towed your car.» Fine, seems easy. It’s written right there in big font across the top of the page. So I put down their *street* address. However, the law states that I need to put down their *mailing* address — which is a tiny little PO Box hidden in the upper left-​hand corner, OBSCURED by the credit card receipt they conveniently stapled on top of it. See what happened? The tow companies abide by the disclosure laws and instruct you to provide the the courts with the vague «address» of the towing company — but the appeal form provided by the tow company doesn’t specify which address to include. Regardless, they specifically don’t tell you to provide their *mailing* address, thus allowing you to fill out the form correctly. See the ambiguity? And even then they bury in a tiny font and hide their address under a stapled-​over receipt.
When it came time for my hearing, the tow company requested a pre-​hearing motion for dismissal because I filled out the form incorrectly — which, technically, I did not fill it out correctly. (Stupid me, I know. I only pay 2.75% property taxes, so I’m just a loser.) The tow agent cited the Texas statue granting me the right to appeal, which states that I was to supply a *mailing* address, but instead I entered the street address. The owner took my paper and peeled back his stapled-​on receipt to show the address I should’ve used. GOTCHA! Check. Mate. So now I’m about the additional $ 75 to appeal it, plus a few hours of my day. SUCKER! The court makes money on this sham also. It’s a win-​win (and lose, for citizens).
The tow company used their instructions to mislead me, then cited the Texas statute’s instructions to infer that I mislead the court. They’ve got a great system down: Make campaign contributions to all the JoPs. Tow cars whenever they feel like. Provide vague instructions on how to file an appeal. Get the hearing dismissed on a technicality that no one will ever catch beforehand. The court pockets the appeal filing charge and never actually has to hear a case. You may as well kiss that towing fee goodbye — you’ll never see it again.
Don’t think that being a property-​owning, tax-​paying citizen means shit at Dallas County JoP. Campaign contributions are all that matter.
Good luck.