A Better Cheaper Tow

I flew back from a trip and discovered that my car’s battery had died for good. I had a friend come to jump it, but the battery wouldn’t take any charge (the battery was 4 – 5 years old, mind you). I knew that my only choice was to call a tow truck the next morning. I carefully did some research on Unilocal and decided to try this company.
Roy is AMAZING. He is a really kind and helpful man, and definitely knows what he’s doing. He arrived at my place in Sunnyvale at the anticipated time frame. He even recommended me a body shop to go to in order to get the battery replaced. I expected the tow to be at least $ 80, but I was charged only $ 55 (probably because it was a short distance to the body shop). I know having your car towed sucks, which might contribute to some negative reviews toward this company. However, I had a really positive experience with Roy, and I would definitely recommend him! He also has a great sense of humour, which made the ride to the body shop less awkward and more comfortable!

(This occurred July 2014)
Our camper trailer’s wheel had popped off while we were on 680S. It was 1030pm and the road side assistance could not get a hold of a towing company to come get us without paying out of pocket at this time of night, but they got a hold of ABC.
To get the camper onto his ramp, he used a floor jack on the side of the missing tire to balance it out and left it there as he drove to our residence. Ultimately, he did not secure it properly and my party (driving behind his truck) witnessed the floor jack falling off of the ramp and into the middle of the road on Capitol Expressway. When we arrived at our residence, he realized the jack was missing and said to us, «That was an expensive jack» in a tone as to imply that he wanted us to cover for that. Offended and annoyed that he seemed to blame us for the unsecured jack, I asked, «Was it not secured properly?» and he replied, «Well it flew off.»
It was $ 115 dollars for 14.9 miles. He asked me, «How are you paying for this?» and I replied, «Credit card». He retorted with «Debit». I wasn’t sure what he was getting at, so I said again, «I am paying with credit card» to which he said «Debit.» I asked him «You don’t take credit card?» and he replied «Don’t you have a checkings account?»
Honestly, if you did not take credit card, why did you ask me «How are you paying for this?».
Yes, he’s rough around the edges and some may appreciate his character, but I’m sorry, he was quite rude when there was no reason to be.

My car died last night and I had to get it towed. The first tow company I called wanted $ 95! I was like to tow it 1 mile!!! jeeze. So I called a Better Cheaper Tow and it was much more affordable. They told me it would be a 30 minute wait, I waited 40 minutes. The driver arrived and was very friendly. The repair shop was kind of close to my house but I asked for a ride home because my leg was injured, they said they don’t normally do that but the driver gave me a ride home. Thanks! I’d definitely recommend A Better Cheaper Tow!

Roy was a hell of a guy. Great Customer service with a comedic side to lighten the mood. He was prompt literally there in help in 10 mins. I had keys locked in the vehicle and he gave a great price that couldn’t be beat. awesome guy and awesome service. I would Recommend him to anyone!!!

I was told by this company that it would take 45 minutes or less to get to my place to tow my car. I was also told that if this wasn’t going to happen that I would receive a phone call. I didn’t receive a phone call after 45 minutes, so I called the driver.
I asked him when he was going to be here. He proceeded to tell me a story about how he got held up and that it was maybe going to take him an hour maybe two to get to me.
There was no point— because the service department would already have been closed by then. I told the driver that I wanted to cancel the tow because it was a longer wait than originally anticipated. The driver just hung up on me after that.
I would never suggest this company to any of my family or friends!

On September 20^th one of my tires went out on the 87 going south. I called ABC tows to come grab my car, they quoted me $ 55 on the phone. When they arrived the guy that helped me was a big old Caucasian man. He took a look at my car and told me the quote they gave for my car wasn’t correct due to the fact that my car was lowered. So the new quote is now $ 85 for a lowered car, this I didn’t mind since I didn’t tell him on the phone. Also seeing how the price is a little higher for a lowered car reassured me that this man knew what he was doing. This observation is very very wrong, and the worst mistake I’ve made this fine afternoon. This man continued to set up the ramp so he could drive it up onto the bed, once set up he got into my car and began to drive up. Watching him do this I saw him slip a few times and stall my car, uh oh I thought he knew what he was doing? Then, the bed gave way and the driving ramps he had set up to bring the car onto the bed knocked out of place. The bed rocked over to the passenger side, slammed my passenger side and rear diffuser onto the ground. The man left my car, pretended like nothing had happened and said he knows a better way to get my car onto the bed. At this point, I surveyed the damage that has been done to my car due to his ignorance, took pictures, and made notes. After he got my car onto the bed, I confronted him about the damage he had caused. First he completely denied the fact that he caused any damage to my car. Then I showed him the scratches to my rear diffuser and my cracked side skirts that matched the fresh marks on the ground only inches away from his tow bed and my car. He thought about it for a second the said, «it’s not my fault your car is lowered.» I then asked him why does he charge extra for lowered cars. He said «for the labor it takes.» I told him okay, well are you going to take care of the damage or not? He said no. So I told him I’ll contact my insurance and maybe even attorney to get this settled. I made a claim to my insurance company, they inspected the damage and tried to go after this company for the damages.
1) they’re not insured, so if you choose to use them beware
2) they denied that they caused the damage
3) if they cause damage to your car, you may have to take this to court and I am doing now.
The total damage to my car is about $ 4000. Think twice before using this company.

Roy and his sidekick, Rascal are a fabulous team! I have used his tow service several times now. Each time he has been prompt and extremely helpful. Plus my car is a classic so I prefer it being carried and not dragged! His fees are better than any other tow service around and he always has sound advice. I will continue to use A Better Cheaper Tow and I highly recommend Roy.

My car broke down in Sunnyvale. I called this company’s phone number and asked if they take State Farm. The guy said ‘if you’re not a beautiful blond with big tits, you’re in for a huge bill to tow your car.’ I was kinda taken back, I didn’t know if I should laugh or take him serious. Then he told me ’ I’ll tell you what, I’ll tow your car for $ 50 cash and report $ 75 to your insurance’. Another sleezly comment I though. Then to top it off, he told me that his AC in the tow truck stopped working and he was getting annoyed and frustrated that I wasn’t in agreement with his proposal to tow my car. I instantly said ‘No, Thanks’ and hung up the phone. Unprofessional, sleez-​ball, and rude. I’m amazed this guy has a few good reviews, oh wait, the good reviews are from women. It figures. I recommend calling Dicks Automotive Transport, amazing service.

Their gear is not that professional (comparing with the other towing company that I just used a while ago but i called them becos they are nearby), the fair is not really cheap especailly considering the equipment and service, and the person said he doesn’t like labor and refused to spend 3 minutes to jump my car to make the tire straight (the front tire got twisted becos he didn’t use any cushion when he pushed the car in and out) after unloading my car from his truck… very rough operation. Not recommend.

Wow, Roy was GREAT! What a genuinely nice guy.
He was going to fix our flat tire for us right there on the spot, but we didn’t have a spare. We told him how much we were going to pay for 4 new tires, and he immediately got on the phone and got us a better deal. He went above and beyond. What a kickass guy!
I’d definitely recommend A Better Cheaper Tow ANY DAY.

Highly recommend their service. My car broke down today, find them via Unilocal and within 30 mins my car is in the shop. Very efficient service.

I was refereed by a friend after an upsetting quote from AAA. AAA wanted over $ 200 to move my vehicle 22 miles.
So I called Roy and he picked up my car without me there and drove it the 22 miles for $ 103, which is a lot better than others.
He was nice and so was his tiny attack dog. Will recommend him to others.

Mr. Roy and Rascal (teeny lil pup) came on time, diagnosed the problem quickly and made helpful recommendations. He even peppered the service with jokes. It was $ 55 to jump my car in my garage.

Called him when my car wouldn’t start — expecting to need a tow for 10miles. Instead, he diagnosed my problem on the spot, then fixed it (battery cable connection). Wow. He made less $$$ from that, but he created a loyal happy customer.

Had to get my car towed today. Called a couple of places, and one of the highest rated places referred me to Roy since they weren’t available.
Roy was one of the most affordable by far. Everyone was quoting me a 140+ for the tow, and Roy quoted me 78 bucks. He was on time and got the job done.
I get the feeling that Roy’s an old timer, owner-​operator, that likes things his way. I left him a check because our discussion was so brief I didn’t get what payment options he accepted (Visa, or MC by the way). He seemed a bit troubled by it, but I told him I had no issues giving him a CC#. Which is what in the end he requested.
I’d suggest Roy to anyone that’s used to that kind of personality – Rough round the edges, but heart of gold and gets the job done.
For those bourgeoisie people that expect «nordstrom» bottom whiping with perfume style service– this isn’t your guy.
I’d use him again for sure.

I drive a standard. I had had trouble shifting for a while. I knew my clutch couldn’t last. And then… I was driving through the Santa Cruz mountains on CA-​17 when I experienced a total clutch failure: I couldn’t shift at all. I had no choice but to pull over and call for a tow. So I checked Unilocal and found ABCT. I called, even though I only half-​expected them — or anyone else — to come pick up my car on the CA-​17 — a tiny, winding road with fast moving traffic and limited shoulder space.
To my surprise, ABCT said they’d be happy to pick me up – and they got to me within 30 minutes. Loading my car onto the flatbed tow vehicle went smoothly. These guys are great, inexpensive, and know what they’re doing. I highly recommend them!

This guy was incredibly rude. Everything he said was either a rude command or very insulting. While helping to pull my car onto the flatbed, he treated me like dirt even after I told him that I had never done this before. Then, when the car was hooked up, I took my keys out of the ignition and he got mad that I did that and said «And what exactly do you need those for? Those need to stay in the car!!» At this point, I got mad and told him that he needed to quit being rude and that I had never done this before. When I got in his truck to go to the repair shop, Roy had with him his small dog. I am very allergic to dogs and caring your pet with you while you work is very unprofessional. Then, while paying, he insulted my last name by saying «What kind of last name is that?!» and then called it Palestinian (my last name is Italian). Not once through the whole ordeal did he thank me or shake my hand or anything. DO NOT USE THIS SERVICE!

My car was non-​functional, so I needed a tow on a Saturday morning. The guys showed up when he said he would. He dropped the car off a the repair shop. His charge was the same as the estimate ($ 55 for less than 5 miles).
It was good service.