Big Bens Towing

This place is notorious for predatory towing!
I watch them come through my complex (before towing hours), running up to cars looking in their windows, shining light on cars — looking to see if the car is a candidate for the night’s tow). Once I had to run downstairs to stop the tow of my vehicle! Well today… they got me!
Woke up this morning and my vehicle was gone! Called Big Ben’s and they confirmed! I was informed that even though I had registered plates in my window and my parking pass, my car was towed for expired tags.
Once I get there, this 24/​hr operation is closed! I had to call twice to get someone to come and release my vehicle, even though I told the dispatcher on the phone that I was coming to get my vehicle! After 30 minutes they arrive. They state they take Visa, MC, Discover, AX and debit, I tried Visa and AX and it didn’t work. Then the person says you can only use debit… how can you only use debit if your sign clearly states AX is accepted — what business doesn’t know that AX is not debit?!
So I pay for the tow using DEBIT and while retrieving my vehicle, their gate slams into my vehicle and… I find my plates on the floor! This place must make a TON OF CASH the way they operate, and their operation is a definite disadvantage to the customer. I have already contacted the BBB and the Maryland Consumer Protection Division — you should too!

Giving one star is too generous! In late Dec 2014, my car was stuck in mud. Unbeknownst to me, Someone called Big Ben, but I called AAA. Big Ben arrived and I learned that the towers friend called them. He would not leave even with AAA sitting in the street waiting for him to move. I called the police, they told Big Ben to leave, Big Ben called me a «B»! The police told me the company wasn’t trustworthy in so many words. DO NOT Use this company or you will be ripped off. Unfortunately being stranded makes it easy for towers to take advantage of people. Big Ben should be forced to shut down!

Be VERY careful when you call a tow truck driver late at night, when it is cold. Tonight, we had the unfortunate luck to have van problems.
I called a tow truck and to make a bad situation worse, after we got the van home, they told us that they did not have a credit card machine and that if we didn’t pay them CASH right NOW that they would impound our van and the fee to get it out would be $ 120 more than they quoted me over the phone.
So — if you don’t want to get stuck and shaken down for cash at 2am — DON’T call Big Ben’s Towing & Recovery.