E & R Towing

When you are towed ""after regular business hours"" it becomes problematic to pay ""an after business hours charge"" to redeem your car from the impound lot at E & R Towing. If it is after your business hours - why are your drivers out on the street cruising to find cars that may/may not actually be in violation of traffic laws? They should be at home spending time with their families or at least enjoying the commute to their loved ones on AZ's busy thoroughfares. This additional charge is usurious and they should be penalized for this. In addition the required documentation to retrieve your car is most often kept by their ""clients"" in their glove box. However, the caveat here is that you are not allowed to enter your vehicle to retrieve these items. Sunday afternoon when no one is parking at ASU seems the ideal time for this legalized theft for our cities finest towing companies that are out to fill their coffers and not providing a service that protects the flow of traffic. They are not being called in by anyone who notes their is a problem with traffic flow or congestion but they are cruising like cannibals to feast off the bounty of cars around the Phoenix metro area. Do they really do any AAA assistance? This would be a helpful service but I am hoping that AAA will suspend using them in the future. Pros: Keep long hours Cons: Are uncommunicative & unethical more

I recently had my vehicle towed by E & R towing (ie SWAT). It was illegaly removed from the parking lot of my community. My vehicle had been ordered removed by the HOA they were caliming that it was not registered and the tags were expired. However they never bothered to look in the rear window because if they had they would have realized that there was a 30 day temp. tag that did not expire until November. I awoke on a Sunday morning only to discover that my vehicle was not there in my parking spot. I immediatly called the police department to find out where it had been taken and I was given the number for E&R towing. I called them immediatly and spoke to a woman who was very rude and asked her if they had my vehicle there and I explained to her that there were temp. tags in the back window and that they had no right to take my vehicle, it was legal. she put me on hold for 20 mins. When she came back she said ""I'm sorry there are no tags on your vehicle"" I told her that she had better look again because I know they are there they were there last night when I parked it. She told me that there was nothing that she could do and that if i wanted it back that I would have to pay them 260 dollars. I immediatly went down to the tow yard and was told that i could go and look but I would not be allowed in my vehicle because it was the law. The person who took me back told me that they can't even get into any vehicles because it is the law. I proceeded to ask him are you part of the police department or a repo company? He replied NO. I proceeded to look for my tags and they were gone all that was left was a remnace of the paper were they had been torn from my window. I was so outraged that they had the nerve to take my temp tag out of my window that I went into a rage and told them that they had 5 min to release my vehicle and replace my sticker. They then preceeded to tell me that they would call the police if I did not calm down I told them go ahead because you stole my vehicle and i would press charges. The man in the lot told me that unless i paid 260 dollars that I would not get it back and that it would cost me an additional 25 a day to leave it there. He also told me that I would have to pay a 210 dollar fine because it was not legal to drive on the street and that if i got caught that it would be a 500 dollar fine but if I wanted to pay the 260 dollars they would let me have it back. I told him that i was not paying a 210 dollar fine and that i would pay the 260 dollars and that i would see them in court. Upon leaving the same person i had been speaking to said make sure you take off your emergency brake I had to put it on when we brought it in. I said to him I thought you were not able to get into the vehicles he had no reply. They calim they take pictures before they remove vehicles so i asked for photos because which I have yet to get. The moral of this story is tow companies need to be regulated so we the people do not have to be harrassed. more

My car was towed from my apartment complex (Camden Legacy). I called and was told my car was at the Rio Salado impound lot. We input the address into the GPS. The area looked shady with a lot of barbed wire fences. We circled the place 3 times looking for an entrance. My mistake, I had actually been looking for a legitimate building with a company name that could be easily seen, but no, they don't want you to know where this place is. I called the number again an asked for directions. He said to pull up to the locked gate and go to the booth. The booth is covered by giant iron bars, chain link fence, and the only access to the person is a small window. You will notice the surveillance camera and a hand written sign that reads ""CASH ONLY."" My thoughts of this place being a shady organization were confirmed when I spoke to the man in the booth. I tried to explain my situation of how I did not have enough money to pay the total amount and asked for some leniency. He outright refused saying it was not his problem. I again pleaded with the man asking for anything that he could possibly do to help. Again he refused, almost enjoying the power he had over me. I looked up at the security camera, looked around to see the other ""stolen"" vehicles behind the bars, leaned in toward the open window and said, ""You guys are nothing but criminals"". The man immediately replied with ""I don't give a [expletive] what you think about me or this company."" He also followed up with a whole lot of lines about how his company does not get discounts on their gasoline, insurance, mileage from Scottsdale, etc, so he should not feel bad for not giving me a discount to get my car back. He said ""You're lucky I'm in a good mood and I'm not asking you for your title, registration and proof of insurance. Right now I'm just asking for your ID and the money."" I realized I needed to change my approach if I was ever going to get my car back. I tried to connect with him more personally, stuck out my hand, asked his name, and apologized for being frustrated. He barely shook my hand as if he didn't want to relate to me in any way. I began just asking if he could at least understand my position. He seemed to relax a little and I told him that even if he did ask me for the reg. or ins. that wasn't a problem because it was my car. He asked where those items were located. I said they were in my car. He then let me in on the secret to their whole scam by saying, ""See, we know that all those items are in your car. We don't let anyone in there to get those items. We don't even let Cops in there to touch the car."" I asked ""Then how does someone get there car if they can't get those things to show you?"" He shrugged and didn't answer. I also asked him ""doesn't anyone here have a heart?"" He said, ""No one here has a heart. This is a business."" He then told me more of their dirty little secrets. ""If you don't get here before 5 pm to collect your car, we add a $50.00 fee. For every day after, $15.00 gets added to the price."" He told me where I could find an ATM. He also said that I bring EXACTLY $115.00 because he would not give me change. I got the money, returned it to the booth. He gave me a receipt (which does not have letterhead or any contact info) took my money and told me he would unlock the gate. I got my car and checked for damage. I soon called a friend who works in the car service industry. He said that every state has the exact same rules for their impound companies. They are organized criminals sanctioned by the State. They have every legal right given to them by the State to conduct their business exactly the way they do. It is not right. It is not ethical. It is not morally just. They truly are nothing more than thugs, gangsters and criminals. I basically had my vehicle stolen and was charged a steep fee to have it returned to me. I left feeling confused, violated, and having lost another piece of faith in humanity and the State of Arizona. Pros: Absolutely NONE Cons: Organized Criminal Racket more

Without a doubt in my mind the worst, most frustrating experience I?ve ever had to deal with. They?ve got you over the barrel and they?re taking advantage. And what makes it even worse, E & R Towing enjoy your frustration. What exactly did the man say, oh yea, ?If you break the law you pay the fines? or something like that. So I propose we should listen to the man. I believe E & R Towing is violating a Tempe City Traffic Code by not providing a safe turn ?around on their property to insure safe traffic reentry for their ?forced? patrons. They force your friend who is helping you get your life back on track to back out onto a Parkway. And I noticed that E & R Towing?s policy of keeping the only access gate they make available to their ?Forced? patrons and towing company vehicles does not provide sufficient room for the tow trucks to pull completely off Rio Salado Pkwy. Another violation I?m sure. Let?s let the man behind the third-world prison like transaction window know that we are heeding his advice. File a complaint with the City of Tempe Commercial Code Enforcement Department at 480-350-8441. File your safety concerns against:\r E &R Towing\r 1921 E. Rio Salado Pkwy.\r Tempe, Arizona\r Parcel #132-38-005\r You can place the complaint anonymously or you can request that the City inform you regarding the outcome of the investigation. Who knows, our complaints may force E & R Towing to pay some fine or spend some money to reconfigure their property to keep their gates closed. Regardless, I feel better and I?m sure you will as well.\r Cons: The Worst more

Worst 'customer service' ever. If you can even call it service. I got my car towed from the parking lot WHERE I WORK, and was currently working. I had just arrived for work (I deliver pizzas for Dominos) and was leaving the store with my first delivery of the day to find my car gone. That was on Sunday night. I have been in an endless battle with them, and have been trying to get them to release my car free of charge since I had every right to be parking where I was. I have had the head manager of Vista Del Sol call the towing manager to take care of things and they are still arguing the case. I have been unable to even get my purse out of my car which has everything in it, my i.d, my check card, my sun card, everything. So I have no access to my money, even if I wanted to pay them, I have no i.d. and I have no suncard to gain access to my apartment building, and it has been 4 days. No progress is being made and they have already made me miss one shift at work, and if I do not get my car back tomorrow, I will be missing yet another shift. I don't understand how the business they conduct is legal, but the cops are utterly useless in the situation. I called and spoke to an officer who told me he could do nothing and that it was a civil matter, even though they have basically stolen my car and are keeping it away from me on their 'private property.' They claim that it is not allowed for them to let you on the property unless you have paid for the car, when you tell them that your money is in the car and all the means you have of possibly getting money (credit cards, i.d, check cards) they simply say that it isn't their problem. I am beyond infuriated at this mess and cannot believe that they are able to treat people the way they do. Something needs to be done, I'm sure if someone dug deep enough, evidence of their beyond shady business would be unveiled and we could shut them down. Pros: NOTHING. Cons: EVERYTHING. more

My car was parked near a dumpster in an apartment complex. I wanted to help a friend with a ride. She had put her computer and a large back in to my car, and we both went back to her apartment to get something else. It was a late Saturday afternoon. At that time there is no trash pickup and the place seemed empty, so I figured the car was in nobodies way. The tow truck was there in less than 5 minutes, and the driver just barely let me get my purse out of the car before he towed it away. It took me a little over an hour to get the cash they demanded to get my car back out of the impound lot, and to get a friend to take me there. When we got there we checked the items that were in the back of my Pathfinder, and everything looked ok. However, when we came home, there were some items (worth over $300) missing. We wrote a letter to the towing company, even included copies of the sales receipts, but never got an answer. more

If you attend events at Gammage, do not park in the empty lot that formerly was for Brueggers Bagels. E&R Towing removes some of the vehicles from this lot before the end of the performance (some were spared).They state that No Parking is posted: however, the sign does not meet the Tempe City Code ? it is wrapped around the square light pole (this was confirmed by the Tempe police, who unfortunately have been called to the impound lot at least 2 nights during the Camelot run). Essentially, they are stealing your car and holding it for ransom.\r \r E&R has now added bars in front of the window of the trailer to minimize their exposure to the people who want their cars. They state that they are following the Tempe ordinance, only they interpret it to their advantage. To retrieve your car you have two options:\r \r 1) Present your registration, proving it is your vehicle, AND sign a paper stating that you will bring the bail within the next 24 hours; or\r 2) Pay $140 and show ID.\r \r Only the registration can be used as proof of ownership. Your Insurance Card, which has your name and vehicle VIN, is not proof. Most people do not carry their registration on their person, but leave it in the vehicle. Oh yes ? they will not allow you on to their property to retrieve the vehicle registration!\r \r They have quite a scam going on here. A marginally marked lot (only one of two entrances are marked as No Parking and the one pitiful sign on the pole), and they collect $140 from each owner. They had 6 cars from the lot on Thursday night. E&R states that they have a contract to tow from the lot. They would not identify who their contract is with. It could be the property owner to the leasing agent for the building. The agent is Bill Clarkson at 480-481-0032. Do I smell a kick-back as a way to make money from a dormant property?\r \r The sad thing is that 2 of the 3 tow trucks had AAA showing prominently of each side. Cons: Everything more

This company owns a lot in down town Tempe next to the Jack-In-The-Box where they say it is for customers only. Even if you eat there and then leave the lot for a few minutes they hire somebody to sit in the parking lot to call the near-by waiting tow truck to get your car before you can get back. I left the lot for only 10 minutes and they already had my car towed. Aside from sitting like vultures to prey on your car, they also have a cab driver in on it that is waiting to take your money to drive you to the tow yard. The lot was empty, not as if I was taking a space of another customer, the whole thing is a scam to get money.\r Once I got to E&R's tow yard, I was met by a very rude young man, Skyler, very unprofessionaly dressed, who would not answer any of my questions. I asked what price it would be to get it now, and what price it would be if I got it later. Instead of answering me, he harshly told me that if I wanted to know that I should go home and look it up online (I checked later and I couldn't even find a website). Otherwise, I needed to just pay him $140 to get my car. All the while he had two female friends in his trailer who were laughing at me. They clearly did not work there, and it apperared to me that they had been drinking. I stepped outside, thinking that Skyler might treat me with respect if he weren't trying to impress his girlfriends, but they followed him out to peek and laugh. He continued to not answer my questions so I asked him if he could please stop being rude and he started swearing at me. He finally told me it would be $20 cheaper to get it in the morning (no late night fee), so I tried to make an appointment for the morning. He obviously did not want to come back in the morning and told me that $20 isn't a lot of money, not being sympathetic at all. I started to leave and he finally dropped the price to save himself time so he would not have to come back- not for my benefit. They clearly do not care about anybody but themselves. Cons: where to start? more