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A & B Towing
Category: Automotive Towing Towing [Edit]
3455 SE 21st AvePortland, OR 97202
Neighborhoods: Southeast Portland, Brooklyn
(503) 233-5189
2 reviews for A & B Towing
2 reviews in English
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Review from Brian S.
Portland, OR
10/8/2009
I understand what the other reviewer is saying, but I think their beef is more with the hidden charges that bigger companies tend to throw in, hence "dolly fee." Ok, that sucks...but you got caught in a bad spot which was your fault.
Anyway, my interaction with both the phone lady and Rob was so pleasant. It's nice to deal with a company that has a system in place that makes everything orderly. I've had bad experiences with having to give tow trucks directions, miscommunicaitons and language barriers.
So, setting the appointment was easy.
The guy I dealt with on the other end was a real good guy, good attitude and overall personality. His name was Rob...so if A and B sees this they know. -
Review from Michelle H.
Portland, OR
9/25/2009
Damn it, I hate when Mom is right.
You always seem to find this out in the worst way. Yet, no matter how many times Mom is right, I still have an "I'll get around to it" attitude. When will this lesson be learned?
When I first moved home, the-ex-who-shall-not-be-named kept my spare car key. Well, maybe he lost it. Actually, I'm almost sure he lost it. I only had my key and remote. My mom constantly told me to go get another spare for the house. "You'll need it someday," she'd say. I'd just nod in agreement and say I'd get around to it. Never mind I was constantly at the dealer for oil changes (driving at least 50 miles a day would do that). It just never crossed my mind while I was there. I knew they'd have to program the keys, so it'd be a nice fee to pick up a spare, too. This went on for months, years really, and I still never picked up a key.
Let's fast forward to this last Tuesday. After a few drinks and an intensely sweaty and fun night at Berbati's watching Gaslight Anthem, I thought it would be a brilliant idea to go hit up the gym at the 24 Hour in the Pearl. It's just down the street, right? I hadn't worked out in a little over a week I was due. Who needs sleep? A midnight swim was just what the doctor ordered. Therefore, I went.
After the swim, I went to my car. My key wouldn't go more than halfway into my ignition.
W
T
F
I started to panic. Had someone tried to break into my car? Well, no, of course not. No alarm went off. No glass was shattered. No signs of foul play. I tried it again--nothing. I pulled the key out and held it up to the dim light of the parking lot. My key was absolutely mangled. What the hell? What was once a pristine, straight edge key had gone and curved itself like a cul-de-sac. How in the world...
The only thing I can think of is I shut the locker door on the key. That's the only thing I had done during the previous hour to yield such a result. Sure, I work out, but I'm not that strong. Look at me.
So I continued to silently panic (and WTF). I didn't have a spare key. I kept trying to wrench the key back to a straight position. There was no way in hell it was going to go back. I got it close, but not enough to make the ignition. Man, that ignition is one fickle bitch. JUST TAKE THE KEY ALREADY.
I left my car overnight. What good was towing my car at 1am? I went back for it in the morning, and called the dealership. They'd need my car in order to make spares. Awesome. Of course they would. I'd never been towed before. I don't have AAA. I'd never heard anyone recommend any decent towing companies. I went to Google, closed my eyes, and picked. A&B it was. I called. The woman on the phone was nice enough. She said she'd send someone right over.
Right over meant 30 minutes. This guy, whose name I never got, was quiet, but pleasant enough. He had to maneuver to get my car out of that small lot. He also managed to piss off some Pearl-dweller because his car was blocked in while my car was hooked up. About an hour after I'd called, my car was dropped off at the dealer.
It was only after I'd paid, and he'd left me to my devices, that I lost my nerve. I had no idea how much this stuff would cost. I had no basis. I sent a text to a friend, and she said she'd been towed for about $80 or so. When I saw the $130 bill, I just paid it. What did I know? I did notice this awesome dolly fee for $35. You see, my car was parked in a way I had to be dragged backwards. Since my car was front wheel drive, and I couldn't get my key in the ignition, he said I needed said dolly. Turns out, there is an awesome transmission lock thing I could have used to get my car into neutral. It's right there on the center console. How was I supposed to know?
But you know what? I guarantee that tow truck driver knew. He's seen a ton of cars. He -had- to have known. But why be nice? Why be nice when you can prey on my girlish naivety? I spent the rest of my day in a foul mood. I hate people. You're in the business for helping people. Why does help always have to include taking advantage? It's unfair.
I guess I was asking for it. It's all that karma from not listening to my mom. On top of that, my original key was salvageable. The dealership was able to straighten it for use again. Had I been able to get it a little straighter, I'd have been able to DRIVE to get a new key instead of towed. It's just my luck.
Lesson learned regarding spare keys. I now have two extra. Does that mean I'll start listening to my mom? Probably not. She doesn't even know this happened. I want to be spared the "I told you so."
