Big A Towing

Like all towing companies, this is a predatory and corrupt business. At Big A Towing the employees are classless, nasty, compassion-​free hicks and Proud Of It. These vermin have no problem intimidating and stalking their «customers», even when the error is on their part.
Last week I had the misfortune of needing to eat before work and made the fatal mistake of parking in the wrong parking spot. As I walked back to my car five minutes after parking, my car was on a hitch of some kind, about to be towed. The generous and unkempt Towing employee, let’s call him «Swifty», allowed me to pay $ 50 to have my car released, a «Drop Fee».
Somehow, even though I had plenty of funds to cover the drop fee, my card was declined. But I only learned this after Scummy Swifty started following me in my car, climbing out of his truck, and yelling at me at traffic stops through my passenger side window. This was such an unpleasant, stressful, truly frightening experience. Having an angry and scary stranger following you is traumatic. Since I was already late for my next destination, I had to «allow» Swifty to follow me to where I was going, and he indeed followed me and even parked behind me so I couldn’t go anywhere. If that isn’t predatory, I don’t know what is. During this harrowing drive, I had called my bank to confirm that I had funds. I allowed Swifty to run my card again, and this time apparently the transaction went through, even though it should have gone through in the first place.
I feel traumatized and violated from this experience, and have only contempt for the upstanding citizens that work at Big A Towing. Harassing and intimidating your customers, particularly when they are physically diminutive in comparison to your burly drivers, is not okay.
I’ll let you guess what the A stands for. I do believe in karma, so either Swifty (actual name) and his crew are going to have a very shitty reincarnation. Or, THIS life that they’re currently living as predatory, ugly, unhealthy, uneducated, small-​minded, ignorant, unkind, and provincial village idiots IS their karmic path. Yikes.

Shady as hell. I parked behind Torchy’s in Spicewood, was inside for 15 minutes and my car had vanished when I returned. They hide in the back of the lot and watch for people. I noticed some spots had warning signs but the spot I was in did not. I found several others online who experienced the same thing, and I found out from the tow company that they pick up at least one car a day from that spot. I’m sure it’s technically legal but this is really low. You are bad people, I want you to know.

Do not trust these folks. They did not complete the task, and kept upping the price. Had to ask them to leave and hired another company. This company did what they said and for the price quoted (Both companies quoted same tow price, just BigA tried to get more for unnecessary up charges)

I parked my car in the Children’s Courtyard (The Children’s Courtyard of Austin, TX, 4213 Spicewood Springs Road
Austin, TX 78 759) parking lot that is behind Torchy’s Tacos — for literally two minutes before this company towed my car. There is NO WAY they could have possibly surmised whether or not I was going to the school or Torchy’s Tacos before they snatched my car away. There wasn’t enough time for me to walk away from my car before it was GONE! I knocked on the door of the school — there was no one there at all — I believe the school was not in session or even possibly closed. These people are predatory and per the manager on duty at Torchy’s, they park their tow truck in the back of the lot, hidden nearby, the guy hides in the bushes and then WHAM — tows your car. This is so very wrong, the person that works in the office at Big A was complacent. They are predatory vultures and I would not be surprised if the school is getting a kickback from them. I cannot believe that either business — the school or Torchy’s — would allow this to take place on or near their property — they are dishonest THIEVES.

should of read the reviews! this place is full of cr@p, i wrecked my truck on 290 and 183 so i call the nearest tow co. i could find (bad idea) anyways they show up an hour later they pull my truck on to flatbed, i go to pick-​it up and they charge me an extra 60 $ because the said my truck had to be towed in a special way because it was not driveable BS! me and another guy pushed it off the road the day of the accident, so i told him it was rollable and that he was a liar so he tells me, do you want your truck or not? i paid 200 $ to tow 4 miles! thats insane, NEVER WOULD I RECOMEND THIS PLACE! if you want to get robed go to this ghetto tow co. Now I know what the BIG A’ stands for …

Portland Unilocaler Laura N. will understand my troubled thoughts today:
How exactly does one review a tow yard?
I mean, you’re at a tow yard. Being at a tow yard is not like, say, being at a lovely gay carnival with free cotton candy and abundant balloons and your grinning likeness scribbled in pastel chalks for tuppence.
Being at a tow yard more likely means that something bad (dare I venture, something TERRIBLE) has happened and you have to spring a car from a rusting jungle of imprisoned vehicles.
And being at this particular tow yard is more like worrying that one of the hulking greasy Mr. Hydes skulking about behind the chain link is going to be giving your bloody boots to his wife as an anniversary gift later.
But I digress: my dear friend made an unfortunate parking error in downtown Austin, Texas, and after a couple of frantic days, we were able to determine that Priscilla (as her loyal coach is named) was being held hostage somewhere near the city limits. As fortune would have it, it would be her birthday at the stroke of midnight, and I decided to engineer getting the car out of hock as a little birthday pick-​me-​up. Also at said stroke of midnight, the holding fee would ratchet up thirty dollars.
My paramour and his truck Blue sprang into action somewhere just after 11 p.m. Our ragtag trio barreled into the dark wilderness of the borderlands of Austin, blasting Queen all the way and calling out to Priscilla to keep hope alive, we’re on our way!
Alas, our first betrayal was that Big A Towing and Google Maps seem to have some sort of conspiracy going that led us not just one or two streets astray, as Internet mapping is wont to do, but many miles in completely the wrong direction. We decided to rely on a combination of mine and my boy’s psychic directional abilities. My friend whose car was impounded was chagrined. Freddie Mercury was finding somebody to love. The hour of midnight was hastily approaching.
Joining forces, humming ominously with fingers outstretched in the Austin night, we discovered McPhaul Lane: a dusty, ill-​lit boulevard of desperation. At the end of this miserable avenue was Big A Towing. It gets two stars for:
1. being open 24 hours.
2. not damaging my friend’s car.
However, our advent was at just two minutes past midnight, but the gatekeeper of Hades showed us no mercy in waiving the daily fee. Our minds boggled with the injustices of the world, but we weary travelers forked over some three hundred thirty dollars and after much ado (Priscilla was blocked in by some other unfortunate’s chariot), we were free at last: free from Big A Towing forever.
Our shoulders bowed in terrified relief, we made a hastened departure.
And Freddie Mercury sympathized:
«I want to break free
I want to break free
I want to break free from your lies
You’re so self-​satisfied
I don’t need you
I got to to break free
God knows, God knows I want to break free…»