Riverside Service

NEVER AGAIN !!! Caught a flat on my back tire. They came and flat bed it. Now I’m VERY smart when it comes to tow companies! I cleaned the snow off my car and took pictures. So this morning I go to pick it up & my front passenger side has SOOOOO much damage! I called the company and spoke with the manager he claimed flat beds wouldn’t damage my car. Soooo it damaged its self on your lot? Kiss my ass he’s lucky we weren’t in person I would’ve broke his nose (took karate 8 years). Who ever owns this tow company should Atleast make their managers take a management class ! NEVER AGAIN WILL I USE THIS TOW COMPANY.

A week after towing my car and implying I would get the car fixed two days later, I still do not have the car! Excuses of first waiting for a part, then witing for another part and finally still need a small part-​all for a starter and cable! Disgusted! The tower misrepresented the service. Next time directly to Subaru!

Thanks Pat awesome he got into my car so fast batter charge I was back on my way nice work I will never call anyone else when I am in a jam 2 thumbs up

Have always been towed by Riverside and all good with that (had a very unreliable Audi, so used them via AAA a lot)
We don’t buy our gas there, nor have we used them for mechanical, but a couple of years ago our daughter’s car had an unfixable flat & Riverside towed her & put 2 new tires on the car (AWD)
I now own the car and got a bad flat on one of the older tires one year after Riverside replaced the 2 tires (flat was not on one of those). This time, I took the car to Town Fair Tire in Norwalk CT, who said because the car is AWD, I had to replace all 4 tires (is this really true? if so, Riverside didn’t do that, so wonder what the real deal is about this need to replace all 4 tires if only one is too bad to fix)
Anyway, I replaced all 4 tires, and Town Fair gave me back the 2 tires that Riverside put on a year ago, and said they were «very very good» tires (Cooper’s) and that I should sell them on Craigslist,
Long story short — not only did Riverside NOT take advantage of our daughter when they could have, they also made sure to put really good tires on the car for her.
So our experience is a positive one, with Riverside; I’m sorry a few others had problems. I have yet to find a mechanic who is perfect, but then none of us is perfect at any job 100%, even doctors, so this is the norm. Still hurts, but sort of expected. I have a problem with the car’s a/​c now, so trying to decide which of all the mechanics we’ve used in the past, to try to fix it. It’s always a crap shoot. Might let Riverside do it…

BAD SERVICE + BAD MANAGEMENT= STAY CLEAR!!!
To summarize the situation; our 2007 Toyota Yaris broke down on Interstate 95 on September 28, 2014. After calling AAA, the car was towed by Riverside Service to their garage in Cos Cob which was also AAA approved.
Three days after the engine was replaced at Riverside and the Toyota driven away, the car overheated on a New Hampshire interstate because the serpentine belt installed by Riverside mechanics had snapped. Immediately following the belt replacement, the car’s transmission began slipping. After bringing the Toyota to another, trusted, garage in Massachusetts, we were informed the axle was bent which caused a transmission seal to fail and leak. The reason the axle bent was because a Riverside mechanic neglected to install a «locking ring» on the axle shaft. These repairs, a direct result of subpar worked performed at Riverside, cost our family over $ 500.00… a figure that does not take into account damage done to the car’s left front fender while stored haphazardly on the street outside Riverside Service awaiting repair.
In late October, I began asking Riverside’s owner, Mr. Al Jagodzinski, to do the right thing and reimburse us for the extra expenses incurred as a result of work done at his garage. Despite phone calls, emails and faxes, Mr. Jagodzinski failed to offer any restitution and, in fact, ignored all attempts to contact him other than a promise that a check was «in the mail».
Since our family members are AAA customers, and because we have trusted AAA auto repair and towing recommendations in the past, I think you can understand how disappointed and upset we were that a AAA endorsed company would behave in this unprofessional manner. AAA has a long and proud history, one that has not been served well (if these Unilocal reviews are any indication) by Mr. Jagodzinski and his garage in Cos Cob.
My recommendation: DON’T EVEN THINK ABOUT IT!!!

I would not recommend this towing company. One of their tow truck drivers, CT License Plate 11 408, was tailgating other cars down High Ridge Rd. in Stamford and dangerously weaving through traffic but wasn’t able to get anywhere. This seems extremely dangerous and unprofessional. I have the entire incident on dashboard camera.

Riverside tried to rip me off. After breaking down on nearby I-​95, the tow driver convinced me to have the car towed to Riverside Service instead of the dealer for repair. I was only going to take it to the dealer because my mechanic was out of town, so I agreed to let Riverside evaluate it. It took them 6 hours and two phone calls before they gave me an estimate: $ 750. I thought it sounded like a lot for what they said was wrong, so I paid to have it towed away. When my mechanic was back, he did the work to fix the car: $ 295 for parts, labor and tax. Glad I didn’t listen to these guys. Even with paying for the extra tow, it was less than half the cost of what they were going to charge me. I won’t be back.

Horrible!!! Been waiting for OVER 3.5 hours for a tow — and my car broke down less than 3 miles from them!!! Have twice been misled about arrival time — the dispatcher was unabashed about being unresponsive. Caveat emptor. This place is woeful!
Update: been 4 hours now. And still being lied to about arrival time, as is my insurance company. For the past hour, we have been told several times that a tow truck was «on its way» and would «be there in 10 – 15 minutes» and then, a half hour later, «15−20 minutes.» This company is literally UNBELIEVABLE. Not to be trusted.
End result: after the otherwise frustrating experience and waste of an entire day, Mark — the guy who came out for the tow — was terrifically nice, smart and even jumped my car (my battery had died because my hazard lights were on for four hours as I waited for the tow!). He was pretty stunned about a 4-​hour wait time too.

I locked my keys in the car last night at a rest stop. It was not a good situation for a woman at night. I wish I knew the name of the sweet young guy that came to save me! He was on time, very comforting and conscientious of my car and got me out of there in no time. Things cost what they cost. That’s life, I made the mistake.
Thanks! Lifesaver!

My wiper blade wasn’t working after all of the heavy snow that we had this winter and I finally got around to calling around about it. I called on a Saturday afternoon at 12:15. They told me to come right over because they closed at 1. 15 minutes later, they took a look at it, tightened a screw and sent me on my way… free of charge. Nice to know there are still places that won’t take advantage of someone that clearly has no idea what they’re doing!

I waited close to 2 hours for a tow from this company when my car broke down on I-​95, just one exit away from the company. I was given an estimated wait time of 30 – 45 minutes. I called 7 times to see what was going on, each time I was lied to: «he’s fueling up and coming to you right now, will be there in 5», «he is literally around the corner», «he’ll be there any second». I hate being lied to so I felt compelled to write this review. They are NOT reliable! Also, I had my breakes looked at by them a few months ago for a squeak and they told me I needed new breaks. I paid for new breaks and a few weeks later, the squeak came back. I sent the car back and the squeak came back again after a few weeks. Only thing I can conclude from my experience with these guys is they are incredibly dishonest (probably never gave me new breaks) and incompetent.

Yesterday I visited Riverside to arrange for a long distance tow today. The dispatcher said I should just call at 11:00 this morning and they would arrange to pick up my vehicle by 1:00.
When I called this morning as instructed, he told me they were backed up because of heavy traffic and I should call back at 1:00. I did so, and they promised to be at my house at 1:45 to pick up my vehicle. When 1:45 came around with no truck arriving and no call from Riverside, I called again. A different person said the dispatcher was busy and couldn’t talk to me, that they were «having a problem with one of their trucks» and that the tow was off for today. He suggested try again tomorrow. Having wasted several hours already waiting for them to show up, I declined.
Summary: Unreliable, poor customer service and, in my opinion, full of questionable excuses for not doing what they promise.
My advice: Stay away from Riverside and hire Lone Star in Stamford.

We’ve had several positive experiences with Riverside Service. This week, my husband popped a tire on a rough road just before a big trip. Not only did they take it in and fix it for a reasonable price, they gave him a ride home and delivered the car the next day! Great service.

Beware!
I do not normally write reviews but the service there was so bad I felt compelled to warn others. They are swindlers.
My front tire was bent inward as a result of a hit and run while my car was parked; requiring a tow. Riverside Service came to tow it and offered a 10% discount if I fixed my car with them. I figured why not but this would turn out to be a huge regret.
It took them a week to provide me with a quote for the work that needed to be done. I called multiple times requesting a quote and was told they won’t know until the parts come in; in every experience I’ve had with other mechanics, they usually provide a quote PRIOR to ordering parts. After a week of not receiving a quote I went down there to pick up my car (with a different tow company) and tow it to Hank May’s Port Chester. They then told me that I owed them $ 400 in storage/​lot fees for keeping the car there for a week which was solely due to the fact that I was waiting for them to provide me with an estimate. Effectively Riverside Service was holding my car hostage, so I in order to avoid an out-​of-​pocket expense I decided to keep my car with them.
They then replaced the steering rod which my insurance company covered. However after 3 weeks of driving I was hearing strange noises from the area that was hit. I brought it in to Hank May’s (phenomenal service btw) and they told me that the steering joint should have been replaced as well and were surprised as to how Riverside Service did not spot the issue. Because it had been 3 weeks since the original fix I had to pay $ 450 out-​of-​pocket to fix my car.
In short, their business practice is sketchy and the work that they do is sub-​par at best. Do not bring your car here to get serviced under any circumstances.
As a side note, a friend of mine also recently used them to have her battery replaced and it ended up costing her $ 300 for a BATTERY CHANGE.

RUN!!!
These guys are there only to suck up every last dollar they can rip from you. My wife’s car was across the street and wouldn’t start and needed a simple jump. The mechanic walked 30 yards, jumped the car in 20 seconds and charged her…$ 65, yes $ 65 bucks! Outrageous not only because of the amount but they never told her what they’d charge for a simple battery jump. When I went to talk to them and ask they reconsider, they threatened me «…You better leave mister because nothing good is going to come from this…» is what they said in a menacing voice.
After reading all these other reviews, it’s amazing that there isn’t some sort of consumer protection agency that just shuts these guys down.

Worst towing experience I’ve ever had.
After setting up roadside assistance through my insurance company at 10:20am, I received an email confirming they would show up at 12:10pm. Ok, not as quick as I would like, but I can wait…
At 12:30 I called them to ask where they were only to be dealt with in a curt and unprofessional manner. The man I spoke with told me they would be there within the next half hour. Fair enough.
An hour and a half later I call again, only to be told it’s going to take another hour at least before they can help me out. Keep in mind that I am located in Old Greenwich, less than a ten minute drive from their location.
At 4:00pm, I called for the last time to ask what was happening. This time, a much more polite gentleman told me sincerely that he didn’t want to lie to me and that they weren’t going to be able to help me today. While this was the worst news I had heard so far, at least this man was honest and upfront.
Great, thanks for wasting my day Riverside Service. Please don’t lie to your customers or they won’t be your customers for very long.
Bottom line: LOOK ELSEWHERE

I was still on the phone with them, when one of their trucks pulled up offering assistance. Can’t get faster than that! Okay, so I lucked out that one of their trucks was near. They stuck with the price originally quoted for a tow, even after the situation became more involved than initially anticipated. After I got home and googled the place, I got a little nervous because of the reviews here. .. since I had opted for them to do a repair. But everything was great. Oh, and that price for the tow was a third less than a tow from another local service in 2005! (Similar distance; both on Sunday evening.)
And their price for gas is on the lower end of the spectrum for around here.
They’ve got a new customer.

Terrible towing service. I don’t know why AAA uses them. Would’ve expected better from AAA.

Last night AAA sent Riverside out to tow my car over to Karl for some repairs. The driver even asked me why I wasn’t just going to have Riverside took a look, I informed him I had a bad experience with them over the summer. I handed over my keys and informed him I’d be getting a ride later to retrieve them from the car so the car wouldn’t remain unlocked in an unsupervised lot overnight. He said he’d place them under the mat.
Zoom to 40 mins later. I find my car dumped diagonally across two parking spots at Karl Automotive with the keys lodged in the ignition. Awesome. I call Riverside, who says ‘Well, if they’re stuck you don’t have to worry about someone stealing the car’. NOT REALLY THE POINT. WHY ARE MY KEYS STUCK IN THE IGNITION? WHY WASN’T I CALLED THAT THERE WAS SOME KIND OF PROBLEM? While I admit I was probably out of control angry on the phone, it was with just reason. Riverside had little concern for the security of the vehicle or any of it’s contents. I was then hung up on and filed complaint with AAA.
While Greenwich isn’t exactly a HOTSPOT for crime, Riverside should’ve had the respect and concern to alert me that my vehicle was left in a compromising position with possible employee inflicted damage to my ignition.