Northwest Recovery

They have very poor customer service skills, mostly from the Boss, the workers seem like they are good people but are taught by example of the Boss to be instantly inflames by a person who asks reasonable questions. He was cordial with me but he insulted a lady in front of me and another European women behind her was almost in tears by his subliminal racist comments (he kept jabbing at the fact that she had a slight accent, I was able to understand her 100%) I know from experience that when you come to a country and do the hard work of learning a language (out of respect to the country) you might have an accent at first and it is a source of insecurity to some especially if you are made fun of for not talking like a natural born American, it’s degrading and hurtful. For someone who takes $ 170 from people who simply forgot to add the year to the date box is a terrible way to make a living. Either way one lady called the police, claiming the owner threatened to shoot her, this place is scary

Our car was towed despite having a proper residents sticker posted in our window. There were also no signs posted in the area with any parking restrictions. The staff is rude and would not work with us to resolve the problem.
I realize not many people will be fans of towing companies in general, but it’s one thing when the driver is at fault, it’s another when your car is wrongfully towed and the company cannot admit their mistake.

Unfortunately Unilocal requires me to put a star even though I think this dump deserves nothing. This place is a giant scam. Everyone here is extremely rude and doesn’t care about anything but making some money off you. Does the job application require you to be a major ahole? I’ve dealt with them twice and both times were horrendous. Thankfully there was no damage to my car but judging from every single review on here this place doesn’t give a crap about your vehicle. Avoid this trash «company» like the plague. Why is this place still open?

The guy who answered the phone when we called in was nice, he provided all the info we required. We admitted that it was our fault, we did not argue about that. But when we went to pick up the car, that was different story! After my husband paid the bill, we inspected the car before we left the lot. We found that rear bumper was broken on one side and it had several deep scratches. We went back to confront them about it. One of the guy was rude to us, he stated: «Its only the scratches and damages were already there!». Really? Did he take pics before he towed the car? No. We took several pictures at the lot, and we will file the claim against them. The have the right to tow the car but they do not have the right to cause damages to it! You could see spots, when the car was hooked, crack has a length of 9 – 10″ and you could actually stick your fingers thru it!!! Plus several other scratches, all apparently caused by dragging up or dropping the car on the ground. We are already working to file claim against them!
SHAME WE CANNOT POST THE PICS, IT WOULD BE A GREAT WARNING TO OTHERS! ALWAYS INSPECT YOUR CAR AT THE LOT BEFORE YOU DRIVE BACK HOME!
UPDATE ON MY CASE 02÷14÷16. Currently, I and owner are working to fix my car. After receiving my complaint with pictures, he reached out to me and offer to inspect the car. He admitted that damages to the car were caused by his driver. I am glad he saw it and confirmed that. Right now we are in the process of fixing my Honda. I understand his line of business is a tough one but I am happy we were able to find a common ground.

The practices and customer service of this company are atrocious to say the least! Having been towed several times despite having proper parking passes for the area was beyond disheartening especially when met with rude, belittling employees and management. The straw that broke the camel’s back was being towed back to back from a parking lot that I had obtained permission to park in. My paperwork was in stark contrast to what I was told happened and lied to about the location of the vehicle and why it was towed. Speaking about the incident to a friend in a store lead to strangers telling me their encounters with this company which were all negative. Because this is an industry severely underregulated, little has been done to deal with the unscrupulous business practices of this company. Please BEWARE, BEWARE, BEWARE!

Damaged my car while towing. I would not deal with them if given the choice.

The evil little trolls that work in the office. BIG JOKE HAHAHAH! We are waiting for our association to get us a parking pass (in the mean time they told us to put a sign up on the car. On the sign we put our apt #, move in date, and we left an explaination of the circumstances ON THE FRONT AND BACK WINDOW) but apparently they towed it regardless. and their excuse was the association didnt tell them our car was waiting on a pass so too bad (even though we LEFT THE MANAGERS AND THE ASSOCIATIONS CONTACT INFO incase they had any concerns). They dont have an ounce of compassion. If they gave a shit they would’ve taken 10 secs to call if they felt our car was unlawfully there or what the hell ever– but instead they just tow like aholes. OH AND the huge notes we put up in the front and back of the car were REMOVED and thrown around. TOTAL ASS HATS OVER THERE!!! I should start towing THEIR cars for fake ass reasons and see how they feel ;-) STAY FAR AWAY FROM THEM. THEY WILL FIND A REASON OR MAKE A REASON UP TO TOW YOU FOR YOUR MONEY! CROOKS!!!

This place is a SCAM! They illegally towed 15 cars and i had to go all the way to the Illinois Commerce Police to get a refund. This place needs to be shut down! STAY FAR AWAY!

Horrible customer service. Called to inform them that they had multiple vehicles parked illegally in one of their recovery zones. Was hung up on TWICE, after feeble attempts to tell me they don’t know where their trucks are pattolling. Would give negative stars of I could.

Haven’t been towed from these guys in years but I figured I would still give my review since they towed me 5 times in the past… They are the rudest people I have ever dealt with in my life and for what they are charging, you would think they would be happy. They are making a killing. This place damages the cars, so check them carefully. Not like anything will get done if something does happen to it. Then they have their guard dogs all over the place to scare people. It is sad and a total joke… Glad you are able to sleep at night knowing what you do for a living, you are all trash and every time I see one of their tows, I am always hoping it flips over when they turn.

THEY STOLE MY CREDIT CARD INFORMATION AND TOWED MY CAR ON MY WEDDING DAY. I’ve had my car towed from this place twice in two different spots after making sure I followed all the parking rules to avoid ever going to this place. The first time I went in to pick up my car the man behind the glass window demanded the signature that I used to sign for my car matched my drivers license. He was incredibly rude about it. Whats worse is he photocopied my drivers license. The very next day my credit card company called me asking if I recently purchased $ 900 on airline tickets to GERMANY. I never use my credit card except for emergencies and I had given those assholes all my information being tricked into thinking thats what I had to do to get my car back. The second time my car was towed was on my wedding day. They did not give a damn that I was the groom and needed my car to drive my wife home! Filing a police report did nothing! Filing a report with the Better Business Burearu did nothing! Filing complaints with the village does nothing! I’m sorry, if your car gets towed by this company your screwed. And there is nothing you can do about it. I suggest you PAY IN CASH.

Tow cars that should not be towed. Receptionist is the rudest and meanest person I ever encountered.

My vehicle was towed and when I asked the lady at the window stated that there was no parking permit. I explained the them that was impossible as my vehicle we have had our vehicle for about 2 years and the permit has always been displayed. She stated that they have pictures because they always take pictures. When she went to look there were no pictures brought to me but only a gentlemen who came out stating that the vehicle sticker was not visible and that for this reason they towed it and I had to pay 520.00. The sticker was visible and just because the windows were tinted. Two years and now they worry about my windows being tinted? WOW. My other my second vehicle has tinted windows yet they did not tow that one and the parking permit is on a tinted window… Unbelievable!!! He told me I would have to take it u with management because they only enforce the rules not make them. I asked for management # and he refused because according to him I had to get it from my land lord. I ran around all morning, I went to palatine police station who could not do anything because it is rolling meadows, I called the township to get management contact information and I got a gentlemen who is management and he stated he was not responsible of what the towing company does and if they made a mistake then I would need to work it out with them. He does not make the rules. I went back to NWR and called 911 and asked to have an officer dispatched. They did once he was there he said he could not do anything. He asked me to go back inside and try to be nice to them and work things out with them and he insisted a couple of time that I needed to be nice with them and maybe they would work out something with me. I don’t understand why i would have to be nice and beg for them to work with them! They are the ones who take advantage of people and they were wrong for what they did and yet I need to be nice to them. When I went back in I asked if I could pay part with cash and part with my debit. I also asked if I could go in and take pictures (to prove that the sticker was there). He mentioned that I would be able to after I paid. The gentlemen told me he could not accept anything that displayed debit on it and that I should go down to the gas station to take out money. I did and proceeded to pay. Once I did I went and started taking pictures from the inside and outside window and made sure that I took pictures that showed I was on their in pound yard… Now I will file my complaint with the ICC and if needed with the BBB. This business /​people need to stop. IF my sticker fell off then I would not complain and I would try to be more careful so it would not happen again, but the sticker was there and visible. Does not take a genius to figure out that they took my bigger vehicle with tinted windows because I would have to pay bigger $$$ than my smaller vehicle that also has tinted Windows… I refuse to give any stars to this company… Unfortuantely Unilocal requires one

Why do I even have to give one star to these people? I have never in my life been treated so badly. My car was towed out of my lot eventhough I had a guest parking pass in the window, and I live there! I left the date blank on it as my landlord told me I could as I only have 5 total passes to hand out for visitors. Truly, the gentleman at the window, had an attitude the second I walked in. I asked him if he had a standard operating procedure for my particular condo complex. He said with an attitude for me to ask the association for it. I asked him for my car nicely. I handed him my liscense nicely. I handed him my credit card nicely. He threw my credit card through the slot at me and told me the card was not valid if not signed. I told him, I don’t understand as I have used this card thousands of times, and you have my ID and vehicle so you know it’s mine. He said then go to the ATM, card not accepted. So reluctantly I signed the card. He then handed me the receipt and proceeded to tell me if I did not sign the receipt the same way I signed the card, he would send me to the ATM. He was the biggest ahole, that I have ever met. He handed me the receipt. I looked at him and told him I truly genuinely wished that he would have a nice day and walked out. He then proceeded to the lot where he moved the tow truck that was infront of my vehicle and parked it in back of my friends car so she could not leave. Thankfully, the car next to her was leaving and she manuvered out. It does not matter how nice you are to these people in this particular case you cannot catch more bees with honey. I will petition my complex and go to every association meeting every month and complain about these people. Maybe some people are pissed when their cars get towed, but really you don’t have to treat everyone like they are a piece of crap. I know it’s a reflection of how they feel inside and if their jobs suck so bad they should find a new field. Therapy may help the little Napolean in the front office. BAD ATTITUDES, HORRIBLE COMPANY, DO NOT USE THEM AS YOU CAN SEE IN THE REST OF THE REVIEWS. Thanks.

Sorry to give them even one star. Towed a car we were going to donate to Breast Cancer. Even had a sign in the windows indicating this. Made no difference to them. Their idea of a good cause is $ 200.00 in their pockets. Now to address the rude people there. On the first call they answered the donation with «I have to make a living». When the car was picked up they were totally disrespectful. Made us feel like we committed a major crime, and then we had to pay them!

I get it, I get it. It was my fault for not having my Visitor Pass (AT MY OWN HOUSE-​ok I’m not mad…) Anyways, yes it was my own damn fault but when I sucked it up, paid the $ 170 for the tow and $ 2.50 for it being a lightweight car (WTF) I said to myself, it’s fine, this could’ve been worse. Then I looked up and saw the crack in my windshield that was definitely not there before. Then I saw 3 new scratches along the body of my car and I want to punch everyone in sight. This place doesn’t give a damn about your car and will sling chains all over and probably rub the chains in just to be dicks.
THIS PLACE SUCKS.

These guys are total dirtbags, they will steal your car, hold it hostage and charge you a ton of fee’s. These guys are why the towing business has such a bad reputation. Hands down the worst Tow company I have ever had to deal with. Avoid these guys like the plague. The worst part of this experience was that illegally towed my car for no permit. Yet the permit was right there in the window, I paid to get the car released and showed them I had a permit and they told me that I had to take it up with my association. Total THUGS!!!

These guys are total SCUMBAGS!!! Today (12÷19÷12) I took my nephew to pick up his car that was towed by Northwest Recovery. I parked on the east side of their building. There was a lot I parked next to that had a sign saying «Unauthorized vehicles will be towed by Northwest Recovery», but no signs in front of the three diagonal spots where I parked. I went inside to pay for my nephew’s car for 5 minutes. Inside their doorway to pay, they have a glass window with a pitbull behind the glass (probably to intimidate customers). When I walk back outside to my car, they are towing the car from where I parked into their lot. I went to the company that had them tow and they claimed they couldn’t do anything because there are signs posted. But like I said before, the signs did not say the parking was for Body Builders (the company next door), all it said was unauthorized parking that would be towed by Northwest Recovery.
I have pictures to prove what the sign said and how there are no signs in front of the diagonal spots. Northwest Recovery would not give me my car back unless I paid $ 198.50. This whole thing seemed like a scam, considering they towed the car from one side of the building to the other. When I came home to research about this company, I found the BBB gave them an F. There were also many other complaints on various sites about them. After calling Body Builders (the business that had the car towed), the woman there said they have cameras on their buildings that Northwest Recovery sees so they know when to tow the cars. Clearly this is a scam by Northwest Recovery then if they’re just waiting for THEIR customers to park there so they can charge them $ 200.
I also called Northwest Recovery back to tell them they also scratched my bumper, and whoever I spoke to said it was not their responsibility. After telling them they would be hearing from my lawyer and from the Attorney General, he sarcastically said «Oooh don’t do that». This place has terrible customer service and should be thoroughly investigated.

They literally prowl parking lots for cars to tow, and when you go to get your car their customer service is HORRENDOUS. I went to my car one morning to go to work to find it was towed because my license plate sticker was expired (mind you, it was not). I go there and tell them the proof of registration is in my glove box and that I’d like to access to my car to show them it, but they refused and forced me to pay the $ 150 plus invoice fee prior to going to my car to get it. Apparently my sticker fell off or was taken off — sure I’d like to think no one would do this, but who’s to stop them from peeling off these stickers to tow your car? This is not a legitamate reason to tow a car — even the police won’t tow your car for that, to my knowledge they just ticket you. I asked why they don’t call to check your plates before aimlessly towing and the guy basically said the police don’t waste their time on this then proceeded to? brag? about how they towed 10 cars from the lot last night. Needless to say I was pissed and showed my proof of registration to them, and they didn’t really seem to care and wouldn’t reimburse me at that time. After complaining to the apartment complex, the tow company did somehow reimburse us, but this should never have happened in the first place. Oh, and not letting you into your car in the first place is illegal. Shame on the apartment complex (who has proof of our cars registration by the way) allowing them to prowl the lots for this also. Why isn’t there an option for 0 stars? This company is not BBB accredited and have a F rating on there. Then there’s this… great company:

just rude and mean. Poor service and no customer care. Just don’t even call them for anything