Car Store Towing

Extremely unprofessional and possibly predatory towing experience I had an extremely negative experience dealing with Car Store Towing and feel it is important to warn others before they have to deal with this company. After our vehicle was towed from a residential community in Clermont, we were initially informed that the vehicle was located at their Orange County location: 12811 W. Colonial Dr. Winter Garden, FL 34787 We drove over 30 minutes (approximately 26 miles) to reach that location. When we arrived, we were met by a very rude and aggressive front desk employee. The entire interaction was extremely uncomfortable. My friend was helping me explain the situation, and one of the owners told him to “shut up” and stop speaking because he was not the owner of the vehicle. He insisted that only I could speak. The tone was aggressive and disrespectful the entire time. After that unpleasant interaction, we were suddenly informed that the vehicle was not even at that location and that it had actually been taken to their Lake County facility: 1 Vickers St. Minneola, FL 34715 We then had to drive another 25 minutes to reach the correct location. When we arrived at the Minneola location, we encountered another extremely rude owner at the front desk. He refused to provide basic information regarding the tow, including: • An itemized invoice explaining the charges • Any written receipt or breakdown of the fees • Any documentation explaining the basis for the charges Despite the vehicle being towed less than 24 hours earlier, we were told it would cost over $600 to retrieve it. During the conversation the owner mentioned multiple additional fees that we had never heard about before. Even worse, he refused to allow me to retrieve my personal belongings from inside the vehicle, which I later learned may violate Florida law regarding access to personal property in impounded vehicles. When I asked to see documentation explaining the laws or my rights, he refused to provide anything printed. Instead, he pointed to a QR code on the wall and said that contained my rights. When I attempted to scan the QR code, the webpage did not work at all. When I mentioned this, the owner tried scanning it himself and it also did not work on his phone. Despite that, he simply shrugged it off and made a joke about it in a sarcastic tone rather than helping provide the information. The entire interaction felt extremely unprofessional and hostile. After researching this company online, I noticed there are multiple complaints about similar experiences, and the business is not BBB accredited. Based on how we were treated and the lack of transparency about the fees, this experience felt very much like predatory towing. If you ever have to deal with this company, be extremely cautious. Know your rights, document everything, and consider bringing a police officer or legal assistance if possible. This was honestly one of the most unpleasant customer service experiences I have ever had. Be aware before you go.

So this what happened to me going to mass today, my care and I got into a ditch. I called my insurance company GEICO to see if they can cover it to my surprise they said no sir that your problem not ours. So I call a great towing company name CAR STORE HERE IN WINTER GARDEN, and I spoked to great people over the line and said that VANESSA WILL BE RIGHT THERE TO HELP ME OUT. Let me tell you she is a working girl and know her stuff and got my car out of the ditch. They were amazing and the price was good too. Have you ever in a ditch call these people they’re great and there all EX NEW YORKERS they don’t play they work n get stuff done right.

This was one of the worst experiences I’ve ever had with a business. The lack of professionalism was obvious from the start, and the staff showed zero work ethic, respect, or basic human decency toward customers. There was absolutely no empathy or willingness to help—just a careless, dismissive attitude the entire time. To make matters worse, their pricing is outrageously high and feels like they are taking advantage of people when they’re already in a difficult situation. Businesses like this should be held accountable. I will be filing a complaint with the Better Business Bureau, and I seriously question why any police department or sheriff’s office would continue to work with a company that operates like this. I would strongly advise anyone to avoid this business at all costs. Negative -10 ⭐️

FHP sent Car Store to my house to remove a car that had hit a tree on my property, across from my front yard. In order to do that their truck had to go over the curb, on sidewalk and into my yard to position itself to lower the ramp for the vehicle. I'll skip the details and go to part in which as he tried to exit the yard he got stuck and when he accelerated to try to pull out, he dug himself in, making huge holes in the grass. He did stop after I told him that my house has a septic system and he was potentially damaging the drain field. He had to call another tow truck to pull him out. So, another couple of hours!! After contacting the driver's insurance, I was informed that the responsibility for damages caused by the tow truck would have to be addressed by Car Store 's own insurance company, so they gave me their phone number. I gave Car Store a call and the office told me she knew nothing about the accident or incident with their truck and she asked me to send photos to their email. I had plenty of those and immediately forwarded to her. The next day, I called and was transferred to Garrett, the owner. He initially seemed genuinely concerned! Still, as the conversation developed, he stated that "the other insurance should be responsible since we wouldn't even be there if the driver didn't hit your house"! We agreed he would call the other driver's insurance, so we would discuss this further. He never gave the name of his own insurance company so I could call them myself! I've called the Car Store for the last couple of days and asked for both Garrett and the office manager, neither seems to be there! Left messages and no return calls! I had to see these reviews to understand what's going on.

My wife called Car Store of West Orange and they were picking up my car within 20 minutes. The driver (Bryan) was fantastic, my car is an EV and he found ways to help me getting it open, out of gear and took it home and parked in my garage. He also found the way to open the flap, so I could charge it. Very helpful and knowledgeable guy, also very friendly. Thanks!