R Lance & Sons

Just got my car towed from Livermore to Fremont. Called them when my car broke down in Livermore. The lady on the phone said it may take up to 30 min, but they were there in 15min. The driver/​owner Geff (sp?) was very friendly and professional. Price was very reasonable. I would highly recommend them if you need a tow.

I highly recommend R Lance Towing. I was in a terrible predicament. I was storing my vehicle at a storage facility while I living in Florida. The storage facility was repaving the grounds and needed the vehicle moved for several days. I could not have it towed to another storage facility without being present. The owner was about to have it towed and impounded. Jeff at R Lance picked up the vehicle, held it for a few days then returned the vehicle. I am so appreciative and will never use any one else in that area.

The BEST tow company. They have helped my daughter with a change of a tire last week then helped me and a friend this week by towing his car to the dealer. The drive arrived when promised and help quickly and compassionately both times. I will use them in the future.

Got my truck removed from the lot the next day after the crash. The guy was nice and he will tow it any place you want. The guys were fast and efficient. Could not ask for a better towing company!

R. Lance helped me out when I needed a jump on Memorial Day. They arrived when they said they would and provided the promised service at the agreed-​upon price. But the reason this becomes a five-​star review is that my car died again just down the road, and the driver (Bruce) gave me a second jump at no additional cost. Nothing fancy, but any business that delivers what it promises deserves a positive Unilocal review. And R. Lance did exactly that.

Locked myself out of my car at 7:30am monday morning in downtown Livermore. Called and actually got a live person (other places I called we’re not open or put me directly to vm)…lady told me someone would get to me within 30 minutes. 20 minutes later, Jeff was there to help unlock my car! He was friendly and got it ynlocked within 15 – 20 mins as he had some trouble with how my power lock worked. In any case, this room under an hour and at $ 70, was pretty satisfied with how quickly they got to me.

Totally unsatisfied by service. Actually by it absence. They got my order. I had an emergency situation. And was Promised a waiting time 35 minutues … and than they disappeared. No tow car, no phone call, no response — just vacuum.

This was my first time in need of a tow truck assistance. The call was very easy and straight forward. I received help really fast because the company was in the area at the time looking for another car. The person who help me was Jeff and he was very friendly and nice. I thought my car was dead but actually I was an idiot and left my car in drive. Jeff was really nice about it and if I ever really need their service again I will for sure call this company.

My car wouldn’t start this morning, and of course I was parked in the driveway so the jumper cables wouldn’t reach from my husband’s car. So we called these guys to try jumping it, or if that didn’t work, to tow it to the repair shop. The driver came in 15 minutes, and thankfully the jump worked. But the reason for the 5 stars is that the driver took the time to show my 4 year old son how the truck worked, and also made sure I had a receipt to submit to my insurance company for reimbursement. A very pleasant experience as these things go!

You never want to need a tow, but when you do, call these guys. I broke down on the 580E at 6:30pm on a Friday and was rescued by the owner himself in no time flat. He was extremely professional, took good care of my vehicle, and recommended a local shop for the repairs that was open on Saturday. After we dropped off my pickup, Jeff even drove me from Livermore to the Pleasanton Bart station so I could get back home. Now that’s service!

This past Friday my car blew a spark plug forcing me to exit 5 and call for a tow. Unfamiliar with the area and service providers, I called R. Lance & Sons Towing as a local agency. This is one call I will never regret.
They asked where exactly I was located and details of the car — to provide the proper tow vehicle. A flat bed soon arrived, if not new, it was in excellent looking condition. I introduced my self to Dave, who easily could have been on offensive or defensive lineman, as he was an intimidating presence. But Mom said, never judge a book by its cover. Before long we are conversing on jobs, economy, children, education, politics, Chevy Trucks, etc. Dave is by far the kindest and most sincere person I met in some time. He was reassuring, professional, and considerate — given my situation. A gentle giant is a nice way to describe him; and a man of integrity and family!
He offered to be available should I need another tow and even dropped me off at a local eatery, and close to the freeway to make it easier for my out of town ride.
R. Lance & Sons Towing is a 5 Super Star business and this is because of Dave’s professionalism and customer care work style! Stay well Mi Amigo Dave!
Sincerely,
Edward A.

I have used these guys before when they were AAA company for the area. Recently I needed a tow when my car wouldn’t start. AAA referred me to some other company that I’ve never heard of. I preferred to use R Lance because of past positive experiences, and I wasn’t going far. Plus, they are a local business and I would rather spend local any day of the week. The driver showed up in less time than quoted. He was very careful with my car. My repair shop called me 20 minutes later to let me know he was there.
I will continue to use R Lance&Sons Towing and recommend anyone in the Tri Valley Area do so as well!

Thankfully I did not need the services of R. Lance & Sons today… but it was close. My truck broke down on I580 last night and I decided to leave it and return the following day to either see if I could fix it, or have it towed to a local repair shop. At the risk of jinxing myself, I did a little preliminary Unilocal!research and picked a tow company and a repair shop.
We got to my truck and replaced the fuel filter but it still wouldn’t start. As I was prepared for this scenario, I dialed up R Lance and was told a truck would be there in 35 – 45 minutes… great! About 5 minutes later the dispatcher called me back to let me know that because I was on the side of the freeway, there would be an automatic $ 200 charge for a high risk or hazardous tow. I asked if this was a mandated fee that everyone would charge or if it was an R Lance policy. The dispatcher couldn’t say. He said other tow companies might charge a similar fee and I was welcome to call around to inquire if other companies were cheaper, or I could discuss the fee with the tow truck operator and he could decide whether to waive the fee. This made me think it was a specific R Lance charge. I felt like I was in a bind at this point so I had him send the truck regardless.
As we were waiting for the tow, a Freeway Service Patrol (FSP) tow truck pulled up. I was not aware of this free service, but the FSP representative told me he could tow me off of the highway for free! This would save me the $ 200 high risk charge that R Lance wanted to charge me. Anyway long story short, he did more than tow me off the freeway, he was able to help me get my truck started so I could drive away on my own!
…now back to R Lance. I feel like they probably know about FSP and could have elected to tell me about their services. They chose not to. The bottom line is that I will probably call them next time I need a tow (knock on wood), but I will be more informed next time. And if I’m on a highway, I’ll call 511 first to see if a free service is available to me.

Called them when my son locked his keys in the truck. In less than 25 minutes they were there and he was on his way! Great service all around! Thank you.

A little background. We live in Newark. Our car was in Livermore. 35 miles or about 45 minutes away. I’ve lived in the East Bay for most of my 41 years. Been to Livermore, maybe 3 times. Driven through it a bunch more, but I have zero experience with any of the business in that town. Similarly with the rest of the Tri-​Valley area.
Today we had to have our car towed from 580 by the CHP as it had died on the side of the road last night. The CHP had called Allen’s Automotive and Towing (1 star) in Livermore and had them take it away.
We found out where Allen’s was and how much it would cost ($ 290 total). Unilocal reviews for Allen’s were horrendous and I already knew they were waaayyy overpriced. So I looked on Unilocal and found both a different tow company, R. Lance and Sons, and a different repair place, Cartech Automotive Repair.
I then called R Lance and Sons and arranged for them to come to pick up the car once we had gotten it out of hock. They said to call when we were ready.
We drove to Allen’s, paid them, and then I called RL&S dispatch. They said it would probably be at least an hour and did I still want them to come out. As I’m always told at least 45 mins for a tow, an extra 15 mins is no big. «Yes, please.»
Bruce showed up 28 mins later according to my phone call log. Woohoo!
But. Turns out, Allen’s hadn’t bothered to tell us that our car was not there. Not even when we handed over $ 290. Not one word. Bruce had to go ask. According to the blame-​game chickie behind the counter at Allen’s, _​other_​tow companies are just supposed to know to call Allen’s to ask where the vehicle is as they have two locations in Livermore.
Bruce was so nice, he told us we didn’t have to follow him to the actual storage yard, he would go get the car and take it to Cartech (Also found on Unilocal.) He knew where it was and would meet us there.
Bruce also only charged us $ 80 for the hookup and tow. Not $ 210.
We followed the useless iPhone Google instructions and got lost on the way to Cartech. (It sent us first to Pleasanton then to _​Old_​1^st st in Livermore!) We finally gave up and called Cartech for instructions. The receptionist gave the phone to Bruce to tell us how to get there. Yep. Bruce had already hooked up _​and_​dropped off our car by the time we called. Then Bruce went out to the corner to wait for us to flag us down. Thank goodness he did! We would have driven right passed if he wasn’t waiting.
«I sum up.»
1. Showed up in half the time quoted.
2. Courteous and friendly.
3. Extra steps to be helpful.
4. Only $ 80. Saved $ 130!
Thank you so much, Bruce!

If you actually have to call a tow truck service — which admittedly is about as popular as having to pay taxes — R. Lance makes the experience painless. They’ve always been prompt with tows, both from AAA dispatches and direct calls (when I’ve got problems AAA won’t tackle).
The drivers are polite, careful with the loading and unloading of vehicles, and prompt — even when it turns out the first truck can’t handle the tow (I have some odd-​sized vehicles, and didn’t think a big ol’ pickup truck with a work body needed the heavy duty hook).

Alex was a great help last night very nice guy! And the staff is super nice too and considerate. Ill recommend you guys anytime!

Yay! I just had a great experience with Michael, the tow truck driver. He came out to jump my battery on my 1989 VW Cabriolet. Michael was very patient waiting for my car to start up. He explained to me why the battery was having a problem holding its’ charge. I appreciate how professional, polite, and just kind he was. A pleasant helpful guy who knows his stuff… right on!
Thank you.

I have had several experiences with R Lance… Most recently was last week. My husbands car has been having problems lately, and he commutes from Stockton to San Jose, and drives to Fresno every other weekend.
My husband found himself on the El Charro off of 580 with a sickly car that insisted on resting.
Now I know damn near everything about AAA and emergency road service, since they just laid me off after 6 years but, alas… this isn’t about me… I know the crap I am about to go through with the people on the phones. Long story short, they put the call through, but not without sad moments. Like when the operator didnt know where El Charro was on EB 580. Ok, it is between Santa Rita and Airway Blvd, Livermore or Pleasanton… I even told the rep the contract station name and their number to send the call through… nope, she is in Arizona and has to find that shit on the map before she sends it… alrighty…
My concern was that since I was not with the vehicle, the tow truck driver could have refused my husband service. I could have had to drive to EL CHAAARRROOO from Stockton at 8pm with 3 kids. Thank you for not making me!
The tow truck driver arrived, hooked and booked my husband home. Dave the driver was amazingly awesome, provided my husband with some much needed humor and a pleasant ride home.
Thank you Dave! Thank you for bringing my husband home safe. Thank you for your AAA stories. Thank you for being a great driver.
Also, should you need to call the shop during the day, John the dispatcher is awesome.

Another blow out on the freeway. Different car, different freeway. I don’t drive around with bald tires. Nope. I’m one of those people that constantly keeps track of the oil changes, the tread on the tires… but doesn’t give a shit about the dog hair in the car.
Leaving work the other evening, flying at about 90 mph on 580 approaching Livermore, I heard a ‘BOOM’. And then felt a bit of a fish tail. Being a person in total control (this is when you click ‘FUNNY’), I grabbed the wheel, and maneuvered the car to the shoulder. Dialed AAA, noted the time (11:46pm), was told that arrival time was about 1:15am. Really, I figured they were giving me a rough estimate and knew the time would be much sooner.
Guess what time they arrived. 1:00am? No. Midnight? Nope.
11:51pm. NO SHIT. I was back on the road in minutes.
Thanks again, R. Lance! You rock!