Elvaton Towing - Glen Burnie, MD review: Make sure you verify the price before they start! 1

I am writing about a towing company located in Glen Burnie called Elvaton. I found them listed in the
phone book. Their advertisement claims they tow motorcycles. They do, but they are way too expensive. I contacted them and a man named Josh answered the phone. I asked them how much it would cost to tow a MOTORCYCLE from point A to point B. He said it would be a $40 hookup and $3 per mile. I checked mapquest, and it was 21 miles, so I estimated the cost would be a little over $100. After looking at other companies, I decided to go with them.

I was supposed to meet them at 6:00 pm on a weekday evening. I wanted my motorcycle towed to a bike shop in Laurel that closes at 8:00 pm. I called Josh that very morning and asked him if that was enough time. He said it would be no problem. The guys from Elvaton didn't show up until 7:00 pm. It took 2 guys about 40 minutes to move and hook up my bike.* They weren't going to make it to the shop on time, so it would have to be left outside.

* The front brakes were dragging. But anyone who knows how to tow motorcycles would have disengaged the front brakes before dragging it onto the tow truck. There is a simple method of doing this.

So I called the motorcycle shop in Laurel to let them know the bike was on it's way. They said they prefer that the bike not be left outside because that is a high crime area. So, my motorcycle ended up staying outside during the night despite Josh's promises about the bike being delivered on time. Not only that, I ended up paying $200 for the hookup, which is twice as much as I estimated. I find out from Josh that the hookup is $105. You see, he 'mistakenly' gave me a quote for a CAR hookup during the day (so he says). And he ESTIMATED the distance was 35 miles (remember, according to mapquest, it was 21 miles). Not only that, the price changes for an evening hookup and Josh didn't tell me. I don't know if this is standard for a towing company, but I would recommend that you not go with Elvaton to tow your bike. I wouldn't recommend them for towing anything, actually. If they truly knew how to tow a motorcycle, it wouldn't have taken them 40-45 minutes, even with the front brakes dragging. (That is the first thing one of the mechanics at the bike shop did was disengage the front brakes).

I have had this bike towed before by a friend of a friend. This gentleman was able to wip the bike up
onto the back of his pickup truck much faster than these two guys from Elvaton were able to do on the
back of their flat bed, which is overkill for a motorcycle. If you have a friend with a pickup truck,
a ramp and something to tie it down with, go that route and save yourself some money. Or rent a truck
and ramp from Uhaul, Ryder, etc. Not only that, but these guys prefer cash payment, yet how many people are going to carry $200 in cash with them?

Like I said above, I wouldn't recommend these guys. If you get the wrong quote, you are out of luck, plus I payed way to much for a motorcycle tow. There are companies that specialize in motorcycle towing. There should be a company more professional than these guys, or get a friend to do it. Just make sure you verify the price before they start.