Roadside Assistance - Who has you covered?

[Knobs]

I dropped AAA Premium RV this year and went with CoachNet.

I was far too patient with AAA, and should have dropped them several years ago after the first instance (of 3) of no help. AAA is a trash organization in my experience.

I have a 33' travel trailer. Incidents #1 and #2 were with a car only. But, here are my last three calls to AAA:

1. Returning from the west coast and the car had a fuel pump fail while driving on I-94 near Jamestown, ND. Called AAA. Nearest towing company was in Fargo (100 miles east) and besides taking hours to get to me, they needed ME to tell THEM where I wanted it towed to. WTF??? What do I know about auto repair in Fargo? I used my phone to find a local Jamestown towing company to tow me first to his shop, but after an obvious attempt to scam me with a dire diagnosis on repair, I had him tow me to a local car dealership.

2. Returning from Texas, we hit a blizzard in southern Iowa and our old car just stopped, like the key had been turned off, on I-35 near Osceola, IA. Got it re-started, but it would only go a short distance before it quit again. Called AAA. This time they did have a tow company in Osceola, but they would not let us ride in the tow truck. WTF (again)??? They would leave two 70+ year olds as pedestrians along the interstate in a blizzard??? Fortunately, a Highway Patrol came along just then and followed along behind us until we were able to get the car to limp safely off the interstate and to a local dealership with a motel within walking distance.

3. The final straw with AAA. The leaf spring bracket on one axle of our travel trailer broke. I'm not sure when, but I discovered it with the travel trailer in our driveway and the tire had been rubbing on the undercarriage a bit, so I did not want to try to tow it to a repair shop. We live in the Twin Cities, MN metro, so I figured AAA should be able to handle this one! But no. In the entire Twin Cities metro they did not have a tow company that could handle transporting the trailer on a flat bed and further, their suggested repair shops were unable to do the kind of repair needed. So, again, I was on my own in finding a transport and in locating a competent repair shop that can handle frame and spring repairs on a travel trailer.

This last one made me realize AAA's RV roadside package is completely worthless, and the combination of my last three experiences with AAA means if you have anything more complex than out of gas or a jump start, GOOD LUCK! (You'll need it.)

Worthless scam of a company, IMO.

 

[DonTom]

Worthless scam of a company, IMO.

It seems to me AAA has become somewhat worthless over the years. Used to be a lot better. But it all depends on luck, such as how busy towing companies are when you call. I think these days they have fewer people to help but more vehicles to tow.

Here is an example of a lousy time to call them--or perhaps any towing or tow insurance service.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[garyb1st]

Worthless scam of a company, IMO.

That's a bit harsh but I agree AAA is probably not a good choice for an RVer. I've been a member for probably 40 years and except for tire service and fuel, only used them a few times and never for a tow or other service on an RV. Still we have the best and most expensive plan. With that we can renew vehicle license plates at their office, get maps, travel advice and most recently a handicap placard without going to the CA DMV. Trust me, you do not want to go to the CA DMV. We also use them to insure our home and vehicles.

To be fair, I think AAA towing is good for basic 5 to 15 mile tows for the average homeowner who doesn't have an RVer. They probably thought increasing the towing mileage on RV's was a natural progression of their services. Initially it seemed like a good deal and Coach Net was not available in SO CAL so for me it worked. But they downgraded their RV towing coverage and today it's pretty much worthless.

 

[DonTom]

To be fair, I think AAA towing is good for basic 5 to 15 mile tows for the average homeowner who doesn't have an RVer.

They towed my Class C 121 miles. No problems that time, all worked out very well.

-Don- Reno, NV

 

[rvlifer]

One downside to coachnet was there rules that affect boondockers. If you are beyond a certain distance from a paved road they dont cover towing but they will assist in finding a tow company.

There are differences between each company. It pays to read the fine print

 

[Ray-IN]

Well, I'm a life member of Good Sam and have purchased their roadside assistance for perhaps 20 years to date.
I remember one trip I had a flat on our new 5er, initial trip. We were approx. 40 miles East of Great Falls MT. Good Sam could not find a provider except in Great Falls and that provider refused the call. I changed the tire myseif, then later submitted the bill with the appropriate paperwork. When we got back home from AK the check was in the stack of mail at my cousins house.
Then in 2020 we were enroute to Mayo Clinic for DW's appt. when the MH engine wouldn't start. GS called out a HDT wrecker service from Davenport IA as it was the only heavy wrecker service within 100 miles.
The wrecker service showed up with a 1-T wrecker to tow our MH out of the RV park and a tri-axle wrecker to tow our MH to Cummins Great Plains in Moline IL
Repairs were made to the Cummins engine and we decided to go home after missing DW's appt.
Nearly back to that same RV park the engine quit again. GS called the same wrecker service to tow us back to Cummins Great Plains in Moline IL and paid for that trip call too without question..

Now every ERS service has problems with providers. The trick is to know what's happening and why.
The operator that answers the phone only has permission to ask the questions that appear on their computer screen and are not allowed to deviate from those questions. If a customer has issues with that operator that is the time to request to speak with a supervisor; supervisors have a lot of latitude within their job but must still adhere to company policies.
That was how we wound up with that HDT wrecker service, the supervisor still had to call everyone on their list per company policy, but then she could call providers outside their network of providers.
As a customer I was always polite, patient, and tried to be understanding. I like to think that attitude paid off for me when dealing with the supervisor.
BTW, Cummins Great Plains knew GS ERS paid for the 2nd tow, but paid me the same amount customer satisfaction according to the shop manager.

I agree with rvlifer; as with any legal contract the signee should always read the fine print before signing.