AAA Plus RV - They will help

[Firstpoet]

Recently on this forum I read from a poster that AAA would NOT help them with service which concerned me as I pay extra to have both AAA "Plus" and "RV" but fortunately have not ever had to use them. I have a 35' MH with a tag-axle. I contacted AAA because of the post and therefore my concern that I had a false-sense of 'security' regarding a potential break-down and gaining needed help, as well, I didn't want to waste the money IF it was true that AAA would not help due to the rig size or multi-axle (more than 2) that our RV has.

After a bit of thrashing and needing to go 'up the chain' a bit within AAA management I was informed that they do in fact service a vehicle of my RV's size here in the East Central Region, and if I'm in a AAA region where they do not have that ability, than I should pay for the needed service and then submit the billing to AAA for evaluation and reimbursement. They did say that if I have to pay $600 for a tow and their 'usual' cost is $500 than they would reimburse their 'typical' fee and the additional would be my responsibility. None-the-less I was overall pleased with the response and feel that having the extra 'insurance' when we're on the road is worth it, especially if I can put in for a reimbursement IF needed.

I figured I'd share this with the IRV2 community.

I have not to date had to use the service for the RV but after this 'checking in' with them I feel confident again that the AAA is still a good plan to carry.

Please chime in with your experiences or thoughts as well.

Below in quotes was the response from the AAA Director of Emergency Road Service -

"In your home area of Ohio and in the service area of AAA East Central, the AAA Club you belong to, Yes your vehicle is covered under the RV Plus Membership. This would entitle you to all services for this vehicle. This would be North Eastern Ohio, South Eastern Ohio, Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Western Kentucky.

However, while AAA is a National entity and offers services nationwide, it is divided into regional Clubs that all have varying degrees of autonomy and practice in what vehicles they consider as serviceable. So if you are travelling to Pigeon Forge again for example, you would be covered for service in my area should you need it. But if you were to have an issue in Tennessee, I cannot promise you that the AAA Club in that area considers your vehicle as serviceable. There are over 60 AAA Clubs in the country so I am unable to give you a quick idea of where this would or would not be the case.

That is why on line you may see stories that state it is not something we would service. It is wholly dependent upon the area you are in, not the area you are from.

That being said, should a different AAA Club not cover your service, we would still honor your membership. So should you run into this problem and are forced to obtain service for your RV on your own, if you were to get a receipt and submit a reimbursement form to AAA East Central, we would reimburse you the amount we would pay for that same tow in our area. Hypothetically, if you had to obtain your own service in Tennessee for a 25 mile tow and you paid $600 out of your own pocket. If you submit the documentation to us, but our normal payout in Ohio for that same 25 mile tow is $500, we would reimburse you what we would have paid and give you $500, the other $100 being out of your own pocket.

I hope that clears the issue up for you. If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask."

[vsheetz]

If you had to go up the chain to get affirmation of coverage, and then the coverage area is inconsistent and may cost you substantially out of pocket, I don't see it as a good deal. What is the annual cost for AAA?

[Firstpoet]

Originally Posted by vsheetz

If you had to go up the chain to get affirmation of coverage, and then the coverage area is inconsistent and may cost you substantially out of pocket, I don't see it as a good deal. What is the annual cost for AAA?

AAA Plus RV is $135/annually

I agree I was unhappy with having to gain clarification but in this day and age that's the case - no empowerment at lower levels in many organizations. Hearing from the 'Director of Emergency Road Service' that it would be covered was to me 'good news'. I wouldn't wish to have to pay out of my pocket but I think they'll be reasonable IF/WHEN that situation might arise - and I've got it in writing and shared with all of you...it's cheap insurance I think but do appreciate your input.

[Atom Ant]

I dropped AAA RV+ the day they told me the boat in tow was excluded. They do not cover any type of marine craft. They will tow your pickup and 40 ft 5th wheel if the pickup breaks down, but if it floats, it stays.

Went to Allstate, then GS, and never looked back. Both are significantly cheaper than AAA by the way, and they aren't using your money to lobby for "nanny" laws either like AAA does.

[DonavonP]

In 15 years of AAA Plus we needed help 3 times. The first time was great. The second and last time they left us hanging on our own. Dropped them and now self insure.

Agree with Atom Ant on the "nanny laws".

[mel s]

Originally Posted by Firstpoet

I have not to date had to use the service for the RV but after this 'checking in' with them I feel confident again that the AAA is still a good plan to carry.
Please chime in with your experiences or thoughts as well.
Below in quotes was the response from the AAA Director of Emergency Road Service -

"In your home area of Ohio and in the service area of AAA East Central, the AAA Club you belong to, Yes your vehicle is covered under the RV Plus Membership. This would entitle you to all services for this vehicle. This would be North Eastern Ohio, South Eastern Ohio, Western Pennsylvania, West Virginia and Western Kentucky.

However, while AAA is a National entity and offers services nationwide, it is divided into regional Clubs that all have varying degrees of autonomy and practice in what vehicles they consider as serviceable. So if you are travelling to Pigeon Forge again for example, you would be covered for service in my area should you need it. But if you were to have an issue in Tennessee, I cannot promise you that the AAA Club in that area considers your vehicle as serviceable. There are over 60 AAA Clubs in the country so I am unable to give you a quick idea of where this would or would not be the case.
That is why on line you may see stories that state it is not something we would service. It is wholly dependent upon the area you are in, not the area you are from.
That being said, should a different AAA Club not cover your service, we would still honor your membership. So should you run into this problem and are forced to obtain service for your RV on your own, if you were to get a receipt and submit a reimbursement form to AAA East Central, we would reimburse you the amount we would pay for that same tow in our area. Hypothetically, if you had to obtain your own service in Tennessee for a 25 mile tow and you paid $600 out of your own pocket. If you submit the documentation to us, but our normal payout in Ohio for that same 25 mile tow is $500, we would reimburse you what we would have paid and give you $500, the other $100 being out of your own pocket.

I hope that clears the issue up for you. If you have any further questions, please feel free to ask."

Originally Posted by vsheetz

If you had to go up the chain to get affirmation of coverage, and then the coverage area is inconsistent and may cost you substantially out of pocket, I don't see it as a good deal. What is the annual cost for AAA?

vsheetz

Firstpoet
I certainly would not "feel confident" with any ERS which required me to pay the tow bill and "request reimbursement".... especially one that "cannot promise" me that they will consider my "vehicle as serviceable" in some areas of the country.

For $149 a year Coach-Net considers all of my motor vehicles serviceable anywhere I travel.

When you need a tow here's how it works:
1.) You call Coach-net
2.) They send a tow truck.
3.) The tow truck tows your vehicle where it needs to go.
4.) You sign a slip, (but pay nothing).

Why settle for anything less?

Mel
'96 Safari
.

[Mike and Cha]

Firstpoet....after reading some of the AAA bashing on IRV2( a lot of which was not factual information and based on rumor), I did exactly what you did and also got it in writing that they do service MH's, of all sizes, and they basically provided me the same information you received, so I am not worried at all. The bottom line is if you have AAA to begin with, which we have had for over twenty years, to add the MH/RV is only an additional $37 a year. People spend thousands per year on whatever their needs are for their RV's but will continually complain about relatively inexpensive cost items, like the $37. I also have an additional coverage for the MH, which cost me about $100 a year. I can then use whichever works best for me in the situation I end up in if needed. So either way you look at it I guess I "wasted" a grand total of about $137 a year for piece of mind. A lot of people spend that kind of money on one dinner alone. If I have to worry about $137, then I probably shouldn't be owning a MH/RV to begin with.

I will always have AAA coverage as we have had great experience with them. Just last year we took a driving trip around the US, visiting several relatives and left the MH at home. We were out in the middle of nowhere, just entering the east side of Colorado, when a truck in front of us hit a piece of metal that hit our car and broke a rod holding the rear tire in place. We called AAA and within 2 hours our Flatbed Tow truck showed up( he had to drive over an hour to get to us), and towed us over 100 miles into Denver. When he got us to the dealership, I asked what if anything I had to pay, and what I needed to sign. He told me the tow would have been about $1200 if I had to pay out of pocket, but it was all taken care of by AAA and no paperwork to sign. I gave him a good tip, and thanked him for his service as he did a great job taking care of us. That pretty much paid for the last 10 years of "wasted" money and I still had free tows left if I needed them. Money well spent in my opinion.

[Firstpoet]

I've had AAA for 39 years...lol - thanks so much!

[D Lindy]

Firestpoet; You might want to re-clarify what AAA RV will cover. I'm in the northeast also and found the AAA RV will not change or service and dual wheel configuration.

[Firstpoet]

Originally Posted by D Lindy

Firestpoet; You might want to re-clarify what AAA RV will cover. I'm in the northeast also and found the AAA RV will not change or service and dual wheel configuration.

Please read my post and you will see that I did CLARIFY what AAA RV will cover. Their booklet actually states in black-and-white that dual wheel configurations ARE covered - so perhaps this changed from when you had your experience? My concern was that I have a tag-axle along with the dual wheels - this was not discussed in the booklet on what is covered, thus one other reason why I wrote them. Clearly by the Director's note back to me, my RV would be covered. I do appreciate all the input folks and thanks!

[Mike and Cha]

Originally Posted by D Lindy

Firestpoet; You might want to re-clarify what AAA RV will cover. I'm in the northeast also and found the AAA RV will not change or service and dual wheel configuration.

That is one of the original misrepresentations that was made about AAA that encouraged me to do my research. One poster even posted an excerpt of the AAA policy which eluded to this but in fact was incorrect info(per AAA). I didn't even question the AAA RV Policy until I read some posts like this on IRV2 and then began to worry that the posters were correct. I did my research and received basically the same response as did Firstpoet. The bottom line it is only an additional $37 per year to add a MH/RV and in the event somebody doesn't do what they are supposed to do AAA will make it right. As told by our AAA rep, "why would we offer a plan that excludes the most often used type of RV?" AAA isn't a company that just started, they have been around for years. You don't build that kind of reputation by cheating your customers. Don't believe everything you hear without doing your own research. If I believed everything I read on IRV2(which I do love to be a part of), I probably wouldn't have ever bought an RV to begin with.

[Atom Ant]

You can read in AAA guides accessed through this link:

Membership Benefits Summary | AAA Colorado

AAA does service dually's but no tire service on a loaded dually pickup. What's the point if you can't get tire service when its needed?

With AAA, whatever you have on the back has to be a drivable motorized vehicle on pavement, or it gets left behind unless you negotiate with the tow company using your own money to at least get it brought along. If you are towing a boat, jet ski, utility trailer, or car trailer, its NOT covered.

I've had many tows in the 20 years I used AAA, and they never seemed to bring a big enough truck for the job. They took my 3/4 ton pickup on a flatbed tow by Volvo and twice while I was following it I saw wheels off the ground of the wrecker! Our 1 ton with 5er got stuck behind this little antique in their first picture, and WE had to call a CAB! There was no room in his truck because he brought his kids!

To me, AAA not worth the money at any price - do yourself a favor and move on to another company.

I've been towed by Allstate RV Roadside when my truck broke down towing the boat, and they towed the boat behind the flatbed wrecker, all covered. And, even though a Ford dealer was within 60 miles, it was 60 miles the other way from home so they towed it 90 miles to the one closer to home at no extra charge.

Just got towed with Good Sam this year (free with purchase of motorhome), and they only send Heavy Wreckers, and that guy knew his stuff. Had to keep air on my rig and pull the driveshaft and did it like he had been doing it for decades. Very happy - and its about half of the cost of AAA.

[Firstpoet]

I am renewing my AAA this month...I was incorrect - it's $118/annually - I think it's a 'bargain' based on the fact it covers all of my street legal vehicles...I also have 'Emergency Road Service' through my auto insurance for the RV (not on the other vehicles)...so I'll have to also research what that might cover - perhaps covering the 'gap' between what AAA might not repay (their typical costs in my region) and what I may some day have to pay. It does appear by the responses that it varies from region to region however I think if you're from a region where it's not covered but in one where it is, they would do it...and again, the region I'm from/in WILL take care of the RV...and reimburse 'typical charges' if I'm in a region that doesn't service it - I do enjoy reading the responses!!

[bill06447]

I had an issue with AAA/RV-apparently RV coverage is no longer available for my area in the Northeast but I am able to continue my coverage under a "grandfathered" clause. It took me 3 hours on the phone with unknown numbers of AAA reps to discover this, then determine I only had to call the garage of my choice, pay the bill, and submit it for reimbursement. As towing rates in this state (CT) are regulated I was reimbursed in full by AAA within 2 weeks of submitting my receipt.