Road Service, Good Sam vs CoachNet

[charles tuit]

My GS Road service is up for renewal. In 9 years I've never had to use it (knock on wood).

I would like to hear of the service from both of these companies.

I carry an unmounted spare- do they charge extra for mounting and changing at roadside?

Do they charge extra for disconnecting the drive shaft?

Did they send equiptment capable of towing a diesel pusher?

I'd like to hear of experiences with both these companies.

Charlie Tuit
02 Winnebago Journey 142,000 miles
XL-7 toad

[Gary RVRoamer]

I've had both services, though its been quite a while since we used the GS. I'm a Coach-net fan myself.

Unmounted spare: you will be charged labor to put the tire onto the wheel, but not to place the wheel on the RV.

Disconnecting the drive shaft is part of the towing procedure, so no charge if you have to be towed.

Coach-net is very reliable about sending big rig equipment if a tow is necessary. Or even to change a 22.5" tire. I've heard some stories where GS did not dispatch the right size tow truck, but I suspect that is the exception rather than the rule.

We've had my wife's car towed twice and one tire changed on a coach (and that was 10 years ago). Never paid a dime for any of it.

[RVThere]

Had to call Good Sam twice. First was on the Mass. Turnpike and they could not come out because of Turnpike restrictions (they took about 30 minutes to figure that out). I paid for the tow and then had to send in for reimbursement.

Last summer, GS left me on the side of I78 for 3 hours while they tried to get a lower priced tow to come and get me (tow driver told me how they were going back and forth with him for 2 hours before they finally agreed to his price).

After that I switched to AAA which now does RV towing. So far so good as I have not had to use AAA yet.

[charles tuit]

Thanks for your imput.

After checking this and other forums I am going to give CoachNet a try and hope I'll never have to use them.

Thanks again

Charlie Tuit
02 Journey 142,000 miles
XL-7 toad

[dsbike]

I have GS. I have not had to use them for the RV. I have used them for my sons blazer. When I called they were very professional and seemed genuinely concerned for our safety and that we were off the road. We were in a shopping center parking lot. After taking my info, they contacted a towing co. & returned a call to me about 5 min after our 1st call to them with the info. I thought this is great service. I then waited in the parking lot for 1 hour in 100' heat without shade. I returned the call & was informed the tow co promised to be there within 30 mins the first time they called. We hung up & a few minutes later GS called me back & informed me they were on the way. This was my 1st experience with GS & I was not happy. About 20 min later the tow truck/flatbed arrived. The driver was very appolligetic, He said the ball got dropped by his dispatcher, not GS. He just happened to walk by the fax machine & seen the work order & dispatched immediatly.

[dajudge]

I had Good Sam and Coach Net at one time. Good Sam let me down, left me on the side of I20 for 12 hrs. Coach net not too bad, but if you have the right rv policy, the road service is included at a very cheap price. I checked and they will do the same thing as GS or CN.

[Ernie n Tara]

I've got and have used Coach Net - I'm a customer for life:
a. Check Engine light on and no power at all at 9:00 PM.
b. One hour to get wrecker there; towed to lot about 20 mi. away.
c. I (actually Mike) diagnosed problem (Air Flow Sensor dirty) and fixed (Scan Gauge forever); headed for S. Padre.
d. Phone call at 8:30 AM; we're ready to pick you up for your appointment at Ford dealer 50 mi. away (closest Truck Service for V10).
I thanked them and apologized for not letting them know I fixed the problem.
They do it right and without prompting; I can't comment on others, but I used to own a major service station and wrecker service and I just hope I usually did as well.
Ernie

[Stillwater]

I'm switching to Coach Net. I'm dropping GS membership as well as emergency roadside service. Mostly I'm tired of all the marketing and junk mail that keeps arriving from GS.

[powderman]

I am also tired of the junk mail from GS, but I can't say anything bad about their service. I had a blowout in Wyoming, and they had me fixed & back on the road in less than a half hour. When I signed the bill, I saw it was for more than it cost me for a year of service so I got my moneys worth. I still like it better when I pay and don't need to use the service.

[lochmunro]

I've used CN once in Canada, Once in Delaware, Once in Pa. I highly recommend them, Right now I'm broke down in Pamerton Pa. Their towing me tommorrow to A Workhorse dealer an hour away, Comunications have always been excellent, prompt, Their my choice.
I am quitting GS because of the junk mail also.
just remembered used them for my daughter in law car lockout too!

[HMM161]

RVing only since June, I have had one wonderful experience with GS. Thinking that I had a transmission problem, I called for assistance at Dickenson, North Dakota. Absolutely the most courteous people to deal with and they kept in touch informing me of exactly what they were doing. The tow company was very, very busy due to the need for them in the oil fields. After about 45 minutes, the tow driver called and asked it it would be OK for him to have lunch prior to arrival. I gladly granted that request. The tow arrived about 40 minutes after his call. GS called during this period and I advised them of the conversation with the tow driver.

The driver arrived prepared to tow my coach to a local camp ground since it was mid-day Saturday and service would not be available at Bismarck until Monday. The intention was to tow the coach to Bismarck. The tow driver (actually one of the owners) had my coach hooked up and ready to go when he began asking me a few additional questions about the symptoms of the mechanical problem. He smiled and diagnosed a completely different problem and I stayed in the Dickenson camp ground and was able to get local assistance on Monday morning.

Follow up by the GS folks was excellent, also.

So, in spite of the mail that all truthfully speak of, I am exceptionally satisfied with my single experience with Good Sam personnel and service.

[DAN L]

Quote:

Originally Posted by charles tuit My GS Road service is up for renewal. In 9 years I've never had to use it (knock on wood). I would like to hear of the service from both of these companies. I carry an unmounted spare- do they charge extra for mounting and changing at roadside? Do they charge extra for disconnecting the drive shaft? Did they send equiptment capable of towing a diesel pusher? I'd like to hear of experiences with both these companies. Charlie Tuit 02 Winnebago Journey 142,000 miles XL-7 toad

i recently dropped gs and went with aaa rv+ road service. aaa claims that they will send a commercial tire provider (les schwab in the pacific n.w.) who will at no charge:
repair the tire if possible,
install the new tire (i would have to pay for the new tire) that he is supposed to bring with him if i decide on that,
or install my unmounted spare tire. (the new tire may not match my present 245/70-19.5 michelin xrv tires).
i guess time will tell if all of this is true or just marketing hype.

[dsbike]

I have GS. What I did not realize is that if you need a tow GS will pay for you to be towed to the nearest independant repair shop or some where in that same distance from where you are stranded. My daughter, away in college about 50 miles from home, needed a tow this past Sat evening. She called GS they were very professional & sent a truck out right away. She asked to have the vehicle towed home, 50 miles from where she was. They agreed to tow her if she paid the difference of the mileage from the shop that was 16 miles from where she was. She then asked if they would tow her to her home at school, 14 miles. They agreed with no cost to her. But if she needed to have it towed in the future for the same repair it was on her. She agreed to this. They towed her to her home at college. I came up the next day & replaced the radiator and thermostat but the Jeep still over heated. Jump ahead to Thursday, my next chance to get the vehicle home. Just for grins I called GS to see what they would do. They offered to toe the vehicle home but would only pay the initial tow cost plus 11 miles. I had to pay for 36 miles, $144. This was cheaper than I could rent a trailer & truck to pull it so I agreed. I must be perfectly honest here, GS has been professional & courtious all 3 times we have needed thier help. But as a mechanic I prefer to do my own work if at all possible, so I will be changing come Nov when I renew my ERS.

I missed the fine print when I bought GS coverage. I did see there was no mileage limit to how far they will tow you. This looked very inviting. I previously had AAA for the autos, did not have the RV then. AAA Plus would tow up to 100 miles to where ever you wanted to go, no questions aked, no additional payment. I now see AAA has service that will tow up to 200 miles for a super upgraded package. your intial cost is more of coarse. What is Coachnets policy here, anyone need a tow beyound the nearest repair center? Did you have to pay any out of pocket for the mileage distance?

[RovinOn]

Just used my CoachNet membership, These people were very helpful to our situation and to making sure that we were safe and a complete follow up on the reslolution to our problem!
They were very responsive and everything happened in the time frame they said it would take.
I will not hesitate in renewing my membership with these folks!

Regards,
RovinOn
05 Southwind 37C