Community Forums

jgeidl · 08-17-2015, 08:26 PM

Well, I just had a very unpleasant interaction with Good Sam Roadside Assistance. I have had this service for 3 years but this is the first time I have had to use them.

I discovered that both of my outside duel tires in back were flat. I attempted to inflate one them but the valve stem was what was leaking and I assume that is what is wrong with the other one. I called Good Sam fully expecting that they would tow the rig in and have the tires repaired. NOPE. Because it was one tire on each side they wouldn't tow it. They wouldn't repair it, period. Their only solution was for me to buy two new tires from them! I was talking with a supervisor, too.

Wanna bet I don't continue using them for road side assistance?

Hope you folks can learn from my experience.

palehorse89 · 08-18-2015, 03:54 AM

Sorry to read of your troubles............you might want to read your roadside policy.....to see what is covered and how it is covered. The tow truck operator done just as he should of, per Goodsam instructions. I also can understand him not want to tow it with 2 flat tires, then he would of been liable if anything would happen. Some times, it is just cheaper to call a tire repair center and have them come out for the repair and pay the bill, depending on what the problem is............in your case, 2 valve stems/labor plus the service call.........
I believe Coachnets tire policy is the same as GS's

Per Goodsam:

Flat Tire Service to Keep You Rolling

Don't worry about the next time you get a flat tire. Let our network of service technicians change it for you. Or, if needed, they will tow your vehicle to the nearest service center.

A Spare When You Need It

Fewer than 5% of motorhomes carry a spare. If you get a flat and don't have a spare, Good Sam Roadside Assistance will help you purchase an RV tire and deliver it on the spot. You just pay for the tire, parts and labor.

Wizard · 08-18-2015, 06:14 AM

I don't think I would want them towing my motorhome just because of flat tires anyway. That would just be asking for more damage. When I checked, GS and CN had the same policies of flat tires.

palehorse89 · 08-18-2015, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jgeidl

Well, I just had a very unpleasant interaction with Good Sam Roadside Assistance. I have had this service for 3 years but this is the first time I have had to use them.

I discovered that both of my outside duel tires in back were flat. I attempted to inflate one them but the valve stem was what was leaking and I assume that is what is wrong with the other one. I called Good Sam fully expecting that they would tow the rig in and have the tires repaired. NOPE. Because it was one tire on each side they wouldn't tow it. They wouldn't repair it, period. Their only solution was for me to buy two new tires from them! I was talking with a supervisor, too.

Wanna bet I don't continue using them for road side assistance?

Hope you folks can learn from my experience.

Pardon my rudeness

Bukiman · 08-20-2015, 10:00 AM

I also had a bad one, I had a blowout on the front, they didn't tow me but sent out a tire shop with a new tire and charged me 498.00 for the tire and install, I can buy the tire all day for 190.00 ??? 310.00 for the install ???? The money went to Good Sam not the tire shop ???

demoon · 08-20-2015, 10:24 AM

Good price Bukiman. What size and brand?

goreds2 · 08-20-2015, 10:42 AM

I had a bad experience with Good Sam. The only time I ever needed a tow and it took almost 3 hours for a truck to come and that was because the Police contacted a company before Good Sam could. Unreal - I am now with Coach-Net and will never look back.

Beabop · 08-20-2015, 07:16 PM

We took GS this year because it was cheaper and we downsized to a small rig with a spare but we only had Coachnet once and had great service. Was towed to a shop further away because the nearest one was in an unsafe part of town and we would be living in the rig for a few days.

2kGeorgieBoy · 08-25-2015, 04:09 PM

jgeidl..I didn't see where you specified what kind of RV you have but with 2 flat tires in the rear on duallys why would you feel that towing it to a shop would be better than driving it? I would think that if the front end has to be lifted that would transfer a lot more load to the rear axle and tires and maybe make a bad situation even worse. If you are driving and lose the 2nd tire you would probably have more control over the vehicle than if it were "hanging" on the back of a tow truck? You also assumed that the other flat tire was a valve stem problem too, perhaps it was due to a cut/puncture and that is why GS wanted to replace the tire.

2kGeorgieBoy · 08-25-2015, 04:23 PM

Bukiman....As demoon asked, what size tire was it and what kind of rig did it go on? There can be a considerable difference in labor and equipment between changing a tire on a Class C and a 40' diesel pusher. Also, how far did the service company have to travel to get to you? 2 blocks is one thing, but 20-30 miles is something entirely different and was it on a weekend, holiday, at night? That all factors into it. As for the price of the tire, you may be able to buy that tire for $190 all day at Discount Tire, etc., but the company that came to help you has a lot of overhead and the markup on their parts and tires helps them to stay afloat so they can be there when you need them. Remember that a lot of these places with really "good" prices aren't available once they close the doors at 6pm or on holidays/weekends. Plus they probably don't offer any roadside service.

Bukiman · 08-26-2015, 10:42 PM

The tire was a (front) 16" on a 21' class c, the tire was a Michelin which like I said I can buy all day for 190.00 anywhere, I think the install price of over 300.00 was overpriced, and remember they made a profit on the tire and profit on the service call, I would guesstimate they made 70.00 on the tire.
and also, I paid Good Sam for a 'service', it all just keeps adding up to lots of money!!

demoon · 08-27-2015, 11:45 AM

Assuming that is a 245/75/R16 (pretty typical for 21' class c), that is about the going price. So your quoted price was steep. When I had my class c, it had a spare, which GS would have changed for me. I now carry an unmounted spare on my class a. It will depend on the provider that my road service calls, on what it will cost to mount and change. I have found that you are at the mercy of where you are. There are only so many providers that do this work for companies like GS and Coachnet. So, sometimes it makes very little difference what you have for a provider. (Been there - done that).
Travel Safe.

demoon · 08-27-2015, 11:46 AM

Assuming that is a 245/75/R16 (pretty typical for 21' class c), that is about the going price. So your quoted price was steep. When I had my class c, it had a spare, which GS would have changed for me. I now carry an unmounted spare on my class a. It will depend on the provider that my road service calls, on what it will cost to mount and change. I have found that you are at the mercy of where you are. There are only so many providers that do this work for companies like GS and Coachnet. So, sometimes it makes very little difference what you have for a provider. (Been there - done that).
Travel Safe.

jrwalkerpa1 · 08-27-2015, 02:13 PM

We had a similar valve stem problem (albeit only one tire). Called good Sam and a local mobile tire repair truck came out. Replaced valve stem at the campground. ....no charge although technically he should of charged us for the new valve stem.. He just said, forget it, it's on,y a $5 part....

We were pleased with the service (1 hour from whence called we were fixed up). But, that varies a lot because all of the people. Good Sam calls are contractors ...some good, some ok, some bad. Good Sam is merely the dispatcher.

Not sure why a tow would be necessary at all? Also not sure why a valve stem issue would require tire replacement either unless it was flat enough to damage the tire.