Community Forums

mrat240 · 11-12-2020, 01:32 PM

I can say from first hand as in yesterday and today, that GS wants to tow to the closest (but not always qualified). I had a freeze plug come out of the head in my 2015 Tiffin. I want it towed to Crosspoint Cummins in Louisville Ky 51 miles away.
GS wants to take it to some mom and pops fix it shop 39 miles away. First they wanted to tow it to a RV dealer that does not even work on chassis and engine problems.
This tow is going to cost around $900.00 dollars.

jelag · 11-13-2020, 12:05 PM

So I've been towed twice.... both with my 5th wheel and both times by my insurance carrier, who FARMS out the service....

1st time was on the ALCAN highway at a milepost.... In Yukon Territory... they honestly had no clue where I was at.... we sat for 5 hours and finally called a tow company recommended by the RCMP... they had been looking for us for 2 hours on the wrong road.... they towing service agent had given them the wrong number for them to reach us.... The tow people were great.... the contractor sucked...

5 years later, different insurance company, sitting in Tri-Cities WA.... on busy highway.... called as I couldn't move the truck 1/2 mile to safety even if I disconnected the trailer... again 4 hours of wait... no a single damn cop stopped as he drove by to render aid... finally a nice guy called, he was contacted by the towing contractor no more than 30 mins from the time he called me.... he was fast, efficient and helped as fast as he could...

Both cases I never saw the bill, insurance company picked up the whole thing... the one in Canada was a 65 mile tow to the closest town, the one in WA state was 4 miles to the repair people I'd chosen...

I think all the companies don't have a real clue how to handle a RV, 5th wheel or motorhome.... and the sad stuff I've hear about Good Sam since the investment people from Camping World bought Good Sam... tells me not to buy their product...

We now have a Class A with a towed Jeep....

best of luck...

ernest917 · 11-15-2020, 09:48 AM

I have CoachNet extended warranty and it comes with free roadside assistance/towing....

I love this policy!!!! CoachNet is absolutely the BEST!!!

Have had to use the towing service twice over the years and both times it was a good experience (other than having our heart in our throats watching our baby being towed)!!!

The extended warranty portion is fantastic!!!!

MtHoodSprint · 11-19-2020, 03:11 PM

I recently added State Farm Roadside Assistance because of finding out things the hard way with AAA and not liking what I learned. I had one of those "we won't tow you if you are on a gravel road no matter how great the gravel road is" experiences, and so did a friend of mine who was on a motorcycle. The other experience - I loaned my car to my daughter who was visiting from out of town, it broke down, I called AAA and they said they would not assist because I was not driving or with the car. In both these instances I should of would of could of if I'd been more astute about the policies in the first place. Still... I kinda don't like AAA anymore!

rogergo4 · 11-19-2020, 03:14 PM

I have AAA RV. Two previous tows, and good experience. They were covered completely. But now there limiting to $500 ea, and a 2 limit, I think a year, starting soon. I called and my last tow was 10 miles, and would have cost us $1000. So trying to find better coverage, not sure where to look. Thinking of GS, but really not convinced which is best.

Any suggestions?

Stevemarshia · 11-19-2020, 03:14 PM

Don't know about State Farm but I don't think Good Sams is worth it from our experience with them. Had a blowout on my tow dolly in West Tn. Called them for help because I couldn't get a jack under the tow dolly. It was night and on the side of the road and heavy traffic. They sent out a wrecker and about 2 hours later they called and said they were about 20 minutes. A State trooper stopped and had a small floor jack. I used it to jack up the dolly with car loaded. I called and cancelled. Couldn't find anyone that had 12" tires in stock. We drove on with the spare on the tow dolly. Got in to New Mexico and the other tire blew. Called them again and after 45 minutes they said they had no one they could send out. So unloaded the car drove back to a small town and bought 2 13" tires and rims. 12" are gone and so is Good Sams. Good luck

01knight · 11-19-2020, 03:26 PM

ok, so is anybody happy with their tow insurance carrier?

arcaguy · 11-19-2020, 03:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 01knight

ok, so is anybody happy with their tow insurance carrier?

Ernest917 seems to be happy, along with a couple more. It seems to me that it depends a lot on the towing company and the particular dispatcher you get at the call center.

BWDavis · 11-19-2020, 03:40 PM

I have used Good Sam Roadside Assistance for flat tires twice. I will never, ever again use Good Sam for anything. In one instance they told me that I would get charged $97, plus a per 1/4 mile fee to dispatch someone to where I was stuck. I called the nearest Les Schwab Tire Center and paid them $60 out of pocket to have them come and solve my problem. The second time GS paid for the dispatch, but then tried to charge me $400 for a single tire. The store that fixed it told me that if I had called them direct they would have charged me ~$120, for the tire, dispatch, and installation. When I filed a complaint with GS they said they work off of contract rates based upon the geographic area. Eventually, they knocked a fee bucks off of their $400 fee, but they are horrible to deal with. Check into your insurance policy for the RV itself. Many of them include roadside assistance.

Chuckge · 11-19-2020, 03:43 PM

I have had AAA roadside service on my cars for years it made sense to extend it to my RV instead of purchasing another plan.

Bonron · 11-19-2020, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PbdBlue

So my Good Sam Roadside coverage is up for renewal and I'm comparing coverages between that and the Emergency Roadside coverage on my State Farm Policy. Not seeing much difference.

- Both say they will tow you to the nearest place where repairs can be made.

- Both cover tire changes, battery, locksmith, etc though neither one covers the cost of the item (I.E - covers changing a tire but not the cost of the replacement tire).

- State Farm cost $10\yr vs $140\yr for Good Sam.

What am I missing?

Ive had GS forever!! and have used them from time to time. They do tow to the nearest repair facility, but what I’ve found lately is they want to send out a mechanic on your dime. Figure $100 per hour plus travel time and if the mechanic can’t resolve the issue then the tow comes out. I had an issue with my slide that had dropped and wouldn’t close. The GS rep. tried for two days to find a mechanic to come out and help me. They finally found a truck repair co who sent out two rather large guys who literally manhandled the slide back in and I was on my way. So it’s all about the service, especially when you’re stuck on the side of the road. IMHO

AFChap · 11-19-2020, 04:15 PM

Believe Good Sam has techs on call 25/7. If you have a problem they get a wielding tech on the phone with you. They can often save the hassle of a service call. I have used CoachNet's techs many times over the years, and only called a wrecker out twice. (And didn't have to use it either time! )

Halbritton · 11-19-2020, 04:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PbdBlue

So my Good Sam Roadside coverage is up for renewal and I'm comparing coverages between that and the Emergency Roadside coverage on my State Farm Policy. Not seeing much difference.

- Both say they will tow you to the nearest place where repairs can be made.

- Both cover tire changes, battery, locksmith, etc though neither one covers the cost of the item (I.E - covers changing a tire but not the cost of the replacement tire).

- State Farm cost $10\yr vs $140\yr for Good Sam.

What am I missing?

We had Good Sam’s when we first bought our 2013 Winnebago Journey and needed to use it once when it broke down on the Florida Turnpike. The rude rep promptly told us they can’t proved service on the turnpike (which turned out not to be true) so we called AAA and they had someone there to help within an hour. We dropped GS and have been AAA ever since.

GScott423 · 11-19-2020, 04:44 PM

I was returning from leaving my 5th wheel in Mesquite and while going through UT my water pump went out. Called State Farm Roadside assistance. A little confusing since I had recently added towing coverage. After they found the records It went smoothly and a tow truck was there in 15
Mins and towed me to the garage of my choice out of 5 options they suggested. I felt it worked well.