AAA road assistance shortcomings

[ntinling]

I learned something about AAA this weekend. On a saturday afternoon my RV became disabled on an interstate 5 in remote Northern California near Weed. As as a premium member, I called AAA for a tow. Forgetting for the moment the insane method they have for requesting assistance, and the incompetence of the dispatcher that handled my request (they sent out a rig that could not tow a class A), I ended up being told that the best they could do was to have a tow truck arrive the next morning, Sunday. Not knowing any better, I agreed with his suggestion that I leave the keys in the rig and find a place to stay for the night. The next morning I was told that they could not find a tow until Monday or Tuesday. At this point I decided to see if I could try to arrange for a tow myself. I googled tow service for the Weed area and found something right in Weed, just 5 miles from my parked RV. In my conversation with the tow truck dispatcher, she told me that she had been contacted earlier by AAA, given them a quote and told that they would first have to get authorization, but never called back. In other words, AAA could have sent out the proper truck Sunday night while I was still there! While I was talking to the company I received a call from a dispatcher with AAA telling me that the reason they could not authorize a tow from the company in Weed was that they did not have a contract with them. If I made my own arrangements and paid for it then I could later request a reimbursement from AAA by filling out form and mailing it to them. I had to do this at my own risk. Of course I did it, and now we will see if they pay me back. The lesson is: AAA may provide a tow, but only with people they have a contract with. Which may cause you a lot of problems.

[MSHappyCampers]

That's why I would never trust a company like that! You get what you pay for! Thanks for the heads-up!

[MrMark52]

Had a similar experience with Good Sam about a month ago - pretty much in the heart of Dallas.
Fortunately with our persistence, 9 hours after the coach died on an exit ramp, we paid for the 14 miles tow ourselves - after dealing with incompetent operators on the other end of the line and 2 tow trucks being sent that our coach dwarfed.

We got the same “contract” story, but finally decided we would rather get the coached moved than let it sit, so paid the near $500.00 bill.

Several emails and long phone conversations, filling of forms out and 2 weeks later, we were totally reimbursed - even though our nearest drop point per our GoodSam’ towing contract was only 3 miles away.

My opinion - tow issues for motorhomes are an industry wide problem. It is horrible - well, it sure is if your broken down. But “good help” in today’s world applies as equally to that industry as it does your favorite restaurant - everyone is understaffed and the help they do get have no motivation to improve their service as they are so desperately needed that who would fire them for doing a bad job?

[scenic route]

I've used CoachNet 3 times. Always came out with the proper equipment for the job at hand. Once, we had to be towed off the gas pump we died on, to the back lot(Sunday)of the truck stop. The next day, they came out again to tow us to a repair facility...both times with tow trucks longer than our class A.

I think CN may have a better understanding on the levels needed to tow larger units and they may deal more with the companies that have the capability. YMMV. Always a bit stressful.

[Dutch Star Don]

I have AAA for my car and truck, both insurance and towing, but for the RV, I use CoachNet. AAA is probably okay for travel trailers, but not really in the business of towing large RV's.

[brialin]

We have two towing companies locally that used to be with AAA. They stopped doing business with them because they would not pay the going rates. Wanted them to work for low dollars.

[cadillac_al]

I have AAA but I always assumed they wouldn't tow my motorhome anyway. That is a much bigger job than just putting a car on a flat bed.

[dizcom]

Spend a few minutes on here and you'll see stories good and bad about every single roadside assistance service out there, and a few you've never heard of. We're covered in a few different ways and I can honestly say I've never had a problem with any of them. We've also never needed a tow, so there's that. As with almost anything RV these days, it pays to get out your phone and the internet and find what you need yourself. That seems like you're doing their job for them, and you are, but you're also saving yourself the hassle and keeping your life moving instead of waiting on someone whose interest doesn't align with yours.

[Bigd9]

Originally Posted by dizcom

Spend a few minutes on here and you'll see stories good and bad about every single roadside assistance service out there, and a few you've never heard of. We're covered in a few different ways and I can honestly say I've never had a problem with any of them. We've also never needed a tow, so there's that. As with almost anything RV these days, it pays to get out your phone and the internet and find what you need yourself. That seems like you're doing their job for them, and you are, but you're also saving yourself the hassle and keeping your life moving instead of waiting on someone whose interest doesn't align with yours.

You hit the nail on the head with the first part of your post!

I use State Farm and when I needed to be towed, I called their roadside assistance number. After verifying who I was and which vehicle I was needing to get towed, they verified the motorcoach's height, weight and length that they had in their records, and said they would find a truck large enough to tow us. I kept getting update calls from them every 15 minutes, and they even notified the local police to swing by and perform a "welfare check".

Long story short, a large truck pulled up 2 hours later, and towed us 52 miles to a Allison Transmission service center.

My cost for the tow was 0$. My yearly fee for the roadside assistance is <$10 per year!

[Teamfoxy]

Our AAA+RV story is the complete opposite of the OP's. The tow company called us directly to make sure the sent the right rig. When asked where we wanted to be towed, we asked them who was good in the area. It turned out that they had a 24 hr mechanic on duty and an arrangement with a parts warehouse to get parts 24/7. They had us on our way at 9pm on the Friday night of a holiday weekend.
Contrast with our friends experience with GS who sent out a service that coulld not change a tire on their pickup truck. Other friends with FMCA, had to wait on the side of I-40 for 29 hours before a tow showed up. You are dependent on whatever tow companies are in the area of your breakdown because all RA companies rely on the same operators in any given location.

[2cyber71]

I bought my first Class A in 1999
I’ve been with Coachnet ever since.
That’s all I can say.
22+ yrs

[Duster73]

Im glad you posted this topic. A few months ago we decided it would be good to get the AAA towing on our old Class A. Now I know what to possibly expect if we experience a breakdown or mishap. Thanks!

[twogypsies]

Originally Posted by Bigd9

I use State Farm and when I needed to be towed, I called their roadside assistance number. After verifying who I was and which vehicle I was needing to get towed, they verified the motorcoach's height, weight and length that they had in their records, and said they would find a truck large enough to tow us. I kept getting update calls from them every 15 minutes, and they even notified the local police to swing by and perform a "welfare check".

Long story short, a large truck pulled up 2 hours later, and towed us 52 miles to a Allison Transmission service center.

My cost for the tow was 0$. My yearly fee for the roadside assistance is <$10 per year!

We used Towing Service through our Progressive Insurance Co. vehicle policy for a mere $6 extra to our vehicle insurance at the time. We broke down in Death Valley with a truck and travel trailer. We called Progressive with the details and they sent TWO long-bed trucks - one for the the pickup which blew it's engine and the other to haul our travel trailer. We rode in the tow trucks. They towed to the nearest facility - 50 miles. We had absolutely no charge for the towing. (The blown engine was another story!) They situated the travel trailer in a nearby campground while they found an engine for the truck. There are other options than Coachnet. Coachnet doesn't own their own tow equipment. Whatever is available in a town is available to all tow operators.

That said, I don't know how AAA works with hauling via flatbeds and large RVs. Best to ask before getting AAA.

[deckape]

After our first break down , calling and waiting , and being towed by a truck wrecker that damaged our front bumper , I made sure that a flat bed would tow the coach if I needed a tow again. After our accident in Iowa this summer , when police asked if I needed a tow , I said yes , I want a flat bed tow truck. Another tow truck showed up for the fault driver and said that his company did not have anything that could tow the coach. Police called dispatch and within a hour a flatbed showed up. Put my overall height at 14' - 15' because of 3' bed height. Since this was in Iowa and route did not have any overpasses ,wire , or lights , we planned route to Winnebago , in Forest City , Iowa , 130 miles , and put us at the factory. His insurance paid the bill.