Community Forums

ChrisDParise · 06-10-2022, 08:17 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigchick

you have to realize that many, if not all, of the roadside assistance companies are just marketing functions and they contract out the actual operations to third parties that represent several different roadside assistance plans. your experience will depend upon what type of rv you have, what the problem is, where you are, who they have on contract in that area, and what the contractors capabilities are.

in our case after several hours the roadside assistance company basically said they could not find a provider in the area and we were on our own. we called the highway patrol and they had a very capable provider to us within an hour. the roadside assistance operation company never called them because they were not on their approved vendor list.

so you pay your premium to one company, if you have an issue you deal with another company, and you actually get your service from somebody else. it's really a crapshoot.

Calling the State Police (not local police or Sherrif) is advice given to me by seasoned OTR truckers.

They will ensure your safety and know the reputable service providers.

Having said that, I carry a Roadside assistance rider on my State Farm motorhome insurance policy - which was very effective twice last year with flat tires and this year I bought GS Premium Roadside Assistance as a backup for a long solo trip.

Kickstand · 06-10-2022, 08:31 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BillJinOR

have a paid service and when the roadside service call center fails you,arrange for it yourself and back bill them. Some have had luck collecting, provided you give them a chance first. Just a thought.

This. I had a remote breakdown. GoodSam tried but couldn’t get a tow. CHP was pissed because I was blocking the lane. They “threatened” me by saying “if you can’t get a tow confirmed we’ll call one in and you have to pay for it.” I had been talking with GS and they couldn’t get anyone, so I chuckled and told CHP “that would be great!” It took them another, oh, 4 or 5 hours for a truck to show up. I got reimbursed for that 1st tow. The only pain was GS rules say if they can’t confirm an authorized repair facility to receive the rig, they will tow you to “nearest safe campground” for the night, and then another tow the next day once repair is confirmed. This wasn’t necessary because the tow driver said there was only one place to repair and we’d end up there regardless. But rules is rules, and so after being towed in and spending the night in a nearby campground, I called again and went through the same nonsense with GS until, you guessed it, they called the same tow guy from the night before. It was 2k in tow when all was said and done- but I wasn’t on the hook for any of it. Had I ignored the GS rule and just paid for the first tow all the way to the repair, it would have saved me a day but cost me $800 out of pocket.

ChrisDParise · 06-11-2022, 12:43 PM

I am convinced they all use the same providers. Ones as good as another.

Where you are, when you need help, all determine who's available.

There's no data to support who's the best. All feedback is anecdotal and its impossible to compare one to the other because of the above circumstances

bigchick · 06-12-2022, 06:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisDParise

I am convinced they all use the same providers. Ones as good as another.

Where you are, when you need help, all determine who's available.

There's no data to support who's the best. All feedback is anecdotal and its impossible to compare one to the other because of the above circumstances

this is so true!

we had roadside assistance through our insurance policy. yet when we had to use it we actually had to interact with a company called alego (alego.com). they were the ones that would only call providers on their approved provider list. when none were available they said we were on our own. they would not go of their list to find a provider. when i asked them if they would reimburse the cost of the tow they said that was between me and my insurance company. how do you contact your insurance company at 1 in the morning? overall a very disappointing experience!

one call to the highway patrol and we had a big rig tow truck on site within an hour!

thegats1 · 06-12-2022, 06:28 AM

There are several threads on this. I forked over the cash for Coach Net when I bought the coach. Based on reading this thread and several others over the last two years, I realize what is going on. When my membership expires, my plan is to first lean on my insurance company's roadside assistance. If that fails, call the state police and see if I can get someone and just pay for it. Since it seems to be a craps shoot, I might as well keep my money and when it happens, just pay for it. Something I've been meaning to do is gain an understanding of how a rig like mine (diesel pusher) is towed. In my 53 years I have found it difficult to rely on others to know how to do things, even if it is their job. When possible, I always do things myself. But on these rigs, there are many things I can't do (of course towing is one of them). I am positive there are very good tow operators out there, but like anything, there are awful ones too I imagine.

twogypsies · 06-12-2022, 01:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisDParise

I am convinced they all use the same providers. Ones as good as another.

Where you are, when you need help, all determine who's available.

There's no data to support who's the best. All feedback is anecdotal and its impossible to compare one to the other because of the above circumstances

How true!

Instead of paying a high price for yearly plan we just added a rider to our vehicle insurance - $6. 60 years of RVing and 16 yr of full-timing we never needed roadside assistance. We kept our vehicles in top maintenance and replaced tires every 5 yr.

bpu699 · 06-12-2022, 01:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ChrisDParise

Calling the State Police (not local police or Sherrif) is advice given to me by seasoned OTR truckers.

They will ensure your safety and know the reputable service providers.

Having said that, I carry a Roadside assistance rider on my State Farm motorhome insurance policy - which was very effective twice last year with flat tires and this year I bought GS Premium Roadside Assistance as a backup for a long solo trip.

Yep, we’ve done this successfully with 2 different roadside assistance plans. No way in hell I’m sitting on the side of a highway for 8-20 hours waiting for a tow. State trooper told me the same thing: if I can’t get towed in an hour or so, they’re towing me out…

Country Road · 06-12-2022, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by twogypsies

How true!

Instead of paying a high price for yearly plan we just added a rider to our vehicle insurance - $6. 60 years of RVing and 16 yr of full-timing we never needed roadside assistance. We kept our vehicles in top maintenance and replaced tires every 5 yr.

Yep! How true x2!!

Rom125 · 06-13-2022, 07:57 PM

Thank you for everyone’s input. I spoke with my insurance company, and they said the road side assistance was added to my policy last renewal. My plan is to keep the coverage from my insurance company and look at AAA and Coach Net.

I know there are a lot of factors that determine response time; location, size of rig and type of assistance needed. As I do a lot travel in rural areas response time will always be an issue. It’s the customer service (lack of follow thru and lies) that I have the issue with.