AAA

[gstrom99]

Is anybody else a member?

I was a member, to get the discount on auto/house ins bundle. I moved to Iowa, and have diff insurance now. Just remembered to drop the "Auto Club" membership last year. I had them for 20 years and never used any of the benefit(s)...

 

[jjeff]

It took three people and 10 minutes on hold to find out that the AAA unpaved roads clause IS true! It sounded like it is up to the tow truck driver to make the call if it is a "hazard", which means you won't know until the guy shows up if he'll refuse the tow. Wow, given the surprising number of unpaved public roads here in SE MI the value of AAA membership just went way down. The guy also said if the car is surrounded with snow it must be removed before being towed. I wonder if they will pull someone back out of a snowbank the way they went in or if the entire car has to be dug out first?

I cordially disagree with your definition of an unpaved road. Imo you were probably talking to a minimally paid phone rep. A AAA wrecker driver isn't going to go two tracking, or tear up a lawn to fix some folks lack of judgement nor are they going to shovel your driveway so you can get out of it. When I towed, precariously stuck vehicles I had them sign a damage waiver. Didn't sign it I left. Personally I think they should have a no tow on interstates clause unless the police are there slowing traffic down. Please read below per AAA.

AAA does not guarantee the availability of repair facilities within the towing area.
Vehicles intentionally driven into areas that are dangerous or inadvisable for regular passenger car travel (beaches, fields, construction sites, unpaved roads, etc.) will not be rendered service.
Extrication of vehicles parked on streets, driveways, parking lots or alleys which become snowbound, flooded or in an area impassable due to unplowed snow or flooding are not covered under AAA membership.

 

[Cub 7275]

I was relaying what I was told by the three people I spoke with at AAA. Isn't any road that doesn't have a concrete or asphalt surface considered "unpaved"?

I don't expect AAA to do anything unsafe or go above or beyond a simple tow back to the house where I'll fix the vehicle. In fact I expect less and less from businesses and people any more. I've trailered a few of our cars home when I could have just called AAA. It is mostly about peace of mind knowing that, especially if I'm away, with one call the wife or kids can get towed home without worrying about how much it's going to cost. Considering we travel on dirt roads every day I certainly do not like the unpaved road disclaimer, even if the local tow truck drivers are unlikely to invoke it. It reduces that peace of mind which is the main reason to have AAA in the first place.

 

[kenmbz]

My father always had AAA and trip-tic (sp.?) and guidebooks when I was a kid.
He still uses them for some travel stuff.
I have it as my wife had a tendency to blow out tires when I wasn't around.
I even used it once for a jump start and once when my clutch cable broke.
I also used them to get my international drivers license. Walked in and back out with license in 15 min.

 

[Oaktree]

I cordially disagree with your definition of an unpaved road. Imo you were probably talking to a minimally paid phone rep. A AAA wrecker driver isn't going to go two tracking, or tear up a lawn to fix some folks lack of judgement nor are they going to shovel your driveway so you can get out of it. When I towed, precariously stuck vehicles I had them sign a damage waiver. Didn't sign it I left.

I'm sure a lot of that is up to the discretion of the tow truck driver. There's a huge difference between a well maintained gravel road and some class VI trail, and I totally agree that a driver should be able to refuse to retrieve someone who took their Suburu down some Jeep trail just because they show it in their ads. Maybe some take "unpaved" a bit too literally.

 

[Torvy]

Our county road is "tar and chip". Some would consider it " unpaved", others would consider it "paved".

The historical definition is simply cleared and 'pounded' or flattened roads that made it easier to travel. That evolved into roads that were paved "with" something (often wood or stone) to make them more durable and reduce dust/mud. The modern dictionary definition deviates from the historical in that it defines paved as having some type of hard surface (such as asphalt or concrete) added. The devil is in the details. Gravel is a hard surface added to the surface. Ergo, any road improved with gravel is technically a paved road by modern definition. As one might expect, people who do not have great reading comprehension would insist that only asphalt or concrete paving would count. As with many words, misuse over time tends to twist the meaning beyond the original.

 

[bdhsfz6]

It took three people and 10 minutes on hold to find out that the AAA unpaved roads clause IS true! It sounded like it is up to the tow truck driver to make the call if it is a "hazard", which means you won't know until the guy shows up if he'll refuse the tow. Wow, given the surprising number of unpaved public roads here in SE MI the value of AAA membership just went way down. The guy also said if the car is surrounded with snow it must be removed before being towed. I wonder if they will pull someone back out of a snowbank the way they went in or if the entire car has to be dug out first?

I think a lot has to do with how busy the towing service is. If they have other calls, which pay more than the rock bottom rates AAA pays them, the driver may look for any excuse he can find to refuse the tow.

 

[jjeff]

I think a lot has to do with how busy the towing service is. If they have other calls, which pay more than the rock bottom rates AAA pays them, the driver may look for any excuse he can find to refuse the tow.

In my opinion and experience If that were the case either the tow driver wouldn't have job security much longer or the tow company would lose its contract with AAA. For example if a AAA contracted towing company refused to pick up or drop off a car on a gravel driveway arguing its unpaved? I could see a driver refusing a tow if he had to drive off a gravel road to position his truck so he could reach vehicle with a winch cable though.

 

[Rockbadchild]

The unpaved policy has a lot to due to how hard it is to say where you are, often these roads has no or poor signages and no cell services, so you rely on instruction like drive 5 miles on this road turn left on the 5ft entrance if I recall correctly there where I am. These towing compagnie also have been caught in really bad road like the guy went mudding and got stuck type of deal in an old beat-up concession road... so they simply made a blanket rule no unpaved road.

 

[Oaktree]

Our county road is "tar and chip". Some would consider it " unpaved", others would consider it "paved".

When you say "tar & chip" are you referring to the old-school way of asphalt paving where they'd spread a layer of peastones, spray liquid tar over it, then cover with sand and roll it? I remember that being the way most rural paved roads (even some state highways) being done when I was young. Haven't seen it done that way in decades.