Triple A (road service) rant

[ultrarunner]

AAA members are pretty much out of luck without a cell phone or cell signal.

Dispatch sends out messages to confirm you still require service and are with the vehicle...

If you do not acknowledge the text the call will be cancelled... happened to two people I know...

One guy walked to a bluff to get cell signal and was told to wait by the vehicle... there was no cell service at the vehicle.

Another happened at the hospital and I made the call for the woman on the landline... 3 hours later still waiting for a jump and AAA said text messages not confirmed...

 

[oosik]

Where I'm most likely to need service - nobody will ever be able to reach with a wrecker. I got there - I'll have to extract on my own.

And this dictates how, when and where I go. It's a whole lot easier to pull a pair of rubber boots out of the mud than a vehicle.

 

[Streetcar]

In my area, AAA dispatches from call center that is over 100 miles away. They have no idea where they are sending the tow truck

 

[Sigarms]

Adding towing to my Allstate auto insurance policy is cheaper than triple A. And they dispatch a tow truck immediately after you contact them.

Needless to say, will be looking at that down the road (as far as motor club options and what they offer).

AAA is kind of sentimental to me because my parents bought my first membership as a Christmas present, which I did for my kids when they got their drivers license.

For 30 years WHEN I needed to call, they have been invaluable. Just so happens the one time they let me down was when my son was stuck 2 hours away trying to get home for the weekend. I almost feel guilty because I had to call AAA myself because I didn't believe what he was telling me.

From a business standpoint, I starting to see why if I'm a owner operator, I wouldn't want to deal with a company who won't come close to paying my rates if I want to operate a business (in hindsight, this is exactly why I tell people NEVER to buy a third party home warranty for their own HVAC system that the contractor doesn't offer themselves). That said, from a vehicle tow option, not certain why they don't offer a flat rate dollar amount for towing per mileage and they just reimburse you on the total paid to ensure you can get a timely tow.

Hopefully this will be a teaching moment for him to never rely on someone else, and sometimes if you want help, you got to think it through and do it yourself. Thankfully he had his power charger for his phone because his car couldn't charge it. Also a teachable moment about budgeting and making sure you have the money for emergencies in case you need it. Son has been a great kid, but his kryptonite has been his car and now a new girlfriend that leaves us scratching our heads. That said, in the grand scheme of things, could be worst things out there (as long as he doesn't marry his current "girlfriend") LOL ...

 

[stuckmotor]

My parents got me a triple A card which had proved invaluable over the years, and I got my boys the same card.

Son was coming home from the Air Force Base to sell a rear axel he had up for sale, get a phone call...

His car was having electrical issues on I-77 north of Columbia SC and he was sitting on an off ramp. He called Triple A before us, Triple A told him they couldn't get a tow truck driver out until tomorrow sometime. I called Triple A, they had his case on file, and was told the same thing.

I called a local tow truck driver (to the town where my son was stuck in SC) and he's towing the truck back to the AFB. I'll talk to my son about what he should have done on his own, but I could tell he was frazzled.

I'm just wondering now exactly what am I paying for with Triple A?

Don't get me wrong, moving to WV in my VW, had to get a hour tow from Maryland into WV at 2 in the morning. More than a couple of times over 30 years that card has helped me, but now I'm just scratching my head.

Law of economics I guess. For what triple A may pay vs the amount of tow trucks vs the people that are members that might need a tow is getting to the point where they can't keep up?

Rant over...

Plus note, tow truck driver who actually cared and picked up the phone who is in business was actually kind of refreshing. Kids screaming the back ground on his end and he was apologizing because they get cranky at night and loud..Told him I just appreciated the fact that he picked up the phone.

Wife told me as I'm typing this that our son texted and getting the car towed back an hour south of him.

I believe it was Easter weekend last year, 2024 that I called the number on my AAA card several times and waited for hours before finally calling numbers I found online and located the man who'd bought the local AAA contract. He hadn't heard from the dispatcher in all of those hours and had to have their order before towing me. He gave me a different number or someone different to ask for, I don't remember which. I called that number, they called him and he sent his driver out quickly.

Until finding this thread, I thought my problem was a glitch because it was Easter Weekend. If there's a better nationwide towing company please tell me it's name. I want one with the kind of service I used to get from AAA. I thought the franchise required them to arrive in an hour or less.

 

[stuckmotor]

Gaiko is $10 for 6 months no limitation I think

How long does it take for a Geiko truck to arrive?

 

[ultrarunner]

Where I'm most likely to need service - nobody will ever be able to reach with a wrecker. I got there - I'll have to extract on my own.

And this dictates how, when and where I go. It's a whole lot easier to pull a pair of rubber boots out of the mud than a vehicle.

 

[kenmac]

I know people that had AAA, but after spending hours on the side of the road waiting on AAA to change their flat tire, they are no longer members. I have also known members that sat waiting for hours for a jump off as well. You'll what you need from them at their convenience, not yours !

 

[jyoutz]

Needless to say, will be looking at that down the road (as far as motor club options and what they offer).

AAA is kind of sentimental to me because my parents bought my first membership as a Christmas present, which I did for my kids when they got their drivers license.

For 30 years WHEN I needed to call, they have been invaluable. Just so happens the one time they let me down was when my son was stuck 2 hours away trying to get home for the weekend. I almost feel guilty because I had to call AAA myself because I didn't believe what he was telling me.

From a business standpoint, I starting to see why if I'm a owner operator, I wouldn't want to deal with a company who won't come close to paying my rates if I want to operate a business (in hindsight, this is exactly why I tell people NEVER to buy a third party home warranty for their own HVAC system that the contractor doesn't offer themselves). That said, from a vehicle tow option, not certain why they don't offer a flat rate dollar amount for towing per mileage and they just reimburse you on the total paid to ensure you can get a timely tow.

Hopefully this will be a teaching moment for him to never rely on someone else, and sometimes if you want help, you got to think it through and do it yourself. Thankfully he had his power charger for his phone because his car couldn't charge it. Also a teachable moment about budgeting and making sure you have the money for emergencies in case you need it. Son has been a great kid, but his kryptonite has been his car and now a new girlfriend that leaves us scratching our heads. That said, in the grand scheme of things, could be worst things out there (as long as he doesn't marry his current "girlfriend") LOL ...

I have used Allstate towing several times during the past 30 years. I call their 24 hour number, tell them my location and they call a local towing service. Within 15 minutes the towing service calls me to find out my location and situation. They tow to a local repair location and I sign their document. No charge to me; Allstate handles the arrangements with the towing company. And for a small monthly cost as a policy option.

 

[D&D]

How long does it take for a Geiko truck to arrive?

Check the details of their offer, see how they get service dispatched. Everybody is cinchy on service now. They only pay for tow to nearest repair facility (Walmart, Pep Boys, etc. not necessarily dealership). Customer would pay out of pocket for a different facility (unless closer distance). They just contract with local towing companies, these are (for the most part) not franchise services. There are no real service satisfaction guidelines. For most of the companies offering roadside, the most they will offer is free or reduced price on your next bill.

On the flip side, depending on where you live, towing is going way up so insurance to pay for some of the bill may be worth it to you. Locally, a 10 mile tow (accessible, on road) is 200 + (2/per mile after 10), flat tire change 75 +, jump 50+. Accident recovery is 250+, 35/day storage. Off road recovery is 100 to show then 2.00/foot + regular towing fees. Most companies won’t let their trucks off the asphalt.