CANCELED My AAA Premier Road Side Assistance - Think You're Covered? Think Again

[Ali79]

So just for my own knowledge, a Jeep can be towed while T-case and trans are in neutral? Or Flat bed is a requirement?
My Jeep is not heavily modified as yours, 315/70R17's and a 2" Mopar lift.

 

[ColoradoJKUR]

Sorry you had a bad experience sounds like the driver was simply a lazy a**hat. I had mine towed by AAA last weekend when I snapped a trackbar mount off the axle. I'm sitting on tons and 40s and the driver thanked me for letting him do something interesting for a change.

 

[wayoflife]

From my perspective, AAA can go screw themselves. Any time I get the opportunity I will be sure to let my friends know of this situation, which from my read goes like this:

1. AAA and the tow outfit are happy to help under their terms as they all make a bigger profit using the smaller (non-flatbed) two truck and a short distance.
2. The tow truck driver has no idea about customer service, and AAA does nothing about their bad attitude and tone.
3. The tow-truck drive and AAA (even after some time to think about it), cannot specify why it would be unsafe to haul your particular Jeep.
4. The tow truck outfit would be happy to tow you for a huge out of pocket fee, which apparently now makes it safe to tow your Jeep.
5. AAA stands by their story because they did the math and figured they will not profit from this single request, completely neglecting all the other vehicles you have and the many years you have paid them for service.

Am I missing anything? AAA has a whole different meaning now, which I will refrain from spelling out here.

As an aside, about a year ago I was touring around the east side of Bishop. Just as a I returned to pavement, a side wall blew out. When I went to change the tire, two of the lug nuts simply wouldn't budge for me and I had no on-board impact tools to loosen the offending lug nuts, so I phoned a towing outfit in Bishop. They asked if I had AAA, which I did not (and never will). Regardless, they hustled out with a cordless impact gun and I was on my way. Later I recalled I had a small line item in my auto insurance which covered the expense for the help, so I was pleasantly surprised.

You aren't missing a thing. In fact, I think you've about nailed it. Glad to hear you were able to get help out in Bishop in spite of not having AAA.

I've had good experiences with AAA many times, and it sounds like most of us have. The problem I see here, which is a major one, is that AAA decided to let one of their drivers extort money because he didn't feel like bringing the proper tow truck which was requested. That is totally unacceptable and AAA should have dropped that driver immediately. I would be furious if I was in the same situation.

That driver should have been able to get the other truck, covered under the AAA plan. What if the request was called in saying all 4 wheels were locked up. Then he would HAVE to use a flatbed, and it would be covered under the AAA tow plan. The driver was just a seedy extortionist who didn't get reprimanded for his terrible service at all.

And that is ultimately why I cancelled AAA. The fact that they're standing behind their driver who clearly was trying to extort money from me is just crazy. While it may not be the norm, it only takes one to leave you stranded.

So now it's official, who are you going to go with as far as roadside assistance? Like I mentioned, I'm in the market for a plan but definitely don't want to go through AAA.

I'm shopping around for a new insurance company now and will see what they have to offer. Until then, if needed, I'll just call a local towing company and deal with it.

 

[maragon5]

Glad I saw this I was just about to renew my AAA membership today and am now having second thoughts after reading the BS Eddie had to go through and also the BS response from corporate. I wonder what would be a good alternative in NJ?

 

[Fireslayer]

Aaa

Wouldn't it have been easier to have the 1st tow truck lift the front wheels up and drop the rear driveshaft and be on your way home? Just saying.

 

[austin160]

I ditched AAA last year for USAA. I didn't like the customer service at all.

On another note: Tow trucks(at least my Repo truck) that are a wheel lift should have wheel dollies for the rear wheels. I used to use them when I was repossessing a 4wd so not to damage the transfer case if I couldn't get into the truck. Basically, they are a dolly that you lift the rears onto so that the rear wheels are a couple inches off the ground. Sounds like the driver was a dbag and not very good at his job anyway.

 

[CombatDiver]

Dear Mary Blackhead

I have been thinking AAA was a waste of money, now I have the evidence I need to justify cancelling mine. Thanks Oh!

 

[wayoflife]

So just for my own knowledge, a Jeep can be towed while T-case and trans are in neutral? Or Flat bed is a requirement?
My Jeep is not heavily modified as yours, 315/70R17's and a 2" Mopar lift.

A factory t-case can be flat towed so long as the t-case is in neutral. Lots of people pull JK's behind motorhomes this way. Moby has an Atlas transfer case and it is not a good idea to flat tow or sling tow with it. I would have needed to pull the rear drive shaft to do it.

Sorry you had a bad experience sounds like the driver was simply a lazy a**hat. I had mine towed by AAA last weekend when I snapped a trackbar mount off the axle. I'm sitting on tons and 40s and the driver thanked me for letting him do something interesting for a change.

Like I've been saying, over the last 10 years, I have good experience with AAA and to the point where I have recommended their services to everyone I could. It just takes one time to leave you stranded unless you're willing to pay $600-$700. The fact that AAA will stand behind extortion like this and defend it by throwing policy at me is just unacceptable. That was me a few weeks back - it could be you tomorrow.

 

[Breer]

As a current AAA customer I now have my doubts. They have towed my CJ5 without any issues in the past via flatbed as the Dana 18 transfer case will grenade itself being driven by the rear axle during a tow. After seeing this thread I now worry if I am going to be left stranded. If I had to call AAA today I would be worried whether or not everything would work out and those situations are already stressful enough. I have never had to worry in the past as I thought I would be covered without question... Going to start looking for roadside assistance through my auto insurance provider right now, I dont have $600-$700 to drop on the spot to pad the wallet of some tow truck driver.

 

[wayoflife]

Glad I saw this I was just about to renew my AAA membership today and am now having second thoughts after reading the BS Eddie had to go through and also the BS response from corporate. I wonder what would be a good alternative in NJ?

Again, it was the response from corporate that ultimately made me cancel my service with them. It was just one guy and one experience but they made it crystal clear that if their driver can't extort $600-$700 from me, my Jeep will be determined to be "unsafe" to tow and okay to leave me stranded.

Wouldn't it have been easier to have the 1st tow truck lift the front wheels up and drop the rear driveshaft and be on your way home? Just saying.

Well duh. Only problem is, you'd have to get your hands dirty, take time out of a busy day to do it and you wouldn't be able to make an easy $600-$700.

I ditched AAA last year for USAA. I didn't like the customer service at all.

On another note: Tow trucks(at least my Repo truck) that are a wheel lift should have wheel dollies for the rear wheels. I used to use them when I was repossessing a 4wd so not to damage the transfer case if I couldn't get into the truck. Basically, they are a dolly that you lift the rears onto so that the rear wheels are a couple inches off the ground. Sounds like the driver was a dbag and not very good at his job anyway.

For me, the bottom line is that the driver actions were inexcusable and AAA is choosing to stand behind him.

 

[Riflefan]

This is disappointing to read. I too have been a member for over 10 years. In addition to my membership, I have AAA as my home and auto insurance provider. The first thing I did when my son started to ride with his friends to practice, was add him to my membership. I also added my mother as she is getting older and I wanted to make sure she was covered. There was nothing unsafe or illegal about property towing a modded Jeep, if they simply deployed the right tool. I too have a slightly modded Jeep, so now I have lost trust in AAA. I also have a Porsche Carrera and it too would require a flatbed for towing. My wife has an LR3 and it would need a flatbed to be towed safely. Now that is 3 out of 4 of my vehicles that I have to worry about being rejected when I need AAA. Time to start shopping around....




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[wayoflife]

As a current AAA customer I now have my doubts. They have towed my CJ5 without any issues in the past via flatbed as the Dana 18 transfer case will grenade itself being driven by the rear axle during a tow. After seeing this thread I now worry if I am going to be left stranded. If I had to call AAA today I would be worried whether or not everything would work out and those situations are already stressful enough. I have never had to worry in the past as I thought I would be covered without question... Going to start looking for roadside assistance through my auto insurance provider right now, I dont have $600-$700 to drop on the spot to pad the wallet of some tow truck driver.

Up until now, I've never had something like this happen before to me nor have I see it happen to others. I literally can post pic after pic of friends of mine getting flat towed home. This one instance, the actions taken by this one driver was truly an eye opener for me but what is even more troubling is the fact that AAA would defend it and blame me for not reading their terms and conditions.

 

[Mojorisen]

To Your Point

I think to your point that the tow service never mentioned "safety" as a concern and offered a flat bed at a larger rate indicates the tow driver as having personal issue with you and not having a safety concern. In that last letter they refer to the driver having safety concerns which is not accurate by your account. It seems the person who wrote that last note did not read any of your emails only went by what he was told.

I personally have never had an issue with AAA but I wonder if this will be the case going forward. Of course my Jeep is an 04 TJ so it's not the same size as your Jeep.

What other roadside services are their?

 

[wayoflife]

This is disappointing to read. I too have been a member for over 10 years. In addition to my membership, I have had AAA as my home and auto insurance provider. The first thing I did when my son started to ride with his friends to practice, was add him to my membership. I also added my mother as she is getting older and I wanted to make sure she was covered. There was nothing unsafe or illegal about property towing a modded Jeep, if they simply deployed the right tool. I too have a slightly modded Jeep, so now I have lost trust in AAA. I also have a Porsche Carrera and it too would require a flatbed for towing. My wife has an LR3 and it would need a flatbed to be towed safely. Now that is 3 out of 4 of my vehicles that I have to worry about being rejected when I need AAA. Time to start shopping around....

Believe me, it was disappointing for me to experience and the only reason why I am sharing it with all of you is so that you won't have to experience it for yourself.

 

[Sahara_Maverick]

That sucks. I had AAA in the past and cancelled when my insurance company started offering roadside assistance.
Good reason to not rely on AAA since it leaves too much in the hands of the local service provider and apparently does not care about customer satisfaction.


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[chili4x4]

Aaa

We got rid of our premier service a while ago... still have the basic coverage for little things like battery failures and such... you just hate the whole insurance game where they are your best friend as long as you are paying and not using any service!!

 

[wayoflife]

I think to your point that the tow service never mentioned "safety" as a concern and offered a flat bed at a larger rate indicates the tow driver as having personal issue with you and not having a safety concern. In that last letter they refer to the driver having safety concerns which is not accurate by your account. It seems the person who wrote that last note did not read any of your emails only went by what he was told.

I personally have never had an issue with AAA but I wonder if this will be the case going forward. Of course my Jeep is an 04 TJ so it's not the same size as your Jeep.

What other roadside services are their?

I think that's what frustrated me the most about this whole exchange - the fact that AAA is taking their drivers word that it wasn't safe to tow my Jeep over mine saying that he would for $600-$700. It's like they're completely glossing over the fact that I was being extorted for money in order to receive help. I literally have no reason to make any of this shit up and the only thing I did was share my honest experiences on the survey they sent me. They asked and I told them and now I'm the one to blame for being left stranded. The whole thing is just laughable.

 

[Randy Tadevich]

Thats horrible. I agree with some others about that driver. I have never been a driver, but in speaking with one, they get paid by the job. Once mentioned that you needed a flat bed, he got irritated because he was going to lose his pay check for that job. Then trying to get you to just say hell with it and accept the type of tow truck he had with this overly priced fees for a different one. Well in the end, he lost out on a pay check.
And unfortunatly for AAA in accepting drivers with attitudes like this, they are losing out too.

Sent from my SM-J320V using WAYALIFE mobile app

 

[I Rock]

Timely advice. Was just going to purchase this service for my son .

UPDATE: 06/22/2017
Being that I had not heard back from AAA since the last time I spoke with them and was asked to hold off on the cancellation of my premier membership, I contacted them yet again and requested this be done now. To this, I was asked to be patient a just bit longer so that the matter could be looked into and today, I received the following email. Apparently, this message was sent to my representative by Dongie Royster, the Member Experience Supervisor.



There you have it and right from the top. I must say that I was interested to see that they found WAYALIFE and this thread even though I NEVER made mention of either. Of course, in spite it, they are clearly choosing to hold their ground. While that's not surprising, it is disappointing see and it's why I have made yet another request to cancel my so called "service" and have the balance of my annual payment refunded to me. Certainly, there's no reason to pay for help that I might really need, if there's no guarantee they'll provide it.

I should note that Annette was in fact very pleasant to work with and she seemed genuinely interested in helping me even though I had not asked for it. It's a shame the company she works for is incapable of learning from her.

My son just completed his commitment to the USAF and will be driving home from Colorado in about a month . Was going to buy him AAA in case he ran into any trouble on the trip , was also thinking about buying through our auto insurance which has a few more benefits in the form of logging if needed . Just made my decision easy. Thank you.

 

[wayoflife]

That sucks. I had AAA in the past and cancelled when my insurance company started offering roadside assistance.
Good reason to not rely on AAA since it leaves too much in the hands of the local service provider and apparently does not care about customer satisfaction.

If you don't mind me asking, who are you insured with now?

We got rid of our premier service a while ago... still have the basic coverage for little things like battery failures and such... you just hate the whole insurance game where they are your best friend as long as you are paying and not using any service!!

Yup, pretty much nailed it.

Thats horrible. I agree with some others about that driver. I have never been a driver, but in speaking with one, they get paid by the job. Once mentioned that you needed a flat bed, he got irritated because he was going to lose his pay check for that job. Then trying to get you to just say hell with it and accept the type of tow truck he had with this overly priced fees for a different one. Well in the end, he lost out on a pay check.
And unfortunatly for AAA in accepting drivers with attitudes like this, they are losing out too.

Sent from my SM-J320V using WAYALIFE mobile app

You know, I get that AAA can't have control of every driver that works for them but for them to defend his actions and blame me for being left stranded is just nuts. They definitely lost me.