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

[DanW]

I am hoping they are reading this thread, still.

I hope they know that they lost me as a potential customer. If Eddie had posted up that AAA saved him instead of leaving him stranded out in the middle of nowhere unless he paid more money on the spot, I would have bought a plan immediately as I am in the market for a roadside assistance plan. Instead, they choose to defend the asshole tow truck driver who is probably screwing everyone else out of their hard earned dollars.

And with that, my one final message to AAA: Get bent and pound sand.

Me, too. I've currently got Verizon Roadside Assitance, but have no idea how they would have done with this. I've been looking at USAA, because they are slightly cheaper, and was also going to explore AAA. Not now. They need to clarify this and be consistent before I pay for their services. In the mean time, I'm going to check with USAA and Verizon to see what they will/won't cover.

Looks like this is costing AAA some business.

 

[wayoflife]

well, looks like AAA hasn't gained any customer service savvy after all these years...

my aunt and uncle had been members with them for many years (I use to kid them they were their original members!)

in the 70's they slid off the road during a snow storm in a small, roll up the sidewalks Utah town. For you young-uns, there were no cell phones so they had to walk to the nearest house they could find to call AAA.

when the driver finally showed up, he pulled them out but then wouldn't drop the car unless they paid him $100 cash for him having to make the drive from a nearby town in a storm. They obviously didn't have the cash so he towed the car to his tow-yard, and wouldn't release the car until he had the additional cash.

They complained to AAA about this extortion but AAA backed the tow driver with a similar canned "here's your finger" answer

This is why I throw all their mailers to join in the trash.

I have Allstate with their roadside assistance and have never had issue with them. The only time I had an issue was when the driver got the wrong directions and was 2 hours later than the time I was told.
I think I got about a dozen calls of apology between Allstate and the tow company...

I pay a little more for Allstate than I probably should but I have never had to fight them on any claim or service - going on 20+ years with them

Well that's a terrible story and I'm sorry to hear it so late. I may have gotten out of this sooner had I known about things like this. Thanks for sharing it with us here.

 

[wayoflife]

Expanding on what you said in bold, I'm curious to know how they knew about the thread Eddie started on here. Makes you wonder :thinking:

Believe me, it was weird to see a link to this thread in the email response he sent my rep, Annette Larsen. I honestly NEVER once brought up WAYALIFE let alone this thread in any of the conversations that I had with AAA.

 

[wayoflife]

Oh, just an update. I cancelled ALL of my AAA and signed up with GEICO. If you can believe it, I actually ended up saving 15% or more on my auto insurance. I even got their roadside assistance with my lower rate. Don't know why I didn't do this sooner.

 

[longarmwj]

Oh, just an update. I cancelled ALL of my AAA and signed up with GEICO. If you can believe it, I actually ended up saving 15% or more on my auto insurance. I even got their roadside assistance with my lower rate. Don't know why I didn't do this sooner.

Does it come with a free gecko??

Don't tell your insurance company that you remove your rear swaybar, they might drop you [emoji6][emoji6]


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[WJCO]

If you can believe it, I actually ended up saving 15% or more on my auto insurance.

Computer animatied geckos don't lie.

 

[wayoflife]

Does it come with a free gecko??

Don't tell your insurance company that you remove your rear swaybar, they might drop you [emoji6][emoji6]

Yeah, but I'll get more flex if I do :crazyeyes:

Computer animatied geckos don't lie.

Apparently! I must say, I was pleasantly surprised to find that I would be saving almost $400 a year just by making the move.

 

[BaddestCross]

Really sucks to hear how you were treated on all sides of this cluster. My family has been members of AAA for almost 50 years. When I call or go in for service and they see my history, you can see a change of expression and the level of service tends to jump up. After hearing this, I may look around at other alternatives. Their discounts aren't even as good as they used to be... Most hotels have better pricing when you book directly now and with Google maps and mobile internet, I haven't used their travel books or maps for years.

Sorry they left you stranded and treated you like shit after the fact. Let us know how your new service works out.

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[Cody Hutchison]

Me, too. I've currently got Verizon Roadside Assitance, but have no idea how they would have done with this. I've been looking at USAA, because they are slightly cheaper, and was also going to explore AAA. Not now. They need to clarify this and be consistent before I pay for their services. In the mean time, I'm going to check with USAA and Verizon to see what they will/won't cover.

Looks like this is costing AAA some business.

I had USAA Road Side Assistance and when my transmission shit out they would only to 30 miles max


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[mcpuck]

There was this time-



And this one


And several more. Never an issue. Now we have to decide if it's worth the risk or just know I have a transport trailer that I can go get in worse case scenerios.



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[Overland_stormtrooper]

has allstate as well .. never been a fan of AAA heard many stories growing up around my grandfolks place

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[Artenen]

I will be inquiring about this tomorrow. AAA provides awesome discounts and shopping online, the AAA dollars earned can equal free memberships, big insurance discounts, instant discounts of 15% or more at local businesses and resturaunts and more. They subcontract a lot of towing companies as they can't self hire that many rigs around the nation. Some contracted shops can't or won't handle things that are outside the norm, but read those other services and most or all of them don't either. Those that handle big rigs, don't blink an eye but the contracted shop with 2 dudes and a light duty rig... they might have troubles.

Either way, it sucks for everyone involved but AAA helps thousands of people a day with breakdowns, I've heard of great stories and I've had to report 2 shops not servicing customers correctly.

I'm not going to let this rest. I don't work for AAA but we do sell their products. PM me the towing company that responded and I'll report with the division that handled this.

Hell, in the Midwest AAA even offers our Wrangler Riders club support & swag. This company is passionate about serving the automotive clubs, let's try and find a solution.

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[OJK12]

Wow! I can't believe what happened! I can tell you they send me ads all the time and I've actually considered it a time or two but after hearing this they can get bent! I've had dealerships tow my lifted Rams with 38's and they never had any trouble with a full size truck on their flatbed being unsafe. Absolutely the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!


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[naysjp]

I've only been a member for 4 years and actually my mother used the membership 3 times with no issues. She of course has a sedan. I purchased them in 2013 when I did the Rubicon Trail in case something happened and needed a tow from a service road once the Jeep limped off the trail. I don't think my 33s would have been an issue but I never knew there was an issue about 4WD vehicles or "loaded" vehicles. That sounds like a POS driver and what stinks is the company is standing beside this idiot. It's unsafe to put your Jeep on a flatbed but not unsafe to do so if you are willing to doll out the Benjamins.

 

[Rocksalt]

AAA is being very shortsighted


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[Trail JK]

Whaaaat? This is too bad. That company has gone downhill over the past couple of years.


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[Modit]

Oh, just an update. I cancelled ALL of my AAA and signed up with GEICO. If you can believe it, I actually ended up saving 15% or more on my auto insurance. I even got their roadside assistance with my lower rate. Don't know why I didn't do this sooner.

Sucks to hear what AAA did to a loyal customer but it seems that's the way all service oriented companies are going these days. They'll do anything they can to wiggle out or up-sell you.
Out of curiosity, did GEICO guarantee they would have towed you in that situation?

 

[RubiX1]

Aaa

Sounds like the tow truck driver brings a whole new meaning to DICKHEAD. Apparently AAA has know loyalty to its paying customers. Sorry to hear of all that BS .

 

[g00se04]

I was about to sign up for AAA..... might have to redirect that money elsewhere. Thanks for the insight

 

[wayoflife]

Really sucks to hear how you were treated on all sides of this cluster. My family has been members of AAA for almost 50 years. When I call or go in for service and they see my history, you can see a change of expression and the level of service tends to jump up. After hearing this, I may look around at other alternatives. Their discounts aren't even as good as they used to be... Most hotels have better pricing when you book directly now and with Google maps and mobile internet, I haven't used their travel books or maps for years.

Sorry they left you stranded and treated you like shit after the fact. Let us know how your new service works out.

When we were still out in SoCal, Cindy and I had Wawaneesa for auto insurance and had it for over 25 years. Without question, they had the lowest rates and best service and the only condition was that you had a squeaky clean record. Because they didn't offer roadside assistance, we had been using AAA for that and bumped up to being a Premium Member over 10 years ago. While the maps were awesome back before GPS and the discounts decent for a time, they've become pretty much useless today and so towing service was about all they were worth having anymore and apparently, not even that.

I'm hoping that I won't ever need to use my new service but I'll be sure to keep everyone posted about my experience should the need arise.

There was this time-

And this one

And several more. Never an issue. Now we have to decide if it's worth the risk or just know I have a transport trailer that I can go get in worse case scenerios.

Yup, like I've said time and time again, we had AAA Premium Service for well over 10 years and have used them without any problems. Now that I know they allow their drivers to extort you for money and will defend their actions by throwing policy at you, I no longer have a need for them. If absolutely needed, I can pay for a tow to the nearest town, find a ride or rent a car to drive home, pick up my trailer and save myself.

I will be inquiring about this tomorrow. AAA provides awesome discounts and shopping online, the AAA dollars earned can equal free memberships, big insurance discounts, instant discounts of 15% or more at local businesses and resturaunts and more. They subcontract a lot of towing companies as they can't self hire that many rigs around the nation. Some contracted shops can't or won't handle things that are outside the norm, but read those other services and most or all of them don't either. Those that handle big rigs, don't blink an eye but the contracted shop with 2 dudes and a light duty rig... they might have troubles.

Either way, it sucks for everyone involved but AAA helps thousands of people a day with breakdowns, I've heard of great stories and I've had to report 2 shops not servicing customers correctly.

I'm not going to let this rest. I don't work for AAA but we do sell their products. PM me the towing company that responded and I'll report with the division that handled this.

Hell, in the Midwest AAA even offers our Wrangler Riders club support & swag. This company is passionate about serving the automotive clubs, let's try and find a solution.

The minute AAA started waiving their terms and conditions in my face and effectively blamed me for being left stranded on the side of the road, they lost my business for good. They weren't interested in helping me when I needed it the most nor were they interested in finding a solution to help me in the future. Needless to say, I am not interested in finding a solution for them.

Wow! I can't believe what happened! I can tell you they send me ads all the time and I've actually considered it a time or two but after hearing this they can get bent! I've had dealerships tow my lifted Rams with 38's and they never had any trouble with a full size truck on their flatbed being unsafe. Absolutely the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!

Yup, getting a tow is not the issue. Hell, even the driver who came out for me said he could for $600-$700. I just see no need to pay for a service that won't help me when I need it the most.

I've only been a member for 4 years and actually my mother used the membership 3 times with no issues. She of course has a sedan. I purchased them in 2013 when I did the Rubicon Trail in case something happened and needed a tow from a service road once the Jeep limped off the trail. I don't think my 33s would have been an issue but I never knew there was an issue about 4WD vehicles or "loaded" vehicles. That sounds like a POS driver and what stinks is the company is standing beside this idiot. It's unsafe to put your Jeep on a flatbed but not unsafe to do so if you are willing to doll out the Benjamins.

The drivers actions were inexcusable but for AAA to stand behind it, that's just ridiculous. But, it is their right to do so and it is my right to take my business elsewhere.