Good Sams ERS=Ridiculous!!!!
Just finished a 10 day trip where we had a blow out on our travel trailer on the way to our destination. No worries, had a spare, changed it myself and was back on the road. On the way home we had ano...
Forum Discussion
naturist wrote:
I'm not Good Sam's customer service, but I would suggest that saving GS for when you need a tow is worth the cost. Conversely, a blowout absent a wreck caused by said blowout is not a reason to call them, as the OP found out. He did not need a tow, he needed a tire (which a wise wabbit would have acquired immediately after the first blowout). He found one on his own just 5 miles away. And what's more, at a reasonable cost.
It is important to understand how GS and other such insurers work. None of them actually operate towing services, tire shops, or repair facilities, nor do they own any tow trucks. Additionally, their operators are not service writers at such facilities (not that service writers have all that great a reputation for understanding repair issues in fine technical detail).
GS operators, have a database of service providers, and when you call in with a problem, they call a shop or tow truck near you to help you. If you ask the GS operator how much something like that will cost, you are about 3 steps away from the guy who'll do the actual job, so to a certain extent, they are winging it. Meaning that while they will give you a guess on the cost, that guess is by necessity the maximum possible amount, so that the actual charges can't be more than estimated. And she certainly had no control over the actual cost, no doubt provided by the shop they were going to engage for the job.
I have used the GS emergency service when I actually did need a tow due to a blown oil line 25 miles away from help. They were prompt, helpful, and it saved me money over hiring the tow myself. Well worth the cost, never mind the hassle of FINDING a tow truck 2,000 miles from home.
Exactly what Naturist said. The only thing I would suggest for GS is that they refrain from giving any guesstimates as to costs for parts/labor. It's out of their hands. Anybody with a smart phone these days is just as capable of doing what a GS dispatcher does. Unless one needs towing, the expense of which is covered by GS, I say eliminate the middle man and make the service call yourself. Then you can ask "how much"?
