Forum Discussion

CATCRAW's avatar
CATCRAW
Explorer
Jun 21, 2015

My 1st experience with Good Sam Roadside Assistance = BAD

The good news is that in almost 5 years as a GS Roadside member, this was the first time I had to use the service. Luckily it was for my SUV and not my RV. My car was in my garage and would not start, totally dead. Having a new battery I was not sure what the problem was. I called GS Roadside and told them my issue. They asked for the make, model and year of my vehicle. They asked the issue and I told them that my car was in my garage at home and would not start, I told them we had just had a new battery installed within the last 2 months. I told them that they could try and jump start it but if that did not work then I would need the car towed to my dealer (3 miles) away. I was told that I would have to pay for the tow. They said that if they try to jump start the car and it was unsuccessful then the tow is considered a 2nd incident for which I had to pay. So I had no choice but to just have them tow it and not try to start it. I was put on hold and when he returned to the phone I was told he was having trouble finding someone to tow my RV! I told him again it was a SUV for which I had given him the info on - he said oh yea, well do you know anyone that can tow it? On the phone for 45 minutes before he found someone to send.

This whole thing did not seem right so I pulled my GS brochure and it clearly stated that trying to start the vehicle and towing it if it wouldn't start was covered. So the next day I called Customer service to inquire and was told the same thing. I referred them to their brochure and was then told oh yea we'll cover it. I asked why she had just told me it wasn't covered? Reply - because other reps tell customers that. So how many fraudulent fees are GS customers paying?? A manager did call me and told me that she was right to tell me it wasn't covered - because if I call and ask for someone to jump start my car and it doesn't start then the tow is not covered. But if they send someone out and they try to start the vehicle and it doesn't work then the tow is covered. I had not asked for someone to specifically come and jump start my car, I merely said that if they could not start it then it needed to be towed! WORD GAMES I am so sorry that I ever left AAA, I never had this issue when I had to call them.....My impression of GS Roadside based on my 1st time using them - the people I spoke to are incompetent or they are intentionally scamming their customers!

17 Replies

  • I believe it depends on the rep you get as to what is covered...that seems to be a training issue.

    I have called for a battery jump while my RV is in storage. The jump would not start the RV. I went and got a new battery and it still would not start.....called GS again (same day) and they sent someone out to tow the RV.....paid for both. I did pay extra for a couple of extra miles cause I wanted it towed to the Ford dealer.
  • The vehicle was in your garage. How is that roadside assistance? Just asking. Am I missing something?..Dennis

    From their brochure:
    Q:
    What is Good Sam Roadside Assistance?
    A:


    If that is the case then that should be made very clear to customers when purchasing the policy and the GS representative should have made that clear on the phone as well. Contrarywise, the OP indicates the issue was not the vehicle located at home, it was the tow truck towing the car to a repair facility after jump starting or not the car. The entire issue is beyond silly to me. The car is dead and needs help-- either a jump or tow. Why can't GS just make the customer happy if the tow truck is already at the customers home?
  • Executive wrote:
    The vehicle was in your garage. How is that roadside assistance? Just asking. Am I missing something?..Dennis

    From their brochure:
    Q:
    What is Good Sam Roadside Assistance?
    A:

    The Roadside Assistance plans provided on this website keep RVs and household vehicles protected in the case of roadside breakdowns. Established in 1984, Good Sam Roadside Assistance has handled nearly two million roadside breakdowns. Designed with RVers in mind, Good Sam Roadside Assistance gets you the right tow truck for the size of your rig. Benefits include help should you have a tire blowout, need towing, run out of fuel, lock your keys in your vehicle, or experience any other disablement.


    "....or experience any other disablement."

    It most certainly covers the car in the garage. Further the Term "Roadside" is so general and meaningless that his garage can easily be considered "By the Side of the Road". In Fact most companies use the term "Breakdown" Which is only slightly more specific. But in any case I think the OP has the right of it.
  • The vehicle was in your garage. How is that roadside assistance? Just asking. Am I missing something?..Dennis

    From their brochure:
    Q:
    What is Good Sam Roadside Assistance?
    A:

    The Roadside Assistance plans provided on this website keep RVs and household vehicles protected in the case of roadside breakdowns. Established in 1984, Good Sam Roadside Assistance has handled nearly two million roadside breakdowns. Designed with RVers in mind, Good Sam Roadside Assistance gets you the right tow truck for the size of your rig. Benefits include help should you have a tire blowout, need towing, run out of fuel, lock your keys in your vehicle, or experience any other disablement.
  • My impression of GS Roadside based on my 1st time using them - the people I spoke to are incompetent or they are intentionally scamming their customers!


    Just wait! Soon you will get a response from the rapid response team letting you know that they have forwarded your issue to appropriate people for review. Sadly, the time it takes for all GS's reviews and wordsmithing could have been invested in just getting a tow truck to your home.
  • So GS first response is to try and scam their way out of doing anything.
    Nice.
  • What a shame, it just seems more and more like no one can get it right, big business really screws everything up, and small business has been forced out....

About Customer Support

Our Customer Service team is available to assist you any time between 6am-10pm MST. Ask a question about your account, recent order, and more.2,694 PostsLatest Activity: Mar 09, 2026