My first time calling Good Sam Roadside Service

We paid for a 3 year membership up front. We are just over 2 years in and it's our FIRST TIME EVER to call them for assistance. Here's how it went.

Here is my Customer Service experience with Good Sam Road Service. I called MONDAY to arrange for a tow truck to pick up our car to haul it to Idaho Falls because we have a flat tire and NO spare. The tires are 'Run Flats'. BUT NOT for 45 miles to Idaho Falls. SO after going around in circles with Customer Service on Monday it was determined that NO service center close to us HAD our tires on hand. I told them that at the beginning of the call as these tires were ORDERED for us ... I had spent HOURS calling 6 difference places asking if they had these tires in stock. OK ... that much has been ascertained.

I am then told that YES, our tow IS COVERED 100%, an appointment has been made for WEDS (day tires will be delivered to BMW), tow truck will arrive at our house on WEDS 1:30 p.m, driver will call at 12:30 pm and advise he's on his way/get directions, etc.. PLENTY of time to get to my 3pm appt. with BMW.

WEDS 12:45 I call Good Sam Road Service and ask "why hasn't the tow truck driver phoned?" Cus Svc Agent "Because we have to set up your service". ME: 'No ... I have an appt. with an appt. # and the driver was to call US at 12:30 pm and BE HERE at 1:30 pm". "It is now 12:50pm and we need to get the tow truck here ... I have a 3pm appt. with BMW to install my tires". Cus Svc Agent "Your appt. and appt. # mean nothing and there IS NO TOW SERVICE SCHEDULED FOR YOU". NOW ... lets determine who is the closest repair center and see if they have your tires in stock" ????

I explain that I did ALL OF THIS on MONDAY ... to avoid EXACTLY what was happening TODAY! Cus Svc Agent says he can NOT give us 100% coverage on the tow and it will cost us $4 a mile beyond their approved mileage. I ask what is the approved mileage? "Well ... it isn't a set mileage ... its just the nearest service center to your location". oh for crying out loud ... I WENT THROUGH THIS ALREADY!

He comes back on the line and says ... "Mrs. Warren ... I read the notes on your account ... it states here you DO have 100% coverage for this tow because NO ONE in the area has these tires." OK

It is 1:10 pm and cus svc agent says the tow truck will be there at 2:30 pm. ??? He then goes on to say "I know you said you have to be somewhere at 3pm ... I'll advise the driver to do a 'no one at home' pick up of your car". ??? Again ... what? R U Kidding me? Not a snowball's chance is someone picking up our car without us getting documentation that said tow truck has our BMW 650i convertible. I corrected the cus svc agent and told him ... again ... "No, I don't have an appt. elsewhere. I have to be AT BMW AT 3pm for MY appt. to get MY tires put on". Get it? My car is getting towed due to a flat tire ... I have an appt. for NEW TIRES to be put on the car. Cus Svc Agent said "Please hold while I call BMW and tell them you won't make that appt." "NO! I will call them and go from there".

This experience has been SO HORRIBLE for my FIRST TIME EVER using Good Same Roadside Service. I was a member of AAA for about 26 years ... and NEVER have I experienced anything so twisted and uninformed and uneducated and simply NOT anywhere close to offering service to the customer.

Roadside Assistance

26 Replies

Good_Sam_Care_T
Explorer II
Jun 25, 2013
Hello All,

marielw824 and I have resolved her issues today from her post. There was another thread started talking about the conclusion. As this issue is solved I will go ahead and close this thread.

Wes Robinson
Marcus' Rapid Response Team
goodsamcs@goodsamfamily.com
wbwood
Explorer
Jun 25, 2013
marielw824 wrote:
Thank you cKarlGo ... you have proven our circumstance to a T. We needed Good Sams ERS to tow the vehicle to a qualified repair center ... i.e. BMW. As stated many times previously ... I had called 6 DIFFERENT tire stores ... no one had THAT tire size in stock ... regular or run flat version.

So in your post you nailed it. I had no way of getting myself and my car safely to a repair station. Sidewall damage can NOT be driven on. This model car does NOT come with a spare tire. We used that service EXACTLY as described in the verbage. THANK YOU!

Actually you did not mention in your original post that you tried to get a tire of the same size. You mentioned they were run flats and no one had THOSE in stock.

You did not mention that it was sidewall damage in your original post either. You did pm stating it was sidewall damage. You have stated it happened 2 miles from home, yet you were ok to drive that far with it?

I know you will take offense to this and so will a few others here, but (unless you have platinum plus) you chose where to take your car too. They had no way of repairing it at the time as the tires had to be ordered. I would see it better if they were the closest place with the correct tire. Or rather that they would go get a tire and mount it for you at your cost of course. But it doesn't seem right that you make an appointment for days later to a dealership , where as the tire could of been ordered and delivered to a closer shop. And with you stating the fact that you were going to have all the tires changed, makes it sound like you are not using what it's intended for. Maybe the selection of words or the use/selection of wording. As the other posted about the brochure , it's not to be used for service.

But all in all, it's going to be good SAMs call on how they handle it. You are going to have to accept the naysayers when painting a picture as you have. I've posted on here and either for brevity or forgetting, I've left out details and it often leads to miscommunication.
marielw824
Explorer
Jun 25, 2013
I LOVE it when haters post and don't read all of the preceding posts in the thread. Enjoy everyone .... but as it has been ascertained ... we used the service and received service EXACTLY as outlined in their policies and brochures.
jdb7566
Explorer
Jun 22, 2013
She called on Monday to make arrangements to have her BMW towed on Wednesday to the BMW dealer in Idaho Falls, for an appointment.
I fail to see the EMERGENCY here. Yes, she had a flat and couldn't operate the vehicle, but the vehicle was safe in her driveway.
What she should have done is, when she made the appointment with the dealer to have the tire replaced, made arrangements with the dealer to have her car towed for the appointment.
FACT: the dealership I work for would have done that for her without fail.
The attempt to use a service for it's unintended purpose, and not get your way, to then label those involved as uneducated is totally uncalled for. JMHO.
jdb7566
Explorer
Jun 22, 2013
robsouth wrote:
Sorry you had a bad experience with GSERS. I have used them 3 times over the last several years with excellent results each time. Must be a regional thing.

No it's not a regional thing, it's a BMW owners thing. I deal with these people on a daily basis.
Good_Sam_Care_T
Explorer II
Jun 21, 2013
marielw824 wrote:
Thank you cKarlGo ... you have proven our circumstance to a T. We needed Good Sams ERS to tow the vehicle to a qualified repair center ... i.e. BMW. As stated many times previously ... I had called 6 DIFFERENT tire stores ... no one had THAT tire size in stock ... regular or run flat version.

So in your post you nailed it. I had no way of getting myself and my car safely to a repair station. Sidewall damage can NOT be driven on. This model car does NOT come with a spare tire. We used that service EXACTLY as described in the verbage. THANK YOU!

Hello marielw824,

Please Allow me to apologize for the time it took, for me to get back with you. I have fully researched your issues with dispatch, which took time as we had to pull the recordings of your phone calls to dispatch. I have attempted to call you. However the phone number on your Good Sam Roadside account seems to be incorrect. Can you please send me a Private Message with your up to date contact information so I can call you and discuss this incident over the phone with you. know it is late on a Friday and our conversation may have to wait until Monday morning, however if you provide me with that information I will call you to resolve this issue.

Wes Robinson
Marcus' Rapid Response Team
goodsamcs@goodsamfamily.com

P.S. Good Sam Roadside Assistance is usable while traveling or sitting in your driveway.
SCVJeff
Explorer
Jun 21, 2013
cKarlGo wrote:
SCVJeff wrote:
Doesn't it figure that the clowns all show up with their nit-pick opinions of what word in a title means. You all probably also think Best Buy really is because that's what it's called?
**snip**

Maybe Wood can define the word 'Emergency' in the policy for Good Sam so we all know when, according to his definition won't abuse it as he is accusing the OP of.

Better yet, close the thread since the OP got the attention of those that needed it

This is what the coverage brochure says:

"The purpose of the Good Sam Roadside Assistance program is to
provide roadside assistance, in the event of a disablement of any
vehicle in the possession of either you or any allowable family
member under this program, which is required to enable that vehicle to either proceed safely under its own power, or to be towed
to the nearest professional service center for repair. This benefit is
not intended to be used in lieu of routine maintenance or needed
repairs on your vehicle."

Based on that wording, it appears to me that calling for assistance from home is not covered at all. I don't see anything in the related sections that contradicts this.

This is why I retain towing coverage on my automobile insurance.
Blown tires is not routine maintenance or previously needed repairs, it's being stranded wether at home or on the road, nor could it obviously be driven.. They're not changing the oil.

I have GS on the coach and AAA on the cars for over 35 years and have made that call twice, both for failed transmission in the driveway, and the driver or dispatch never blinked when I told them where it was.

One could also argue that a CG isn't 'emergency' or roadside assistance either, and I doubt any of us here would hesitate for a second to make the call on a flat or to get unstuck. Same-same: stranded is stranded
marielw824
Explorer
Jun 21, 2013
Thank you cKarlGo ... you have proven our circumstance to a T. We needed Good Sams ERS to tow the vehicle to a qualified repair center ... i.e. BMW. As stated many times previously ... I had called 6 DIFFERENT tire stores ... no one had THAT tire size in stock ... regular or run flat version.

So in your post you nailed it. I had no way of getting myself and my car safely to a repair station. Sidewall damage can NOT be driven on. This model car does NOT come with a spare tire. We used that service EXACTLY as described in the verbage. THANK YOU!
cKarlGo
Explorer
Jun 21, 2013
SCVJeff wrote:
Doesn't it figure that the clowns all show up with their nit-pick opinions of what word in a title means. You all probably also think Best Buy really is because that's what it's called?
**snip**

Maybe Wood can define the word 'Emergency' in the policy for Good Sam so we all know when, according to his definition won't abuse it as he is accusing the OP of.

Better yet, close the thread since the OP got the attention of those that needed it

This is what the coverage brochure says:

"The purpose of the Good Sam Roadside Assistance program is to
provide roadside assistance, in the event of a disablement of any
vehicle in the possession of either you or any allowable family
member under this program, which is required to enable that vehicle to either proceed safely under its own power, or to be towed
to the nearest professional service center for repair. This benefit is
not intended to be used in lieu of routine maintenance or needed
repairs on your vehicle."

Based on that wording, it appears to me that calling for assistance from home is not covered at all. I don't see anything in the related sections that contradicts this.

This is why I retain towing coverage on my automobile insurance.
wbwood
Explorer
Jun 21, 2013
Gee SCVJeff ... You're right!

Did you not read e part where I agreed that it would be up to GSERS?

Funny thing is how others had the same thoughts as I did. And it's just that, thoughts. You don't have to agree with them, just as I don't agree with the OP's idea of using it as a tow service. But that is just an opinion and unfortunately when you post on here in public, that is what you are gonna get. I personally, and this is just my opinion, would of called them or contacted them in private if I didn't want opinions on a forum.