Broke down on I 81 in Carlisle PA on Wednesday. Truck, 30' 5th wheel, 2 pugs and us 2' from heavy traffic in 90 degree humidity with nowhere to walk to. Good Sam Roadside left us there for four hours. Never again. Has anyone used any other companies? AAA? Good Sam has seen the last of my money.

Thank you for the post marksquared. I apologize for the lack of service. Please send me a private message with your contact information and I'll contact you.Zach

I've got Allstate RV roadside, but I have to admit, I have very little experience having to use them. Called for a blown tire on the TT a few years ago, and they were reasonably quick (30-45 min) if I recall.

jmtandem wrote:Coach Net.X2 always timely.

They are only as good as the 'contracted' tow companies in the area. They only call 'their' contracted tow companies. There might be a tow company with one mile of where you broke down but if it is not one of 'their' contractors you have to wait for one of theirs that might be 40 miles away.I have to wonder why they don't have a larger data base of signed on contractors.?AAA is know world wide and IMHO, JMHO any and all tow companies will take the road side service call because they KNOW they will be reimbursed same as will your own national brand car insurance tow policies. If you notice with them you are allowed to call the closet tow company and both will pay for it or reimburse you 100%.Long story short IMHO GS needs to expand their contracted tow companies or change their history so all tow companies are assured they will be reimbursed for their service to an RV'er.

Never Again | Good Sam Community

56 Replies

mwsnibia
Explorer
Sep 14, 2016
1968mooney wrote:
Greydog 1 wrote:
You can gripe on GSRA on this site,but I don't find a consumer gripes site for CN.
Is there one and how do you get to it? I am just willing to bet that CN has gripes now and then too.

That's where you are wrong. CN is perfect in every way. They have 1 tow service for every customer just setting around waiting on a call. :S
1968mooney
Explorer
Sep 10, 2016
Greydog 1 wrote:
You can gripe on GSRA on this site,but I don't find a consumer gripes site for CN.
Is there one and how do you get to it? I am just willing to bet that CN has gripes now and then too.

That's where you are wrong. CN is perfect in every way. They have 1 tow service for every customer just setting around waiting on a call. :S
Puddles
Explorer
Sep 10, 2016
Greydog 1 wrote:
You can gripe on GSRA on this site,but I don't find a consumer gripes site for CN.
Is there one and how do you get to it? I am just willing to bet that CN has gripes now and then too.

Good point... will watch this thread for a response, interested in viewing CN prbms. Also the post about having to have a repair shop lined up before finding a tow was good. Have used GS 4 times over last 8 yrs. Most times it takes a while before the tow can get there, but so far GS has always come thru.
Greydog_1
Explorer
Aug 28, 2016
You can gripe on GSRA on this site,but I don't find a consumer gripes site for CN.
Is there one and how do you get to it? I am just willing to bet that CN has gripes now and then too.
toedtoes
Explorer III
Aug 26, 2016
I have had and used GS and AAA for my RV. I have had CN for my RV but did not need to use it. I have found that there are innate differences in the business model for GS/CN and AAA:

GS/CN - you call, they start calling their contracted repair shops for a shop that is willing to take your RV. When they obtain that shop's acceptance, they will call the contracted tow truck companies to find one that is willing and able to tow your vehicle. Unless you have the plan that allows you to identify where you want to have your RV taken, you have to wait until GS/CN gets confirmation from a shop BEFORE they will send the tow truck out to you. Late nights, weekends, holidays, this can be difficult as many shops will not answer the phone. And while the tow service may be willing to tow your vehicle, they aren't always willing to service your vehicle - and while a shop may be willing to service your vehicle, they don't have a tow truck to tow your vehicle. This means that you may be waiting on confirmation by TWO different companies before GS can send out the tow truck. That's why they usually require the mobile service to try to repair your vehicle first - it can speed up the process immensely by only having to contact one company.

AAA - you call, they start calling the contracted towing companies to find one that is willing and able to tow your RV. Then they send it out. They do not locate a shop - that's your responsibility - so they can respond with the tow truck quicker.

Knowing the differences in how they operate is key in understanding why issues occur. Once I discovered this difference, I realized that having AAA and one of the others is my best bet - in my local area, I call AAA and have it towed to my preferred shop; outside my area where I don't have knowledge of repair shops, I call GS/CN and have them find a shop and obtain the tow. Late nights, weekends, and holidays outside my area, I'm at more of a loss - AAA will get a tow right away, but where do I tow it to? GS/CN will find a shop to tow it to, but it could take hours before the tow is sent and I'm stuck until then.
Jarlaxle
Explorer II
Aug 26, 2016
winnietrey wrote:
jdealcpa wrote:
No way would I depend on coach net, good Sam or AAA to get me and my loved ones out of an unsafe or uncomfortable situation. Easy enough to google "road service" and call around to get someone to promptly tow or fix my vehicle. I've had GS & CN in the past, called for technical help.but nothing else. Always happy with the help.

X2
It would be insightful, to hear from someone in the towing business. And how they prioritize calls. Full price first, I would guess, GSRA, Coach net somewhere down the list, I would think. It would also be interesting to know if one pays the towing company better than the other. And hence they may respond quicker to the better paying service

Safety calls first: vehicle blocking a road, rollover leaking fluids, breakdown on a busy highway, stranded motorist in extreme cold. For most places, the police can pull a driver away from almost any call. (I almost got arrested for that one...)
Jarlaxle
Explorer II
Aug 26, 2016
westernrvparkowner wrote:
Sam Spade wrote:
westernrvparkowner wrote:
AAA, Coachnet, Good Sam, the insurance companies and every other roadside assistance vendor contract with the same tow companies. There aren't AAA only tow companies and Good Sam only companies etc. You likely would have had the exact same service if you had a different roadside provider.

Unless you have actually worked for ALL of the service providers within a short period of time, you have NO WAY of knowing that.

And I strongly suspect it is not true, based on the vastly different response many people have had who subscribe to more than one service.
I guess then everyone who has had problems in my park over the past 15 years have had the exact same roadside assistance provider, because the same Heavy Duty Tow service comes out every time.

In rural Montana, there may only be one! In this area...I can name half a dozen off the top of my head.
TinyoneRV
Explorer
Aug 23, 2016
The age limitation on dependents is clearly explained in the benefits brochure. Another case of a subscriber getting upset by not understanding the plan.
charwan
Explorer
Aug 23, 2016
I don't think it makes much difference who you have I'm in agreement that they all use the same contractors for tow's. You can't expect a tow company to have a $ 25 mechanic and a $ 100 K truck sitting there waiting for you to call. He's trying to keep them both making money for him. No pun but he knows your not going anywhere. I did use GS one other time for a broken fan belt. Broke 6 miles from home. I called and told them there was a tow co. within 5 miles of me and wanted it towed to a friends heavy equipment shop and they did. However it was some time before the wrecker got to me. So I'll not complain but however I do understand the OP's stand. Sometimes the police want wait if on a busy road and do it themselves.
ReneeG
Explorer
Aug 23, 2016
I too have had AAA and their response was awful. Same area, now GS and prompt response. Can't say what will happen in a different area.

Forum Discussion

Never Again

56 Replies

About Customer Support