GoodSam vs AAA

I have had both, but found GS to be less expensive, and quite responsive. We broke down in Yukon a couple years back in our class A. In 2 hours had the RV on a flat bed and towed 4 hours to Whitehorse to a truck facility. No hassle. It took 20 minutes to get it arranged, and then sat back and had a beer. No point in getting bent out of shape waiting. Also had my car towed a couple of times with them. Wouldn't go back to CAA (Canada's AAA).

The only issue I had with Coachnet is that last year when I was comparing, they offered no option at any cost for towing beyond the nearest approved facility. That may have changed in the intervening time. AAA and GS both had that option (for extra cost). I like to direct who repairs my stuff.

Janss wrote:
AAA Plus will tow you up to 100 miles to your desired destination.

Good Sam tows you to the nearest repair facility that can handle your problem.

Talk to your auto insurance agent. They may cover the rest of the bill Good Sam does not cover if you want to go to a facility further away.

(I do prefer Coach Net over GoodSam and AAA - I have had all three)

Janss wrote:
AAA Plus will tow you up to 100 miles to your desired destination.

Good Sam tows you to the nearest repair facility that can handle your problem.

This is correct for the basic Good Sam policy. They do offer a package that includes towing up to 100 miles as well. My last renewal for that was $219. I have had both and was happy with both services. It is my understanding that in some areas, you may have issues getting AAA coverage if you travel a lot.

Robocop wrote:
Call me crazy. I have both. Just in case and/or just because.

This is what I do. Here's my reasoning - they aren't the same product:

GSRA (and Coachnet) - you break down, call the hotline, they locate a service provider who is willing to take in your RV for service. They start with the closest provider on their list and work their way out until they get a "yep, we'll take it". This is done without additional charge to you for the tow.

This works great when you're out on the road and don't know any local repair shops. This works great when you're out on a weekday when the repair shops are open. This doesn't work if you want your RV to go to a specific repair shop (e.g., warranty approved shop). This can result in a long delay at night, on weekends and/or holidays - because it will take longer for the operator to contact a contracted shop and get their "yep, we'll take it" (because most aren't open on nights, weekends, and holidays).

AAA - you break down, call the hotline, they send out a tow truck and tow it wherever you tell them to. If the tow distance and rate is within their approved "100 mile distance at standard tow rate" limit, then you do not pay any additional fee. If the tow distance is over 100 miles OR the tow rate is above their approved rate, then you have to pay the difference.

This works great when you have a preferred repair shop you want your RV to be towed to. This works great when you are close to home base. This works better at night, on weekends and/or holidays because you WILL get the tow (from contracted tow trucks who are on call at night) - you just have to figure out where to tell them to go. This doesn't work well if you don't have any knowledge of local repair shops to know which one(s) will work on your RV.


So, by having both, you have the best of both worlds. Use AAA when you're close to home, have a preferred repair shop, or just need to get off the side of the road (night or holiday). Use GSRA/Coachnet when you are far away from home and/or don't know who can handle repairing your RV.

Call me crazy. I have both. Just in case and/or just because.

Thank you for the post JaxDad. I apologize that we did not meet your expectations during your recent breakdown. Please send me a private message with your contact information including phone number and postal code and I'll contact you.

Thank you,

Zach

JaxDad wrote:

darsben1 wrote:

My take on dissatisfaction with GSRA is that people expect things that are not in the contract.

My take on GSRA dissatisfaction was being left stranded on the side of the Interstate in WV in a blizzard while 3 different service providers haggled back & forth with them on why they should accept a deeply discounted rate to service my unit when their phone was ringing off the hook with potential customers willing to pay full bore for their services in cash.

After 4 cold hours with no heat we got towed an hour up the road, with the driveshaft still connected, only to find we were an hour too late (on the Friday of a holiday weekend) to rent a car also.

In the end it only cost me $5k for a weeks car rental, a new transmission and an extra 14 hours of driving to drive home and back a week later to pick up my coach.

Oh, BTW, the tow driver said, after the fact, that he towed my unit with the driveshaft in place because; a) he KNEW my trans was bad, b) he didn't have metric wrenches, since I had Ontario tags he KNEW the bolts were Metric, and, c) GS didn't pay enough for him to lay in slush for half an hour.




Is it a surprise that I did NOT renew my GSRS membership?

so what do you now have

darsben1 wrote:

My take on dissatisfaction with GSRA is that people expect things that are not in the contract.

My take on GSRA dissatisfaction was being left stranded on the side of the Interstate in WV in a blizzard while 3 different service providers haggled back & forth with them on why they should accept a deeply discounted rate to service my unit when their phone was ringing off the hook with potential customers willing to pay full bore for their services in cash.

After 4 cold hours with no heat we got towed an hour up the road, with the driveshaft still connected, only to find we were an hour too late (on the Friday of a holiday weekend) to rent a car also.

In the end it only cost me $5k for a weeks car rental, a new transmission and an extra 14 hours of driving to drive home and back a week later to pick up my coach.

Oh, BTW, the tow driver said, after the fact, that he towed my unit with the driveshaft in place because; a) he KNEW my trans was bad, b) he didn't have metric wrenches, since I had Ontario tags he KNEW the bolts were Metric, and, c) GS didn't pay enough for him to lay in slush for half an hour.




Is it a surprise that I did NOT renew my GSRS membership?

We've had AAA for 18 years and have been happy with them. We've used it up and down the East Coast without a problem. The reason we stick with AAA is being able to be towed 100 miles not to just the nearest service center. Plus they offer service to any vehicle WE ARE IN, not just own. My brother needed a tow once in his car. He lives in NJ, we live in GA. We just happened to be visiting when his car broke down. I went out and picked him up and had AAA tow him to his mechanic.

AAA is the most expensive out there, but for us it is worth it. Their service offers a lot more than just towing, tire repair and gas. It pays for itself every year just through the discounts we get at restaurants and other retailers.

-Michael