Short story: I tow a Smart car on a dolly. Tonight while loading I ran the front wheels over the front of the dolly. Coach Net denied to help me saying it was an “accident” and was not covered. A towing service wanted $200 to help. Oh well, a nice young fellow stopped and helped me and In about 5min we had it on the dolly correctly. So much for help from Coach Net.

I think they all have an accident exclusion.

I dumped overpriced CN a long time ago after reading many comments about their very poor service and excuses they use not to provide service. They kept charging my CC even after I dropped their service that caused me extra hassle to stop. Been happy with AAA and USAA as a backup.

ferndaleflyer wrote:Short story: I tow a Smart car on a dolly. Tonight while loading I ran the front wheels over the front of the dolly. Coach Net denied to help me saying it was an “accident” and was not covered. A towing service wanted $200 to help. Oh well, a nice young fellow stopped and helped me and In about 5min we had it on the dolly correctly. So much for help from Coach Net.They said it was an accident because it was. If a tree blows over and falls on your house, do you call Coach Net? It's not the providers fault you never read your contract.

CN always been fast and never had a problem with them.

My horrible coach net experience... and my letter to the CEO Subject: 29 Hours waiting for a tow Mr. Ostlund, Yes, we were on the side of the road for 29 hours and this was no rural country road. It was US 1 in Maimi-Dade county Florida with cars and trucks whizzing by at 60-80 mph literally a few feet from the side of our motorhome. To say I'm disappointed in the service and response from Coach-Net would be an understatement. On Friday December 3rd we left our home in Apollo Beach, Fl to spend a few nights at Key Largo before going to Key West. At about 14:00 my coolant temperature rapidly rose and the alarm went off. I moved to the side of the road. This was at Mile Marker 122 on US1 south of Homestead, FL. The infamous 18 mile stretch. The road here is a narrow 2 lane highway with the lanes separated by Jersey barriers. The shoulder is very narrow and in many places not even wide enough for a car, fortunately I was able to find a spot that we could actually get out of the travel lane by about 5 feet without sinking into the mud . After assessing the situation and finding a catastrophic water pump failure, I call Coach-Net at 14:30 for assistance. The first person I spoke to asked a few questions and then passed me to a technical staff member. We discussed the situation and he said he would get a tow truck to the scene. I was told it would be about an hour before the truck would arrive. Well, that wasn't even close. At 19:30, a full 5 hours later, a truck shows up, the driver looks at the situation and says he isn't able to tow a motorhome due to the configuration of his truck. I call back Coach-Net and after some discussion they start to try to find another tow truck. After a few more hours, they decide that it would be good to inform the Florida Highway Patrol of our situation. A trooper comes by and provides visibility to the oncoming traffic with his emergency lights. Another tow company was finally dispatched and when they got to the scene the driver said he could not tow from the front, but would tow from the rear by raising the coach by the trailer hitch. I told him and pointed out the label on the hitch, that the hitch was rated at 1000 lbs tongue weight capacity and that the coach weighs 42000 lbs and that there was no way I was going to allow him to even attempt to do that. If I hadn't stopped him, I'm sure there would have been tens of thousands of dollars damage. He left and soon afterwards, the trooper had to leave . It was now after 03:00 Saturday...over 12 hours since I called in the issue. I called Coach-Net again. They decided there was nothing to do at this late hour and would resume their (feeble) efforts in the morning. I was told I'd be contacted at 07:00 . 07:00 comes and goes and a little after 08:00 I get a call and they are going to resume trying to find a wrecker. I was promised call backs on status, but never received them. I had to call back myself to find out what was going on. Finally at 16:30 Saturday a couple of guys show up and said they had it under control. These guys were super professional, efficient and demonstrated outstanding team work. After a short period of time, during which they showed me what they were doing, they had us all hooked up and ready to go. But, as we were staring to pull out, one of their airbags on the rear axle failed and in interest of safety, they decided to unhook and drive back to the shop to get another truck. They returned with a different truck and reattached the motorhome and we were finally off the side of the road at 19:30 Saturday. A full 29 hours after the time I called in for assistance. When we got to the repair shop they backed us into position and unhooked. As I was thanking them for their outstanding service , I asked why they hadn't been called earlier. They told me that they were not on Coach-Net's vendor list and were called in only in dire situations. These guys were by far the best. You should have them at the top of the list for towing large RV's. They are Edwin and Kevin from American Eagle Towing. The other companies that showed up should be removed from your vendor list. The reason I am sending this letter to you is to make sure you are aware of how poorly this call for emergency assistance was handled and that hopefully you will take corrective actions to prevent this from happening to someone else. Some thoughts to consider : - make sure the vendor you dispatch understands what is being towed and make sure they have the equipment to do so. - the second tow operator obviously had no experience in towing a motorhome and if he had tried to tow from the trailer hitch as he had wanted to do, he would have caused extensive damage. It is likely that if it had been another person in my situation they might have taken him for his word and their motorhome would have been destroyed. You need to thoroughly vet your vendors to help prevent unnecessary damage. - we were in a potentially very dangerous situation on a heavily traveled road. Police notification by your team should not have taken over 10 hours. - When your staff says they are going to call back in a certain period of time, they need to do so. Other than a couple times when they did call back as promised, in general, I had to call back and wait on hold to get status. - Scrub your vendor list. You obviously have incompetent service providers that are wasting your time, my time and their time and at the same time destroying your reputation as a quality service provider. - A 29 hour wait to get EMERGENCY service is not acceptable under any circumstances. Try to put yourself in the situation that we were in and see what your reactions would have been. I look forward to your response.

My Coach Net experience tonight. | Good Sam Community

Dtank
Explorer
Oct 12, 2022
JoeH wrote:
Scottiemom wrote:
We had a bad experience years ago with just one flat tire on our 40' Phaeton. Eventually we got someone to come out and slap a used tire on it as we had no spare. We drove 22 miles to a Boulevard Tire dealer in Florida and boondocked in their parking lot. They fixed our tire in the morning. They said they do not do business with Coach Net and it has to do with the way CN pays those vendors. I am not sure what they require but the way it goes, they are frequently left waiting on their money. They had previously dealt with them but no longer. They said they would have dispatched a truck to us immediately and it would have taken maybe 45 minutes and cost $75. As it was the bill was well over $300, plus the $75 we paid out of pocket the next morning to have the necessary repair done.

So it isn't always that there is no service available, it's that there may not be a service willing to jump through the hoops with CN.

********************************

REPLY TO POSTS - (sorry about being "inserted" in the middle) of same!

:B...:R

Many/most tow operators (the folks the "Motor Clubs" contract with),
have contracts with several of the "Motor Clubs".

Unfortunately, the above is true. When "we" could visit the tow operators forum (without "affiliation"), this was a common complaint.

Soooo - if you are a tow operator and have other service contracts with businesses who pay their bills promptly - who gets the best response? How about a local police agency - who wants a road opened quickly?

Suggest anyone who wants an Emergency Road Service that performs well, contact US Rider. Yes - it's intended for equestrians - BUT you do *NOT* have to own a "hay burner" -or- be towing/driving a horse trailer. It's the only ERS that will tow a trailer with live animals!

Only caveat is the ERS subscriber must be with the vehicle/s requiring the service -and- they do not provide service for commercial horse transporters.

I found that out when I questioned their services, as explained in their brochure. I received both a US Mail reply, an e-mail, and an invitation to speak (by phone) with the director of the service.

Can you do the same with your ERS provider?

Dtank..

********************************************************

Dale

Exactly, When I finally got towed ( a company that was no longer on the coach net call list) , I talked with the driver. He said the same thing. Coach net uses the lowest cost providers and then jerks them around with payments. So you get the bottom of the barrel if they happen to show up
JoeH
Explorer III
Oct 02, 2022
Scottiemom wrote:
We had a bad experience years ago with just one flat tire on our 40' Phaeton. Eventually we got someone to come out and slap a used tire on it as we had no spare. We drove 22 miles to a Boulevard Tire dealer in Florida and boondocked in their parking lot. They fixed our tire in the morning. They said they do not do business with Coach Net and it has to do with the way CN pays those vendors. I am not sure what they require but the way it goes, they are frequently left waiting on their money. They had previously dealt with them but no longer. They said they would have dispatched a truck to us immediately and it would have taken maybe 45 minutes and cost $75. As it was the bill was well over $300, plus the $75 we paid out of pocket the next morning to have the necessary repair done.

So it isn't always that there is no service available, it's that there may not be a service willing to jump through the hoops with CN.

Dale

Exactly, When I finally got towed ( a company that was no longer on the coach net call list) , I talked with the driver. He said the same thing. Coach net uses the lowest cost providers and then jerks them around with payments. So you get the bottom of the barrel if they happen to show up
Scottiemom
Nomad
Oct 01, 2022
We had a bad experience years ago with just one flat tire on our 40' Phaeton. Eventually we got someone to come out and slap a used tire on it as we had no spare. We drove 22 miles to a Boulevard Tire dealer in Florida and boondocked in their parking lot. They fixed our tire in the morning. They said they do not do business with Coach Net and it has to do with the way CN pays those vendors. I am not sure what they require but the way it goes, they are frequently left waiting on their money. They had previously dealt with them but no longer. They said they would have dispatched a truck to us immediately and it would have taken maybe 45 minutes and cost $75. As it was the bill was well over $300, plus the $75 we paid out of pocket the next morning to have the necessary repair done.

So it isn't always that there is no service available, it's that there may not be a service willing to jump through the hoops with CN.

Dale
Rice
Explorer III
Sep 30, 2022
Lantley wrote:
If I can't count on Coachnet when I am in a jam, why even have roadside assistance? Why pay if I end up on my own anyway?

I think roadside assistance was more relevant back before everybody had the entire internet in their hands at all times. Back then it would have been a big PITA find a tow on your own, and being able to make one call and get it coordinated by someone else was a big benefit.

The roadside assistance companies were a middleman who made your life easier--you just had to make one call, which very well would have been at a pay phone some distance away. The alternative was to get to a pay phone and hope there's a phone book and start calling each tow company in the yellow pages.

But nowadays, it might be better to cut out the middleman, because you can locate and contact local tow companies while sitting in the driver's seat, and when you call them you can quiz them yourself about whether they know what they're doing, and if they can't do what you need, they might know someone who can.

Obviously Coach Net's (and all the other roadside assistance companies--they all do the same thing) business model isn't getting their customers the quickest tow possible; what they do is put out a bid to see if anyone will accept the job at that price, without even knowing whether the tow company can actually do it.

It's doubtful you'll get worse service doing it yourself than that. It'll cost you more, but maybe actually not if you're not paying Coach Net premiums and are mentally pocketing them toward future towing. Not to mention the mental anguish of paying someone to do something for you and having them fail.

I have roadside assistance on my insurance policy, for $21/year. I have $21 worth of expectations from it, and will suffer only the mildest mental anguish if I end up having to do everything myself anyway, including paying for the tow myself if they refuse to reimburse it.

Then again, I haven't had to do that, so my tune might change when paying an enormous towing bill. But putting a mental $249/year into my towing fund will go a long way toward defraying that.
Bedlam
Moderator
Sep 19, 2022
I had issues getting someone out to change a an inside dual even though I had the spare, wrench and jack. I ended up doing this my self while another roadside service company was trying to track down a provider for 12 hours.
Cptnvideo
Nomad
Sep 17, 2022
With the exception of mandatory insurance and $1000 deductible collision insurance, we are "self insured". We don't buy extended warranties, etc. These companies are in business to make money, so the premiums they charge must cover everything they must pay out including employee salaries plus make a profit.
Bobbo
Explorer II
Sep 17, 2022
Lantley wrote:
While I understand your point. GS and coachnet advertise that they can provide 24 hour RV roadside assistance. There are no maybe or if's in the advertisement. The ad does not say we can provide a tow truck if we can find one!
The fine print may have a disclaimer,but that is just salt on the wound when your stranded on the side of the road.
When Coachnet failed to find me a tow truck. I was not in dire staights because I was not too far from home and my RV was in a safe place. The whole situation could have been much worse.
Nevertheless it was a wake up call to not rely on Coachnet.
If I can't count on Coachnet when I am in a jam, why even have roadside assistance? Why pay if I end up on my own anyway?
I've come to realize first hand that GS and Coachnet are just a charade.
Sure they may help you if they can, but they will also leave you stranded if they can't. It's simply the luck of the draw with no assurances or guarantees.

LOL. There was once a Dilbert cartoon where Dilbert had to spend a week in the marketing department for an orientation. The first day, the marketing manager told him "What you see here may look like outright criminal fraud. But, it's not, it's only marketing."

Don't rely on the ads. Read the fine print.

Also, your complaint applies to every one of the roadside services providers, not just Coach Net, even though that is who you are currently angry at. (You left AAA out of your post, and I find them even more problematic than Coach Net or GS.)

JRscooby may have the best solution for you. Eschew all roadside assistance policies and put some money into an emergency fund, then DIY.
JRscooby
Explorer II
Sep 17, 2022
joshuajim wrote:
It’s interesting that when a semi is involved, the police manage to get a wrecker capable of towing 80,000# almost immediately. Hmmm

One major difference; LEO calls for a tow does not reduce their profit.
The services contract with tow companies for a cut-rate price. But the customer, who is having a bad day already, feels like he has been paying for premium service. Then often when the tow driver shows up, he knows he is working cheaper than normal, he has to deal with rectums that feel their not getting what they deserve. He may face less grief if he reports truck trouble, lets the call go to another.
Only time my TV broke down I managed to get off the shoulder. We looked up, and called a non-emergency number for the Highway Patrol, asked them what was the best tow service in the area. Then we called them, used some of our emergency fund for tow.
I would bet, if I could prove, that if most people that maintain their vehicles, put monthly service payment into a emergency fund they could pay for tow, and get better service.
Walaby
Explorer II
Sep 17, 2022
I only had one experience and it was a good one.

My tow vehicle (Ram 2500) water pump froze up and ripped the serpentine belt. Stuck in the absolute middle of nowhere and 60+ miles from home, in the rain.

I knew where I was (since I drove through there often) but it was hard to describe to operator. She literally was able to find me based on landmarks and "I think I passed road named something about 5 miles back). They called tow truck, and also called me back after a period of time to verify if they were there or not. They hadn't showed up yet so she called again, called me back and said they were about 10 mins out. Sure enough, 10 mins or so later they showed up. Put my truck on the flat bed, hooked my RV to their ball hitch and away we went.

Truck driver backed my RV into the driveway for me, and then unloaded the truck from flatbed.

CN said they would tow to nearest dealer, which was in my home town, so they covered towing me home.

Worked out great then. Not sure how it would work out now though, since I have a fiver.

Unfortunately, with services like this, for every positive story, there's an equal number of negatives. Sorry your experience was the ying to my yang.

Mike
Lantley
Nomad
Sep 17, 2022
Bobbo wrote:
Coach Net, just like Good Sams and AAA, is limited to the services that are available in the area. Not only that, but the services in the area may be unwilling to work with your provider if they feel the provider won't pay enough. It is not like the provider has these services under contract, ready to go. They have to search for them and contract with them at the time you need the service. Rural area? Few providers. Busy time period? Busy providers. Also, the percentage of providers who have the proper equipment to tow a very large RV is fairly small. If you have a big rig, your wait times will probably be much worse than someone with a modest rig.

I think all of the roadside service insurers are decent, but you can't expect miracles.

(However, I have heard that if you have AAA, but are in an area that doesn't sell AAA RV roadside, then you don't have roadside insurance.)

While I understand your point. GS and coachnet advertise that they can provide 24 hour RV roadside assistance. There are no maybe or if's in the advertisement. The ad does not say we can provide a tow truck if we can find one!
The fine print may have a disclaimer,but that is just salt on the wound when your stranded on the side of the road.
When Coachnet failed to find me a tow truck. I was not in dire staights because I was not too far from home and my RV was in a safe place. The whole situation could have been much worse.
Nevertheless it was a wake up call to not rely on Coachnet.
If I can't count on Coachnet when I am in a jam, why even have roadside assistance? Why pay if I end up on my own anyway?
I've come to realize first hand that GS and Coachnet are just a charade.
Sure they may help you if they can, but they will also leave you stranded if they can't. It's simply the luck of the draw with no assurances or guarantees.