Roadside assistance plans

billtex wrote:
... snipped ... This is from AAA Southern New England website; " The Plus RV program is grandfathered in for existing Plus RV members only and not enrolling new members into the program."
Apparently their coverage has changed (somewhat)...in any case our conversation with AAA some time ago made it clear they were not very familiar with RV coverage in our area...this prompted our switch to Good Sam. GS (coach net, and a few others) clearly have a focus on RV's. Bill

Very interesting Bill. I wonder how I might be treated, as a CAA member, if my truck/TC/trailer broke down in that area ... or how a AAA member, not from that area, would be treated if they tried to access the RV service?

Beau Bo wrote:

billtex wrote:
A note of caution with AAA-they are a regional "club" and coverage changes from region 2 region. AAA New England does not offer RV coverage at ANY cost. If you break down with an RV here...they won't touch it.
May not be an issue if you don't leave your region...but if you wander around the country you should call to verify.
We now have Good Sam.

Billl

This may have changed recently. After reading your post I dowloaded a copy of the Northern New England AAA member benefits and they list an RV Plus coverage that seems to be the same as I have in CO. I also called and talked to a member services counselor and they said that the RV coverage is good through all US regional clubs. Didn't ask about Canada.

This is from AAA Southern New England website; " The Plus RV program is grandfathered in for existing Plus RV members only and not enrolling new members into the program."
Apparently their coverage has changed (somewhat)...in any case our conversation with AAA some time ago made it clear they were not very familiar with RV coverage in our area...this prompted our switch to Good Sam. GS (coach net, and a few others) clearly have a focus on RV's.
Shop wisely...and ask specific questions when shopping!

Good luck, Bill

So, I just got off the phone with the Good Sam rep (he called me after reading my post in this thread) and I was pretty impressed with his desire to make things right and earn my business again, which he did.

He acknowledged that they have had some issues in the past, but are determined to offer quality service now and in the future. We worked out a deal we were both happy with, and I will be continuing my service. Good for them for going the extra mile.

Rickj91 wrote:
... snipped ... just had to share my experience with Good Sam Roadside Assistance. It was great.

Nice to have a great tow experience ... especially when encountering "on-the-road" troubles. I suspect that if you had CAA coverage, or AAA coverage, or Canadian Tire Roadside assistance etc., then the same tow truck company would have been called to service you.

I do not think every plan provider has their own "field service people". It seems they share many of the same operators in the field ... especially in the more remote areas i.e. because they are the only game in town.

How fast and well they process payments to those operators is probably dependent on the people and policies at the "insuring" organization.

Well, I am mostly a lurker (daily) but just had to share my experience with Good Sam Roadside Assistance. It was great. We were travelling up the Cassiar Highway in northern BC, towing our 5th wheel, when the transmission went out in our truck. this was a few years ago. I called Good Sam, and they dispatched a Ramp Truck from the nearest town which was approx. 100 miles away. It took some time as the Tow Operator had to have a 5th wheel hitch mounted to the tow bar on the truck. They winched our truck on to the ramp truck, then hitched the 5th wheel up, and towed us to a campsite in the nearest town (Terrace, B. C.)They set up the 5th wheel in the campsite, then took me and the truck to the nearest dealer. I asked if I should sign something, and he said no, that it had been paid for by Good Sam, and that they liked doing business with them. We were very impressed. Staying in Terrace for the next 5 days in the rain, was not as pleasant. I will continue to support GSRA as we now have a truck and camper.

Beau Bo wrote:

billtex wrote:
A note of caution with AAA-they are a regional "club" and coverage changes from region 2 region. AAA New England does not offer RV coverage at ANY cost. If you break down with an RV here...they won't touch it. May not be an issue if you don't leave your region...but if you wander around the country you should call to verify. We now have Good Sam. Billl

This may have changed recently. After reading your post I dowloaded a copy of the Northern New England AAA member benefits and they list an RV Plus coverage that seems to be the same as I have in CO. I also called and talked to a member services counselor and they said that the RV coverage is good through all US regional clubs. Didn't ask about Canada.

As a Canadian, I have CAA RV Plus. There is a working agreement between CAA and AAA to provide the same service regardless of which side of the Canadian/US border you are travelling.

I have used both CAA and AAA to tow our then Class C (bad fuel pump) to a repair facility and twice to "carry" our cargo trailer we pull behind our TC set-up. Yes, they consider the cargo trailer to be equivalent to a TT so in both cases involving our cargo trailer, we uncoupled the cargo trailer and they loaded it up onto a flatbed carrier and took it to a repair shop for tire/axle repairs. This happened once in PA and once in ON where I live.

I would be very upset if I had a problem with my Truck/TC/cargo trailer setup while travelling anywhere in North America and was denied service by either CAA or AAA. It's exactly why I pay the higher premium for the CAA RV Plus coverage and I expect to receive that service when needed.

I am certainly watching this thread, intently. My insurance provider (State Farm) once provided towing, but last June canceled the towing portion of my policy. This was due to my truck being a F550. 5 years ago I had Liberty Insurance and they canceled my policy due to their change of underwriting on F550s. So vetting these Roadside Assistance companies is really important to me, and maybe to others. I don't wish to be stuck on the side of the road and quibbling over the details that I might have done during this introduction period.

Two important parts for me is; (1). The size and weight of my rig, to be towed and the fact I pull a 14' trailer. (2) For the most part I travel exclusively the west so my need to be towed to distance is at least 150 miles to 200 miles. So to start with it seems to limit the capability of the Roadside Assistance most providers offer.

Rather than these Good Sam reps putting fires out, it would be nice to see links to information that they provide these needed services. They own this forum and looks like they are better sports about discussions than other forums when you discuss less than favorable experiences and not make the poster disappear, as in LOA and other ownership groups.

b

Thank you Tom Anderson for your post. I would like to understand in more detail, would you please send me a private message with your phone number so I may contact you?

I've had Good Sam for years and never needed them until my Suburban broke down towing my car trailer about 150 miles from home. They would only tow the truck to the nearest dealer (who couldn't get parts for at least two weeks) and wouldn't tow the trailer at all, except to move it to a safe place (out of the road). I ended up putting the Suburban on the car trailer and paying a friend to tow me home. I wasn't very impressed with Good Sam at all. And that was with the Platinum Plan, or whatever their top of the line plan is called.

And yes, I got a ton of junk mail and emails trying to sell me more of their services.

This may have changed recently. After reading your post I dowloaded a copy of the Northern New England AAA member benefits and they list an RV Plus coverage that seems to be the same as I have in CO. I also called and talked to a member services counselor and they said that the RV coverage is good through all US regional clubs. Didn't ask about Canada.

I asked AAA in Nevada about towable (travel trailer or fifth wheel) RV coverage. Answer- No. And no coverage for anything bigger than a one ton. CoachNet, no issue on size or type of RV.