Roadside Assistance

[napanee_ted]

I need some help on deciding which roadside assistance I should go with?
CAA /AAA Good Sam or Coachnet
Please let me know who you have and if you have had any problems with any of these companies.
Thanks
Ted

[Durhamcutter]

I had Good Sam's roadside for about 10 years used them once, then from Jan 2015 to Feb 2015 I had to use them 3 times, well they wrote me a letter and canceled the roadside ass. program , I now have AAA and believe it is a better plan , good luck on your choice.

[Dtank]

Water-Bug wrote:
Chances are you'll end up with the same responders no matter which one you choose.

Above is correct with caveats.
Tow service companies may have contracts with several ERS "Motor Clubs" - but the "service" (hint: reimbursement) they receive may differ.
Which means - you may be low man on the totem pole - behind more lucrative contracts.

Also - Most posters are in the USA.
Apparently you are in Canada.
If so, check each ERS carefully for service in Canada.

Don't rely on statements such as:
"I've had XXX ERS for 15 years, couldn't be happier".
Ask how many times -and what type- of service/s they have received, how long a wait etc.

BTW - AAA does *not* have reciprocity throughout the USA.
Maybe that has changed, but there have been posters who found "holes" in their AAA ERS in some Eastern states.

Also check US Rider. (No horses necessary);)
Very personal service - they are the only ERS that will tow (personal - *not* commercial) trailers with live animals in them.
Wild guess (speculation) - more equestrians with and without RVs towing their (expensive & sensitive) hay burners in trailers - than those without.


.

[AKF15E]

I think they all use low bidders for their contractors. Good Sam sent out a guy to change my fifth wheel tire after a blowout and all he had was a tire iron and a small floor jack that wouldn't even reach the axle or frame. After I rode the good tire up on some Lynx levelers and found some 2x6's to put under his jack, we got the tire off. Now I carry my own floor jack. So even though I thoroughly explained to the GS guy on the phone what type of rig I had and what the problem was, the responder was clueless and ill-prepared. I still carry GS just in case I can't fix something myself, but my expectations aren't too high.

[PatSak]

We had AAA and when we bought our first trailer we added the RV plus. Did not have good luck with issues involving the RV. Switched to Good Sam's and service has been OK. It depends on when and where you have a problem. The one difference I found was when towing, Good Sam's tows you to the nearest service center of their choice and AAA tows you up to whatever mileage allotment you have to the service station of your choice.

[8ntw8tn]

I've never had neither AAA nor Good Sam so I can't speak to either. I've had CoachNet for about 5 years, have used them three times (once for a tow and twice for tire changes) and have been pleased with the service from the CoachNet contact as well as the service providers each time. I read the promotions and information on both Good Sam and CoachNet thoroughly before deciding. CoachNet seemed to fit my needs the best. Hope this helps.

[Dave_H_M]

Water-Bug wrote:
Chances are you'll end up with the same responders no matter which one you choose.

What he said. Have you thought about checking with your parent company to see if and what they have to offer. It worked for me.

[filthy_beast]

I had the AAA RV Plus coverage. While traveling to the Grand Canyon we had a blowout. I changed to the spare tire myself. About 5 miles down the road I had another blowout on the opposite side. I was not driving excessively fast as that truck was close to weight rating and was struggling on the uphills. I called AAA for assistance, after a few minutes of explaining my issue they said that if I didn't have a spare to put on they could not help me. They would not even look for tire shops near me to call, even if I were paying.

Luckily my CPA wife keeps just about everything. We dug through the RV and found the brochure for a KOA in Holbrook that we usually stopped at on our way. On that brochure there was an ad for a tire shop in Holbrook, AZ. We called them and was told it would be a few hours because their guy was out in Flagstaff. Long story short (too late huh?), what I assume was the owner called us and said he would come out himself and get us going. Needless to say, the next morning I went to him and had the rest of out tires replaced.

[lillyputz]

I have Good Sam's.

Lillyputz

[waltbennett]

Had Good Sam for one year, but switched to CoachNet several years back due to postings from dissatisfied users and positive ones on CoachNet. We had to use it twice last year, once for a flat and a second time for something else. Had excellent and timely service both times. Couldn't be more pleased with them.

[wannavolunteerF]

I have the Good Sam Platinum Level... it covers all my vehicles and I have had no real issues. I have used it several times for a car.. they did take a couple of hours to get someone to pick up the car when I had a radiator issue... but we were along the interstate in the middle of nowhere on a rainy Sunday afternoon. I understand that they had to get a driver to come from about 45 miles away. Same car had a tire issue, just outside of larger town, repair service was there in less than 20 minutes.. it just depends on when you have issue and where you are at the time.

I also like that they have the RV tech assist call line. I have used that on a cold holiday weekend, and the tech was great help, walking me through my issue patiently suggesting various options, and explaining why he was suggesting the option. As a single traveler... that alone was worth the cost.. who knows what I would have paid to have a tech come out on a Holiday weekend (if I could have found one)

[allimax]

I had Good Sam for years. Only needed them once, but I really needed them that time and they didn't come through. I cancelled everything Good Sam and so far have not needed roadside assistance again, although I do have AAA. Their limitations have already been documented here.

[kalynzoo]

Water-Bug wrote:
Chances are you'll end up with the same responders no matter which one you choose.

Yup: AAA is great for cars. However read their contract. In many locations they do not offer RV service, you pay, they reimburse "a reasonable fee" at their discretion. Many people love CoachNet, just search and you will see all the happy people. I had a less than good experience, but that was just me, they left me stranded, and I changed companies. I now have Good Sam. So far so good, But plenty of people complain there too.
Personally I would pick Good Sam or CoachNet. Since this website is sponsored by Good Sam I will give them a few extra points.
With any luck at all you will not ever need emergency roadside service. If you should require such service everything will depend on the quality of the contract station in your area.
Happy Trails.

[azjeffh]

IMO Coach-Net doesn't have the same audience here as Good Sam does (i.e. management), so people would be more prone to complain hoping for compensation for their ill fates.

I had Good Sam for 7 years and am currently with Coach-Net for the last three years and will tell you Coach-Net contractors provided the worst service. I switched only because of price and believed I would receive a "better" product.

With Good Sam my truck broke down approx. 6 miles from Payson, AZ (~16 miles from a Ford dealer) yet they sent a tech from Gilbert, AZ (more than 80 Miles away) to solve my issue. Because of traffic and an accident, it took more than 3 hours to reach us. Tech got us and trailer to the dealer and we were happy.

A few years later we were at Lake Pleasant north of Phoenix, AZ when my truck's FICM decided to quit working. We called Coach-Net and informed them we had a truck that was down along with trailer that needed to be towed. Tow truck eventually arrives and hauls away the truck.

Second truck shows up to get trailer and the driver notices two people to greet him. Problem....truck can carry 1 passenger. Have to leave wife at park entrance (in safe hands).

Long story short, MIL makes 141 mile round trip to pick up wife, then me at RV storage, takes us home, then back to her house.

Think I can complain to Marcus about Coach-Net? :h

[BB_TX]

obgraham wrote:
CoachNet has the fewest folks complaining here.

I agree with this. I read many many posts concerning roadside service before I decided. Although both Good Sam and Coach-net subscribers generally seem to be happy with their choice, if you search on the subject and do a lot of reading you will find more complaints/problems with Good Sam than Coach-net.