Good Sam Travel Assist: Anyone have a claim?

[Adventure]

Good Sam Travel Assist's literature say that they will fly you home and take care to get your rig and send your traveling companions home if you are hospitalized for a week or more from an accident or major illness. It will also pay to send home deceased remains. My question is have you turned in a claim and used the services and how did that work out for you?

Today I spent 5 hours on the internet searching RV.net, Irv2, and google to find stories of people who had experience using the benefits. I could not find one person who had a story about using Good Sam Travel Assist. People talked about buying the coverage but not about having to use it. Now surely out of the thousands of people who buy that service someone must have turned in a claim.

I am not looking for info on other brands or a debate on which is better I already checked them out. I want to buy coverage at the best price for no hassle benefits to fit our needs.

So if you have a story about Good Sam Travel Assist please share. Thanks

[peaches_cream]

dan-nickie wrote:

peaches&cream wrote:
Isn't it great you can always depend on someone like "sunkatcher" to give a un-bi-assed opinion. :S

Why the :S ?
Are you facetiously suggesting that was not actually his experience and he was shamelessly trying to promote his own emergency medical assistance service, but a moderator edited to remove the sig line that always has his website listed in it?

Shame on you. :B

Sorry I was so nieve. Takes me awhile to catch on. Merry Christmas.

[dan-nickie]

peaches&cream wrote:
Isn't it great you can always depend on someone like "sunkatcher" to give a un-bi-assed opinion. :S

Why the :S ?
Are you facetiously suggesting that was not actually his experience and he was shamelessly trying to promote his own emergency medical assistance service, but a moderator edited to remove the sig line that always has his website listed in it?

Shame on you. :B

[GS_TravelAssist]

Thank you for the post sunkatcher. I apologize that we were unable to meet your expectations during your request for assistance. Please send me a private message with your Good Sam number and contact information and I will contact you when I return to the office on December 30th.

Thank you,
Austin

[peaches_cream]

Isn't it great you can always depend on someone like "sunkatcher" to give a un-bi-assed opinion. :S

[dan-nickie]

sunkatcher wrote:
In November, 2009 I received a mailing concerning membership in Good Sam’s Emergency Evacuation Assistance Program. This program promised to get you home with your RV or get your family to your bedside in case of an illness.
We were going to South Texas for our 13th winter and decided that this was a good idea to have this coverage, so we purchased it.
Even though I was in good health, never been ill and had a complete physical before we left for the Valley in December, 2009, I suffered a “Brain Bleed Stroke” on January 30th, 2010. I spent 18 days in Weslaco’s Knapp Hospital and I was in no condition to drive our motorhome and Martha had never driven it.
NO PROBLEM! We had Good Sam’s Insurance for this type of situation, RIGHT?
We called Good Sam’s and they faxed us an 18 page questionnaire.
WE RECEIVED NO HELP FROM THEM!
I had to fly my daughter and her boyfriend to McAllen to drive us and the motorhome back to Paris, Texas.
I had been a Good Sam’s Member as well as a Good Sam’s Roadside Assistance member for many years and trusted them fully. After all they were Good Sam’s. Who would have doubted them?
After 2 months in physical therapy I took the matter to my Attorney, Bill Flanery. He contacted Good Sam’s and after speaking with them he informed me that I had “wasted my money” by joining this program.
If I can prevent ONE person from making the same mistake that I made then writing this will be well worth it.
Sincerely, Bruce Raney,

Ron (sunkatcher), I have been interested in this also and have been watching this thread for some first hand experiences. I was wondering about a couple things.

1. Is this experience about you or "Bruce Raney"?

2. I thought you had been involved with a competing service, masa4u.com since 2009. If so, why would you sign up for the Good Sam program?

Please respond so I can make an informed decision about these services.

[sunkatcher]

In November, 2009 I received a mailing concerning membership in Good Sam’s Emergency Evacuation Assistance Program. This program promised to get you home with your RV or get your family to your bedside in case of an illness.
We were going to South Texas for our 13th winter and decided that this was a good idea to have this coverage, so we purchased it.
Even though I was in good health, never been ill and had a complete physical before we left for the Valley in December, 2009, I suffered a “Brain Bleed Stroke” on January 30th, 2010. I spent 18 days in Weslaco’s Knapp Hospital and I was in no condition to drive our motorhome and Martha had never driven it.
NO PROBLEM! We had Good Sam’s Insurance for this type of situation, RIGHT?
We called Good Sam’s and they faxed us an 18 page questionnaire.
WE RECEIVED NO HELP FROM THEM!
I had to fly my daughter and her boyfriend to McAllen to drive us and the motorhome back to Paris, Texas.
I had been a Good Sam’s Member as well as a Good Sam’s Roadside Assistance member for many years and trusted them fully. After all they were Good Sam’s. Who would have doubted them?
After 2 months in physical therapy I took the matter to my Attorney, Bill Flanery. He contacted Good Sam’s and after speaking with them he informed me that I had “wasted my money” by joining this program.
If I can prevent ONE person from making the same mistake that I made then writing this will be well worth it.
Sincerely, Bruce Raney,

[GS_TravelAssist]

Thank you for your post, Adventure! I would like to chime in here and mention a few things.
First, I wanted to let you know that Good Sam TravelAssist helps members every day with issues related to medical emergencies while traveling. Whether it’s helping members recover their lost luggage, returning an RV that the member cannot drive due to injury or illness, or handling the return of remains for the family of a member who has passed. I’m sure, given enough time, someone who has used TravelAssist will respond to this post.
Also, I wanted to clarify that the only Good Sam TravelAssist benefit that requires that it be determined that the hospital stay is going to exceed 7 days is the Solo Traveler Benefit. This is the benefit that will arrange and pay for a family member or friend to fly to your bedside when it is determined that you are going to be in the hospital for more than 7 days (3 days with Premier). The only other benefit that requires a minimum hospital stay (3 days) is the Paid Pet Housing/Return Benefit offered with Good Sam TravelAssist Premier.
To answer your question, Triker33, while most traveling companions choose to stay with the hospitalized member until they are stabilized, if the traveling companion chooses to be returned home prior to the hospitalized member being released, Good Sam TravelAssist will accommodate them. Again, there is no minimum hospital stay requirement for the Return of Traveling Companion Benefit.
Also, regarding your question about RV/Vehicle Return, Adventure, Good Sam TravelAssist will arrange and pay for the return of your rig if you become unable to drive it due to injury or illness. This benefit does not require admittance to a hospital, but only requires confirmation from a physician that you are unable to drive it.
Without getting too longwinded, I wanted to add one last thing. It bears mentioning that Good Sam TravelAssist is not a reimbursement program. I only bring this up because in the original post, the phrase “turned in a claim” was used. Good Sam TravelAssist is meant to help members in real time without having to file for reimbursement. There are a few exceptions, but this post is already pretty long.
Please see the Plan Descriptions at www.goodsamtravelassist.com or call 1(888)853-7333 for more information.
Thanks again for your posts!

[Adventure]

I agree Triker33 most surgeries they want you out in 18 hours even for breast and prostate surgeries which takes weeks to recuperate outside the hospital. So if one was hospitalized for a week or really messed up from an accident how could they tolerate a commercial flight in the economy section? Somewhere I read it makes exceptions for a drivers injured driving leg/arms (if no one else in the party can drive the rig) and the policy kicks in and sends them and their rig home.

Seems to me this insurance is best for one who dies away from home and needs to be sent home for the funeral. My friend (who did not have insurance) had to figure out and pay thousands to bring her husband home from Phoenix after he passed from a heart attack.

So I am hoping from the thousands of GS members who bought this policy surely some have experience with using the benefits.

[Triker33]

if you are hospitalized for a week or more

You should have ask how many people that went to a hospital.
Spent a week or more in it.

Any more, Insurance company's want you out of there quick.

In my life time(over 70 +) I have been in one twice. Once for 4 days and second for 10. Both in the last two years.

Does the traveling companions have to wait around in a motel for a week to pass while you are in the hospital, before their way home can start?

May be cheaper to pay for a air line ticket then a week's motel bill.