HOW DOES AAA WORK .. OR NOT

[fill]

Two years ago I was coming home from Salmon Idaho. About 20 miles outside of Missoula Montana the rear tire started to delaminate, and was coming off in 3 inch chunks, on my Honda GoldWing (My RV).

We called AAA; We have RV/Motorcycle coverage and were told it would be ~ 45 minutes. They called us back in an hour and told us that they no units capable of towing a motorcycle in all of Missoula. We would have to find our own service and they would happily reimburse us.

Because of forethought we had Rescue Plus through GoldWing Road Riders. We called and they had a truck there in 30 minutes. He had the mechanism to tow us up the flatbed. Just as interesting big AAA decals adorned the truck, and they did have a AAA contract.


I was on my way to work on the night shift when the clutch in my car went out. I pulled as far over as the guardrail would allow and called AAA. The nice lady asked if I was in a safe position; I told her NO; my car was only half off the road on US 95. She told me it would be at least 4 hours because the rig had to come out of Spokane.

30 – 45 minutes later an Idaho State Patrolman saw the situation and stopped. He called for a tow truck. 20 minutes later an AAA truck showed up and towed me to Sandpoint. He said he lived in Hope Id. (20 minutes away) and had been waiting all evening for a call.

How does AAA work internally (or not)?

Fill
’00 Subaru. ’94 GoldWing 1500 SE
2012 Roll-A-Home, Eagle 1 trailer
GWRRA, Thousand Trails, IBMC
(We’ve downsized)

[Gulfcoast]

READ THE FINE PRINT on your auto insurance policy. My insurance company told me they had towing, but when I read the fine print it only pays $100 per tow.

[opnspaces]

I've had excellent with AAA (Southern California)all the times I used it except once. Even when my teenager locked his keys in the car on a trip to Arizona. He didn't have his card and is on his mom's policy, but after a phone call or two it was all handled.

The one not so good experience I really am on the fence about if AAA should have done better. Same teenager again locked keys in the car, but this time he also did not have his wallet with him. So he would not be able to provide ID or the AAA card. AAA said they would not help. Being a teenager he and his friends pulled the window frame open enough to use a coat hanger to unlock the door.

[Dtank]

fill wrote:
To AZDRYHEAT:
We contacted our area AAA when we finally got home. They appologized all over the place, and gave us our next year membership free.

Also the tow truck took us to a Honda dealership that was open on Monday. That in itself was a BIG WOW! Had to stay in the area while they ordered a new tire. And then home.

Incidentally I would recommend Five Valley Honda / Yamaha in Missoula
Fill

Apparently - YOU are in Lancaster, CA.
Your AAA plan is in CA also.
In So. CA you would most likely have a tow truck in minutes!

MANY complaints (here, over the YEARS) that AAA does *NOT* have reciprocity between other state (AAA) ERS plans.
Some states = Yes, others = No, still others = "maybe".

For a good back-up plan for your MC, check out American Motorcyclist.
$50 per year - for *anything* you drive - no need to actually own an MC. However, towing is limited to 35 miles.

(BTW)
1. Towing reimbursement by your ins company may have dollar limitations, etc. Read the fine print. Be sure to ASK if usage will increase your premium!

2. My preference for ERS is - "US Rider, Equestrian Motor Plan"!
No need to own a "hayburner" or be towing a trailer with same.
Will tow whatever you are driving - you just need to be there.

Bottom line: ALL tow operators happily accept CCs and paper with pics of Dead Presidents!

:W

[Matt_Colie]

It is my experience that AAA works all over the country. (I am sad to say that I needed it.)

The thing is that they have no presence in some states. They will do the best that they can, but that might just suck. This is understandable if you have no local agent. The thing is, if you have the whole package, get on the phone (I hope a smart phone and good coverage)and find what you need. Just save all the receipts and make sure that the AAA person you are working with knows what you are doing. We have needed them twice on the road (in 14 years) and once with a passcar in Canada. They did there best.

If you have trip interruption, they can cover the hotel and a rental car. We needed both.

I wish there was a directory of companies with Landols. Because when our antique coach breaks down, we need either that or a truly huge roll-back.

Matt

[1968mooney]

toedtoes wrote:

1968mooney wrote:
I guess I am stupid but what is the difference in paying the tow co. upfront or re-imbursing me for paying for the tow out of my pocket. If I am paying and expecting re-imbursement, why would I worry about the cost factor? :h

For standard tows, the tow company can only charge you the contracted rate IF you obtain them through AAA. If you get them outside of AAA and request reimbursement, the tow company can charge you whatever they want, but AAA will only reimburse you for the contracted rate - so you may not get reimbursed for the entire tow charge.

My class C requires a medium duty wrecker to tow it. The rate for this truck is more than for a standard tow truck. So, even though I have the premium plan and get "up to 300 miles towing", AAA has a cap on the hourly rate. So, with the increased hourly rate, I only get about 110 miles before I have to start paying out of pocket.

There are lots of little caveats like this with all the plans.

So re-imbursement is not what it is stated. Why would any one purchase a contract that is nothing but a lie? Sounds like something the Gov. would provide.

[toedtoes]

1968mooney wrote:
I guess I am stupid but what is the difference in paying the tow co. upfront or re-imbursing me for paying for the tow out of my pocket. If I am paying and expecting re-imbursement, why would I worry about the cost factor? :h

For standard tows, the tow company can only charge you the contracted rate IF you obtain them through AAA. If you get them outside of AAA and request reimbursement, the tow company can charge you whatever they want, but AAA will only reimburse you for the contracted rate - so you may not get reimbursed for the entire tow charge.

My class C requires a medium duty wrecker to tow it. The rate for this truck is more than for a standard tow truck. So, even though I have the premium plan and get "up to 300 miles towing", AAA has a cap on the hourly rate. So, with the increased hourly rate, I only get about 110 miles before I have to start paying out of pocket.

There are lots of little caveats like this with all the plans.

[fill]

To AZDRYHEAT:
We contacted our area AAA when we finally got home. They appologized all over the place, and gave us our next year membership free.

Also the tow truck took us to a Honda dealership that was open on Monday. That in itself was a BIG WOW! Had to stay in the area while they ordered a new tire. And then home.

Incidentally I would recommend Five Valley Honda / Yamaha in Missoula
Fill

[beemerphile1]

monkey44 wrote:
...We added it to our vehicle insurance - now we just pay the service call, and insurance reimburses. Haven't used it yet, but we'll possibly test it one day.

Thom02099 wrote:
I have a towing rider on my vehicle insurance policy...

It has been reported that some insurance companies will record an ERS claim on your policy the same as an accident. A couple claims and your rates could go up.

[Thom02099]

I have a towing rider on my vehicle insurance policy. The few times I've needed to call a tow, I've actually used my American Express card and called for service through them. They were prompt in getting service to me, paid the tow bill through AMEX, and submit to insurance for reimbursement.

I'm sure some of the other major/top tier credit cards could provide the same service.

[mgirardo]

We have been members of AAA for over 20 years and have been generally satisfied. They've towed our TV and TT together twice. Once we did have to wait a few hours because the only wrecker with seating for 4 (one needed a car seat) was towing another vehicle out of state.

The last time we used AAA it was for a blow out on our motorhome. We were on the side of I-95 just south of Savannah, GA on a Sunday. The dispatcher told me that she can only call 3 providers, then she has to hand it off to a higher up to call more providers. She was concerned that if we were not in a safe place, that we would need to be towed to a safe place to put on our spare. Even though I assured her we were in a safe place with plenty of room for the work, the first 3 providers she called could not tow us if need be so she handed us over to her higher up. My guess is the higher up was too busy helping others. After sitting almost 2 hours (I did call AAA twice during that time), a Mobile Tire repair called to ask where I was and told me how long it would be. He got there pretty quick (with no way to tow me), put my spare on and then did the paper work. I asked him when did AAA call him. He told me right before he called me. So it took AAA 2 hours to find a Mobile Tire Repair guy in the Savannah, GA area. I gave AAA a lot of grief over that, but didn't get anything more than an apology.

For me, I am willing to wait as a trade off for not trying to find someone myself in an unknown area. I know that a company contracted with AAA is professional. If I call the first guy I find online, I have no idea what I am getting. I am willing to pay for the convenience and AAA has yet to let me down. I've waiting a few times longer than I'd like, but they got the job done.

Now that all four of us are drivers, we will probably purchase roadside assistance through our Insurance Company because putting all 4 on AAA is expensive. We'll keep one driver on AAA Plus since AAA will tow us 100 miles just in case (Insurance will only tow to the nearest repair shop/dealer). The discounts we receive as AAA Members will pay for the membership plus some.

-Michael

[wa8yxm]

How AAA works. also Good Sam. Coach net and nearly all the others in most areas.

THey contract with local service providers. IE: GOch and son? towing (S.W. Detroit) Now some of these providers do offer limited services.

Now some companies have affiliated tow trucks.. For example one company.. Long ago. Was also an oil company and all their full service stations provided service. AAA in some areas has AAA service vehicles as well.

Generally if you are a contract provider you are paid a set fee for servicing a member and generally it is less than a ¨Paying customer" so Member Be it AAA or one of the others. tend to get slower service.

I Used to have a higher priority vector for AAA in S.E. MI.

OH another thing about AAA.. Too many calls and they will cut you off.

And of course some of the service providers are better than others. I really hate it when I have to tell a professional tow truck driver how to do the job. but I have had to do it a few times (They simply did not know how to hook up or how to unload the car.. To me the answer was obvious)

[Campfire_Time]

You're going to get this no what road club you choose. Contracted rates are second fiddle. The few times we've had to use AAA over the years we've generally been pleased save for the time I was towing a UHaul trailer when moving my daughter. They said, oh yes we'll take of it. It was when we got home that they said the UHaul trailer wasn't covered.

Anyhow, you do know that you can submit a towing bill for reimbursement after the fact?

[Hondavalk]

Towing companies sign contracts with a reduced rate from there norm. If they don't have any calls they will come out. If they have full paying customers your gonna sit.

[1968mooney]

I guess I am stupid but what is the difference in paying the tow co. upfront or re-imbursing me for paying for the tow out of my pocket. If I am paying and expecting re-imbursement, why would I worry about the cost factor? :h