good sam club? alternative?

[JourneytoRet]

hello, we're getting our first MH, 2000LY. what road service do you recommend/why? any caveats out there? thanks!

[Protagonist]

I've got Good Sam emergency roadside assistance. Mainly because many RV insurance companies give Good Sam discounts on their insurance rates— my discount is over $400 per year— and if I had the Good Sam membership anyway, it seemed prudent to get the emergency roadside assistance, too.

Haven't needed to use the roadside assistance yet, so I can't say whether it's worth the money, though.

[tlavergne]

Had AAA for years but never used it for airstream. Switched to Good Sam because it was cheaper and I thought they would be better for airstream if we had a problem. Our car broke down 40 miles from home. Good Sam would not tow it home to local mechanic, only to nearest facility. To be fair, I understood that provision when I signed up with Good Sam. Very inconvenient though when something happens near home. Went back to AAA which has a 100 mile range. Added AAA RV insurance to AAA membership. Have heard that AAA RV roadside assistance quality will vary by location so only time will tell how that decision will play out.

[mojo]

Originally Posted by tlavergne

Had AAA for years but never used it for airstream. Switched to Good Sam because it was cheaper and I thought they would be better for airstream if we had a problem. Our car broke down 40 miles from home. Good Sam would not tow it home to local mechanic, only to nearest facility. To be fair, I understood that provision when I signed up with Good Sam. Very inconvenient though when something happens near home. Went back to AAA which has a 100 mile range. Added AAA RV insurance to AAA membership. Have heard that AAA RV roadside assistance quality will vary by location so only time will tell how that decision will play out.

When I broke down on the way to Denver, they wanted to tow me to a gas station in the mountains instead of the dealer in Denver. I paid to have it towed to Denver and then contested the charge which they reviewed and reimbursed me.

Good Sam has changed their rules on this and will now tow to location of your choice within 100 miles.

[92landyacht]

Yep, I use Good Sam Road Side for piece of mind.

[ThreeFingers]

Had AAA for years with the rv endorsement on it, never needed them until on our way home from North Carolina, my left rear tire went flat at Love's station in the Tehachapi mountains. The tow/repair truck showed up and the guy replaced the flat with the spare. All was good, until the guy said he was all done and held his hand out for a tip, he told me that it was a normal $100 tip for this service, after a little go around he left with $50 in his hand. Paid for service for years and then had to pay when help was needed. Came home and reported the tip issue to AAA and switched to Good Sam, we again have not had to use them yet and hope we never do need them.

[Skater]

Originally Posted by ThreeFingers

Had AAA for years with the rv endorsement on it, never needed them until on our way home from North Carolina, my left rear tire went flat at Love's station in the Tehachapi mountains. The tow/repair truck showed up and the guy replaced the flat with the spare. All was good, until the guy said he was all done and held his hand out for a tip, he told me that it was a normal $100 tip for this service, after a little go around he left with $50 in his hand. Paid for service for years and then had to pay when help was needed. Came home and reported the tip issue to AAA and switched to Good Sam, we again have not had to use them yet and hope we never do need them.

I'm pretty sure that could still happen with Good Sam - both companies work with local independent shops for the most part. (I think only in large cities does AAA have their own fleet of tow trucks and battery replacement trucks; otherwise they contract with local shops.)

[Ahab]

Originally Posted by ThreeFingers

Had AAA for years with the rv endorsement on it, never needed them until on our way home from North Carolina, my left rear tire went flat at Love's station in the Tehachapi mountains. The tow/repair truck showed up and the guy replaced the flat with the spare. All was good, until the guy said he was all done and held his hand out for a tip, he told me that it was a normal $100 tip for this service, after a little go around he left with $50 in his hand. Paid for service for years and then had to pay when help was needed. Came home and reported the tip issue to AAA and switched to Good Sam, we again have not had to use them yet and hope we never do need them.

That guy had his (you know what) up your butt.

[Lily&Me]

We have had AAA since our first RV in 2002.


Used it several times for that one, also for the car, never for the Interstate. We love AAA, not just the service but the many discounts you get at hotels, museums, etc.


Maggie

[87MH]

Originally Posted by JourneytoRet

hello, we're getting our first MH, 2000LY. what road service do you recommend/why? any caveats out there? thanks!

I've had to use Good Sam for the motorhome twice...HIGHLY recommend them.

When you call to request services they ask the same questions in various ways to first determine that the driver and occupants are OK and no medical services are required.

They then determine what is to be towed and if any other vehicles are involved (tow vehicle, MoHo toad, etc.).

Then, and most importantly, they contact the closest tow company with the proper truck to tow your rig. This is important since tow requirments seem to always happen on the weekend and when you do not have a complete listing of towing companies in the area.

Don't rely to chance and have a 3/4 ton mini tow truck show up to service your whoppadoozie MoHo or one-ton behemoth towing a 34'er.

[Protagonist]

Originally Posted by 87MH

Don't rely to chance and have a 3/4 ton mini tow truck show up to service your whoppadoozie MoHo or one-ton behemoth towing a 34'er.

Good point! Check your motorhome's owner's manual for towing restrictions. If you need a flatbed tow, best to know that in advance, and ask for it up front.

In the case of my Interstate, it requires a flatbed tow, but the number of flatbed tow trucks that can handle a load that is 23 feet long and 9'8" tall is limited.

[jrkeef]

Three years ago my wife and I spent the better part of a day in an old Walmart parking lot South of Memphis waiting for Good Sam to send help. After calling back and learning somehow our original call had been deleted they finally sent a guy with a tire from West Memphis, Arkansas. We have had AAA on the cars for decades so we dropped Good Sams and added the RV endorsement to AAA. So far I have only used it once and AAA sent help quickly the problem fixed and we were on our way in less than two hours. Love AAA - Good Sams not so much.

[hissilver]

Thanks for the frank and open discussion.

[JourneytoRet]

yes, we appreciate the info, and especially the kind way you express yourselves. i can see that rv people are a special breed! but we suspected this by how friendly other campers were to us, regardless of how long it took us to set up/break down the popup!