Coach-Net, AAA, Good Sam? Roadside Assist

[davidrrand]

My two-year complimentary membership with Coach-Net is coming to a close. Have not used so do not know if it is worth the $109-179.00 annually, depending on plan. What’s your experience? Good Sam? AAA? Others?

Thanks!
Dave

[n2916s]

Well, none of them own a single tow truck. They are simply call centers selling a very similar product which is more or less insurance. I have Good Sam and have used them ten years or so, out of inertia - used them twice in that time and they dispatched prompt assistance but, considering my annual dues, each incident actually cost about $400.

You pays your money and you takes your chances...

[AirstreamCSH]

I dropped the Good Sam and this is my last year on my 27 yr AAA. When you finally need them, you find out you do better to call the major tow company in the area. Sad really. They are just really bad dispatch companies.

[RivetED]

We have had Coach Net since our warranty period on our 04 Safari 25. The service was not needed until about 5 years ago. Our Ford TV had an injector fail. Coach Net got us a tow in less than an hour. When the driver arrived he said that 'these Fords are easy to fix, I'll get you to MY shop and have you on the way...bla, bla, bla.' I said we want to go to a Ford dealer. The conversation was not going well. I called Coach Net back and explained the situation. They called the driver, owner, or whoever and the Ford Dealer was suddenly the new destination. Coach Net took care of the issue.

Just a few weeks later, same trip, we blew the left rear tire on the TV. We were just past a major Interstate intersection. With the on-coming traffic there was no safe way to open the left door let alone change a tire. Called Coach Net again. Coach Net dispatched a tow/repair truck and called the State Police to manage the on-coming traffic while the tire was replaced. This was quite an adventurous trip!

Our new A/S is still under warranty and again Coach Net is the provider.

On return from our 1st trip with the new A/S the brakes locked up as I was backing into my driveway. The brake failure is for a different topic. Anyway, I called Coach Net and explained we would need a 'roll-back' because of the brake issue. This time the Coach Net rep said they will not tow or move the trailer and instead would hire a 'local' repair service to fix the brakes or tie up the axle to make it towable.

Coach Net refused to send a tow vehicle capable of loading the 26' A/S. Their explanation/excuse was; we get a lot of stories about warranty failure from RV people that have run into something or jammed a slide out by their own fault and that is not a warranty issue. We cannot take a chance that your problem is warranty. It may be your fault and this is our solution. We (Coach Net) have no other obligation with A/S for warranty (paraphrased).

We are not planning to renew with Coach Net.

BTW: Airstream warranty service and Dexter were great in helping us get the brakes repaired in my driveway.

This last episode with Coach Net was very disconcerting. Coach Net had NO concern or respect for my needs, only their minimum responsibility to the contract with Thor. Again, the main point Coach Net made was the failure was probably my fault and not a warranty issue.

Coach Net will not be on the top of my list in the future. Just my humble opinion.

[Lily&Me]

We have had AAA since 2002, and have had consistently good service when that has been needed.

I have used it twice in the past month or so.

The only time we ever could not get service was right after an ice storm in Missouri.

AAA also provides discounts many places...campgrounds, entrance fees, tickets, etc.

Maggie

[LY007]

All of these companies are only as good as the driver who shows up.

I will say this for AAA: my neighbor needed a battery replaced in a Porsche. It takes an enormous battery and is located in an awkward knuckle-busting place. AAA sent a competent guy out with the right battery and he did the work. His price for battery+labor was less than the price of the battery at a local car parts store and DIY.

[KWN306]

We have Good Sam and like others have said they are only as good as the drivers / repairman that shows up. I find the service useful as thay can norrow down a tow / repair facility very quickly rather than me firguring it out. I'm getting too old to change a flat tire.

[accordionman]

We have a company called "Safe Ride" which is affiliated with Overland Insurance out in AZ. First year RVers. When we insured our coach with them they offered the service which is no different than any others. It's coming up for renewal and I'm on the fence as to whether or not I'm going to renew. I have had 2 experiences with them.
First: While parked at home, I was having a problem with my water pump and called them for some names of mobile mechanics. They said it would take a day to get the names (?), but they did call me back the next day with 3 names. I'm glad I wasn't stranded on the side of the road.

Second: I was removing a wheel and tire while my coach was parked in storage and encountered some issues removing it. Getting frustrated, I called them. I got jerked around for about an hour on the phone with them telling me they had no idea why I was calling them and another number of weird responses. I gave up...finished removing the tire myself and brought it to a tire shop myself.
Again, thank God I wasn't on the side of the road. The next day, I called the insurance agency who sold me the service contract and complained and was told that they had no record of my call (?).

Not exactly a sterling record. After the second incident, I fully equipped myself with the tools necessary to change a tire myself as conveniently as possible, in the case of a problem.

I had originally stayed away from AAA as they don't service the NE with RV service, but since I originally came from there and now live in FL, I have no intentions of going up there for anything, so I might try AAA.

In any case, I don't think I would renew with Safe Ride. From what I have read in the last yr about these services, they all seem to run from great to absolute torturous treatment. I'm not sure there is any happy medium. I think it is just the luck of the draw.

Just my .02

[RJJ]

I've had AAA for many years.

When I got my 20 footer last year, I upgraded to Premier + RV. When the trailer needed towing, AAA made it possible. First a regular tow truck, but the guy stated I needed a Landoll for the job. The tow was 206 miles and was covered. AAA also covered lodging and meals for 3 days afterward. I've had flats fixed, battery jump starts over the many years of membership.

I have only 1 complaint: (In FL) because someone sued AAA for a tire coming out of its storage area and causing damage, the AAA svc tech would not put my tire in its correct storage place. I had to carry it around in the cargo area of my SUV. But, at least the AAA tech put the dirty tire in a giant plastic bag.

I just received my complementary Coachnet membership. I'll carry them both. When the Coachnet ends, I'll still carry AAA.

[rperrym]

We used AAA RV+ last Sunday. Our truck shut down on Interstate 30 in Little Rock and we were only able to coast to the South University exit. Of course we had the Airstream in tow. In 20 minutes a wrecker showed up and loaded my truck up and towed the Airstream with the truck on his bed to Everett GMC.
I will agree that in a more rural area and with different wrecker companies, this may have turned out differently. We also have Coach-Net.

Rick

[alantbird]

Allstate since the 80s and they cover anything I drive, I just fired good sams as my ins carrier partly due to the CONSTANT JUNK MAIL!

[Magnet18]

We've got AAA premier+rv, just for some peace of mind.

It's like insurance. You hope you never need it, but when you need it, you need it

Previous owners had a couple good sam horror stories, and a AAA story that went much smoother

[Rgentum]

Two summers ago, we left Seattle in our Ram/Cummins 2500 & AS 27 to attend the National AS Rally in WVA. We took I-90. At the summit of Lookout Pass, on the border between ID and MT and miles from nowhere, the Ram sprung an oil leak. I stopped and called AAA. It took several hours for the tow truck to arrive. He drove the Ram onto the bed of the truck and towed the AS. He asked where did I want to go? I said the closest RAM dealer. He said that was in Post Falls, ID, on the ID/OR border (on the opposite side of the state). It took us approx 1.5 hours to get there, approx. 70 miles away. He unhooked the trailer and backed the Ram off the truck. He called AAA for me. I asked, "How much?" AAA replied, "No charge --- you have AAA/Premiere Plus RV."

In Washington that subscription costs me annually $169 plus $37 for a second driver. I shudder to think what that tow would have cost me without it. Both the trucker and the AAA personnel could not have been nicer, more helpful, more pleasant, etc.

[richb359]

I've had AAA forever on the cars and for 12 years on the 28' Safari.

Two usages: Burnt out a wheel bearing. Only way to transit the 80 miles
to a shop that could handle the replacement was via a flat-bed. It was
dispatched and cost me nothing. i can't imagine what the out of pocket
would have been on that one. Had a flat at 7:00PM in Louisianna. No local
responsed. AAA found a guy about 75 miles away that came over an fixed it at 10:00 at night in a thunderstorm. I've had a fair amount of other instances
with the cars and always good results. For the price I'm sticking with AAA

RMB

[InterBlog]

I have Good Sam and have had to use them one time. They provided excellent service, and I was in a remote area in eastern Canada. They are just a dispatch center, yes, but they do that One Job very well. The guy they sent to fix my rig had to travel a 50-mile round trip into an undeveloped area, then navigate down a private logging road to find me. That took perseverance, LOL.

[Fred L]

Carrying Triple AAA and Good Sam for now, only because I have had AAA for 20 years.
Will be dropping GS though. Simple reason is that I get good discounts on hotels during business travel with AAA that more than pays for itself.
I did have an issue with the trailer within the first few hours of owning it where I met a fellow who towed it to a half way meeting point. After I did some work in installing the WDH and putting on 4 new wheels/tires, I could not get the electrical 7 pin connection to work. Thinking it may have been a fuse, but wasn't. I ended up pulling into a Flying J who said they only worked on trucks, so called GS (Saturday afternoon around 4:00) and he said they would send somone. When I asked how long, he said most likely 5-6 hours. I was in Va along Rt 81, not far from Christiansburg or Roanoke, so not out in the middle of nowhere. Declined the service. Will be staying with AAA going forward. There is also an interesting you tube video done by the folks who call their business long honeymoon about a time they called GS in northern Ca and were told by GS that no one could help them for at least 24 hours. That doesn't work well for me.

[jwc363]

Several years ago My dodge truck broke down on I-5 in rural northern California. I was hauling a 27 foot non-airstream trailer. AAA sent a gentleman with a flatbed truck that could haul the truck and hooked the trailer up to his hitch and hauled me and my truck and trailer to a motel. He was a mechanic and after diagnosing the problem as a fuel pump he came back the next morning and installed a new one. AAA premium paid for the tow for the truck and trailer.

[Mrjkq]

FMCA (family motor coach association) has opened its membership ranks to all towable RV's that are self contained, the annual membership fee is $50 and the benefits are 2nd to none. They offer a roadside assistance program for $69 annually that covers all your vehicles including motorcycles. This roadside program is better than or equal to all the others & less expensive. Micheline tire program & insurance is just a couple more benefits available along with a monthly magazine. Well worth the money. I recently replaced my Truck tires with Michelin Defender LT tires using the FMCA Michelin Advantage program & saved a bundle. The program applies to all type Michelin tires so Airstream owners that are in the market can also save big bucks.

[Jan Tillman]

We have AAA gold with a rider for the Tin Tipi ,we had a breakdown in Ky .called for a tow truck waited 5 hrs in 95 degree heat a good Samaritan stopped took my husband to a part fixed and then came back and did the work. AAA got mad when we canceled the call.
I might add I am disabled and in all that time not one cop stopped

[GadaboutGal]

Hello newby to AS forum. I have been checking on insurance but finding most want to quote from NADA or only will insure newer models. Any suggestions would be great? Will be taking her out soon for first run.