"I have questions that are probably unanswerable except by someone who has had both in our area - are they as fast as AAA when it comes to needing a tow nearby? My Cougar recently died in a parking lot; AAA was there about half an hour after I put in the request using their app. Would Good Sam have been as fast?"
Skater - I had AAA for about for about 20 years (AAA Plus RV for the last 5 years) before switching to GS-ERS. Over the years, I used AAA numerous times for non-RV related events, and they were very prompt, and the service was great. The
only reason I switched is because many of our travels take us out of the region. and after asking AAA at the state, regional, and national level, they could
not guarantee that same level of service everywhere across the country. None of their answers were the same, giving the impression their policies varied by region.
Good Sam-ERS assured me their policies were consistent in the US and Canada, and they would provide transportation to the nearest campground for the Airstream
and the TV, should the tow vehicle break down. This is the scenario I couldn't get AAA to guarantee.
I have used GS-ERS three times since we enrolled:
- Once for tow vehicle only, about 45 miles from home. They were there in about 30 minutes, and since it was after normal business hours, they delivered the truck (and us) to our house.
- Next time was when we had a flat tire on the Airstream just west of the Bay Bridge at 2:45 AM. They were there in about 35 minutes, changed the tire on the AS, and offered to plug the leak if that was the problem. It turned out to be a faulty valve stem.
- The last time was this past fall in British Columbia where we were towing a friend's 25 ft. Airstream with their vehicle. The tow vehicle had transmission problems. Even though the nearest civilization was 35 miles away, GS had a truck there in about an hour that carried the TV to a Chevrolet dealership, and towed the Airstream to a campground two miles away. This wasn't even our rig. After contacting the owner, he offered to contact his tow service, where he found out they would only cover the tow vehicle. We offered to use our GS, which we had just upgraded to the Platinum level (for coverage of borrowed and rental rigs) specifically for this trip. He contacted GS for us (he had a better cell signal) and see if they would cover the Airstream, if his service towed the vehicle. Good Sam
volunteered that they would cover both, because it would be "less complicated". No money changed hands, no questions asked. The tow bill was over $400.
Now, the transmission problems, and the ride to the campground was an adventure best shared around a campfire.