Roadside Assistance

[Erschm1952]

Good morning folks, I’m reaching out for recommendations on Roadside Assistance insurance. The wife and I are very interested in the peace of mind that comes with towing, flat tire help, etc.
should the need arrive. Any recommendations or warnings of who to avoid are very appreciated.

[Lily&Me]

AAA for 19 years.


Maggie

[damonbeals]

Just be aware that none of the road side assistance companies have people that will come and help you, they all contract with a local company. Only AAA has local people, but they usually won't deal with a RV. That being said the difference is the service you get when you call. Also read the rules carefully, about tow limits, etc. Some won't tow you home, only to a local service center. Some won't let you pick the service center either. And some have levels of service that only covers your car and not your RV until you buy it. AAA you will need RVplus for example. We have only used road side a few times and in each case the estimated time for help to arrive is always off by half. But yes it does give you piece of mind when you are in a strange town.


We have used both AAA RVplus and Good Sams Platinum, and have been happy with Good Sams and it's limits.



Damon
#4827

[Julie-Bob]

Good Sam. All the way.

[Lily&Me]

AAA certainly does deal with RV’s.

I have used them for years.

Maggie

[robert claus]

I've found the best deal is to join the AMA (motorcycles), and agree to auto-pay renewal. Membership costs $50/year, and auto-pay gets you no charge Roadside Assistance that covers all of your vehicles, including RV. I've used it for towing several times, and found it very good - they contract with good service suppliers.

[oldenavy]

We had Good Sam when full timing. The one time we needed them, they were useless. Ended up paying someone local to get back on the road. Since then, we have gone without and will pay the bill when we need assistance. We get our piece of mind with the knowledge that when we have a problem, we aren’t limited to who we can use or what a contract limits us to receiving.

[jcanavera]

Also keep in mind that AAA even with the RV package may not cover you in every state. Here in Missouri I've read the RV coverage and it says in the fine print where the RV coverage is not available when traveling in some states. So I have AAA coverage for the tow vehicle, and I carry the roadside assistance that comes with my Progressive insurance policy for the trailer. The advantage is the Progressive also covers the tow vehicle when it is towing the trailer. So if the tow vehicle breaks down and I need towing, I'd call Progressive since it covers towing the tow vehicle and the trailer. If I have a flat on the tow vehicle or need a jump start I'd call AAA. If the problem was trailer related I'd call Progressive. It's nice having an alternative.

Jack

[kidjedi]

Good Sam will only cover "road side" emergency. Here in Colorado, AAA will tow you up to 100 miles four times a year, no matter the reason (meaning, you could buy a disabled vehicle and have it flat towed to your home as long as it's within 100 miles). AAA is operated regionally, so be sure of your specific region's rules.

[CBWELL]

Had a TERRIBLE experience with good "BAD SAM"!! Lost a Ujoint on on the vehicle at 9PM on a 4 lane highway bypass in January with -30 weather. I and my wife were on the phone to the "brain dead" rep for over an hour!! She needed a "physical address" to send the tow truck to. Trying to explain that there was no physical address on a 4 lane highway was similar to trying explain to a "rock". Her supervisor was no better!! I finally called a tow company from the town wheere I live to come and get me. He had no problem finding where I was. Good Sam people are lacking a couple of very mportant things! 1. Common sense 2. BRAINS 3. People skills. They have no idea that person would require assistance outside of a metropolitan area. I sent a written complaint to Good Sam and after waiting 3 years, have never heard a word back. Thats their "Customer Service" in action!! JMHO

[twobikes]

I believe i had the SAME rep ! I have found through painful experience that either they can’t find you on a map or the service providers they contact won’t respond ( for the rate they are offering). If you are impeding traffic flow, a very capable and professional trooper will appear behind you with blue lights flashing. The trooper will have a contract towing company that must respond.

Well after you have your vehicles delivered to the places you select and you are once again moving, send your paid receipt to the insurance and indicate that the tow company was called by law enforcement . It pains me to report that this has been successful for us three times. Professional response from all concerned ( except the phone answerer...)

Lessons learned: the sooner the troopers get there, the faster things get moving...

When my friend called USAA for a tow from the gas line at Costco, they asked permission to use his phone’s GPS and had him located down to the pump number. I wish they covered rv breakdowns....

[featherbedder]

I had AAA few yrs. ago no claims etc. then jack collapsed called AAA to bring jack to raise tounge to place on ball, they stated we only tow no jacking, cancelled next day will NEVER have AAA again.I now have towing With Union oil Co. flat rate $75 use cost $4 per mo. per mo. Pay tow use cash or cc, then remit bill, no deductable no Q. asked just promptly send check. These are old fig. as to how much they pay as not used tow for few yrs. cost still$4 per mo.

[B. Cole]

Originally Posted by damonbeals

Just be aware that none of the road side assistance companies have people that will come and help you, they all contract with a local company. Only AAA has local people, but they usually won't deal with a RV. That being said the difference is the service you get when you call. Also read the rules carefully, about tow limits, etc. Some won't tow you home, only to a local service center. Some won't let you pick the service center either. And some have levels of service that only covers your car and not your RV until you buy it. AAA you will need RVplus for example. We have only used road side a few times and in each case the estimated time for help to arrive is always off by half. But yes it does give you piece of mind when you are in a strange town.


We have used both AAA RVplus and Good Sams Platinum, and have been happy with Good Sams and it's limits.



Damon
#4827

One of the reasons that Indiana AAA won't tow travel trailers( RV plus) is that something like 70 % of all Travel trailers are made in Northern Indiana.So they won't tow those around.Every AAA State program is different potentially.
But in general, AAA will "Deal with a RV" No problem, if you have that package, in another State.

[21Airstream]

Originally Posted by twobikes

... Lessons learned: the sooner the troopers get there, the faster things get moving...

That’s because most Troopers are far too busy to put up with the runaround those outfits give consumers.