Good Sam club roadside assistance

[jimjohnston]

Your membership to good Sam roadside assistance is worth every penny and then some. Back on July 5th while traveling in Southern Wyoming my 2017 F250 lost all power and I was stranded on the side of I-25. I contacted goodsam roadside assistance and within 45 minutes I had a towing service at my location. The towing company brought 5 gallons of diesel fuel but my engine would not start. I was compensated on the spot in the amount $100.00 however the towing company out of Buffalo Wyoming did not have the right equipment to tow my 25 FB and my 2017 F250. I had to pay $510.00 out of pocket and was towed over 88 miles to Casper Wyoming. When I returned home I submitted a reimbursement request to goodsam and within 10 days I was fully reimbursed the $510.00. This is a true story $100.00 plus $510.00 for towing you can do the math. I received $610.00 for this incident from goodsam roadside assistance. You would be crazy to not purchase this service.

Hope this helps.

Jim J

[sherpa27]

We've had Good Sam in the past, but discontinued. Our RV insurance (Progressive) offers roadside assistance, and we've found that we stay in Good Sam campgrounds so infrequently that we didn't recoup the cost of membership.

[sbacon]

The first time I tried GS was on an Interstate in Texas in a remote area. They
wanted the mile marker, so I got it and called back. They asked me to "Look
around and tell me what you see"; answer: TREES. Then they tell me that they
cannot find me ( on an Interstate, with a mile marker ) and therefore they
were unable to provide any service! How convenient for GS. A previous post
noted that GS knew exactly where he was when he called. Now I use AAA.

[JandDcam]

We have had the same experience as sbacon. First time we called GSRA, we were had a tire blowout on 400 in Atlanta. The rep found our location, and said she would send someone out immediately however they did not show up for 3 hours!

Next time we had another tire blowout on 114 in Roanoke, TX at a marked intersection. Rep said she could not find us so could not send assistance. We escalated to a supervisor and still no help. Finally found someone local to assist.

Third time was last month and another tire blowout in nowhere Wyoming. We had one bar on the cellphone so called and gave the rep our interstate mile marker. She could not find us, but could find a mile marker a mile away. Since she could not find our mile marker, she was not sure she could send assistance and told us we had to download their app to get updates - an impossibility with our cell reception. Again, we gave up and finally found someone in a very small town 25 miles away that would assist us.

In our experience, GSRA is totally worthless. We are AAA members and will try them, or CoachNet, next.

[unifreck]

We had a blowout on our towed Smart Car about 3 miles before the Nevada border wit California. Called AAA and had to wait 2 hours for a flatbed truck because the had to send it from Baker, California instead of Las Vegas where the odd sized tire was available at America Tire. Reasoning by AAA, their contracts require services to be sent from State you are IN.

Had another need for service and went through Good Sam, found out all roadside assistance companies (except AAA) use same call center in Texas to respond to calls for help. We were flatbeded to Mercedes dealer with a special flatbed that lifts vehicle so our TAIL is NOT damaged.

AAA would only be able to lift front end and thusly drag our tail, charge us for over allotted miles, no experience in roadside repair, does not have batteries for RV’s , and only allows a limited number of service calls per year without charge, and only will help the family members who have their name on a card.

I also have State Farm Roadside coverage on each of my vehicles to pay reimbursement for any additional charges and living expense while waiting for repairs.

Smartest purchase of all these is GOOD SAM ROADSIDE SERVICE.

[ewhitney45]

Have used them twice, once in no where New Mexico and another in our garage. Both problems involved the tow vehicle which had to be towed. No issues quick response, excellent service and nice follow up. Good Sam is the only provider that offers unlimited mileage towing which can be a big deal. Make sure you get the package that covers both your AS and TV.

[Gene]

My wife had AAA for 40+ years, but we got skeptical about it some time ago because everything seemed to be extra and there were many places they would not go. We kept it because the maps, tour books and camping books were worth it. But the maps were changed some years ago to a cheaper outfit and the quality went down. The camping books were dropped a few years ago and replaced with Woodalls. I don't think much of Woodalls because if a CG doesn't advertise, they get ignored or get a very small and sometimes useless review. We switched to online to get info about campgrounds, mainly RV Park Reviews (now owned the same man who owns this forum). In the past year the tour books were cheapened to the point of being almost useless. I use Trip Advisor for restaurants and sometimes CG's. And our motor vehicles (Toyota) hardly ever have a problem, so why spend money on AAA? It seems like it has transitioned to a marketing outfit.

Good Sam is owned by the same guy who owns Woodalls, Camping World and more, neither of which I think much of, but road service has a much better reputation. When I called Good Sam last spring the woman I talked to was very, very concerned where I was and I had to explain it to her in much detail—I was at an RV park in a small town, easy to find—but I can understand that because why waste the time of the tow truck driver if they can't find you? I think it is possible Good Sam needs to train the people on the phone better on how to find things, but otherwise it worked out well.

[21Airstream]

In my experience, a lot of tow companies don’t like AAA calls because they pay less than regular service calls. (There might be other reasons I’m unaware of.) About thirty years ago I stopped to check on a disabled vehicle on I-5, a pickup truck with camper that had a flat left-rear tire. I radioed for a AAA tow at the owner’s request and waited until the tow arrived.

The tow driver had just raised the rear of the truck when he received another call. Instead of changing the tire first he lowered the truck and left.

I doubt that’s the norm but I’ve never forgotten it. I even canceled my AAA coverage after that.

[twobikes]

We have learned this about GS. They no longer start by asking if you are safe. They don’t seem to have maps or any way to locate you by using your phone’s GPS — seems like they used to do all three. So, call the Highway Patrol especially if you are along an interstate or blocking traffic. They will have a list of local folks who WILL come. Tell the dispatcher at GS that the Highway Patrol is there and she/ he will defer to them and tell you how to submit a claim for reimbursement ( use webpage and a photo of the towing bill) saves a lot of waiting for them to try to find someone who will come for their rate or in some cases to find you at all)

[21Airstream]

In my former (State Trooper) life I never minded being dispatched to a disabled vehicle. For starters, the motorist is usually glad to see you but more importantly, you might just prevent a traffic collision and that’s one of the things I was paid to do.

Many times I would arrive and be advised (by the motorist) that assistance was en route. I would have Communications call the roadside service (AAA, Good Sam, etc.) and ascertain which tow was en route and what their ETA was. (It was surprising how many times this revealed some kind of communication breakdown.)

Being an RVer, I was also able to share “horror stories” where I had mechanical difficulties while on vacation. If you RV enough, you’re gonna break something sooner or later.

[Frankielee]

Good Sam is a wise choice. There are very few road assistance clubs that will assist you. AAA will cover your vehicle but not your travel trailer. Smart choice and safe traveling. Frankie Lee

[Frankielee]

Good Sam is a wise choice. There are very few road assistance clubs that will assist you. AAA will cover your vehicle but not your travel trailer. Smart choice and safe traveling. Frankie Lee

[Gene]

Any roadside assistance company will make arrangements for local tow trucks at a lower price than you would pay if you called them. It is sort of like what Medicare, Medicaid or any health care insurer will pay a doctor or hospital compared to the absurd bills the
providers give the uninsured. I suppose you could call someone yourself and bargain with them.

I wonder if that tow truck driver who abandoned someone with a flat would have kept his contract with AAA if they knew what he did. Also, in some cities tow truck operators are not known for ethical behavior and the travelor with a problem is defenseless. An insurer is helpful as an intermediary.

For what it is worth, a friend had a problem years ago with his MH and had Allstate. He said it went very well.

[21Airstream]

I don’t know if the RVer complained or not but he probably should have as Washington state has a lot of good consumer protection laws in place.