AAA is a JOKE!!!!!!

[zebragirl83]

I apologize in advance to anyone who works for AAA... this isn't going to be nice!

So, I get a call at 5:00 from my best friend while I'm packing up to leave work... Her car has broken down in the Target parking lot. (long story short, she noticed smoke coming from the hood and her radiator blew coolant EVERYWHERE... she says it never ran hot... my bet would be on that it did) She tells me AAA first asked her if she was in a safe place and then assured her that no later than 6:00 they will have a tow truck to her.

HA... so 6:00 rolls around, and there we sit... she calls AAA. Caesar from God only knows what country says, "oh maam we're sorry, it's going to be another TWO HOURS before anyone can get to you" and asked if she wanted him to try another company in our area YES!!! So they're gonna call her back....
6:30: still no phone call... so she calls again... "Eric" no language barrier... THANK GOODNESS! Okay... we're hoping we're cooking with gas now... WRONG! My friend tells Eric that we've been for two hours now on what was supposed to take one, we still haven't heard back from Caesar on a better option than two more hours, and she has to use the bathroom (yes she did share that info with eric). Eric's response: That's not good at all!! Thanks Sherlock... next you wanna tell us where they hid Jimmy Hoffa?!
Huff! So after a few minutes of him trying to sweet talk her into not hating AAA I tell her to ask him if she'd told lady #1 in our line of friendly AAA employees that she didn't feel safe, would this have gone faster?

(What we've learned from this experience: always tell them you don't feel safe)

While she's talking to Eric... someone beeps in on the other line... Eric is immediately put on hold in hopes that this is Caesar with better news.... NOPE.... it's "blah blah" from AAA (didn't catch the name) who gives us Pam's number... The actual tow truck driver's wife!!! We call Tow Trucker Pam only to find out Tow Trucker husband is an hour and a half outside Tuscaloosa in traffic... YEAAAA... more good news. At this point we're done... we're hungry... she is still in desperate need of a restroom... and she still hasn't actually gotten in to Target to even get what she went for.
Fastforward through us finally (at 7:00) leaving her key in the wheel well and daring anyone to try and steal the car, going to Target, finding a bathroom, eating dinner, and me getting her and myself back to our respective places of residence...
10:00 CST: my phone rings that they have JUST picked up her car.... 5.5 hours after she called AAA...

not pleased.

[Joe 1320]

Yup......

Mom used to work for AAA corporate. It seriously led to a stroke and her early retirement. What a bunch of morons.

BTW, in order to get fast service you have to lie. Tell them you don't feel safe and the car is partially blocking the road. Those calls will get priority.

Sad, but better than not having any AAA serive.

[Performin Norman]

AAA towing is about $100 or more per year and has major restrictions.

Towing added to my insurance policy is $9 per year and has no restrictions except they don't want you to tow your car a ridiculous distance and it is a reimbursement basis instead of a club membership. I don't see the benefits of AAA. ERS on an auto policy will even pay to bring you gas if you run out, will pay the cost of labor to repair a tire and transport it to you and will pay to have a locksmith come and unlock your car if you accidentally leave your keys in your car.

$100 + or $9. Hmmmm Let me think.

[Injuneer]

Must differ based on where you live. My basic coverage is $59 for 1st driver (driver is covered, not a specific car, so you get coverage even on a rental or borrowed car). Calls have always been answered in English by someone with local knowledge, response has been in the range of 15-45 minutes. Although the policy has limits on towing distance, they have never charged me for tows beyond those limits. They even responded to a battery failure on my work truck (too long sitting at a road work site with the strobes and O/H flashing lights going), and jumped it, even though it was clearly a "commerical" vehicle, which is not covered.

Had coverage for at least 15 years, and fully satisfied with it. Unfortunate that not all areas of the country receive the same level of service.

[Joe K. 99 Zeee!!]

4+ hours for service is ridiculous.

Fortunately, I haven't had that problem. I've used their service for lockouts, jump starts, a blown tire change, and a tow once when my transmission lost gears 3 & 4 on the highway. I've used them in VA, MD, and NJ and each time they arrived withing an hour and a half. The blown tire was the longest because and number of other folks crossed a construction zone where there was some debris on the road and we were spread out over several miles. Would've taken care of it myself if the guys at the service station didn't over torque the nuts on the wheel. Luckily I haven't run into the same service problems as you.

[raroZ28]

ive never waited that long. They will call tow trucks in their area, and they will say whatever they need to say to get the business. If the tow guy knows it will take him 3 hours to get there, he'll say 2 at the most, and just show up when he wants.

It isn't AAA's fault.

[Joe 1320]

ive never waited that long. They will call tow trucks in their area, and they will say whatever they need to say to get the business. If the tow guy knows it will take him 3 hours to get there, he'll say 2 at the most, and just show up when he wants.

It isn't AAA's fault.

Speaking from knowledge of their internal politics, understand that AAA is a for profit organization. Certain prices are negotiated and contracts made. AAA makes every attempt to use their primary contractors because of the lower rates...... and that means that you will wait, while a perfectly good truck sits idle at a non primary contractor. Yes, most of the time it is AAA's fault.

[Joshu]

Had coverage for at least 15 years, and fully satisfied with it. Unfortunate that not all areas of the country receive the same level of service.

X2

The latest I have ever had to wait was 65 minutes. Other than that they have been perfect. The people working at the AAA place here though are assholes. They are just rude and plain ignorant.

[DJ Taso]

Sounds to me you could of just called a tow truck yourself and saved a lot of time, but the tow could of been a little pricey depending on how far you towed it.

[zebragirl83]

Sounds to me you could of just called a tow truck yourself and saved a lot of time

When the initial call was made that was an option, but AAA told her she was only going to have to wait about an hour and half, which she and I were both completely willing to do to get the service she pays $150 a year for. By the time we found out it was going to be WAY longer, the reasonably priced tow company in town that she would have called was closed!!! She canceled the service the next day... I told her to get Roadside Assistance on her cell phone.

[Performin Norman]

When the initial call was made that was an option, but AAA told her she was only going to have to wait about an hour and half, which she and I were both completely willing to do to get the service she pays $150 a year for. By the time we found out it was going to be WAY longer, the reasonably priced tow company in town that she would have called was closed!!! She canceled the service the next day... I told her to get Roadside Assistance on her cell phone.

Good answer. Btw, is that reimbursement basis? I've never looked into it.

[99Firebird3800]

Wow. Not a AAA member here, but I've heard a few horror stories about this kinda stuff. Makes me glad that I don't have them - I also have plenty of ways to get a tow if I need one from friends/family. Worst case scenario (and I've had three in the last 6 months) my FIL has a nice big flatbed that anything smaller than my truck will fit on.

I think the truck would physically fit up there, but I'd want to upgrade the springs and hitch before I put it up there.

[raroZ28]

My membership only cost me like 90 bucks, not 150.

I remember when my alternator came apart on the inside in pittsburgh, on my way to philly from Detroit. Thank god for AAA. Had a tow truck within an hour in the sticks, back into town, and to an autozone where the guy there was able to fix the alternator.

I've used all of my tows every year since being a gold member (3 years), and I've only waited a long time ONCE. I've been picked up by so many companies, that while I do understand AAA has deals with the companies they do work with, but at the same time, they do deal with a LOT of tow companies. I mean, who here has seen a tow truck that doesn't have a AAA sticker on it? I personally never have.

It just depends on how busy they are. Sometimes a lot of people break down.

[FroSSty]

I mean, who here has seen a tow truck that doesn't have a AAA sticker on it? I personally never have.

The tow company that I prefer and the business I am with calls on is not with AAA and never will be so long as the old man who owns it is around. What his kids will do I don't know...

It isn't worth it for him to settle on the prices set by AAA. AAA is to towing as direct repair programs are to body shops. They are a good idea in a perfect world. However,they were really set up to unfairly control the market and set a "prevailing" rate of pay in hopes that eventually they will control enough of the towing companies that the rest will either fold or give in to the substandard "prevailing" rate. Basically, they tend to have the insurance companies best interest in mind (money) instead of the customers'(fast, friendly, efficient).

If you are sitting in a parking lot of a Target, obviously in a city, you shouldn't have to wait more than 30 minutes for a tow. What most people don't realize is that you can set up your own insurance company for towing and it is usually not as much as AAA. Then call who you want and they'll get paid.
end rant.