Roadside Assistance in 2018?

Maintenance/Repairs
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1

Yes, AAA is a no-brainer, but they’re not the only fish in the sea.

3 years ago, I had Better World Club for roadside assistance. The lack of an Android app ruined their reputation for me. I was new to this area, and didn’t know the names of all streets, so It took 3 calls, and 2 hours for them to find me on a busy street. (I needed to be wenched out of a ditch) There are apps now for roadside assistance, but my most recent request from AAA were maps of an area I am about to visit. AAA hotel discounts? Not really if you use Hotwire, or Priceline. I’ve not used AAA for a disabled car, yet. The AAA car inspection I had was simply terrible, and I’m very happy with my new mechanics, I go to them when I need work (inspection, tire mounting, oil changes)–no AAA discount, but the work is done well.

My AAA is about to expire, so I am considering all of my current choices. My car insurance offers a towing package, but I’d rather keep insurance, and assistance separate. (Besides, a call for help, may be considered a claim) My Chase credit card also offers assistance, but the reviews of it tell me to look elsewhere.

Anyone here with Good Sam, AARP, or Allstate roadside assistance; if so, how do you like it? Of course, I can always go back to Better World Club–I know the area better by now.
Sam’s Club, and Costco offer roadside assistance too, yikes! There are a lot of choices.
One thing that helps me is that I drive a Toyota. I also book discounted hotel rooms online.
Urgently, or any of the app-based clubs are not for me, due to their out of pocket costs, I pay enough out of pocket for my medical care. My neighbor swears by AAA, but he, and his wife both drive cars costing 1K, or less.

Thanks for your reply,

2

I have used State Farm road service a few times, and it seemed OK. Once my son needed it and they were able to triangulate on his cell phone signal to identify his location.
No evidence that they call it a claim.

3

GoodSam is OK if you have a motorhome, but their service to non-RVers is an afterthought. I still use AAA - on the rare occasion when I’ve needed them for a vehicle breakdown they tend to get a truck out quickly and efficiently. The discounts might not be as big of a deal with hotels anymore, but they also have lots of discounts to things like museums, clothes, auto repair, restaurants, prescriptions/glasses, etc.

The one thing that fails to impress me is AAA travel - at least in my regional club, the response time is pretty terrible, which sucks when you’re trying to book a discounted vacation that is no longer discounted by the time they get around to calling you back.

But all that stuff is irrelevant to my main reason for AAA - I sometimes drive an ancient pickup and while it’s been very reliable overall it’s also very old and will break down at some point, and when it does AAA will make life a lot easier.

4

[quote=“seebear, post:1, topic:121760”]
(Besides, a call for help, may be considered a claim)

A simple call to your insurance will answer that question .

5

Thanks melott,

Maybe, I’ll need to take a closer look at Amica, and read the fine print.

6

I’ve had State Farm since the mid 1980s. I have used towing 4 or 5 times. I choose my own towing business and have the vehicle towed to the destination of my choice. I pay with credit card, file with SF online and have the deposit in my bank the next morning. Like comprehensive towing/roadside assistance does not affect premiums.

7

Yes shadowfax,

The AAA-loving neighbor recently purchased a 2005 Ford Taurus. I always knew when he left the house because of the loud squeal coming from his car’s engine–it has been fixed. His wife drives an 06’ Fusion. Your ancient pickup is probably a dream come true, at least for me, I love old pickup trucks.

8

I can try with them, but I don’t trust 'em to be honest. Although assistance should NOT be a claim, those folks nickel and dime you to death. I’ll research more because the information on their site seems incomplete.

9

So, it is an out of pocket cost to you sgtrock21? This is one thing I wanted to avoid, if possible.
Amica says that towing is covered, but I don’t know the mileage limit, yet. Before I drive long distances, I check the tires, and fluids. The battery will be 3 in September, so I should start looking for a replacement.

10

State Farm has a toll free number on the insurance card. You call that, they dispatch the truck, and you don’t pay and there is no claim to file.

11

I don’t use any of these services as they are technically insurance and they WILL cost you more than you get back. It’s the only way they make any money. They don’t do it out love for the customer. A tow doesn’t cost very much for a local service and I don’t need them very often.

Keep a charged cell phone with you and the numbers of some quality wreckers and you will save money over AAA, State Farm, Amica, ect.

12

This is cool melott,

I have Amica. I was unable to reach a human at this time; instead, I sent them an email, I am waiting for a reply. I wonder who takes care of their roadside assistance calls; for example, Agero handles calls from the Big Three automakers, USAA, Progressive, Toyota, and Mazda. Allstate, and Geico contract directly with towing companies.

13

In the past 4 years, I’ve only used them twice; once for a dead battery. My car was built in California, and had the original battery, it died when it felt it’s first NY winter. LOL The second time I used it is when I drove into a ditch, on an unfamiliar roadway; I just moved to NY. Overall, I keep the car in good, working order. I have a very good relationship with the new mechanics, the AAA mechanic sucked. When I lived in CA, I used AAA when my “beater” Subaru overheated in Half Moon Bay; otherwise, AAA was good for maps. I can download online maps today, the roadside assistance is just for emergencies that rarely occurs.

Gee, I would love a Mustang, but FWD, AWD, or 4WD is better in the Snowbelt.
Yes, an old VW is cool too, but are any non-rusted now?

14

Why would you care , all that matters is that you get assistance. Also you are getting pretty much the same replies to this question that you received when you asked it in August of 2017

15

The problem with AAA is they are not everywhere. I’ve known people who have/had it. They got stuck in northern NH. Called AAA. and the closest AAA garage was over 100 miles away. And this guy was flat out. My friend waited almost 24 hours for this guy to finally show up.

I have roadside assistance as a rider on my insurance policy. It’s easily half the price of AAA. And I can use ANY GARAGE I WANT.

16

interesting, didn’t know that.

17

Some companies are friendlier than others, and I live in a very unfriendly metro. Oh yes, they will be friendly to the ones, they choose. As for the mechanics, the AAA-recommended mechanic couldn’t manage a rowboat for me. The ones I chose are in a non-recommended shop; they are very friendly, and honest. Sadly, the culture, here, is to be ready to defend yourself. Yes, when I say that I am from California, thoughts of hippies, space cadets, and LSD is already in their minds. They forge UC Berkeley is also in the metro I came from. Again, it is culture that concerns me.

18

UNACCEPTABLE MikeInNH,

First of all, I check out the car’s condition before a long trip, and I’m waiting for my insurance company to get back to me on adding a rider , such as the one you have.

19

I see a reason NOT to trust Amica for roadside assistance:

“So, after a couple years with Amica Insurance I receive a letter stating they won’t renew my policy because of claims they paid involving; Towing, an accident where my wife and daughter were rear ended and other claim. I decided to go with them for Roadside Assistance. Amica made their Roadside program out to be better than AAA etc. I paid a fee for 5 cars yearly. My daughter had (8) tow claims which they paid but never sending me a letter or notice that there’s a limit to claims. My wife and daughter were rear ended last August by an at FAULT driver, Amica chose to add that accident against my policy despite having the At FAULT INSUREDS insurance to go after. My wife got pretty hurt in that accident requiring her to have shoulder surgery from the seat belt of all things.”

Okay, 8 calls for assistance are a bit extreme, but I did them if the was a limit on the number of calls per year.

20

Most towing clubs have a service call limit. AAA does as well. It’s in the paperwork that you signed but didn’t read. :wink:

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