A couple weeks ago, my Bravada quit on the way to work. I was waiting at a stop sign to turn and it sputtered and quit. Couldn’t get it to start, so I pushed it off to the side of the road and called a tow truck.
My son had bought us a gold roadside assistance membership upgrade back in April. We have all been members for over five years.
The flatbed gets there and loads it up. We take it home so I can work on it in my garage. On the way, he asks me if I have road service. I say “yea AAA gold, 100 miles free towing”. He proceeds to tell me how they don’t accept AAA any more because they won’t pay the towing without a huge hassle and endless paperwork. He said it has only been in the last six months or so, before that, no problems. He said I will have to pay him and get reimbursed from AAA. I pay the towing bill and he heads down the road.
I call AAA to ask them what is going on. I give them my membership number and they immediately know my name, confirm my address, etc. The gal tells me to print out a claim form and mail it with the bill for reimbursement, and I did.
Two weeks later they mail a response, my membership wasn’t activated at the time service was rendered. What? How did they have all my information if mymembership wasn’t activated?
I don’t know what has happened with AAA but we won’t be renewing our membership. An internet search confirms hundreds of similar cases. Beware.

 

I've never had AAA, always had towing through my car insurance provider. I just never believed in paying for a redundant service provider.

 

yup i have it thru my ins too.cost like 12 bucks a year so something like that

 

Fortunately, the towing is the only thing I have used on my collector car insurance. Many of these towing companies are jack wagons. Most of the drivers may be a little rough around the edges but are really pretty good guys. They have loved hauling my car. A couple of them asked if it was okay to take a picture.

 

Since I only have pl/pd on the Bravada, ('97), I can't get road service.
AAA used to be great, don't know what happened to them.
They are supposed to be a non profit but they act like a typical for profit corp.

 

This is why I have a truck and a trailer. I also have friends with trucks, which came in handy when my truck failed.

 

Thanks, I needed a laugh...............

 

I have it added on through Hagerty.

 

So have you tried to clarify the discrepancy between your perceived membership and the membership that wasn't activated?

And did you call the tow truck via AAA's roadside service, or did you just call a tow truck? Because if it's the latter, that's one problem right there.

If you have a beef with a company, send a letter to the CEO and let him/her know the exact details, but be sure to know all the rules or you won't have a case. In this instance, pointing out a discrepancy, and your disappointment as a long-time AAA member in how this was handled, may help get AAA in your good graces.

 

Does AAA send a notification of coverage such as a letter or card? Is there a receipt of payment from whoever started the account such as a credit card or check history? This should be easily clarified with proper receipts or documentation.

 

I have AAA for the flat tire & lock out service more than the towing. My wife is out and about and I may not always be where I can get to her in a timely manner.

 

http://www.nascar.com/en_us/race-cen...s/aaa-400.html

Someone has to pay and not the wrecker CO.

Johnny

 

When I called, the customer service rep implied it would not be a problem getting reimbursed. Frustrating, don't know if it is worth the hassle to put any more time into it. Just want others to know this happens a lot.

 

They sent me a temporary card, then a regular card a couple weeks later.
Nothing stating the coverage was not active or needed to be activated.

 

Good point.
I don't blame the wrecker company, they are in the same boat as I am.
Just want to let others know what may happen. Never had a problem
with them before this.

 

It is your responsibility to straighten it out before telling the world of your issues. If the proper channels have not been used, why should we listen to your appeal?

You're a consumer - use your power properly.

 

Diego has spoken.

 

Ah, I see the arbiters of the Internet have arrived.

 

I have AAA because their insurance rates on my house and daily driver cars beat other options significantly and more than offset the high membership costs. AAA covers you, not just the car so I did not add road service to my Haggerty policy on the Cutlass (AAA does not do declared value on classics, just treats them like normal cars). We usually take advantage of their hotel discounts a few times a year too. I need to look into upgrading to Premier since the base membership has really low (5-7?) towing miles though. AAA is a bad deal on road service alone but may make sense if you use their other services (mainly insurance).