Anyone have AAA membership for road side assistance insurance? My auto agent recommended purchasing this instead of the coverage through my auto policy.
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AAA membership?
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Last: 3 mo ago by iisanaggie
Yes, and it is substantially better than the roadside assistance programs provided by most insurance companies. With insurance roadside assistance, the insurance company typically contracts with a local tow/maintenance shop which is primarily competing on price rather than quality of service. My most egregious experience was requesting assistance after a tire blowout on Preston Road in Dallas and waiting around forever for a random guy in a beater Hyundai to show up with almost no tools/equivalent. He was friendly, but clearly unprepared. Meanwhile, AAA's vendors are generally better vetted and either have the tools/equivalent needed for a repair or will tow you to a nearby shop for service. I would recommend the Plus membership at a minimum as it has enhanced towing benefits.
Additionally, calls for roadside assistance provided by the auto insurers are recorded (and count as a claim, but separately from collision/comprehensive damage). It typically does not affect your rates much, but can influence things if and when you shop around for coverage with other carriers. Going through AAA keeps these claims off of your record.
Additionally, calls for roadside assistance provided by the auto insurers are recorded (and count as a claim, but separately from collision/comprehensive damage). It typically does not affect your rates much, but can influence things if and when you shop around for coverage with other carriers. Going through AAA keeps these claims off of your record.
Exactly what hijakeroo said,.
If you go through your insurance, every roadside call will show up on your insurance CLUE "credit" report. AAA doesn't do that.
I get the package that includes the 100 mile tow every year, and almost always find a reason to use the long tow.
If you go through your insurance, every roadside call will show up on your insurance CLUE "credit" report. AAA doesn't do that.
I get the package that includes the 100 mile tow every year, and almost always find a reason to use the long tow.
My experience with AAA has been lukewarm. The last two occasions have been disasters with AAA failing to call in a tow truck, so the family and I waiting on the side of a busy highway for 3 hours. I had to call twice and make two claims to get it going and when they finally got it together, they said they could tow my truck and one passenger. They had no idea what I was supposed to do with the wife and kids….at 1am. Lol.
If I had to rate the recent experiences, I'd say on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being killed by a semi on the road waiting for help and 5 being decent service I signed up for, it's a solid 3.
Seriously though, it's "better than nothing". Just set expectations accordingly and you'll be ok.
If I had to rate the recent experiences, I'd say on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being killed by a semi on the road waiting for help and 5 being decent service I signed up for, it's a solid 3.
Seriously though, it's "better than nothing". Just set expectations accordingly and you'll be ok.
Infinity Roofing - https://linqapp.com/jason_duke --- JasonDuke@InfinityRoofer.com --- https://infinityrooferjason.blogspot.com/
Yeah I have always had it, but the tow truck guys late at night that get called, they can be very slow to respond. I've waited for hours before, and iit would have been foster if I just found someone on my phone.Jason_Roofer said:
My experience with AAA has been lukewarm. The last two occasions have been disasters with AAA failing to call in a tow truck, so the family and I waiting on the side of a busy highway for 3 hours. I had to call twice and make two claims to get it going and when they finally got it together, they said they could tow my truck and one passenger. They had no idea what I was supposed to do with the wife and kids….at 1am. Lol.
If I had to rate the recent experiences, I'd say on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being killed by a semi on the road waiting for help and 5 being decent service I signed up for, it's a solid 3.
Seriously though, it's "better than nothing". Just set expectations accordingly and you'll be ok.
I've used AAA twice in the last couple months, once for my RV and another time for my son's truck. Both situations didn't allow for easy tire changes and was very glad they came. It took an hour arrival for the RV but I was not close to any major city.
I've been fan for a long time. Work used to pay for it when it used to save you on hotel rooms for travel which really isn't the case any longer, but kept it and added the entire family. Kids have 9 and 6 hours drives to college so like the peace of mind for that plus the towing mentioned. I've also used the replacement battery service as well a few times over the years which is convenient and seems competitively priced and good quality.
Bought it for two years never used. A nice perk is you can use as a passenger. I don't like that they hit you with so much junk mail. Might go again once kids are driving.
AAA has been great to me. recommend it over the roadside from insurance.
I don't see the advantage over simply googling up the local tow truck and calling direct. I've seen AAA call up their contracted tow guy or mobile repair from 100 miles away, vs. a local guy from 10 miles. I can think of at least three times that I've changed flats or brought gas to someone long before AAA got there
Used to be good but the last two experiences I've seen they've taken forever to come out. On the other hand, it is a very cheap service so might be worth it just for discounts depending on what you do.
If you get in a bad spot, you can call and sign up. I threw an axle on I-10 over the Atchafalaya Basin (bridge section). Luckily I was able to coast down the Breaux Bridge exit. Landed in the middle of a rural intersection and got pushed into the Welcome center parking lot. Signed up for AAA over the phone and sent a tow truck a few hours later. Just thanked God for getting me off of I-10. Towed to NOLA partially at my cost. AAA worked in that case.
If I would have been stuck up on I-10 with a reduced shoulder, I would have called 911. Bet they would have arranged a tow off of the interstate.
If I would have been stuck up on I-10 with a reduced shoulder, I would have called 911. Bet they would have arranged a tow off of the interstate.
AAA is great for me as well. $100 well worth it. Also gets some discounts on hotel stays. And I have used them a couple of times for car services.
Don't ever use towing or rent car through your insurance. It will be considered a claim and held against you come renewal.
I purchased the bronze package which only includes 7 mile tow however it is unlimited if towed to the service providers facility.
Recently purchased it for my kid thats going to school. With the benefits of towing up to 100 miles, gas service if you run out, etc.., I find it to be great peace of mind since she's 3 hours away.
I was surprised that it all came for about $100 per year.
I was surprised that it all came for about $100 per year.
I got the 100-mile tow package for my family and it has been definitely worth it. With five cars, and kids often riding with others who break down, it has been so nice to know we just make that phone call.
The Michelin tires i just bought include some kind of road side assistance through Michelin.
My wife drives a LOT for her hobbies and so I've been a member for probably 15 years now. We've used the tow or roadside tire service a few times over the years. I don't know that we saved money overall but we did have an immediate option to go to to get relatively reliable service, which is what matters.
I've had AAA for at least 10 years. We've had to use it multiple times over the years and have been very happy with it for tows, and dead battery's. I've got it for all the family now.
I tried to use my AAA membership recently. It did not leave me inspired. They did eventually dispatch someone, but upon googling the company, well, I've never seen _that_ many bad reviews, just horrible reviews, ever before. I eventually called and canceled the tow. Thankfully, Hagerty got me a decent tow. But, as someone else said, next time I will probably just call a tow company that I know or can find directly and pay the money for the tow; my money is worth hours of my time waiting on the side of the road.
How does one transfer membership from one state to another?
OregonAggie said:
Recently purchased it for my kid thats going to school. With the benefits of towing up to 100 miles, gas service if you run out, etc.., I find it to be great peace of mind since she's 3 hours away.
I was surprised that it all came for about $100 per year.
Same - I'm not worried about me breaking down, I can get on the horn and find a tow. But having two college kids, it's worth the peace of mind knowing if they need gas/tire/jump they can call AAA.
We like having AAA. Similar to others, kids in college, so peace of mind because we are 8-hours away by car. I find I normally save enough on hotel rooms using the AAA discount to pay for it each year.
I have had mostly good experiences over the past 20 years. However, the discounts that come with it make it worth it. We have used it for hotels, theme park tickets, and trip insurance.
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