So AAA American Automotive Association sucks - 3 mile tow! (head, Smart, 2000)

[Twenty Years in the Burgh]

Originally Posted by City Guy997S

Never had AAA...... I can't believe people pay these crazy rates!

If you don't use it for just 5 years the savings ($330) can easily pay for any local tow. The last tow I had I think cost me $90 to go across town ($35 pick up fee then per mile). Insane how people pay for years and years then get shafted when they try to actually use it!

Classic
1st Member: $66
1st Add'l Member: 1st Year FREE
Each Add'l Member: $15
AAA Membership Plus
Plus
1st Member: $101
1st Add'l Member: 1st Year $24
Each Add'l Member: $39
AAA Membership Premier
Premier
1st Member: $127
1st Add'l Member: 1st Year $35
Each Add'l Member: $50

I use my AAA membership for far more than just towing. Over the course of the membership year, I use my membership discounts wherever I can on goods and services that I already buy and use--from eyeglasses to hotels to clothing to food and more. My supplemental life insurance policy is through them. (Excellent rate, by the way, with no health exam.) I've used their travel services (physical maps, etc.) , get my passport photos taken there and have used their services as they relate to car ownership over the years. Also, I'm on the road far from home often and have never had a problem receiving service, let alone been "shafted"--even when the call was placed from sketchy neighborhoods or in the boondocks. Those in my family have also received the same quality service, even when they were far from home. That's the reason that I still have AAA after all of these years. I'm planning on upgrading to Premier this coming year since just one major tow with my car would more than pay for the additional cost of the membership.

[Cloudy Dayz]

Originally Posted by Twenty Years in the Burgh

There's a good chance that without neighborhood or town information, that the info that the daughter gave them could have been useless. There are multiple intersections with similar names across each state and even in neighboring towns., i.e., "corner of Fifth and Oak." Here's the thing: the majority of cell phones (and I'm gathering that the young driver in question has a smart phone, judging from the O.P.'s first post), have a GPS built into them. Not that hard to Google Earth your location, get the necessary information, call AAA back with the info, and have a tow truck sent to your location pronto. I cannot say that I've ever had an operator ask for zip code as a means of finding my vehicle in the over two decades of driving experience. Then again, it's rare that I cannot figure out where I am--and I'm on the road far from home and familiar places fairly often. AAA might have dropped the ball on this one, but this young driver has also learned a few valuable lessons which don't necessarily include dropping AAA as a solution for future breakdown concerns.

Give me an example of two streets that intersect and a small clue where they are and there is a 99% chance that I can find the location in less then 2 minutes, with Google Maps. If the street names are a bit less common than 5th and Oak, you probably don't even need to give me a clue. If you like to try, go ahead.

[chattyneighbor]

I guess I should say - I'm in New York and this happened on Long Island so maybe it was just the Long Island, New York AAA that sucks.

ALL we wanted was ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE - not interested in all the other stuff AAA apparently markets to make itself a few bucks.

The small print may have said 3 mile tow but for a company that is supposed to be PRIMARILY a roadside assistance company - they know damn well that's going to be pretty useless to most people AND SHOULD KNOW most people stuck in a situation where they NEED roadside assistance are going to be upset so that an aggravating computer menu is bad enough - but reps with a long script of Q's and A's not trained to actually handle a crisis is completely inexcusable. The roadside assistance with the insurer is $18 a year - and provided far better service. That was our experience.

We needed a tow ONCE - IN FIVE YEARS and it was a huge fail in our eyes. For the RATES they charge - they should provide useful assistance - or why bother offering a basic rate? They offer it so people THINK they have some added protection, until they actually find they don't. They hook you and then people are paying more and more for higher and higher levels until maybe they get some useful benefit.

We didn't need hotel discounts or whatever other marketing ploys the company pushes. JUST ROADSIDE ASSISTANCE -

Oh - and for the sarcastic morons who chimed in - my daughter had a PHONE with her - not a SMARTPHONE. And she knew exactly WHERE she was - if you could read you'd see I said - she was standing under the sign posts. She read off the cross streets AND the street she was on - had a pretty good idea of which of a couple neighborhoods it was. Here the boundaries are often blurry. What she did not know - was the ZIP code. And if a tow truck can't find a stranded vehicle with 2 cross streets and the street she's on - (not to mention the address she was parked in front of ) - AAA probably shouldn't be using them.

And for those helpful posts - repped you all and responded privately. Thank you.

[jelenap]

It might vary by state but I just dug up our local AAA service summary and it says that with basic membership you get only 3 miles of towing (we had our car towed 4 miles though and were not charged extra $4). Note that if towed to AAA service station then it’s 10 miles. https://aaacdndev.blob.core.windows....02018_rev2.pdf

We do use the discounts a lot too and in the recent years it almost paid for itself. Had no problem with service but only needed it once. Phone charger should be in the car and it should be plugged when battery is low. You can also buy a USB power bank for emergencies, they cost less than $10.

[CGab]

In my area the classic membership is 5 miles. The next level which is "Plus" is 100 miles, then Premier which is 200 miles. For the cost and benefits,there is no better option that I have come across. And if you use the membership for hotel and restaurant discounts, etc it pays for itself!


Here's a link to the different membership options. Of course, pricing and benefits such as miles may be different per region. Bottom line, if you're going to get a membership it's best to go with at least the "PLUS" plan!

https://chicago.aaa.com/membership/classic.aspx

[Hollynla]

We had AAA for years and then finally needed a tow. They told my husband they wouldn't tow his truck because it was an F350 dually which needed a special tow truck. Husband called a tow service himself, they sent out a normal tow truck and towed him. We asked AAA why they never told us they wouldn't tow that truck, since they had the make and models of our vehicles. We didn't get a good reason. We cancelled. The main reason we paid for AAA was because my husband travels alot in that truck.

[Corvette Ministries]

Originally Posted by unit731

Agree above.

For the original OP.

I always keep a Garmin in car. Can get a used one on ebay for $20 bucks. The Garmin will provide the GPS coordinates - to provide AAA IF you are in the middle of nowhere.

Plans to vary but never ever heard of 3 mile limit. There are also family plans that take down cost even more.

I have AAA PLUS that will tow me up to 100 miles. There are other plans. For more or less money.

So slamming AAA is a tad difficult to comprehend.


I have a Garmin in every vehicle. All with lifetime map updates and all USED.

Just a note on Garmin's "lifetime" maps, I have one and I learned that lifetime is defined by Garmin as the life's expectancy of the device as determined by Garmin, which is probably 3-5 years. If your devices are used, they may be out of life, and thus ineligible for updates.

[unit731]

Originally Posted by Cloudy Dayz

Give me an example of two streets that intersect and a small clue where they are and there is a 99% chance that I can find the location

Dark early morning. Raining.
On interstate with all woods on both sides of rural highway.
No signs. No nothing. Just some interstate traveling across country.
Flat tire.

So, in the dark, raining heavily, I'm supposed to start walking until I get to the next exit sign? In the dark with heavy rain?

How many miles to the next exit? How many miles to the previous exit? In the pouring rain?

I guess some would wish me to write down the number of every exit I pass. Driving all across country.

The $20.00 used Garmin GPS provided me with coordinates. Never got wet. And no walking. AAA got there within 45 minutes. Done.

[thriftylefty]

I dunno ,how can you be going somewhere that you know, your car stops and you don't know where you are?

[npaladin2000]

Originally Posted by chattyneighbor

Oh - and for the sarcastic morons who chimed in - my daughter had a PHONE with her - not a SMARTPHONE. And she knew exactly WHERE she was - if you could read you'd see I said - she was standing under the sign posts. She read off the cross streets AND the street she was on - had a pretty good idea of which of a couple neighborhoods it was. Here the boundaries are often blurry. What she did not know - was the ZIP code. And if a tow truck can't find a stranded vehicle with 2 cross streets and the street she's on - (not to mention the address she was parked in front of ) - AAA probably shouldn't be using them.

Actually, she didn't know where she was. Based on your own description. She sort of knew kind of what neighborhood she was in. She knew what cross street was near. But she did not know the official city/town or ZIP code, which means that cross street could have been any similarly named cross-street in NY. Which is why they want the ZIP code or GPS coordinates. They don't dispatch tow truck drivers to "blurry" locations.

Get your kid a smartphone. There are reasons why. You just learned that.