Roadside Assistance in NoVA: AAA vs GEICO vs Better World vs Others (hotel, college)

[boyd888]

It sucks you had to wait, but really how often do you really even use roadside assistance and was having to wait an hour really that big of an inconvenience? If you were in Clarendon why didn't you just walk to a shop and buy a new battery?

Roadside assistance is so dependent on the time of day, other calls, etc I don't see one company being a stand out above the others. Let's be honest here any tow company is going to tow someone parked illegally before they get to you being broken down which is why they sent a truck from Falls Church. I do believe AAA uses dedicated trucks for roadside assistance vs. a company like Geico (or any automaker's included roadside assistance) that contracts out.

[Bigfoot424]

When I was a police officer I dealt with stranded motorists all the time. I remember one time a lady was stranded roadside for two hours before AAA showed up. I kept coming back to her as calls permitted. It seems to depend on how busy the calls for service are for the company at the time you need them. I have Allstate Road Service and I've used them twice and the response time was reasonable.

[Carlingtonian]

Thanks for all the additional responses.

We did have one experience with AAA that was both good and bad, though the bad was not their fault. Car broke down on the Jersey Turnpike--which does not allow AAA, since it has its own motorist-assistance crew. But I still had to pay for the tow! Grrr. But once we got it towed to the shop, AAA towed it all the way home to VA after retroactively upgrading our membership to premium on the spot.

It is true that AAA has its own trucks. Geico definitely contracts out. I called yesterday, and the girl on the phone told me that their system automatically picks whichever tow service they have under contract is within some radius of the breakdown--and then they call and find out how soon it can get there.

Bigfoot, you may be interested in the part of the story from Sunday that I left out for brevity's sake: The breakdown happened after I got pulled over for turning right on a "No Turn On Red" sign. I saw the cop just as I made the turn and immediately felt like the Stupidest Person Alive. After the 15 minutes to give me the ticket (which I didn't contest), I couldn't start the car. After watching me try it repeatedly, he finally said "Looks like you're having a bad enough day already" and took back the ticket. Just gave me a written warning. Very decent of him.

[dkf747]

If you had to pay for a tow, doesn't AAA reimburse you?/ I've never had to pay so no idea.

We had another blowout tire 2 or 3 years ago, on I-95 south of Fredericksburg. AAA was there in 50 minutes. They had to tow me about 30+ miles back to Fredericksburg because I had a stuck spare tire.

AAA has it's own trucks for things like batteries, lockouts, or whatever, but they do contract with local towing companies for towing.

[Bigfoot424]

Originally Posted by Carlingtonian

Thanks for all the additional responses.

We did have one experience with AAA that was both good and bad, though the bad was not their fault. Car broke down on the Jersey Turnpike--which does not allow AAA, since it has its own motorist-assistance crew. But I still had to pay for the tow! Grrr. But once we got it towed to the shop, AAA towed it all the way home to VA after retroactively upgrading our membership to premium on the spot.

It is true that AAA has its own trucks. Geico definitely contracts out. I called yesterday, and the girl on the phone told me that their system automatically picks whichever tow service they have under contract is within some radius of the breakdown--and then they call and find out how soon it can get there.

Bigfoot, you may be interested in the part of the story from Sunday that I left out for brevity's sake: The breakdown happened after I got pulled over for turning right on a "No Turn On Red" sign. I saw the cop just as I made the turn and immediately felt like the Stupidest Person Alive. After the 15 minutes to give me the ticket (which I didn't contest), I couldn't start the car. After watching me try it repeatedly, he finally said "Looks like you're having a bad enough day already" and took back the ticket. Just gave me a written warning. Very decent of him.

At least it didn't go from bad to worse. And to think we live in a police state according to others.

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by Bigfoot424

At least it didn't go from bad to worse. And to think we live in a police state according to others.

Yeah, I was very grateful. Saved me at least $150 right there. Police state--what a joke. I've been let off with a warning or had speeding tickets reduced several times.

Originally Posted by boyd888

It sucks you had to wait, but really how often do you really even use roadside assistance and was having to wait an hour really that big of an inconvenience? If you were in Clarendon why didn't you just walk to a shop and buy a new battery?

It's frustrating to endure more inconvenience than necessary--especially when you're paying money to minimize that inconvenience; had it been 20-40 minutes, I wouldn't be bothered.

As to your second question: 1. We didn't know if it was the battery, starter, or alternator. 2. There are no auto-parts stores in Clarendon that I know of--certainly not close enough to carry a 40-lb. battery on foot. 3. I'm not a mechanic, and if you buy the wrong size battery, you're out close to $100. If you screw up installing a car battery, you get electrocuted. I mow my own lawn, but I leave car repairs, plumbing, electrical work, and most dentistry to the pros.

[spencgr]

A lot of hotels and restaurants offer AAA discounts. Do the other plans get the same?

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by spencgr

A lot of hotels and restaurants offer AAA discounts. Do the other plans get the same?

Good point! I don't think GEICO does. That said, we usually are using something other than AAA to get a discount--Entertainment Guide, Groupon, LivingSocial, etc.

[car54]

I seldom have battery trouble because I replace them on a time basis....I don't wait for them to fail.

But **** can still happen. When it does, I have a set of high quality 20 foot heavy gauge copper jumper cables (not the 6 foot cheapos!) in the trunk. I've found that most people will give you a jump especially if you have the cables and a twenty in your hand. The long cables minimizes your benefactor having to jockey their vehicle around. In the average parking lot, I can reach 3 or 4 cars without them even moving.

disclaimer: Jump starting a car requires a tiny bit of sense. Do not attempt without this tiny bit of sense!
hint: red=positive (+) back=negative (-)

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by car54

disclaimer: Jump starting a car requires a tiny bit of sense. Do not attempt without this tiny bit of sense!

I'm disqualified!

Turned out the battery was still under warranty, being only 3 years old. Our mechanic replaced it and refused to charge us, since he'll get money back from Interstate.