Roadside Assistance in NoVA: AAA vs GEICO vs Better World vs Others (Arlington: insurance, house)

[Carlingtonian]

Our car died yesterday, with a dead battery. We have GEICO Roadside Assistance. It took an hour and 15 minutes to get the tow truck to show up (not counting 15 minutes on the phone with two different people from GEICO). Evidently they contract with certain companies, and even though we live in and broke down in Arlington, the company they sent was from Falls Church.

To top it off, the tow guy refused to give me any kind of receipt or form to sign. He got it to the shop OK, but that was just weird to me.

We used to have AAA, but I can't remember how responsive they were. I've heard good things about Better World. And I know there are other options out there.

Anyone care to share their experiences? I am ready to dump GEICO but don't want to go to someone just as slow.

Thanks in advance.

[dkf747]

I had a flat tire earlier this year (Falls Church - week night, but kind of late). AAA was there in 30 minutes! That's better than usual, but I have never waited more than an hour in all the years we ever had to call them.

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by dkf747

I had a flat tire earlier this year (Falls Church - week night, but kind of late). AAA was there in 30 minutes! That's better than usual, but I have never waited more than an hour in all the years we ever had to call them.

Yeah, that's pretty good. Maybe we should go back to them. I'm surprised GEICO is so crappy, because we've had nothing but good things to say about their insurance.

[jbakerman]

I've AAA for 16 years and with the exception of one bad experience on 95 in poor weather where they had major above-volume cars, they have been great each time. Several months ago my van had a flat in my driveway and they had a guy here in 15 minutes. I couldn't believe it. I have GEICO insurance, but my feeling is that their roadside is not their primary service, whereas for AAA it is so it is a bigger priority for them to be the best at it.

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by jbakerman

I've AAA for 16 years and with the exception of one bad experience on 95 in poor weather where they had major above-volume cars, they have been great each time. Several months ago my van had a flat in my driveway and they had a guy here in 15 minutes. I couldn't believe it. I have GEICO insurance, but my feeling is that their roadside is not their primary service, whereas for AAA it is so it is a bigger priority for them to be the best at it.

You may be right--and 15 minutes is amazing.

[airjay75]

Good experience with AAA here too. Last year, I locked myself out of my car at Target in Springfield. Guy was there in less than 20 minutes. I was pretty shocked at the response time. I'm sure it does depend on the time of day - as I recall, it was a weekday afternoon before rush hour. I would imagine that is generally a time with less incidents for them to respond to.

[Carlingtonian]

Originally Posted by airjay75

Good experience with AAA here too. Last year, I locked myself out of my car at Target in Springfield. Guy was there in less than 20 minutes. I was pretty shocked at the response time. I'm sure it does depend on the time of day - as I recall, it was a weekday afternoon before rush hour. I would imagine that is generally a time with less incidents for them to respond to.

Yeah, I was pretty incensed to be waiting 75 minutes on a Sunday afternoon in Clarendon.

The wife says we're only saving $20/year with the current plan, so I'm really leaning toward going back to AAA.

Somewhat unrelated: The AAA office in Tysons is like going back to a travel agency in the '70s. We went there about a year ago to get international drivers' licenses. Some woman in front of us bought plane tickets at the counter--and then a bunch of luggage! It wouldn't surprise me if there's a cigarette machine in there.

[newvadad]

I've used both and I believe that AAA has a larger network therefore more availability and quicker response times. Geico helped with a jump once (45 minutes) and two tows (about an hour each)and AAA helped me twice, once with a lock-out (quick) and once with a catastrophic electrical failure (towing to the closest garage) in the middle of a snowstorm, which took them almost an hour, understandably. AAA has superior travel services and discounts so if you need that sort of thing, it's worth the extra cash. I still have most of my AAA maps from the late 80's.

[VAGeek]

AAA has much quicker response times, in my experience, but you do pay extra for that service. Is it worth paying more, month after month, for faster service, which you may only use once or twice every five years? Only you can decide. It's worth it to me.

[ICS67]

Three experiences with AAA, all highly positive:

1. When there was a problem with my car's ignition system two days before going on a long road trip, AAA came to our house and got it fixed long enough for me to take it to the dealer the next day for a full repair.

2. When I left my car at a park and ride, it wouldn't start that evening when I returned. When I called AAA, they were actually able to diagnose the problem over the phone, and within 5 minutes of my calling walked me through getting the car to run by doing a "neutral slip start" (i.e., the transmision had somehow slipped from park to neutral).

3. Out of state, but still: skidded on a snow-covered road on a mountain pass in Vermont (in early October!) and ended up in a ditch. Admittedly, I think AAA already had a tow truck en route to another call in the area, but within 15-20 minutes of the skid I was pulled out and back on the road.

Annual cost for my wife and myself was $114 this year, but to me it's well worth it.