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AAA - Membership Issues

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AAA • Roadside Service • Membership Issues • Extended Warranty

Elizabeth of Carpentersville IL (11/18/03):
Via the Internet I made a purchase of the AAA's Cash Passport Card. What I was sent, however, was a gift card. The Passport Card has access to ATM's, that's what I bought the card for, as a safer alternative to carrying cash. The Gift Card though, has no access to ATM's, and so is worthless to me for what I intended to use it for. The cards arrived on a Tuesday morning at 10 A.M. Seeing the mistake soon after opening the FedEx package, I called the number that was given on the receipt for the Passport Card purchase.

The agent I spoke to said that the supervisor had to be contacted, but had just stepped out, but that she would call me right back. Nobody called. Three hours later I called again, and was given the same story, and nobody ever called.

I lost $1,508.95 total on the purchase. $1,500 for the card, $8.95 for activation and shipping (the card has not been activated), and $53 for the cost of a AAA Motor Club Membership, so that I could purchase the card on line.

Kate of Orlando FL (11/1/04):
The following is a copy of a letter sent to AAA Auto Club South on November 1, 2004: I have been trying for almost 6 months to straighten out the errors that have been made to my AAA membership. I have been a Plus member since 1997 and should have received a renewal notice for 2004-2005 somewhere around April or May. I finally received an envelope in the mail offering me a membership for $60. I thought it was the renewal notice for the membership I always had and read somewhere on it that it said discounted so I didn�t think anything of the lower than normal fee.

I sent in $60 via credit card (copy invoice enclosed) and later received a new membership card and tossed the old one. Then I started receiving offers to upgrade to the Plus membership and knew something was wrong. I emailed (copies enclosed) and found that not only was this membership only the basic but that they had no record of my Plus membership in your computers. Granted, I had moved but I sent a change of address form in January 2004 but even if the address was wrong, I don�t understand why it couldn�t have been found under anything else. Not under my name, phone number, DL number, vehicle identification number, nothing and was told the upgrade to Plus would be another $30. I felt this was wrong, I had been a member for years and here I was told I had to pay $90 for a $76 membership. But I wanted the Plus membership so I sent another $30 via credit card (copy invoice enclosed).

Finally I found my old member number. I emailed again and was told that yes I was there but I was listed under Kathleen, not Kate, that�s why they couldn�t find me. (I�m a little peeved at this, obviously they didn�t try very hard to find me!) She said she would refund my $14 within two weeks and send a new card with my original membership number. That was June 26th. By September I still had not received the card or the refund. But I did receive a bill for $46 with my old account number on it. At this point I had sent you $90 and still only had a basic membership and a bill for $46 more.

I called on the 24th and spoke to Joanne. She said yes, the old membership was still valid, I had paid too much, I was owed $14 and she would credit my account and send a new card with the original number, and that the new number was erased. It is now the end of October and I still have not received either the membership card or the refund to my credit card. And, to top it all off, on Thursday, October 28th I received another invoice for $46. I called again on October 29th around 2:30 pm and pressed 0 for the operator to get out of your voice mail and it rang and rang but no one ever answered the phone. I am now done with phoning and emailing and talking to people who can�t follow up and do what they�ve said they�d do.

I�ve paid you $90 and I don�t know if I have a Plus membership or a basic membership or any membership at all. According to the invoices you�ve sent me and what I�ve already paid I�m supposed to pay $182 for a $76 membership (60+30+46+46=$182) which I don�t know is even valid. What will happen if my car breaks down and I call for service? Would you even respond? I don�t know what else to do? This was not that difficult a situation to straighten out and yet here we are into November already. When it comes due again, which number is valid? What dates are valid? Please tell me what else I�m supposed to do to straighten this out?

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