Complain about a product or service

AAA - Membership Issues

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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