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AAA - Roadside Service

AAA • Roadside Service • Membership Issues • Extended Warranty

Bill of Arlington VA (12/21/04):
I am usually AAA's biggest fan, but despite the weather issues, yesterday was their low point. From 8:30 to 10:00 am, a busy signal or message my call couldn't go through. Placed the order at 10 with a young man who was quite flustered by the fact I couldn't be with the car. Promised a tow by 12:30. Two calls at 12:45 apologizing for the delay. At 4:30, I called to express my concern they still hadn't confirmed pickup--major apologies and a promise to call back within five minutes with an update.

No call until 6 pm, when the driver said he was collecting it. At 8:30, I checked the shop to see if it had arrived. Of course it hadn't, since it apparently took him three hours to find the house where I left it (in a densely-populated Washington suburb)! Anyway, at 10:30 I checked again and there she sat in all her glory. So roughly 12 hours... thank heavens I wasn't actually stranded or I'd have frozen to death waiting!

I've used AAA a lot. On a scale of 1-10, half my experiences have been 9 or 10s, with a few 6s thrown in. This was the first and hopefully last zero.

Anne of Framingham MA (11/15/04):
I ran out of gas 1/8 mile from a gas station. I walked to the station to get a can a gas but they didn't one so I called AAA. They said it would take up to 100 minutes. They asked me for a landmark near where my car was and I gave them the address of the gas station. You could see the station from my car and you could see me car from the station. Where my car died there was no shoulder or sidewalk so my car was in plain view and it was actually causing traffic problems so I had to sit there in a DANGEROUS situation for over 3 hours!

I waited over an hour and called AAA back. They said the truck was on the way. I waited another 30 minutes and called back and was asked if I was the person who had a flat tire. I said NO. She said she would check and then she tells me the service truck went to the gas station and no one there needed help so they left. She then said she'd have to put in another call and when I asked how long, she said 2 hours!

I called the towing company myself and the owner Phil said he drove by me twice but didn't stop because AAA said I would be at the gas station! The truck finally arrived after another 1/2 hour. I was sitting there for 3-4 hours, with nothing to drink, eat or a bathroom to use because I didn't want to leave the car and miss them again. In the meantime, my car battery died and my cell phone was on its last legs.

If I give AAA my phone number, why didn't they CALL me when the service man said I wasn't there? What's the point of taking my phone number?

Todd of Bristow VA (6/17/04):
My coworker and carpool buddy came out to find his car dead. He was a member of AAA and called roadside assistance. They said a tow truck would be there in 10 minutes. We waited 45 minutes and called AAA again for status. They said they had taken care of the situation. After 4 hours, a private citizen provided a ride home and the car was left on the roadside. It has been over 5 hours and still no response.

Kim of Laurel MD (10/9/03):
Called AAA Monday (approx 10:00a) to fix flat tire. The person that came was irate because he had to come on to the parking lot of my employment to repair the tire. Upon leaving work, while driving, I noticed my tire was coming off! I pulled over, the screws were loose, one was missing. I was fortunate to make it back to my employment. AAA did not send someone out until 8:00pm.

My life was placed in danger. Had I not stopped, my wheel could have come off causing all kinds of physical damage to myself and others! My daughter was left alone at daycare until 8:30p, and Pep Boys automotive center stated a part of my wheel was damaged along with missing screw.

Anthony of Greencastle IN (10/6/03):
I have had a membership with AAA for at least ten years and outside of an occasional travel guide or notary service, I haven't had the opportunity to use them. Over the last two months, I have used them twice with less than satisfactory results.

First, my wife had a flat tire while she was alone. She first called AAA and was told that they would get to her within an hour or so. She relayed to them that she had groceries in the vehicle, but was informed that was the best they could do. She then called me, I was about twenty miles away. I left, drove the twenty miles, removed and changed the tire all before the road service arrived. We cancelled the call.

This past weekend, the same vehicle had a transmission failure about 50 miles from home. AAA was informed and told us that they would be to us within the hour. Over an hour passed, we again called and were told they were on their way, another twenty five minutes passed, called again, this time we are told that they are six miles away and would be there momentarily. Yet another twenty minutes pass, as I about to place another call, a tow truck arrives. Not from the company we were told would be there but the driver had the correct information.

He loaded the vehicle on the flatbed; as we climbed into the cab, the driver noticed a puddle of anti-freeze under the truck. The truck blew a hose. Another twenty-five minutes pass. Finally, a truck arrives and we make it home. The driver called in the claim and was informed to mark the time initial call was received to be one hour after the original call was placed. AAA tells me that cannot be. I told them I placed the call from a cell phone and will have a record to prove it. Not that it will do anything.

I am not concerned with the time it took. What if I weren't with my wife and what if she was stranded in the middle on nowhere after dark? She would be an easy target for every nut that passed by.

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