Do you offer towing that's more free than my AAA?

[Evil Queen]

Or is mech-hubby just keeping my cars running smoothly or something? I just don't understand needing AAA. If you need it, you really need a better car (yes I know some people can't afford a better car, they probably can't afford AAA either).

Presumptuous of you, don't you think? Trip A isn't just for towing, it's for other things too. Flat tires, if you ran out of gas and the ever popular "OMG! I locked my Keys in the car!"

Roommate has Trip A. Which is good because if he didn't, he would have gone broke getting his car unlocked all 7 times this year. But there is a catch to Trip A. They'll only unlock your car for free a certain number of times a year. Roommate discovered recently that it was only four, and that he has to pay top dollar (what he would have paid if he didn't have Trip A) to unlock the car the rest of the times.

Trip A also gives you discount at certain restaurants, gas stations and hotels. (according to them, anyways) Normally it's not much, 5% is the average but if you travel a LOT then it's sometimes worth it, as that 5% adds up.

Personally, I don't have Trip A. I don't want it either. If I do something stupid, I'll pay the money for it. Besides, I'd rather use that $100* a year for something else, like padding my savings account.



*$100 is the new member fees (20$) plus the cheapest "Classic" Account option (51$) for 1 Household carrier (26$); Plus a "discount" for automatic payments (-$4.50) comes to $92.50 for the first year.

[cinema guy]

I don't know about AAA, but the British equivalent AA has (or had, my information is old) a couple of very neat features.

Having just changed my breakdown cover, I can attest thare are several UK breakdown companies that offer those services.

I've just stopped buying my bereakdown service from my insurance company, not because they consider breakdowns to be insurance claims or other shennanigans, but because it is significantly cheaper.

[Rosakala]

I typically don't need AAA services for Car related things, however they come in handy whenever I'm planning a trip. I love their Trip Tiks they'll print out for you if you're a member.

[friendofjimmyk]

Finally, after a ridiculously unnecessarily long call, holding me away from ready-to-go work, they finally say, "Should I just call AAA?" By this time, I'm usually pretty exasperated, and roar, "If you HAVE AAA, CALL AAA!!!!!!!!!"

Seriously, WTF makes people think I have a tow service that is more free than their AAA?

Not that I know anything about AAA Most people in this situation may not use their AAA membership because they are not broken down on the side of the road. Some think AAA is only for emergency roadside assistance. It is - however, if you are broke down at home or some other off road location - AAA still covers your tow. IF THE VEH IS DISABLED!!! We I mean, AAA, so I've heard, will not tow you if you merely need routine maintenance and you are able to drive to the shop but are too lazy or too busy to do so. This is considered a conveinence tow and we (damn it!) I mean, AAA doesn't cover those types of tows.

AAA membership is truly amazing. You pay something like a little over $50 bucks A YEAR for a basic membership which gets you four service calls in a years time. A service call is tows, lockouts, jumpstarts, tire changes, locksmiths, winch outs, and in some areas, a battery service that comes to your location and sells and installs a new battery. The basic membership, in most areas, covers 5 miles of towing, anything above that you have to pay the tow company for the mileage. A Plus membership gives you 100 miles per tow and it's only a little over $20 more a year.

AAA has members who have been with the company for YEARS! Their service calls do not roll over...you only get four each year. Some people will have their memberships for YEARS before they ever even use their first one.

Uh, or so I've heard...

[friendofjimmyk]

I avoid AAA like the plague. Why???? That's because your insurance company will treat you like a DUI offender if you file "too many" claims with AAA. So that "free" tow will end up costing you thousands in the long run in extra surcharges, and that's IF your insurance company doesn't drop you altogether. I read about it in a news article a couple years ago. That's because any claims you file with AAA goes on public record.

Okay, I think you have two different departments confused. AAA has a roadside assistance service as well as auto/life/home insurance companies. These are COMPLETELY separate entities. If you have a AAA emergency roadside assistance - it does not mean you are insured by AAA. Just as if you have AAA insurance, it does not mean you have AAA ERS service - those are separate things.

I can tell you that AAA does not report any ERS calls to a public record of any kind. As a matter-of-fact, if you have AAA ERS and you get busted for a DUI and the cops have your car - you cannot use your service to tow it. Most contractors also will not go help a disabled veh - no matter what the call is - if it is at a bar. Especially if you've locked your keys in your car outside a bar.

Anyway, I do not know who informed you that AAA reports their calls to a public record, but this information is not correct.

Or so I've heard.

[friendofjimmyk]

All right here's the story about the connection between your car insurance and filing roadside assistance claims....

https://www.pinnaclemotorclub.com/me...une_121505.pdf

I guess going through AAA is fine for now.....

Okay, I seen this post after your first post. I read the article. It would be different if say, Geico, offered roadside assistance. I wouldn't go through an insurance company for roadside assistance. You get hosed.

[friendofjimmyk]

And this is one of the many reasons I love my MINI! Came with free roadside assistance

Ironically, that "free" roadside assistance is provided by AAA in most areas. Mini Cooper & BMW contracted AAA to carry out their roadside assistance plans.

[friendofjimmyk]

*$100 is the new member fees (20$) plus the cheapest "Classic" Account option (51$) for 1 Household carrier (26$); Plus a "discount" for automatic payments (-$4.50) comes to $92.50 for the first year.

Which, if you DO break down without AAA - in this area you are looking at $65 for the hookup of your vehicle plus $3.75/mile (there and back in most cases) + tax for a tow company.

AAA pays for itself in the first call really.

It's not a bad service.

Someone asked why do people need it - well, in my case, my car is a 1995. That's all I can afford. It's a good car, but there's a risk I take driving a car with as many miles as mine and its age.

Plus, as someone else mentioned - hotel, restaurant, and retail shop disocunts. Trip tiks, vacation planners, maps, tour books, camp books - all free for AAA members.

[protege]

The practical upshot of those two put together, is peace of mind that your children won't be stranded in the middle of nowhere (or on a dangerous motorway hard-shoulder) if they go on a trip with somebody else.

That's why I've had AAA for years. Sure, I usually don't need it, but it's nice to have in case there's a problem. Also, they just aren't for car repairs--you can plan road trips through their offices, get booklets on various areas, and qualify for discounts at various hotels and restaurants.

When my MG broke down in July, it was simply easier to call them, and have the car towed. I could have temporarily left it, and driven my Toyota home (Dad was following me in it), grabbed my tools, and probably have fixed the MG. But, at the time, I wasn't about to risk destroying the (expensively) rebuilt engine. Also, since the work had been paid for, the garage was supposed to take care of it.

It's not that the MG is difficult to work on--it's pretty easy compared to today's vehicles. No computers to mess with, no fuel injection, etc. Everything's mechanical. Even so, if it does break down, without any tools, I'm SOL.

[pile of monkeys]

My AAA membership is worth its price even if I only use it to renew my driver's license. In my state, you have to go to the DMV to renew, there's no online renewal or anything sensible like that. The DMV is a nightmare. People go there and never come out. It's hell. However, if you have AAA, you can go to the local office, stand in line for 2 minutes, and renew your license easy as can be.

I used AAA several times when I had my old car, which was all I could afford, so mechanically, things went wrong. I found the service particularly helpful when my alternator blew in the middle of a very busy highway construction zone at night- they were there very quickly, and the operator gave me some good advice in the middle of my hysterical sobbing panicking, like to make sure I personally was somewhere safe, preferably not in my car that could get rear ended at a very high speed, but maybe far up on the embankment, away from traffic, but still able to wave the tow guy down. And she also reasonably suggested that since it was a construction zone, there was probably a cop or two there and they could probably help me out while I waited. Which they did.

[wolfie]

Most contractors also will not go help a disabled veh - no matter what the call is - if it is at a bar. Especially if you've locked your keys in your car outside a bar

So this means that if a bartender/waitperson finishes their shift, and finds that their car won't start, AAA won't help them? After all, they probably parked in the lot at their place of employment.

[friendofjimmyk]

So this means that if a bartender/waitperson finishes their shift, and finds that their car won't start, AAA won't help them? After all, they probably parked in the lot at their place of employment.

No. That's not the case. I'm just saying that if you are not employed at the bar - its hard to secure service. The contractors will handle it on a case to case basis. Most of them will go to the location and assess the situation and if you appear drunk...then you will not get service.

I drove a tow truck for a year. I had a service call for a tire change at a bar. By the time I got there, someone else had changed the tire. Good thing they did, I would not have. The person was WASTED!