A NOT good Good Sam experience

[OTW]

First time having to call them was anything but impressive. VERY long story short, Sat. I started noticing a high whine noise that rose and lowered with my RPMs, truck was working fine otherwise, so figured I'd have it checked if it kept up. Stopped in a rest stop to go to the bathroom, got back in truck, started engine, put foot on brake to shift into Drive and the brake pedal vibrated plus horrid grinding noise. Same noise happened when I turned the wheel. Called Good Sam, told her my exact location and that I had truck and trailer. Called me back, "it'll be 45 minutes ETA." Waited well over that with tow guy calling toward the end of that time 3 times -- "will be there in 10 minutes" each time, then he called a 4th time. Good Sam had given him wrong location and I was out of his tow area. I'd have to now call Good Sam and Start all over again from scratch. Plus he didn't know I was a 2-vehicle setup. Got another woman, told her their records have my location AND configuration all wrong, so another hour-long wait ETA. Finally guy pulls up, "Ooops, they didn't tell me you had a trailer." (He'd not have been able to haul both.) So what's up with Good Sam? Are they normally this bad? Because this was pretty bad.

On a good note, I had called my friend in Ohio who told me what the problem MIGHT be and we were able to fix it so no towing necessary and I did get to my destination. 4pm arrival instead of the 11:30am arrival and a lot of that time was spent in pointless waste-waiting due to GS's errors (and would have been even worse had I needed to be towing both vehicles somewhere) but none of that good part can be credited to Good Sam.

Curious if others have had generally good or generally bad experiences with Good Sam. I think the problem was that they have some satellite tracking/locator system as to where you are based on your cell phone. However I told the first woman loud and clear exactly where I was. And that I had both truck and trailer. And again told the 2nd dispatcher the same thing. She now got the location right since that was why I was having to call back. But STILL didn't change it to truck AND trailer.

[Carolinagal]

I'm so sorry you had such a bad experience. The half dozen times I've needed Good Sam, couldn't have asked for better service. They have record of vehicle I have and have always sent reliable and knowledgeable people to fix my problem or tow me to a place of service. Once I traveled by car and got good service that time too. Sounds like your biggest problem is operator you got, who isn't doing a good job. Once you call and give your number they should know who you are, type of vehicle etc. When I renew am asked to update my info at times as I've had them for over 20 years and so far no bad experiences.

CArol

[Bethers]

I've also had excellent service each time. That said, I've heard the same problem from all the services, worst being AAA. Sorry you had this experience and I'd definitely let them know.

[Azusateach]

I think all of those companies have their stellar and horror stories.

I have AAA with the additional RV rider, and they went above & beyond the call of duty when our Expedition was unable to tow our 26' TT from San Diego to Azusa several years ago. Good Sam wouldn't even move the trailer within the RV park to get it out of the campsite -- said that it would be a "luxury" move. AAA, on the other hand, brought a wrecker and towed the trailer all the way to Azusa for only $75. We came home and promptly cancelled our Good Sam roadside policy.

There's also CoachNet, that I understand is quite good. I remember the time that Sharon Souter's (Sprinter) rig broke down in the middle of the Yukon and CoachNet found someone to put the rig on a flatbed and take it 600 miles back to a town that would be able to fix it -- free. I understand that many full-timers use their service and have been quite happy with them.

I think that when you're in rural areas or sometimes just not near large cities your chances of getting timely, appropriate service is a crap shoot. When you're near areas with a multitude of services you're more likely to do well with just about any of the services. Until we start traveling more extensively we're sticking with AAA and the RV add-on. When we do longer trips, we'll probably either add CoachNet on top of AAA or opt for CoachNet exclusively.

[Acadianmom]

I had the Good Sam Roadside Assistance for quite a few years and I can't say that I was happy with any of the times I had to call them. I changed to Coach Net probably about 8 years ago. I have only had to call them twice but was very happy both times.

Like Laura said, if you are in the middle of nowhere I think any call will be iffy. If you are close to a larger city your chances are better. I don't know if there is anywhere to complain but I would try to let Good Sam know that they messed up two calls to get you help by not giving them the correct location and vehicles.

Martha

[OTW]

VERY good information -- thank you so much for chiming in with it. Yes, I think I should go ahead and contact Good Sam to let them know how this went along. When I told the first lady I thought the ETA of 45 minutes was a lot (actually it probably isn't on second thought) but she did say I should feel lucky, that usually it's 90 minutes or longer for a service to get to a breakdown. I don't know if I'd have had better luck timewise if I'd been stranded on the side of the road (was thanking my lucky stars the issue showed up when taking off from a rest stop!) But Laura (assuming that's Azusateach), you're describing a lot of miles they towed -- San Diego to Azusa for $75. And then with your friend, 600 miles at no charge?? Was that because there wasn't anyone closer who could fix it, because I did note the Good Sam Roadside Asst. says they'll tow it to the nearest qualified service place. Just wanted to ask if there were extenuating circumstances that went into their towing it 600 miles.

In either event it sounds like I should be checking out other alternatives to GS, just to know how they compare on their terms.

[Azusateach]

But Laura (assuming that's Azusateach), you're describing a lot of miles they towed -- San Diego to Azusa for $75. And then with your friend, 600 miles at no charge?? Was that because there wasn't anyone closer who could fix it, because I did note the Good Sam Roadside Asst. says they'll tow it to the nearest qualified service place. Just wanted to ask if there were extenuating circumstances that went into their towing it 600 miles.

In either event it sounds like I should be checking out other alternatives to GS, just to know how they compare on their terms.

With AAA, if you buy the additional RV coverage, they'll extend the tow distance. I needed to get the trailer home, and it was just over 100 miles from the campground. I believe they'll tow the first 100 miles free -- to anywhere you need. Any mileage over that is $75/100 miles. I think. You'd have to check the specifics. But they don't stipulate that you have to tow to a repair shop like Good Sam does. There was nothing wrong with our trailer. It was our Expedition, and the trailer had to get home. Both vehicles were covered by AAA, and I was never questioned about why I couldn't tow the trailer.

With Sharon Souter, she was literally out in the middle of nowhere, and her rig was a Sprinter with a diesel engine. The part she needed had to be installed by someone who knew what they were doing, and the closest garage that could do the work was 600 miles back up the road. CoachNet picked her & her rig up and transported them to the nearest place that could get the work done. She had to wait there for at least a week, I believe, before the part could be shipped from the states.

So reading the specifics for AAA and CoachNet would be important. Again, we'll stick with AAA for now, as we tend to travel where there's easy access to services. When we hit the road for longer periods of time and might be in rural areas we'll most likely add or switch to CoachNet, largely because of Sharon's experience.

If you go to RV.net, you'll find that it's run by Camping World. There's a WHOLE section dedicated to people complaining (mostly) about the service they receive from CW, and also Good Sam. That would be a good place to post your experience. It's monitored regularly by people who work for Camping World -- which owns Good Sam.

Hope this helps.

Laura

[Cudedog]

Until we start traveling more extensively we're sticking with AAA and the RV add-on. When we do longer trips, we'll probably either add CoachNet on top of AAA or opt for CoachNet exclusively.

I have had AAA probably now for something like 40 years, since I first started driving in my teens. Don't do the math, please. I still have AAA to this day.

Some years ago, when my children were small (I think my son was something like 5 years old, my daughter was 6 - they are both adults now) I had taken my show bitch from my home in northern California to a stud dog in Salt Lake. The (now-ex) husband decided to stay home (good idea, that - it was always more fun without him!). We dropped my bitch off at the stud dogs house for a "bit of lovin' " and motored around the southwest for a week or more, seeing the sights (which my kids were too young to remember now, but I had a blast - my first experience at semi-solo travel!) until it was time to go pick her up.

As I remember it we had just visited Dinosaur National Monument and were motoring through the desert when my station wagon broke down. It was not a good feeling to be stranded out in the middle of no where with two very young children, all by ourselves. I had an early version of a cell phone at that time (it came in a kind of small suitcase!) and by some miracle, was able to contact AAA with it.

I was told that someone would be there in about an hour, with the apology that the policy was to get someone out in a 1/2 hour, maximum, but that we were so far out that the tow truck had quite a distance to come. I think it was sixty miles.

Anyway, after about an hour, a big yellow tow truck showed up, hooked onto my station wagon, and popped me and the kids into the cab. More apologies, sorry but we had a long way to go. After about another hour we pulled into a wide spot in the road (I'll not call it a town!) and pulled my car into the shop of the local mechanic.

I forget what was wrong with the car, but a part was ordered, came in a couple of hours (I think one of the mechanics had to go to get it) was installed later that same day (for, as I remember, a minimal charge) and we were on our way, with smiles all around.

So, yes, I still have AAA, and will probably have it until the end of my driving days.

However, this thread has made me think that maybe I need to check with AAA to be sure my van can be towed under the AAA rules. I think it can - it is just your average cargo van (with a few interior mods!), not over-size or "extended" or anything like that - but I need to make sure.

Anyone know offhand?

Anne

[Carolinagal]

I have to add this, ALL of my service calls were miles from anywhere, I had a bit of a wait, I knew I would as tow had to come miles to me. Waiting has never been a problem, good book, nap, or lunch. Never a problem in your home

I had AAA once, right after my DH passed. I read the contract, which I do sometimes. Good thing I did this time because back a few pages in plain Englih it said they did not cover motor homes, or recreational vehicles, even small ones as I had. Different states have different rules and insurances also in each state.

I found this to be true with vehicle and health insurances. Made my decisions and choices easier, with fewer insurances to select from.

As has been said there are good and bad times with each and you can always change, instead of renew.

Good luck
CArol

[BarbaraRose]

I have Good Sam and love them! Used them twice near Bozeman Montana. Once to come tow my Jeep (on a Sunday morning) to a garage. The woman on the phone was super nice and helpful and called back twice to make sure the guy showed up and if I needed any other assistance. Then I called the next day because my Jeep would take a whole week to get fixed and I was stuck with my trailer at a gas station. The lady said she would call me right back. 10 minutes later, she called back to say she found a campground with an available site for my trailer and had a truck on the way to pick up me, my cat and the trailer and bring us there! That guy showed up in 10 minutes and got me set at that the campsite all for free! Best $60 I ever spent for the membership to GS!

[OTW]

Well, I wonder if these dispatchers have any idea that their attitude and performance are mega magnified in its effect on someone stranded, to the point where customers will either embrace enthusiastic loyalty or total disdain for the company and its service based on it. Each time. I'm going to have to read the fine print on all three services mentioned because what Barbara Rose wrote is what I thought I'd signed up for with Good Sam. I checked prices, and Coach-net is $176/year (yikes) but while that's not a great deal for someone who lives in the Northeast (currently) it would if they're superior and one was fulltiming. AAA on the other hand I already have and didn't know they had an RV rider, particularly that it's only an additional $30 over AAA's normal plans ($76 and $106 depending on the two regular plans that make sense). If it's true that Good Sam insists on towing a perfectly good trailer to specifically a repair shop, that's a deal breaker for me right there because like BarbaraRose, there was nothing wrong with my trailer and if I'd had to be stranded for a few days due to my tow vehicle's issues, a campground somewhere near is the only thing that makes sense and I'd see no reason why they'd insist on taking it to a mechanic's shop.