AAA Roadside Assistance Consumer Reviews - Page 5

SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS -- After being insured in all my five (5) family vehicles by AAA Insurance for 9 years, I decided that this company did not deserve to have my business any longer. What made me reach such decision was when my Pontiac Grand Am broke down due to a clutch problem. I called AAA Road Service as I had previously done and for which I am grateful.

This particular night, when I called, the operator verify my membership, as is the protocol. Afterwards the lady tells me that if AAA had to send a tow truck to retrieve my car and get it to my home address, I would had to pay out of pocket because I had reached the maximum number of times (4) that I was entitled for the current year. I of course was confounded by the statement. I pointed out that I had been paying not only for the insurance (which she countered with "that's a separate account sir"), but for the Road Service. For the same length of time and for a number of years, I had never called or utilized the service a single time.

I argue my position and the need to get my car towed from where I was, which is about 25 miles from home, to no avail. The next day I decided to cancel my membership and insurance policy and switch to GEICO. Nobody from AAA called me, and I have never, to this day, received any form of communication from them.

BLAIRSVILLE, GEORGIA -- My car slid off HWY 515 in N. GA during a heavy rain. Called AAA at 2:29 PM. At 3:10 they called to say they did not have anyone to help "but KEEP your line open so we can reach you." At 3:55 I called back, I called not AAA calling me, still no one to help. At 4:11 I took matters in my own hands. I called a local towing service which arrived at 4:49 and got me off the side of a major HWY. My grandchildren had been picked up and taken back to my house. And we had a dog with us.

Really I was on the side of a major GA HWY for 2:20. AAA is like any insurance. Pay them but don't ever try to use them. Oh and I am a Plus member for 15 years. Now let's see what happens tomorrow. I ask for reimbursement for my towing fee. Good luck right.

MT. PLEASANT, SOUTH CAROLINA -- Had a dead battery in my SUV. They drove out and replaced it. Within a year, it was dead again. I went to my regular mechanic thinking I had a bad alternator or electrical drain. They checked it and found that the battery provided by AAA was too small and did not meet the car manufacturer's spec. As I needed the car back, I had them put the spec battery in the car. I immediately called AAA and while not very helpful, they mailed me a claim reimbursement form a month later.

After another month, I received a form letter denying my claim because I had the battery replaced by someone else. A couple months later, when we did not renew membership, we get a call asking why. When we explain the situation, they say they'll try to help. The garage that contracts for AAA, asked if we had the old battery. When he found out that my mechanic disposed of the AAA battery after a couple months, he said they could not do anything.

Do yourself a favor, buy a set of jumper cables, get roadside assistance from your insurance company for less money and NEVER let AAA touch your car as they will not back up their service or products.

BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS -- Got back from a business trip last night around 12:15am. Got to the parking garage and found that my car wouldn't start. Called AAA at 1am. They promised me a tow within 45 minutes and a call 5 minutes before the driver got there. 1:40am--No truck, no call. I'm by myself in a dark airport in the middle of the night. 1:49am--After being on hold for 9 minutes, I am reprimanded for calling before the 45 minute window expired. Then they say that a truck is not actually on the way and it will be an hour or more before it arrives. They tell me to leave my key in the car and go home, and the driver will pick it up.

2:20--My husband picks me up. 2:40--Dispatcher calls and says I have to go back to the airport because Massport, who manages the parking garage, won't release my car. We go back. 2:50--Dispatcher calls back and says "never mind, it's taken care of." We turn around again. 3:30--AAA supervisor calls and says that Massport will not release my car without me being there. 3:35--I talk to Massport and they confirm this. 3:45--I talk to AAA supervisor again and agree to meet a tow truck at the garage at 5am. They promise me it will be there.

4am--I hit the road in my husband's car, exhausted. 4:50am--Dispatcher calls and says they're just sending the truck. 4:55am--I scrape the side of my husband's car on the parking garage and cause a lot of damage. Having been up for almost 24 hours, I blame it on lack of sleep and this stressful situation.

5:09am--Watching the sun come up. I call the AAA supervisor line and am told that it will be 20 minutes because the driver got stuck in traffic. Ummm....there was no traffic. I lose my cool and tell them this is unacceptable. 5:30am--I call the supervisor line to see where the truck is. They say I will get a call back within 5 minutes. 5:35am--No call. 5:40am--No call. 5:45am--Truck shows up with no info on the fact that I don't have my card, or where the car is being towed.

5:50am--Watching the car go on the truck. AAA supervisor calls and apologizes. Which doesn't do me much good as I have no sleep, 2 cars that need repairing, and a complete loss of faith in AAA's ability and motivation to provide even mediocre service. I was promised a call from member relations which, shockingly, still has not come. She promises to pay for my tolls and the repair to my husband's car, and that I will get a call confirming the car has been dropped off at the right place. That call never comes.

Summary: My safety was compromised, there was a gross amount of miscommunication and misinformation provided by AAA, and multiple promises were made and broken. I am angry, disappointed, and planning to tell everyone I can about this egregious incident unless AAA rectifies this by paying for the damage to my husband's car and offers me a HUGE apology for having to wait 6 hours for a simple tow. Look for this review on Twitter, Facebook and everywhere else I can think of. AAA provides a crucial service that can't be counted on.

GREENSBURG, PENNSYLVANIA -- Let's just say your temporary membership card is worthless and covers nothing. I would never recommend anyone doing Triple AAA. I needed assistance today and it's just not worth it. It's cheaper to go with my own insurance.

First of all I called to inquire about getting a premier road side assistance card and ** was quite rude when I explained that I tried to get a membership online and it would not allow me to, instead it told me to call AAA directly. She told me it would be $113.00 for the membership and I explained that online, it stated it would be $102.00 and she stated that was an online only promotion and I could not get it. I explained that it was not my fault I could not get online membership so she waived the fee down to $99.00 because I opted to do automatic renewal.

I inquired about the free spouse with the temporary membership I received in the mail and she stated that is only with the basic membership. She asked for my credit card information which I gave freely, however after she received my credit card information, she proceeded to tell me that there was a 7 day grace period for road side assistance so I told her never mind I did not want it and she promptly hung up on me.

Today when I checked my bank account balance, I saw that they stole $99.00 from my account. After more than 6 hours on the phone trying to get my money back, I was told that it would take 3-5 business days to give me a refund. I spoke ** initially and she said that because ** was in the insurance side, she couldn't help me and that I would have to speak with **. This was clearly their fault, yet they made me feel like I did something wrong.

Upon speaking with **, she was not able to help me stating that basically it's my problem that you stole my money and there was no way of refunding me immediately because of the bank. (Which according to my bank is total **). I then obtained the national office number for AAA and got yet the run around again. I spoke with ** and she stated someone would call me right back. After 4 hours and no call back, I called and was referred to ** voice mail. I left a message for him to call back. In the meantime, ** called back and stated there was absolutely nothing that could be done. It didn't matter that I was about to go out of town!

Finally ** called me back and stated that I had 2 options: 1. Wait until Monday for my refund (which I shouldn't have to because you stole) 2. Take membership and he would waive the 7 day grace period and put notes on my account to reflect that. I agreed to this. He stated someone would email me a temporary card which was done! With the expiration date of the card being 10/29/11.

I wish you had told me this card was valid for only 1 month!!!!!!!!!!!! I would like the address for your accounts payable so I may submit a bill for my wasted time. I am still undecided whether or not I will follow through with the police and state attorney general's office. Oh and by the way, there is nowhere on your website that shows there is a 7 day grace period that I saw.

FREMONT, CALIFORNIA -- I dropped my husband yesterday to San Francisco Intl airport on his way to our native land. I was with my 2 babies, one four year old and a one year old. Next morning we had to bring my mother in law to her doctors appointment. We stayed on the parking lot to eat our lunch. My 4 yr. Old told me we have to go to the bathroom. So, I let my 4 yr. Old get out of the van and then I got to my 1 yr. Old.

As I was about to get my bag (with everything on it including my wallet, cellphone and the key to the van) on the driver seat, carrying my baby, as I turned around, he accidentally slammed the door shut. The worst thing is, before that I pressed the lock button on the driver side because I was confident that I would get my bag first before I slam it shut... which is by the way a bad routine and I admit it. But my baby decided to help me shut it. In other words, we are locked out.

So my instinct was to call AAA so they can help me unlock it since it is part of their road side assistance. I went to the nearest clinic and pleaded to help me find AAA number. I was giving out my name, some details and she asked for my number I said, "I can't because it was in my bag and it was also locked in." Then I said "my husband is the member but I was also insured on their company." She said, "I can't help you. Unless you let your husband call me so I could send someone immediately." So calmly I said, "well that would be impossible because I just dropped him off the airport yesterday." She said, "I'm sorry but that's the way it is. If you want I can send in a locksmith but you have to pay for them." **!

I said "are you looking at our policy?" She said "yes, you are insured and you are the principal driver of that van but your husband is the only listed member so unless he calls us, we cannot help you." I said, "it means, even if we are in a remote area and we were in an accident, and you know that I am insured in your company just because my husband is the only listed member you are not going to help us?" She said, "yes, I can't help you. I'm so sorry mam but that's the policy." You and your ** policy!

I was heartbroken. My babies are crying out of frustration and I can't even get help when I need it! I hate this company and their policies! By the way, my sister in law called AAA again, she gave my name for an inquiry about our policy and was told that I was never in the policy and wasn't insured. How come? When we had receipts that we were paying them for 2 years already! As soon as my husband comes back we are going to change our insurance company and you will surely hear a lot from us in the Better Business Bureau.

ORLANDO, FLORIDA -- On the way to work I broke down, my brother called AAA Roadside service at 6:30PM from his home to give the location where I was, I then called at 7:00PM to confirm and was told it would be one hour maybe one hour and a half for a fleet truck.

I then get a call from Jeannette AAA that there is a truck in the area and they would assist me in 30 minutes after waiting 1 1/2 hours for a tow. No truck came but as I stood in a very bad area of town now at 9:30PM I happen to notice a AAA fleet truck going pass me hauling another car, then I see another AAA Fleet truck and it is not towing anything, so I called AAA and was told that those trucks were probably not AAA Trucks and told the rep. that it was odd because it said AAA.Com on the side of the fleet trucks.

While talking to her, a man starts banging on my car window, he rode up on his bike, was very scary, and I am yelling at him to leave me alone while the AAA rep is on the phone with me, then another man drives up yelling at me from his truck saying "I drive around all night looking for stranded people and I have a chain and can tow your car." DUH! I have a sports car and a chain will not do nor would I consider being killed. I am terrified and the AAA rep could have cared less, and told me I would have to wait!

I then get a call from a male AAA rep telling me that there was a tow truck 4 miles from me that was doing a jump to a car, odd because 2 hours before I had just drove down the same route and never saw anyone sitting along the road, how did this person get ahead of me in line for HELP! I was told the tow truck had been helping another person for 21 minutes and would be right down to help me.

Sooooo, I wait and I wait and I wait. Then I get another call from AAA telling me it will be another 20 minutes, as it turned out, it took three hours to get the tow truck to me, and another 30 minutes to load up the car and this driver came from a totally different direction and was not 4 miles away from me, this driver told me that there was no excuse for me having to wait three hours for a tow truck, those were his own words.

It was HOT, no bottled water, in a bad area of town, and I had to sit in a locked car for three hours, worked up a migraine headache due to the heat, started vomiting because the heat was so terrible, my clothes were solid WET! During those three hours I had eight men walking by my car, driving by, or on a bike harassing me and it was frightening and AAA did not care.

The day before I called AAA to get a jump start and the man took one hour and a half, I again had to sit in the car for the whole time as it was pouring down rain, yet a safe place and I did not feel threatened, but the driver told me that I had just left something on and ran my battery down that it could not be the fault. In the car, I went to get the battery checked out and they told me it was fine, later being told it was the fault to the car and the man who came the day before told me incorrect information or I would have placed my car in the shop yesterday.

I called my brother in law whom lives in Michigan and he told me that AAA was horrible and if you called for a tow you might have to wait 2-3 hours and he said to go with a company called General Electric that AARP listed it in their monthly magazine and he had been using them for a long time and they have to get help to you within 30 minutes then they call you back to make sure you are safe and happy with the service, AAA did not call me back. My brother in law also told me it was less money with the company he was with.

Also the man driving the tow truck ran not ONE but TWO red lights and I mean they were RED! The lights turned yellow, then turned red and still continued to drive, the 15 mile drive was nerve wracking and horrified me, when I got home I started vomiting all over again of the experience I had waiting and waiting then the ride in the tow truck... GOODBYE TO AAA.

1955, NORTH DAKOTA -- Called at 8:45 A.M. to request a tow. It hadn't arrived by 1:30 P.M. so I just canceled the request and called someone on my own. So, what's the point of AAA again?

SOUTHFIELD, MICHIGAN -- I called roadside for assistance. They came out, did a diagnostic on my car and told me my battery was bad. AAA replace my battery on 11-19-2018. With a AAA battery. Three weeks later my car wouldn't start again. Due to the battery being dead. I called AAA for replacement. And they been giving me the runaround. This is one of the worst batteries I ever had.