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Don't Waist Your Money On AAA Membership

Membership Services - Complaint
Review by Ellie Michelle on 2012-10-17
Rating: StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty StarEmpty Star
SANTA ANA -- I have been a AAA member for 25 years. What a waist of money!!!I took a family vacation to Portland, or in July 2012, for a family reunion. Upon arrival at the airport we rented a car from enterprise, knowing we will get our AAA discount on the car at the end of the trip, four days later. Upon return to the airport, we had a $580.00 Total payment due on our credit card!!I hit the roof and called AAA asking why? I was told by Mr. Micheal [snip], the supervisor to customer service with AAA, that they do not honor or work with enterprise any more!!! I told him how am I to know that? He said they do not notify members on these issues!!! My feelings are that AAA does make business decisions without the member's awareness behind the scenes and the chances are members get upset but eventually drop their complaints and move on!!!
For the past several months, I have written formal complaint letters to their president/CEO Robert [snip], communicated with Mr.[Snip], again followed up 15 times on the status of my complaint!!! Up to now, I have not received any resolution, get my refund, or communication back from their complaint department. The customer service complaint department is a total joke!!! They ignore letters, faxes, and you can't reach them unless you fax them....Still they don't respond!!! Wow what a great company!!! When I call to follow up, they are surprised as to how many times I have called to complaint about their customer service and how they ignore customer related issues!! Mr. [Snip] always has a excuse, or does not return calls. When he does, he blames it on the other company!!!I have been passed around from one supervisor to another, even talked to a supervisor's supervisor!!! This is not a complicated thing, just refund the damn money!!!!! How hard is that??? From California to Texas and then back organ the follow up calls go around and around!!! Still no resolution and I'm aggravated like hell with AAA!!!! I have to thank enterprise, because they were nice enough to give me a 20% discount equal to $40...That's more than I can say about my own membership of 25 years with AAA which did not do crap for me!!! The AAA does not deserve my money....Nor would I want membership with AAA any...I cancelled my membership on the phone and demanded to get my prorated membership refund.... My money was wasted on them for so many years....I have been a loyal customer.....What happened to their loyalty to me???? People.....Save your money...This AAA is not what it used to be....They are greedy, irresponsible, and so secure with their jobs that they pass you around, giving you run around until you get tired and drop your complaint...I deserve so much better than them.....I feel bad wasted my time believing in AAA!!!! Is it the company policy to ignore members???? You tell me. Shame on you AAA...... You are disgusting taking advantage of good members like me....
Comments:
Posted by unhappy999 on 2012-10-17:
I'm not an AAA member but I just went to their website and there is no mention anywhere about a discount at Enterprise. Couldn't you have asked Enterprise if they still give AAA discount? The discounts are perks for being a member of AAA, your membership dues are for the road side assistance they offer. Just because they may have had a discount in the past doesn't mean they still offer it. Anytime I want a discount on something, I make sure that it is still offered. I don't think AAA owes you any money nor are the obligated to refund any of your money as they had nothing to do with your car rental.
Posted by CowboyFan on 2012-10-17:
I like Triple A and have used the discount frequently. One must look to see at the seller offers a Triple A discount, and then bring to their attention at the time of purchase/rental. That would have avoided all of the problem.

The OP is mad at Triple A because they made an assumption, that was not correct. Unhappy999 summed it up well.
Posted by Anonymous on 2012-10-17:
AAA should have the courtesy to notify their members when they end an affiliation with a business such as enterprise.

But.....as a customer it is your responsibility to confirm whether or not you are entitled to a discount before you rent a car. Or book a hotel. Not after the fact. AAA doesn't owe the OP anything. Even if AAA had sent out a notice, it doesn't guarantee all of their members will be notified. Not everyone reads the inserts that come with the monthly bill. Not everyone opens their "junk mail". The OP wrongly assumed he would get a AAA discount. He should of asked about the discount when he signed the rental agreement. Not after the fact.
Posted by trmn8r on 2012-10-17:
I have a question off the top - you carried an AAA membership for 25 YEARS - until this incident, were you happy with it? What did you get out of it? I have been an AAA member for 3 or 4 distinct periods in my life, and each one was profitable to me. Between the tourbooks, maps, towing service and lockout service, I had no complaints at all and thought it was a bargain. AAA "discounts" were actually one of the least attractive features, as they were fairly small.

If your total bill was $580, I don't see how a 20% discount is $40. But that is besides the point - with AAA, you always verify your plans to use an AAA discount when you book, or at the latest when you go to sign a contract. Did Enterprise tell you that there would or wouldn't be an AAA discount?

Last, what AAA told you makes sense in my experience - AAA does not notify you when participation/promotions change.
Posted by BigAl on 2012-10-17:
I usually do not respond to these type of reviews but you asked me to ("you tell me") Nothing in your review would suggest that you have been wronged by AAA. To expect a company to personally notify you of every change is absurd. Any consumer with reasonable intelligence would realize that such an endeavor by any company to personally keep it's customers updated on every change would be cost prohibited.
Posted by Diane on 2013-05-31:
My experience large a disappointment because I was having dinner a few days ago and got a call from AAA for me to join the promotion to receive free tickets for two people, the issue is not present if not a lie, anyway I I was going to enroll, but lying is more than a lack of respect, which I came was an envelope with some promotions to buy them if I wanted to enter, I am assuming that the letter of the person who wrote was pesima, should practice calligraphy, I am disappointed that they are liars

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