Used AAA to get a tow today........

Don't know if I hit that 'sweet spot' of time vs availability, but today's experience was as good as the last two were bad.

In the 12 years I've had AAA, I've used the towing feature twice, with the first tow being the worse. In that instance, the driver supposedly kept getting redirected to other calls. Waited pretty much all day for the tow to arrive. Second tow driver was late again, just not as late (different companies).

Based on those two experiences, I planned my day around expecting a long wait for the tow.

I made the call at 10:00.

10:15 I received a call from the driver he was on his way. Honestly, I was thinking, "ok, here we go" expecting many delays.

10:35 driver is hooking up to my Dakota. Wait, what?

30 minutes later, we're over at my storage space. I asked him if he could put the truck inside, and he said "sure, no problem".

He did a better job parking it than if I had been driving it!

I gave the man a tip, and by 11:20 he was on his way to his next call.

Wow.

While there have been moments of a lot of fussing and cussing regarding my truck, in six years and almost 40K miles, this is the only time its been on 'the hook'. And this time only because I couldn't work on it in the apt. parking lot. Even though it broke, it made it home before fully quitting on me.

Now the fun begins......

Every once in a while, things work as we'd wish them to

I'm glad it worked out John. When messing with a our old vehicles we don't need extra aggravation!

I have tow/jump start/flat assistance/gas on my auto insurance policy and it's only something ridiculously cheap like $10 every six months. I like it because I'm not bound to AAA tow companies. I just submit receipt and they reimburse me.

You guys have all gone mushy. I have nothing, don't carry anything, not even a spare, an 99% of the time the places I go have no cell service. Life is an adventure!

Guilty!

I was thinking how about this time back in 2019 I had taken the truck out into the woods of East TX looking for an abandoned sawmill. Had the truck died then, I would have been screwed. Five miles from pavement, about 12 miles to a town, and NO cell service..........

And it was late afternoon........

Please don't use "mushy". That makes me think of someone else

I don't carry spares either Never had one for my Power Wagon or Diplomat AHB. I do carry a bicycle pump and plug kit. If I'm miles away from home and something else goes me needs the wrecker

We have AAA Premier and it comes in handy a few times a year, given that we run older vehicles as our daily drivers. Usually the tow is from our house to a friend about 30 miles away who works on cars as a hobby. The second-to-last tow was a nightmare. The driver picked up my car then disappeared for 4 hours. My friend was annoyed because he was stuck home waiting for the truck to arrive. When AAA contacted us afterwards to ask about our experience, my wife told them loudly and clearly that we were unsatisfied. We ended-up getting a $50.00 account credit for our trouble.

By the way.....AAA Premier (at least the one in NJ we belong to) has a lost key benefit that pays up to $150.00 for locksmith services. That saved us a lot of money when my wife lost our Jeep key.

Does AAA hit your insurance rates if you use the road service bennies ?

Geico supposedly does

I find that going through life as a pessimist has its benefits. Things ALWAYS turn out better than you expect.

I prefer to call AA.

They aren't much help but a lot more fun than to hang out with.

I use a road side assistance from my old insurance company. Ditched the insurance and kept the roadside. It has been a pretty good deal.

One time they couldn't get me a tow at all. It was right after the Corona Virus shutdown and nobody was driving or towing.

Other than that it has always been pretty good.

Congrats on your good experience.

My late father always used to say “expect the worst and you’ll never be disappointed”.
I’ve thought about AAA but never went for it.
Last year I was at a Menards and really screwed up loading my purchases into the trunk of my car. I kept the keys in my hand after hitting the trunk open button on the fob, and as I finished tossing the stuff into the trunk and shutting the lid, I realized I’d tossed my keys in with a bag...and the car was locked!
I went in the store to ask the service counter if they could recommend a lock out service, and a guy behind me offered to help. After 30 + minutes of fishing around with a bent piece of metal he finally was able to pull the inner door handle and open the car.
That guy saved my butt that night, but got me thinking AAA would be good for lockout service. On the other hand, I’d driven 40 years before that event without locking my keys in a car, in 40 more years I’ll be dead, or if not, I’ll be too old and disabled to drive anyway. So maybe I shouldn’t worry about locking myself out of a car ever again?

I love AAA - with the exception of one time early in the pandemic when I needed a tow from Philly back to home in NJ and had to wait for hours, I have always had pretty swift service and great drivers - 100 miles free, good peace of mind when I drive an old car with 340,000 miles on it every day all over the place.

Maybe if you had insurance thru AAA it would get dinged using their service? I don't know.

I used AAA more when I was married. We always took advantage of discounts available for motels and rental cars.

That 99% include yer homestead so can't call home for help anyway?

A buddy used his AAA to haul a parts car. I stole the engine, it would have drove. He just closed the deal and called the truck. Free ride to my place 30 miles away. I have a credit card that includes road side assistance. Used it once or twice, like $150 tops for at least a 40 mile haul.

Can't stand AAA dropped them years ago after they wouldn't tow me on a technicality after having them for years including financing a car, keep getting stuff in mail from them it goes right in the garbage

Just might be fitting or you truck.

This could be filed under, "You know you're getting old when........."

....dry dreams and wet farts (that's how I was told you know anyway :D)

....dry dreams and wet farts



Wait a minute! I think we have a new YouTube channel here!

Performed by Trace Atkins, currently #4 on the country charts

Haha you actually had me checking!

Why yes it does.

we have aaa for many years ... 4tows per year up to 100miles per tow - i always have them pick up one of our cars and bring it to the beach ... its 88miles away, so the tow is free, don't have to drive a non-ac car for 2 1/2- 3hrs (or more) in traffic, less miles on the car... give the driver a 20buck tip n its a win-win.. been doing it for 20yrs, never had a problem

I've been a member as long as I've had my license. You get your moneys worth when you drive old junk and the hotel discounts can be pretty good too.

I use AAA as my own transport service. I've bought cars that don't run and have them delivered to me by AAA. Had one of my mopars delivered to a body shop etc. My son has a jeep that he offroads and he has broken it off road. As long as he can get it back to the road they'll pick it up.
They have to look like they might run I think though, but it seems like the tow truck drivers don't really care as long as they get paid. Never used the running out of gas service, but my kids and my brother who I was riding with locked the keys in their cars. That is pretty nice too. It doesn't have to be your car if you are stranded with someone else they will come and take care of the situation. I have the one that will tow I think 100? miles. It's been a pretty good deal for me.

I got AAA 4 or 5 years ago. They have towed for me 4 times. My advantage is I know the two towing companies in our area that tow for AAA, and they are the guy I would want to tow my stuff anyway. For one of those tows, my son had borrowed my truck to go to a swap meet with his nephew and his truck. When they stopped for breakfast, mine didn't start afterwards (it was something simple they didn't bother with), so they moved the stuff to the nephew's truck and let mine sit at the fast food joint! I had AAA tow my truck home. My truck was a few miles past our limit, but my friends at the tow company let the extra charges slide.

The discounts are a nice extra. I haven't used any of their other things that go along with the card. Between the tows and the discounts, I figure the card hasn't cost me anything yet. I have my wife on our card, the extra piece of mind knowing she won't be stranded someplace carries a lo of peace of mind as well.

that's because you are living with the Hatfields and McCoy's

i'm still waiting a call back from the truck they sent out last week of february

used it yesterday and did the transaction on the phone..was here in an hour..my last time took 6 hours and then was told afterwards on the phone that I could of called any tow service and they would of reimburse me..they never told me that