Insurance Road Side Assistance?

[VanLifeCrisis]

Nationwide is offering a roadside assistance plan for 3 bucks, and i added this to my coverage. Since i have an older van now that is already showing some issues and im pretty far from family (about an hour away), this seemed like a smart move. If you are 100 miles from home, it helps with food and lodging too. The 3 dollar is the plus plan (39/yr), which gives 100 mile towing.

Has anyone ever used their road side assistance from the insurance carrier, and how does it compare to something like AAA? Does using it raise your rates like an accident would?

 

[rvwandering]

We've used our roadside assistance three times, twice for towing and once to have a new starter battery delivered to our campsite. I'm not sure how it compares with other services but going by all of the stories I've heard about long waits and multiple phone calls with other services ( AAA and Good Sam) I'd say it's excellent. Both towing jobs were in rural areas. The tow trucks came in a reasonable amount of time, they were large enough to tow us and we were towed to the repair shop that we chose.

We have fulltime RV insurance with Foremost. Neither the towing or the couple of damage claims that we've had have resulted in any raise of rates. We had the same company for over twenty years if that makes a difference.

 

[3caninekids]

I have my car insurance through State Farm (for 25 yrs) and they offer emergency roadside assistance nationwide coverage for 50 cents per month (that's the rate I was quoted, I don't know if it's the same for everyone). It covers towing to the nearest repair shop (you can pay the difference if you want it towed farther), unlocking vehicles & jumpstarting. I think you arrange for the service, whoever you want to call, and they reimburse you. I have never used it, but think that it's a benefit that you can choose what towing/emergency service company you want to come out to you.

 

[Seeker]

I also have the towing with State Farm. It's less than 3 bucks for 6 months I think. Have used it many times. I was towed home from around 60 miles one time and they paid it.

You have to pay the tow company yourself and give State Farm the invoice and they mail a check.

I figured the first time using that service years ago saved enough to pay for many years of the minimal fee insurance company charges for the towing reimbursement.

My agent says most people don't opt for the service. they must drive newer vehicles than I do!
A SEEKER

 

[Freedomtravaler]

I have my car insurance through State Farm (for 25 yrs) and they offer emergency roadside assistance nationwide coverage for 50 cents per month (that's the rate I was quoted, I don't know if it's the same for everyone). It covers towing to the nearest repair shop (you can pay the difference if you want it towed farther), unlocking vehicles & jumpstarting. I think you arrange for the service, whoever you want to call, and they reimburse you. I have never used it, but think that it's a benefit that you can choose what towing/emergency service company you want to come out to you.

This looks like an old post but would like to respond- using your insurance carrier will be marks on your insurance. If you use Good Sam no marks against you. The insurance business is tricky.. I find this very important since I don't want my rates to go up, I presume nobody else does either. Also, I am new to this forum and will go introduce my self soon in the newbie section- until then Hello everyone and glad to have found fellow travelers!

 

[LeeRevell]

I have AAA and have used it once for towing. Need to upgrade it to get longer towing distance. Mine currently pays for five miles only. Took calling by landline when I used it as I was in a 'dead zone' for cell phones.

 

[oldogre]

I have state farm and going to look into the roadside, thanks for that info, my agent never mentioned it ever in over 20 years. and he knows I travel?
And also going to look into if they base rates of insurance if I use it, I will contact him next week asap, and let you all know his answer, just can't imagine a tow service raising my insurance rates, or maybe that's why it's so cheap, they figure it's a junker and is more of a liability. who knows how they figure there risk.

 

[Theadyn]

I have used AAA, towed 29' RV twice in 2 days. They more than paid for their service. Was told when I got it, it covered anything I was driving. Also had Good Sam, came with the RV when I bought it, they didn't answer my second call when I needed them. Included roadside on my State Farm insurance, just as precaution. AAA though... they very much took care of me. The other ones, I can not say.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

This is a constant subject that comes up over on the mainstream RV forums.  The anecdotal evidence is all over the place.  For every post saying "It was wonderful", there's another post saying "They wouldn't do a damn thing for me.  What a ripoff!"

The reality, of course, is that NONE of these services own their own tow trucks and hire their own drivers.  They have to find existing tow companies willing to contract with them and accept their rates.

In some places, there may be a lot of such companies, it's highly competitive,  and they can pick and choose which one(s) they want to contract with.

In other places, there may be few towing companies and the good one's already have all the business they can handle, and they don't really want to bother being under contract to one of these services.

Depending on where you have your breakdown, you may get wonderful service or you may get horrible service.  There's no way to guess in advance which is going to happen.

As far as AAA, Good Sam, Coachnet, etc. vs State Farm, Allstate, etc. - which reimburse you after the fact and leave it up to you to find your own tow . . .

If you're in some strange, new area, you won't have a clue who to call or whether, in fact, they are any good.  You're probably better off calling AAA or Good Sam and HOPING they've got a good one under contract there.

On the other hand, it sounds like the add on for State Farm, etc. is so cheap, you might as well carry that too, as a back up plan, in case AAA or Good Sam CAN'T help you out in that area.

It's always a good idea to have a Plan B . . . 

Fortunately, unlike the people driving cars, you've got your house, your bed, your kitchen, etc. right there with you, and you can just settle down and spend the night if you have to, while waiting for things to sort themselves out. 

Regards
John

 

[LeeRevell]

After four dropped calls on two different cellphones, then finally getting through on a business's landline phone, AAA came through with a tow driver who was very close to where I was and dealt with the company we towed the van to. Wish the garage had fixed the problem but that is another thread.

 

[towhee]

Fortunately, unlike the people driving cars, you've got your house, your bed, your kitchen, etc. right there with you, and you can just settle down and spend the night if you have to, while waiting for things to sort themselves out. 

Regards
John

That's exactly how it went down for me last night. Van wouldn't start. I called the towing company and arranged for them to come in the morning and tow me to their garage. I settled down for the night in a place that was not planned but  perfectly acceptable. So grateful to Be self contained. 

I have the State Farm add on. 12$ per year. I will send the bill in. It was about $80 for the jumpstart. 

 

[gypsychic]

I have state farm and going to look into the roadside, thanks for that info, my agent never mentioned it ever in over 20 years. and he knows I travel?
And also going to look into if they base rates of insurance if I use it, I will contact him next week asap, and let you all know his answer, just can't imagine a tow service raising my insurance rates, or maybe that's why it's so cheap, they figure it's a junker and is more of a liability. who knows how they figure there risk.

oldogre:

I've mentioned this in another thread somewhere here but here's what my agent told me about the service-State Farm does use it to calculate your rates as it is considered a claim but AAA, etc also allows insurers to have access to who utilizes the service as allowed by state law. (Now whether that info is sold or just given I don't know but I don't know too many business models that give info away for free.) My agent specifically told me to call them FIRST (the local office) if I utilize any combination of claims twice or more in a month. The number crunchers think if your absent minded enough to lock your keys in and need a jump, your probably a higher risk for being in an accident. This was pretty much verbatim how the conversation went. What calling the local office first would do, I have no idea. Every state has different insurance laws so YMMV.

It's $12 a year in my state. I'll be adding a AAA policy in addition to my State Farm policy once my van is used for more than local trips. Also, you can add AAA the same day you need them, or at least you used to be able to.

 

[GotSmart]

I have USAA. No problems with them in 12 years. I have used the towing service about 4 times over the years. Always happy. I also have them for banking and CC.

 

[Almost There]

If any of you are planning on driving internationally as well as across the US take a look at Paragon for roadside coverage.

www.paragonmotorclub.com


I had it when I was living in the US and continue it here in Canada because it works internationally as well.

The last thing I need when I have a breakdown or problems is to have to find my own towing service which is why I don't use the roadside assistance offered by an insurance company.

CAA & AAA each cover within their own country but the minute you're out of country they want you to find your own towing company and they'll reimburse you for it.

 

[gypsychic]

When it comes down to it, it's a service industry and services rendered by people will always have that person's personality and how their day is going for them wrapped into the experience. That being said I've broke down in some remote areas along highways in CA and NV and have only had services that I would rate from professional to fantastic. The fantastic service was in the middle of the night in NV where the tow from picking me up from where a trucker had dropped me off @ a 'town' that had a pay phone because cell reception was zero, to picking up my vehicle and then dropping me at a hotel and the vehicle at a service shop took over 3 hrs. The tow truck driver helped me 'hide' my cat from the hotel staff as pets weren't allowed; something he told me before I checked in. He then waited while I checked in and helped carry my bags in. He told me where to have breakfast, told me the impressions of the shop he took my car to and in general made the whole experience *almost* fun instead of nerve wracking. His personality and joking around made a huge difference. Being a young female at the time I was a little on edge to get into a 'stranger's' vehicle in the middle of the night in the middle of nowhere in the desert. Never got a *weird* vibe from him and he had me laughing so much during the hours drive I forgot how freaked out I was. (I was freaked as this was the 2nd time in 1 day my car broke down for completely separate reasons. I had taken it to my professional mechanic before my trip to have an extensive look with the idea of such a xcountry trip as well as had my mechanically inclined guy friends look at it. I thought I had done due diligence for this whole thing to not happen but that's another story.)

Anyways, a person's personality can make or brake the service experience from the customer's point if view. I'm happy to report I've only had good experiences when I've needed to use these services. Of course having worked in service jobs at times myself I know what it's like to have to deal with a *temperamental client* so I do my best to help create an experience I can rate as professional to fantastic.

 

[Optimistic Paranoid]

So, the people who run Technomadia did a recent video chat on RV organizations - Good Sam, FMCA, Escapees, Thousand Trails, Coachnet, etc.  It's on Youtube and I just finished watching it.

They reported something disturbing about AAA.  Apparently, it's NOT nationwide for RVs.  If you are in, say, Texas, and buy the (optional) RV coverage, and then break down someplace where the local AAA  doesn't offer the RV option, they won't honor it there.

Good reason to avoid AAA if you've got a real RV or Trailer instead of a van or car.

Regards
John