Towing subscription service boondocking

[charliesmom]

I don't think AAA will help a broken down tow vehicle on BLM or national forest roads, any idea of a company like AAA that would provide this service for a yearly fee?

 

[highdesertranger]

it's basically a regional type of company that does this type of towing. some are AAA tow companies but AAA will not reimburse them for this type of tow. these type of tows could cost thousands of dollars. the best insurance is to travel with at least 2 vehicles and to be able to fix your own stuff. other then that you need a fat wallet. highdesertranger

 

[highdesertranger]

hey you guys that posted on the other thread you need to post here. I had to delete your posts they were in the Women's sub forum. highdesertranger

 

[wagoneer]

Sorry bout that, From my personal experience AAA is a good service when traveling between overnighting off road, not so much on dirt offroad campsites. It really depends on the service provider/tow truck driver The very few times I have been stuck I have got help from local truck drivers chain pulling me out of the mud, i make sure to compensate them. I have seen tow trucks in campgrounds, but not so much in the thick off road. I don't believe there are any etched in stone rules about towing on govt.land, correct me if I am wrong please

 

[tripper]

You get a friend to drag your car with a tow strap to the nearest pavement then call AAA. Usually a few 4x4s around boon docking.

 

[highdesertranger]

haha I almost posted on that other thread in the women's forum caught it right before I posted.

in rural areas if you open your hood most people will stop and see if they can help. I stop and ask all the time even if their hood isn't open.
here's a funny story about some inexperienced back road travelers. a couple of years ago we came upon a family in a truck and a car along side a dirt road. the truck had a jack under the front axle. we stopped and I ask if they needed a hand. they said they had a flat but couldn't find the handle for their jack. so we pulled over and got my jack out put it in place and I told the guy to break the lug nuts loose before I raised the tire off the ground. he responded by saying that the lug nuts on the truck were to big for any wrench they had. so we got a socket out at broke the lugs loose. so we get the flat off and the guy brings the spare over and guess what, it's flat too. so I back my truck up and fill his spare up. in the meantime the guys rear tire has also gone low so we pump that up. I told the guy that he better turn around and head to town(about 40 miles) and I would follow to make sure he and his family got there. oh no he couldn't do that as they were on vacation, so they went out deeper in the desert I just shook my head in disbelief. there were 2 guys in the truck I really didn't feel bad for them but in the car was mom and 3 young kids I did feel bad for them.

moral of the story when traveling back roads have your vehicle in top condition. you MUST be able to make small repairs like change a tire on your own. if we wouldn't have come along to help that family they would have been along side the road a long time as we saw no one else that whole day. if you go into small rural bars the number one joke is tourists that are unprepared and have car trouble or get lost and stuck following their GPS, they really get a kick out of it. highdesertranger

 

[ZoNiE]

We were camping about 2 miles off the interstate on a very well maintained road in plain sight of I-10. Buddy locked his keys in his van and couldn't open it. His slider was unlocked, but since his kid got in a car accident with it, the outer door handle didn't work and he didn't know it. AAA said they would send a locksmith. About 2 hrs later they said they couldn't come out due to being a dirt road. Their provider may get stuck. We had economy cars near us so it's not a bad road. I got online and found a locksmith from Quartzite who would come out. About 20 min later, she called my friends phone (funny as I gave her MY number) and we all figured out that AAA called her and gave her a referral but wouldn't cover it. She came out, did the work for $100, made him a spare key for no extra charge. Told us AAA does that all the time even though she is more than willing to go off road. just another insurance company that takes your money and gives you nothing back when you really need it.

 

[kaBLOOnie Boonster]

The discussion has only been about AAA. I have never used them, and don't know anything about them.

I have had Coach-Net (and earlier Good Sam) tow me from graded 3-digit forest service roads. With Coach-Net, the fine print says "100 feet from a maintained county road". Essentially that means "winch cable length" for the tow truck.

But how do you know that your 3 digit forest service (or BLM) road is a county road? It depends on the map you are using. There is a lot of overlap between these roads and "county" roads. I tell the dispatcher that on the phone. Usually I say something like, "but the point is that I am winching distance from a graded, maintained, gravel road, called BLM 340 or whatever."

And they have come to tow me. They will use a local towing service rather than their regional one if you mention it to them. That is one way that the customer can help to keep prices low.

Never say "dirt" road or "off road" on the phone. These phrase aren't accurate anyway.

 

[DesertRose]

I have AAA Premier, and roadside through GEICO (free with my policy). I'm guessing GEICO is the same as AAA in that they too do not go very far out to tow you.

 

[JD GUMBEE]

This is a confusing answer, but before you skip through this long post, know there IS an answer coming.

(Just got off the phone with an exec in the Northeastern AAA outfit I know through our fleet dealings way back.)
Firstly, for those who do not know, AAA broke up into different companies some years back.
We used to deal with a fleet up in Maine...and they were split off from the old AAA company, just like California is not the same AAA as Delaware.
This means that even though we may call the same place for a road call, you are basically bound by the policies where you break down.
The guy I just spoke with is quite high in the organization. (Keep in mind, this club is New England...but as far as he knows, this policy is nationwide.)
"If you are on a road that the service vehicle can safely travel over and not off road," they will do the call.
This means if you are rock crawling in your Jeep and you pop an axle, you are on your own.
If you are in the national forest, where 40 foot diesel pushers regularly drive...they do the call.
If you are parked in a campsite that was obviously idiotic to drive your vehicle...and you buried it to the axles...they have the right to tell you="GO POUND SAND."
Reason being? Especially in RV's, grabbing the undercarriage to pull one out and putting strain on it to very high levels can actually damage the frame of your rig.
(It is very easy to twist a front end component while pulling even a Class C from a mud-stuck situation.)
If your call is for a flat...and the vehicle was obviously not stuck...they should have changed the tire.
Keep another thing in mind when dealing with AAA.
The vendor that comes out is making jack-$hit for the call. If you are way out in the boonies, even LESS jack-$hit.
That vendor could be in a situation where they make nothing for that call. (Don't feel too bad, it usually evens out for them...since many calls are five minute jump starts in their city coverage area and they get the same service fee for those.)
The trick to getting what you need...be a SQUEAKY wheel.
AAA, as long as you do not "four letter" them, CANNOT hang up on you.
Stay calm, do not yell. If you feel yourself getting angry, ask the operator to hold on a moment while you collect your thoughts...and say something like, "as a AAA member, I do not think I being treated fairly here sir/mam. Would YOU feel satisfied with this treatment sir/mam?" then shut up. You have just plucked the customer service string.
If they do not help then, ask for a supervisor.
Stay calm. "I have been a member for XXyears and I pay for this service. I do not expect to start negotiating with you people now that I am broken down on the side of the road."
Do not take no for an answer.
Next, mention="sir/mam, 500,000 dollar diesel RV's travel this road on a daily basis. There is no snow or mud situation that prevents the service/tow truck from accessing my vehicle. Nor am I involved in any off road activity. I am parked right on a normal driveway here. The vendor you called for me is trying to use a technicality to get out of this call. I really need you to get the road service out here. (If a vehicle passes while on the phone..."Hear that? That is a 40 foot brand new class A motor home that just went by. Again.")
There are times when you have to clearly understand how to play the chess game.
This situation is much like others you read about on the Internet where poor communication and vendors manipulating their contracts ends up making it tough for the consumer.
Person "A" says something to person "B" who repeats it and before you know it, we have a full blown "urban legend" on our hands.
===DO NOT EVER SAY YOUR RV IS "OFF ROAD." Parked at a campsite, 40 feet from the travel lane is not "OFF ROAD." Most of the time, this single determination is going to sway how the call goes. Keep in mind, the people on the phone have heard it all...and seen it all.
A dirt road is not reason to be denied. In Maine, they have crazy dirt roads and they are covered.

If all else fails and the person on the phone says they cannot do anything else for you, (by now, you should be talking with the supervisor) make sure you get the case/complaint info. (They get raked over the coals if you file a case against them.) The supervisor should provide you with a call number and the complaint reference number. Get that.

If you have a decision from AAA that goes against this, I sure would like to see it.
PS AAA is supposed to cover you, coast to coast. How far they have to come is beside the point.
The entire reason FOR AAA is so that you do not have to start finding/negotiating with a tow/service company in a breakdown scenario.

ONE MORE THING
If you have "Premiere AAA" and your battery is shot...they will replace it at no cost to you, once per year per household.
They will come and test your rig to make sure the battery is in fact...a goner, then replace it free.
This is a good thing to take advantage of rather than footing the bill yourself.

 

[DesertRose]

"If you have 'Premiere AAA' and your battery is shot... they will replace it at no cost to you, once per year per household."

Interesting. Thank you. I will remember this. I have Premier. My battery went dead when I was living in Scottsdale. The AAA guy came out with a little pick up truck and said he could sell me a new battery for 150 bucks and I said yeah no thanks I'll hit up O'Reilly's tomorrow for $95 or whatever it was.

Tires, batteries, hoses. Gotta love the desert!!

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

 

[JD GUMBEE]

Don't forget, this is "MID-ATLANTIC" AAA.
They are different companies. Check with where your membership came from.
(I should have re-stated that when I typed it.)

https://midatlantic.aaa.com/membership/premier/battery#
(Link shows battery policy on mid-atlantic AAA website)