AAA worth it?

garmp · 01-10-2012, 10:02 PM

I just retired and the DW & I plan on doing some more traveling/camping in our conversion van. We have parents and pets to tend to so we don't full-time, aren't gone for months on end, and are not snow birds. But by the same token want to see the country and get out. In your opinion is the AAA membership worth the money, now that we're on a fixed (low budget) income and all? Their travel planning is of no value to us, as when at home our pastime is plotting our next trip; sites, campgrounds, eateries etc. Just want your opinion.

Thanks

Davydd · 01-10-2012, 11:46 PM

This is the same question as on RV.net? We have AAA "Plus RV". The slight additional cost was less than a Good Sam membership and we use AAA all year round at home which includes our two cars. We've always had good service with AAA and I assume they are more ubiquitous around the country than Good Sam. You can always pay for both.

Mike · 01-10-2012, 11:53 PM

You hit the nail on the head. "Frills". I dropped CAA (Canadian version) when the RV package hit $150/year a few years
ago. Last time I checked, it was over $200/year. We use Good Sam ERS, available without a club membership and you
can buy it online. Haven't had to use it yet, fingers crossed, but it's around $100/year (less if you're a new subscriber,
I think?) for all the same type of roadside help as CAA. Having said that, from the brochure and the description of what
they cover, it reads like a "no frills" roadside RV assistance package, battery boost, fuel delivery, flat changing, towing.
Some auto parts places, and auto/RV insurance companies also offer roadside assistance packages. Coach-Net is also
supposed to be comparable, but no experience with it either. In my opinion, CAA (maybe AAA too?) weren't worth the
extra cost, particularly if you don't use all the "extras" like travel planning, Disney tickets, and the other stuff they offer.
There are also some areas of the lower 48 that AAA are purported to not cover, possibly in the northeast? Not certain
about this, though. Read it on here a while back on another RV ERS thread. There is also a requirement with AAA to add
specific additional persons to your membership, for an additional cost per year. If you don't add your wife for example,
as an associate member to your coverage, and you're not physically with the disabled vehicle, AAA will not respond.
Here's an unvetted blog about AAA, and some of their possible idiosyncrasies.
http://www.elliott.org/blog/aaa-pay-us- ... -your-own/

Heapie · 02-02-2015, 02:40 PM

Having other cars, AAA is worth every penny . As for RV,s , no in New England. I am presently double insured by Good Sam and Flo Insurance which I believe has roadside service. (Provident through Tobin in New Jersey.)

Heapie

CyclingCamper · 02-02-2015, 05:54 PM

Why do you say no to New England? I live in CT and I have "AAA plus RV" coverage.

Boxster1971 · 02-02-2015, 09:07 PM

CoachNet will also cover your other cars.

- - Mike
2013 AS Interstate on 2012 MB Sprinter 3500 Long & Tall

Bruceper · 02-09-2015, 10:53 PM

A bit late to this thread, but I recently had to renew my CAA. Since I have the B now I figured I would ask if it was covered with the Plus membership or if Plus RV is needed.

They have a book they check with requirements for what constitutes an RV. Single axle, under 10,000 GVWR and looks like a van means to CAA that the RV upgrade isn't required. Saves me some money.

Mike · 02-09-2015, 11:25 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by CyclingCamper

Why do you say no to New England? I live in CT and I have "AAA plus RV" coverage.

A while back there were reports of poor or non existent service by AAA in the New England area for RV related problems. They were anecdotal mostly.

Bugsy White · 04-02-2015, 12:56 AM

This is a great poll question for someone like me ( with NO RV experiance at all )...I didnt vote Yes or No simply because i dont know. I saw Davydd mentioned Good Sam? I will have to dig around and find out about what that is and do my research , because i have only had AAA when i had a car in the past.

Davydd · 04-02-2015, 01:24 AM

We have AAA with the RV addition. We are Good Sam members but we don't have their insurance. Also, I found out Mercedes Benz has their own service you get when you buy the van. I forget how long, but I know it works now.

I have no problem with AAA. We have used them but one time 10 years ago with our Bs and that was in Virginia and not our home state of Minnesota. They have been great and reliable for us with our cars and the premium plus for the RV is a lot less than a separate carrier I would think.

Mike · 04-02-2015, 02:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bugsy White

This is a great poll question for someone like me ( with NO RV experiance at all )...I didnt vote Yes or No simply because i dont know. I saw Davydd mentioned Good Sam? I will have to dig around and find out about what that is and do my research , because i have only had AAA when i had a car in the past.

Good Sam ERS can be purchased online without a Good Sam Club membership. It does all the stuff that AAA does without all the AAA bells and whistles. The base package is designed for RV coverage as it sits, unlike AAA where you have to add the RV PLUS upgrade to get motorhome coverage. In Canada, GS ERS is cheaper than CAA(AAA) RV PLUS.

avanti · 04-02-2015, 02:57 AM

There are MUCH better options available than AAA. It is expensive and last I checked there were significant gaps in their RV coverage. I suggest looking at CoachNet and Allstate Travel Club (which is not tied to having Allstate Insurance). Good Sam's is simply a reseller of Allstate. They used to be more expensive, but appear to be identical now. Allstate does not flood your snail-mail box with disgusting amounts of junk mail, though.

Mike · 04-02-2015, 03:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by avanti

There are MUCH better options available than AAA. It is expensive and last I checked there were significant gaps in their RV coverage. I suggest looking at CoachNet and Allstate Travel Club (which is not tied to having Allstate Insurance). Good Sam's is simply a reseller of Allstate. They used to be more expensive, but appear to be identical now. Allstate does not flood your snail-mail box with disgusting amounts of junk mail, though.

FYI, Allstate TC isn't available in Canada.
For a no frills ERS package up here, Good Sam is probably the best option, but due diligence is always advised.
I agree about the Good Sam ERS hardcopy junk mail. Mr. Lemonis is a ckever man who knows his customer base. If you send out a renewal notice often enough, someone might renew earlier than necessary. You have to pay attention if you do use Good Sam ERS. That would be my only caveat for it.

Bugsy White · 04-02-2015, 11:35 PM

Good to know, Thanks Mike for the info.

Mike · 04-04-2015, 01:59 AM

No problem. Good luck with it.
If you do go with Good Sam ERS, watch out for the extremely early renewals you'll start to get about 7 months into your first year's subscription. I usually get about 3-4 renewal notices starting at least 5 months before my expiry date. And usually one or 2 late notices after I actually renew. They're a pita in that respect, but the price is right and I've had no service issues whenever I've had to use the ERS. I've used them 3 times in the last year, twice for motorhome issues and once for a non RV issue.

avanti · 04-04-2015, 04:31 AM

Yes. Good Sam's marketing practices are beyond what I find acceptable. I dropped them largely for this reason alone. As I said above, they are simply a reseller for Allstate. You can buy exactly the same thing from them (at least in the US), without all the BS. That is what I did.

markopolo · 04-04-2015, 11:33 AM

I just renewed Good Sam ERS

It came down to AARP or Good Sam based mostly on price. I wasn't sure if I had to call AARP to add the RV or not on the Premiere package. At least with Good Sam ERS there's no doubt that it includes the RV automatically.

avanti · 04-04-2015, 03:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by markopolo

At least with Good Sam ERS there's no doubt that it includes the RV automatically.

Just for the record, the Allstate program I was referring to is called "RV Road Help":

http://rvservices.koa.com/rvresources/rvroadhelp/

so, there's no ambiguity there, either.

[N.B.: It is not my intent to shill for Allstate. This is the same program that Good Sam sells, and usually at the same price. It IS, however, my intent to bash Good Sam's advertising practices.

]

Boxster1971 · 04-04-2015, 03:58 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Davydd

..... Also, I found out Mercedes Benz has their own service you get when you buy the van. I forget how long, but I know it works now.

....... .

The Mercedes-Benz Roadside Service is good for the length of your warranty, including any extended warranty you buy from M-B. They also have a get smart phone app for their service that can send them your location and a photo of your vehicle at time of service call. I've used mine once after a dealer messed up a fuel filter service and caused a massive leak.

- - Mike
2013 Airstream Interstate from 2012 Sprinter 3500 tall & long

Mike · 04-04-2015, 04:09 PM

Re:rvroadhelp - It's still a subset of Allstate Motor Club if I'm not mistaken. I checked with them a while back to see if it was available to Canadians and the answer was "no".
I've just asked again by email. Will post up reply when they answer. There are no Canadian provinces listed on their drop down for your location so i expect it's still no.
Too bad, because it might eliminate the spam snail mail, as you mentioned.

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