As a heads up to those with USAA insurance, they are switching over their billing system. You may see a double bill this or next month- evidently it is just the way the system is now set up according to their customer service.
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USAA
- Thread starter Randy Daytona
- Start date
Has anyone had any experience with any roadside assistance or towing provided by USAA? Yesterday had an electrical issue that stalled me in rush hour two car lengths from a major intersection. Waited 2.5 hours for a AAA tow. Moreover, comms were horrible. Do know it is really hard to get a timely tow in my area. But other service issues sucked!! Would like to ditch them. USAA?
I had kinda the opposite experience about five years ago.
Actually, opposite in a lot of ways- small town on a Sunday afternoon, as opposed to a weekday in the big city, and I waited maybe an hour.
AAA or USAA
Oh- sorry! I read your original post too quickly and I guess I didn't read all of it.
My story was with USAA roadside assistance.
exNavyOffRec
Well-Known Member
In general, in my area I would stick with AAA, many of the good tow companies around me have contracts with AAA so that leaves the others like USAA contracting with second tier tow companies. I have had to use a few different tow companies over the years and in general I had to wait about an hour, the last time I could see the tow yard but the call center said all were out on calls. The tow truck driver said they were busy and accidents take priority when LE calls.
A friend of mine did not have AAA (not sure who he had) but he said the tow truck driver looked like someone out of a "B" movie horror film.
Each area is different, and each day things vary, it might not be AAA fault that the tow companies are backed up, you can blame them for bad comms though.
Yes, my 3/4 ton truck needed to be flat bedded to the shop for an injector problem, so I called USAA the day before to set it up for the next morning at 0800. The driver showed up at 0600 but I was asleep and the access gate was locked.
Apparently the West Coast time zone kicked their asses even though they knew the pick up location. Absolute shit show. After calling the tow truck driver, he showed back up at 0830. I was wholly disappointed.
We’ve used the service a few times before with no issues. (Daughter flat tire at midnight, daughter car accident mid-day, wife locked keys in van.)
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GroundPounder
Well-Known Member
In my experience, they all are a bit lacking, unless they have their own tow fleet. When you call, they they then route your request to a local provider which is then paid a lower fee by AAA. Like you said, you are talking with the AAA person, and not the tow company, so a lot can get lost in the translation.
When they get backed up, the tow company will prioritize the person that called them directly, and that they are probably going to bill more for the tow.
The best ones are when the plan reimburses you for the tow, so you can get the fastest service.
USAA tow service sucks balls…I got stranded on the side of the road with my truck/trailer when the glow-plug relay smoked itself.
Had my horse picked up, trailer picked up, and was still waiting on a tow at 4+ hours. The provider had cancelled, somehow without discussing with the second party contractor USAA uses.
I finally called a random mom/pop tow truck 40 minutes up the road and they took care of me.
Fucking glad I wasn’t in the middle of Idaho or somewhere remote when this happened.
Had my horse picked up, trailer picked up, and was still waiting on a tow at 4+ hours. The provider had cancelled, somehow without discussing with the second party contractor USAA uses.
I finally called a random mom/pop tow truck 40 minutes up the road and they took care of me.
Fucking glad I wasn’t in the middle of Idaho or somewhere remote when this happened.
Do you… have a problem with the Gem State?
Pickle's truck is named "Blue." The B-52's are warning about the blue, blue pool.
I'm pretty sure that's the connection.
All of these services are eventually limited by what's in the area where you put the call in and whatever other madness is going on there that day. If you're in the middle of nowhere it's gonna take awhile to get a truck to you regardless of whether it's via USAA, AAA, or direct call. Tyranny of distance and all that. And if there happens to be a giant ice storm then you and all your closest I-40 buds may be in direct competition for a limited amount of trucks.
I've never had an issue with USAA the few times I used it. Have never had AAA to compare it to.
Other than it being an utterly boring, desolate wasteland between Boise and Ogden, Utah? Nope…
Blew a trailer tire there on the PCS through last November, about 90 minutes east of Mountain Home AFB. Was sweating the remainder of the drive to UT having already used my spare and having questionable cell service, limited options, and a horse in the trailer behind me.
USAA uses a sub-contractor for their tow service, they are hard to interact with, and the waits are nearly interminable on the phone. Add in a dash of Indian call center (dot, not feather) and an inaccurate status reporting system (your tow is five minutes out!…not…) you get rage Pickle.
I was dead center between Raeford and Southern Pines, NC, with no shortage of tow service. I actually watched empty tow trucks, from the company that was supposed to get me, drive by. That’s why I have no patience for that shit.
Idaho would actually be on the list of places to retire if it weren’t so goddamned cold in the winter and so goddamned hot in the summer. It’s like the poor neighbor of MT, with more Mormons and less trees…
Nota bene…when you break down in the middle of a major city or in the middle of Idaho your 3rd Party Sub-Contracted tow service, be it USAA or AAA, or GEICO is simply going to suck. I can honestly say that one company is no better than the others and I have tried them all. The real lesson here..if you want to be happy break down within one mile of the appropriate dealership.