Roadside assistance

Debbie5629

New Member
Joined
Jun 30, 2018
Posts
2
We are looking for suggestions for an RV roadside assistance that can actually send a tow truck to tow an RV.  We broke down this last weekend and have AAA Premium RV roadside assistance.  After sitting along side highway for 5 hours they informed us they could not find a tow truck that could tow an RV.  Told us we could find one on our own and they would reimburse us.  Took us 15 minutes to find one and over $1100 out of our pocket to get it towed.  I am going to cancel AAA but would like to find a reliable plan for such
emergencies in the future.
 
As mentioned by Dutch, Coach-Net gets the most positive reviews around here. They have RV technicians in their call centers, and can sometimes solve your problem over the phone. Of course some problems will require a tow, and I don't know that any service can GUARANTEE an appropriately-sized truck will be available wherever you happen to break down. As long as you get paid back, I suppose the AAA coverage has done its job... but I certainly understand the inconvenience.

We had the same experience in upstate NY when our motorhome broke down (in rush hour traffic on Niagara Fall Blvd!), no big tow truck available because of a semi wreck on the interstate. A smaller truck pulled us off onto a side road, where we spent an "interesting" night. By the next morning I had been on the phone with all kinds of tech guys (from the companies where all our RV components were made) and I figured out the problem myself... a blown ignition module. Was able to bypass the system (with phone instruction from the tech) and drive to a shop to get everything else checked out, not needing the big truck after all.
 
Another vote for Coachnet here. We've had them for well over 20 years, but (fortunately) have never had to use them. However, they continue to get good reviews from RVers who have used them, and they also offer telephone tech support for many RV problems. They've gotten a bit pricey in the last few years, but I still think they're worth the cost.

Kev
 
Couple of things to keep in mind here.

None of these organizations own their own fleets of tow trucks.  They all sign contracts with various towing companies to provide service for them.  In some parts of the country, they may have a lot of towing companies signed up, in more sparsely populated parts of the country, there may be few, or even none.

Legally, a big old Class A Motorhome or Bus Conversion, when hooked to the back of a tow truck, becomes the equivalent of a tractor trailer.  So it not only requires a bigger, heavier tow truck, the driver has to have a Class A Commercial Driver's License.  There's a lot fewer of such companies around than there are of towing companies that can tow your car or van.

Any of the Roadside Assistance programs will use their call list of contracted towing companies.  If they can't find someone on that list, NONE of them are going to break out the yellow pages and start calling other towing companies for you.  They'll all tell you the same thing, find your own tow truck, send us the bill, and we'll reimburse you.  (Up to the limits of your agreement.  Read the fine print.)

All that said, you should definitely ditch AAA.  Apparently, AAA is not really a single organization, but rather a confederation of state automobile clubs, not all of whom offer or support RV service.  I've seen lots of posts on these forums of people who, say, got an RV plan through the TX AAA only to find that the MA AAA wouldn't help them when they broke down in MA.

I'd look at CoachNet, Good Sam, and Escappee's and carefully compare the fine print in all their plans before choosing.

For instance, if you're on the Alaska Highway and you break down somewhere with no cell coverage and have to sit there until the Mounties come along and call a tow truck for you with their radio, are you still covered for re-imbursement even though you didn't call in to them first?
 
As mentioned by Dutch, Coach-Net gets the most positive reviews around here. They have RV technicians in their call centers, and can sometimes solve your problem over the phone.
A good example was when, at last year's Qz visit, our generator died. We obviously didn't need a tow, but we also couldn't spend a week or so boondocking without the genny, so I called Coach Net. Their first question was whether we were in a safe place. Once assured we were, they found a mobile tech who came out and trouble shot the genny. It wasn't something he could fix (genny needed to be pulled), but we gained some information and never were charged a penny for the service call.

When we got home (Denver) a Cummins shop had to pull the genny to replace an internal part (fortunately this was under warranty). Needless to say, we're very pleased with Coach Net.
 
Thank you all for your help and information.  And for the person that asked...we were broke down on I-75 in Tennessee about 30 miles from KY state line.  We are fairly new to RVing so we appreciate all the help.
 
darsben said:
I would check with my insurance company to see if you are covered for towing.

This is certainly an option, but make sure you know all the fine print of the towing limitations (if any). Many roadside plans bundled with your insurance are low-cost options designed for cars (not RV's) and only cover $100 or 100 miles of towing for instance... which could leave RV owners with a hefty bill to pay when those limits are exceeded.
 
CoachNet - towed my motor home 50 miles.  Took 1 hour to respond to a crossroads in the middle of Missouri.  Used them for 4 other roadside assists in last two years.  The BEST.

Bill
 
I currently have GSRA and they have never let me down. However their recent dramatic price increase has forced me to look elsewhere
Attached are therms of STATE FARM towing on my policy
 

Attachments

  • towing.jpg
    towing.jpg
    56.5 KB · Views: 22
The State Farm specs are not that good for an RV. C-N, Allstate, SafeRide, etc., specify unlimited towing to a "qualified" repair shop and also specify towing/winching from up to 100' off any improved road, including campground, forest service, etc. roads, not just "public" roads. And the RV specific plans typically include technical support for RV appliances as well vehicle problems.
 
NY_Dutch said:
The State Farm specs are not that good for an RV. C-N, Allstate, SafeRide, etc., specify unlimited towing to a "qualified" repair shop and also specify towing/winching from up to 100' off any improved road, including campground, forest service, etc. roads, not just "public" roads. And the RV specific plans typically include technical support for RV appliances as well vehicle problems.

Think I've also heard that if you use one of these insurance based plans more than once a year, you insurance rates go up.  Can't swear to that, tho.
 
we just bought good sam and they have an RV specific policy a friend of swears by it as his truck and 5er broke down a couple years ago and they towed both
 
I use Coach-Net. On a recent trip I had a blow out outside of Hurricane, UT. From the time I had the incident, and made the call to Coach-Net i was on the side of the road for less than an hour. It was good that it was a Friday afternoon and everyone was still open, but I was still impressed by their service.
 
I've read (or been told???) to be careful of the service provided by insurance. As stated, the service can be very limited such as only towing to the NEAREST facility, not the BEST or most QUALIFIED for your situation. We have it with our insurance, but choose to also have Coach Net. Have never had to use either....thankfully.
 
Coach-Net language I believe is "nearest qualified" so I'm not sure where that fits in to those definitions. ;)

Optimistic Paranoid said:
Think I've also heard that if you use one of these insurance based plans more than once a year, you insurance rates go up.  Can't swear to that, tho.

That all depends on the carrier and terms of the coverage, as to whether or not roadside visits count as a "claim" or not. Same with the State Farm text above, their coverage could differ substantially between states and policy types. Bottom line, know your fine print and inquire about different/upgraded roadside plans that might be available.
 
steveblonde said:
we just bought good sam and they have an RV specific policy a friend of swears by it as his truck and 5er broke down a couple years ago and they towed both

What you have is an ERS plan that Good Sam currently contracts with Allstate Motor Club for. When you call in for service, the call is answered at an Allstate call center.
 

New posts

Try RV LIFE Pro Free for 7 Days

  • New Ad-Free experience on this RV LIFE Community.
  • Plan the best RV Safe travel with RV LIFE Trip Wizard.
  • Navigate with our RV Safe GPS mobile app.
  • and much more...
Try RV LIFE Pro Today
Back
Top Bottom