Hi guys have not used the bus for a year or so and plan to start when it cools down.....what do you all find is the best membership to have for on the road service and protection...I think we used to have Good Sam and FMCA...what are you useing now, and why, thanks....Dave and Wendy....
Check the local AAA office for RV towing. All clubs seem to be losing benefits and each state is different. AAA in California will tow up to $300 worth for an RV. You have to have Premier membership but not that much more than regular membership. Used to be 3 tows per card per year but down to one tow per card now.
Pierce
We have Coach-net. While we haven't had to use them, friends have and there are many really good anecdotes here on the Forum (Jim Busby's 600+ mile tow in Canada a couple of years ago being one of them). Coach-net specializes in motorhomes.
Previously we had Good Sam and used it once for one of the cars. It took several hours for the tow to arrive on a weekday morning in the Austin, TX area.
One concern with AAA is that they are not equipped at all for RVs in many areas, or at least they weren't a couple of years ago.
Coach Net has a great reputation and will give phone tech support, send a technician before towing if it can help.
Home Page - Coach-Net.com (http://www.coach-net.com/)
Another vote for Coach-Net. Even though they cater to motorhomes membership covers all your vehicles and they are very responsive to road calls.
Locked my keys in the CRV at a Florida beach last March and they had a truck there in less than 30 min. Paid for itself right there as I probably would have broken a window getting in. ::)
Dean
Coach-Net's great. Very professional. Had to get towed near New Orleans in a blinding rain storm last year. The Coach-Net guy asked all the right questions ... had me pace off distance from front of coach to front axle ... other stuff.
We have had Good Sam for about 6 years ... only because it was the only one I knew about and have never had a reason to change. We have had 5 opportunities to call them. One required a mechanic to find us on the edge of Atlanta during rush hour, another need a guy to find us in the dark in the middle of nowhere near Hinkley (remember Erin Brockovich?), California ... and another required a major tow truck and a tow of 85 miles from near Sanderson, TX to Fort Stockton and the nearest mechanic. The tow alone would have been about $1400 ... but our deductible is $100. We have had excellent service every time, with regular phone calls to check and see that the mechanic arrived on time and the work was performed satisfactorily. I think the membership cost is about the same for Coach Net and Good Sam ... I am just too lazy to change over.
Sorry, but I'm a negative on Coach-net. When I had them for a year, I called them with a problem with a tire, they were far less help and had no advice. I then called the "free" towing insurance that came with my Explorer RV insurance policy...National Interstate, I believe, and got better guidance.
Coach-net WAS headquartered in my town, Lake Havasu City. They used to advertise employment opportunities for their service responders here. Paying minimum wage, with very minimal experience required. I'm sure some of their folks are experienced, but that would be the luck of the draw. YMMV.
Before we purchased our coach we signed up for Coach-Net. There are good and bad stories about AAA, Coach-Net, and Good Sam's, but there seemed to be fewer bad stories about Coach-Net and more good stories for them than the others. It didn't hurt that we were able to lock in a five-year membership at a greatly reduced rate.
Had Good Sams for many years...used them 3 or 4 times with good service each time. When we bought our coach we switched to Coach Net but have not had the opportunity to use them.
We had Coach-Net with a previous SOB and, while they towed us the few times we needed it, the facilities they took us to had little or no experience with motorhomes. Work wasn't done correctly and down the road the same problem would develop. After the few tows to get the same thing re-repaired, they dropped us with no notice. Said they mailed us a letter. When you're on the road the mail doesn't always catch up right away so we were stuck in Illinois paying for our own tow to get the same thing worked on yet again.
With Good Sam we've had a tire changed on Super Bowl night in the rain, got a jump for a dead battery on the toad, and had the coach towed into Johnson City, TN this year. Only problem with the tow was they failed to bring a wrench to remove the wheel shaft and finally had to drop the drive shaft. We'll stay with Good Sam for the time being although I'm not a fan of the Good Sam/ Camping World, Trailer Life thing.
I will put in a vote for Good Sam's. I have had them tow my car twice. No hassle or problems. Both wait times and service was certainly within reason. Have not used Coach Net.
My experience with Coach Net was positive. Both times I called they had a tech that could help and in both cases they found a mechanic that could get me back on the road without a tow. In ten years with this 280 I have never been towed.
Gary B
We have Coach-Net. Never used them so can't comment on service. My reservation with Good Sam is that since the merger with Camping World customer service has gone away. This may not be the case with the road service but there seems to be more of a drive for profitability over all else.
Keith
Well,I will put in a plug for AAA. They will tow to a repair facility approved by them for up to 100 miles when you have RV plus coverage. They have always had qualified people to come to the rescue on any vehicle that I have had to have towed and their repair facilities have always been great. I do need to follow up and check that our coverage is still the same. Seems as though things like that have a habit of changing when you're not looking!! Have a great day ---- Fritz
I broke down 4 miles outside of Jacksonville,Illinois. Called coach net and was told there was no one closer than Springfield, Illinos so it would be several hours and I would be towed to the closest Walmart and then from Walmart towed to a service center in Bloomington, il. County sheriff stop and asked if I needed assistance, and he called a tow service right in Jacksonville. I was towed to the parking lot of Int'l dealer that was outstanding. In the mean time I called coach net back to inform them of the change.that I no longer needed towed. Next morning coach net called to tell me the tow would be there in 3 hours.
I would have been stranded on the side of the road all night. Not good. I still have them till renewal time, then I will go to my insurer American Family Ins.
We have Good Sams. You also receive a discount for National Good Sams rallys if you have Good Sams products and have been a Good Sams member for a long time. Got Two hundred off for the rally coming up next month in Atlanta. DAN