Coachnet, a new one for us.

[dmcb]

When we left Florida with our 40' Allegro Bus I noticed the alternator wasn't working.

This is something I can fix when we get home in Michigan. We will just use the genny and the 100 amp charger to keep the batteries up.

Well you guessed it. Got talking, making good time, forgot the genny and all batteries are dead. When the engine is running the house bank and start bank are combined to keep both charged but of course no alternator, no charge. To make matters worst the tow car was hooked to the house bank to keep the battery up when being towed.

All were dead.

So we called Coachnet, explained our problem and ask for a jump start for the genny and we could then charge the rest.

Call you back. Called back in a while and told us all tech's were busy and they would call back. 15 or so minutes later they called.

Told us they could only come once for the same problem and if it happened again we were on our own. We said we were fine with that. We will call back.

They did. Told us they could not come to give us a jump as that would not fix the problem and it wouldn't get us started. We explained the genny would charge everything and we would be back on the road. They would only send us a tow truck and take us to a repair shop.

Yes tow a 40' motorhome and tow car rather than just jump start it and we were on our way.

Talked to a supervisor and got the exact same answer.

I told my wife to tell them to stick it where the sun don't shine. I will take care of it myself. Loud enough she didn't need to repeat it.

Didn't say where the sun don't shine either.

I had jumper cables and it was easier to jump start the car. I hooked them to the car battery and walked across the street to a gas station.

The first guy I saw with an older pickup I ask if he had time to give me a jump. Sure he says.

Hooked it to his truck, started the car. He left. I tried to pay him and he just said go on, stuck you his hand for a shake and drove off.

The car started the genny. The genny started the Cummins and we were on our way.

My wife called Coachnet again, ask for the supervisor. Got the same one. Told her what we did and we were happily on the road no thanks to them.

The supervisor said she was new and took the word of her tech. Actually repeated it word for word to us.

We were just saying we were going to have to renew soon. We had a 3 or 5 year (don't remember) deal with them.

Don't thing we will be doing any more business with them.

 

[Ed ke6bnl]

I see where you are coming from, you were going to absorb the work only asking to make there job easier and they gave you some tech jargon why they could not get you on the road. I will avoid those type on companies that can't just use common sense to get things done.

[TXiceman]

You will find out that people are not paid to think, just read the rules and script and make no decisions.

 

Ken

[dewilso]

They, CN, also won't pay for your tow if you put the wrong fuel in your tank.

[Jack Mayer]

They also will not tow you out if you are off a hard surface road. Like in my brother-in-laws driveway.

[Kirk W]

They also will not tow you out if you are off a hard surface road. Like in my brother-in-laws driveway.

Interesting comment. They towed a bunch of people at the Sedalia MO fairgrounds a couple of years ago, no problem at all.

[SWharton]

We had problems with Coachnet with our MDT. I don't remember a specific problem but they wouldn't come, said it wasn't covered, only if we had a motor home. I explained it was the "same" engine and we just needed to talk to a tech. Because the engine wasn't in a motor home they wouldn't let us talk to a tech!!!!!!!!!!

[dmcb]

I sent Coachnet an email telling them I thought service should get exposure, good or bad and said my post on Escapees says it all and sent them a copy.

From the response here it sounds like it isn't an isolated thing.

Did I read somewhere FMC is no longer affiliated with them?

[richfaa]

We had similar problems with Coach net and dropped them when our contract was up. We had a flat on our inside dually and we were able to get into a Loves truck stop instead of pulling off the side of the interstate.Coach net asked if we were in a safe place and we said yes we were able to get into a truck stop. We can not help you they said as the flat can be repaired at the truck stop. End of Coach net.

[mocroc]

We used Coach Net for locked up brakes in our Motorhome in the MH garage at home and Good Sam for blow out on the road in West Texas. BOTH provided great service! Motorhome had to be towed 40 miles to Tucson. But first the Tow truck driver went under the MH and disengaged the brakes so I could carefully move the MH to the street so he could hookup. Didn't cost a cent, all covered by Coach Net. Good Sam sucessfully got someone out on a Sunday in West Texas 50 miles from the nearest town. Took a couple of hours but we were back on the road and again not a cent of cost to us. Every business goofs soon or later!

 

rocmoc n AZ/Mexico

[Mike and Claudia]

You will find out that people are not paid to think, just read the rules and script and make no decisions.

 

Ken

 

Ken is RIGHT ON. I recently bought a new computer from a nationally advertised electronics store. I took it out of the box; it didn't work. I took it back to the store, they asked if I had signed up for their OPTIONAL Technician support service. I said "No." "I just took it out of the box and it didn't work."

 

They said, "I'm sorry. We can't help you." What the HECK?

 

I finally ended up calling somebody that knew somebody, that knew the store manager, or I would have ended up with a brand new "Trot-line weight."

 

Such is life in our world today!

[Jack Mayer]

Interesting comment. They towed a bunch of people at the Sedalia MO fairgrounds a couple of years ago, no problem at all.

Kirk, they would have towed me in a campground, and the fairgrounds is considered a campground. No issue with that at all. But a non-deeded road, INCLUDING your own driveway, does not meet their service rules. Even though people have gotten them to tow them in those circumstances, I could not. Note that they also told me at that time that the tow truck had to be able to be on a "paved road" in order to tow me out of a ditch, etc. I asked SPECIFICALLY if a deeded gravel road would qualify and they SPECIFICALLY said no it would not. SO don't leave the pavement if you want to get pulled out of the mud....because they will not do it.

 

They have done tire work for me on the roadside several times without any issues. SO I have no real gripe with them. I just did not know that towing from the mud was as restrictive as it is.

[bobsallyh]

Doug, glad you got it done "in house" so to speak. I'm like you, I'd tell them to go pound sand. Sometimes if you could just reach thru the phone!

[dmcb]

In their contact information they promise a quick reply.

They never responded to my email.

[dmcb]

I just checked the Family Motor Coach site. They no longer have anything to do with Coachnet. However it doesn't look so good for their new service. There are a lot of loopholes and one bothers me as it is the one I used the most over the 12 or so years I have been a member of Coachnet.

From their website.

Service is provided to change the tire with customer’s inflated spare.

Note the emphasis on inflated.

To me that is a problem. I always carry a spare tire but a mounted tire is just too heavy to get in my bay. The tire alone is over 100#. I know I have to pay for the mounting and I have at times paid dearly for that service but at least its there.

One should read carefully before signing up for their service.

[DuffMan]

You will find out that people are not paid to think, just read the rules and script and make no decisions.

 

Ken

 

Another good argument for Tort Reform!

[Kirk W]

Since I am a member of Coach Net, I contacted them with information from this thread and got the following answers.

 

They stated that they will tow a covered RV when parked on the owner's private property, but they do confirm that the tow truck must be able to reach the RV while parked on solid surface as determined by the tow operator because the tow operators require that.

 

They do confirm that they will change a tire with your "mounted spare" but if you carry an unmounted tire they will cover the service call for the flat tire but extra charges for the mounting of the tire will be charged to the member.(That was exactly the same when we had Good Sam ERS.)

 

There are restrictions with any of these road service providers and most are pretty much the same limits and rules. I suspect that part of the thing which causes these discussions is that most of us never bother to read the details of the various contracts and insurance policies that we buy until we have a problem which we assumed would be covered. With any contract, whether for services, a loan, or just business in general, you really should read the entire contract before you sign it, yet the vast majority of buyers do not bother to do so. As much as I advise people to read the entire contract, I must admit that there have been occasions when I didn't read it all either, even though I well know that I should do so.

[dmcb]

My point in my last post was because I did read the not so fine points.

If that is as it reads that service would not be for me and I suspect many others.

Tire change has been no problem with Coach Net but some of the people they send take advantage of the charge to change the tire on the rim.

One charged me about $40 for a job that took no more than 5 minutes.

My motorhome tires are very easy to change. I just installed 6 new ones in my driveway by myself. And I am 78 years old.

Being refused a jump start but willing to tow a 40' motorhome and a tow car to a repair shop is just plain stupid and I hate dealing with stupid people.

 

What other choices are other than Good Sam?

[Jack Mayer]

The issue with "solid surface" is an interesting one. I hammered the supervisor I talked to about that. Her "interpretation" of solid surface was unequivocal. Blacktop or concrete was it. SPECIFICALLY not gravel road. And SPECIFICALLY not my brother-in-laws drive (not mine). In the case we were discussing. I don't really have an issue with this....I just need to know what they will and won't do. BTW, they have extracted many others from the circumstances I found myself in. Just not me. And if you read their contract it is pretty clear they will not. However, the amount and kind of service with all these providers is dependent on the operator you get. It varies greatly from event to event. And in my experience none of them are really familiar with the possible circumstances of a particular incident and they do not use much logic in their response. I now INSIST on talking to the tow operator they are dispatching because of various weird things....like they send someone without a jack to jack your rig up. Or they send someone in a tiny truck to tow my 28K 5er. Etc.

[dmcb]

I actually have two towing services. I have State Farm insurance and the towing charge is almost nothing.

But I have to pay for it and give the bill to State Farm. That isn't a problem for me and on the occasions I have used it, I was given a check without question right in the agents office.

I have Coach Net for only one reason. When you are broke down in an area you have no knowledge there is no way to know who to call.

When that happens having someone find a service you is worth the fee.

When that failed when I had Good Sam I used State Farm and was lucky a person living near where I was knew a towing service.

Good Sam wasn't there when I needed them and I dropped their service.

When I complained later they admitted they dropped the ball. Of course I didn't need help then.

[pfhays]

For anyone that thinks they will ever need a tow, I recommend reading John Hawkins article in the June, 2011, FMCA magazine titled "Beating the Breakdown Blues". He discusses things we, as motor home owners, need to know and how to handle the call for help. Among other things he emphasizes talking to the tow truck people. Too many times a small tow truck is sent to the site only to have to be replaced with a big rig tow truck; usually after much waiting around.

 

John made a presentation at the Indy FMCA rally several years ago that was, in my opinion, the best seminar for rv'ers that I've ever attended.

 

What I learned is, hope you never have to be towed. But just like I learned in my youth with the Red Cross Life Saving course for swimmers that the last thing you do is go in the water after someone but be prepared if you have to, with towing the last thing you want to happen is to have to be towed but it is best to be prepared for the situation.

 

pete

2000 40' Magna, CAT C10

[dmcb]

Good thoughts about never wanting to be towed.

His presentation should have also included a section on how to prepare yourself in dealing with stupid people. That is the hard part to prepare for.

[Pappy Yokum]

My point in my last post was because I did read the not so fine points.

If that is as it reads that service would not be for me and I suspect many others.

Tire change has been no problem with Coach Net but some of the people they send take advantage of the charge to change the tire on the rim.

One charged me about $40 for a job that took no more than 5 minutes.

My motorhome tires are very easy to change. I just installed 6 new ones in my driveway by myself. And I am 78 years old.

Being refused a jump start but willing to tow a 40' motorhome and a tow car to a repair shop is just plain stupid and I hate dealing with stupid people.

 

What other choices are other than Good Sam?

 

 

Ask the same questions of US Rider.

 

If the person handling the questions can't provide answers, you *will* be contacted by Linda Lee,

Director of Operations - USRider Equestrian Motor Plan.

 

Haven't had the opportunity (need) for service - but can vouch for their customer "interaction" (as above).

 

Although I don't have an HDT, several (a few?) of the HDT owners use US Rider for ERS.

 

You do *not* need to own horses to be a member.

 

You do *not* need to be traveling with horses or towing a horse trailer to receive service.

 

Covers whaever you are driving and/or towing.

 

.