GS Roadside Assistance Rant

[fly2low]

Currently sitting off an exit of I-82, south of Yakima, with a tire issue.  I called GS RS assist, and listened to their Musak for 15 minutes when I hung up.  My wife called and listened to the Musak for 1 hr and 29 min.  Meanwhile I called Les Schwab, and got help through them directly.

I will be sending the bill to GS

I need recommendations for a replacement service

[SWharton]

Coachnet, been very happy with them

[jc2]

X2 on Coachnet.  Been with them 10yrs.

[chiefneon]

Howdy!

Good luck getting GS ERS to pay the bill. I had a breakdown on a trip to Alaska in the Yukon. No phone service. RCMP showed up and call the only tow service for hundred miles. Once I got to a phone I called GS. They refused to pay for the tow stating I had not called them to get authorization. I canceled GS then and there and went with Coach Net. Used CN serval time even in Alaska and Newfoundland. When the tow service showed up they only thing they asked was “where we wanted to be towed to”. Been with CN over twelve years and they have proved us with great service. CN may cost more but we have always got what we’ve paid for.

” Happy Trails “

Chiefneon 

[Pat & Pete]

 Coach Net .

[Dutch_12078]

Just so you know, it was the Allstate Motor Club call center that kept you waiting that long. Good Sam does not operate their own roadside service, they contract it out.

[Ray,IN]

3 hours ago, fly2low said:

Currently sitting off an exit of I-82, south of Yakima, with a tire issue.  I called GS RS assist, and listened to their Musak for 15 minutes when I hung up.  My wife called and listened to the Musak for 1 hr and 29 min.  Meanwhile I called Les Schwab, and got help through them directly.

I will be sending the bill to GS

I need recommendations for a replacement service

The phone number to call to begin the reimbursement process is 800-234-2450, a supervisor gave me that number. I have to do the same as you for a tow bill  2 weeks ago. I guess call volume for Road America was heavy and I got a man who had such a heavy mid-east accent it was hard to follow what he was saying. He said he was trying to locate a tow service and having difficulty, then said he would call me back when one was located.After 4 hours along I 74 I called Cummins Great Plains, who arranged a tow; within 20 minutes a man in a pickup stopped and said their tri-axle wrecker was 10 minutes behind him.

 

BTW, Good Sam contracts with Road America for ERS, now.Good Sam does not own any assets for emergency road service.

When you call Good Sam customer service you talk to a GS employee, when you call the ERS number you talk to a Road America employee.

Edited August 16, 2020 by Ray,IN

[fly2low]

I really do not care who GS contracts out the service to.  It was GS who got my money.  If they subcontract out actual service, they have a responsibility to make sure the service is provided

In the past I provided services to several hospitals.  Some of the work was very subspecialized, and not economically reasonable to fill that small niche, but the hospital needed the service, and it fell under the umbrella of what I was generally providing.  I found an entity to fill that niche, the customers/hospitals were happy.  They knew I was subcontracting out the work, but also knew that ultimately it was my responsibility to provide a quality product.  They knew that I was the contact person.

I expect the same from GS.  I gave them money for the service and I expect them to provide a service that satisfies my needs.

 

[Orvil Hazelton]

Another vote for Coach Net. We've ben satisfied with them since 1998. 

[Kirk W]

7 hours ago, fly2low said:

I expect the same from GS.  I gave them money for the service and I expect them to provide a service that satisfies my needs.

I too retired from the service industry so understand where you come from. GS was far more customer oriented before the present owner took over. Like several here, I changed from GS to Coach Net and was with them for a long time. In that time I only had to have the come to me on two occasions, 1 for a tire and once to be towed. Both were good experiences. Just over a year ago I shifted to Escapees Roadside Assistance, which is through Saferide. To date I have not had reason to use them, but have heard mostly positive reports. I made the change due to a huge increase in cost for Coach Net. At one time I had coverage through Continental Motor Club, via our automobile insurance but never had occasion to use it. 

[fpmtngal]

Since they contract the whole thing out, services vary by location also, and might be very limited.  I think all of us have heard horror tales about their services, especially if your rig is out of their “norm.”

Including one that happened to a friend of mine near Phoenix, which had a happy ending in spite of GS Roadside Assistance.  He was less than a mile from his freeway exit and about 6 miles from his ultimate destination when his truck with a brand new, big truck camper mounted on it, towing a Wrangler died.  He coasted to the shoulder and called in, explaining the height of his rig and that it would probably take a low-boy trailer.

A couple of hours later a regular tow truck shows up.  Driver agrees that the rig was too tall for his rig and my friend calls back, again asking for a low-boy.  Eventually the service calls him back and says they can’t find a low-boy and sorry about that., leaving him stranded on the side of a freeway for 5 hours.

It just happened that he was on his way to a Lance owners rally.  It was his first, and he had never met any of the people in person before.  One of them spotted him by the side of the road and talked to him for a few minutes, then disappeared.  They returned later with someone driving a slick truck who owned the same camper - they offloaded the camper from the dead truck, using my friend’s Jeep to pull the dead truck out of the way.  The stranger loaded the camper and drove off with it - at which point my friend realized that he just watched his brand new, expensive truck camper leave on a stranger’s truck (what was he thinking?).  He called back to GS once again, who sent out the same driver who was able to load the bare truck and take it to a Ford dealer.

My friend drove the Jeep to the campground and drove around a couple of times, not able to spot his brand new camper mixed in with other similar TCs and trailers.  Someone finally flagged him down and directed him to where it was set up, perfectly safe - he had driven past it twice without realizing it was his.

[podwerkz]

13 hours ago, Dutch_12078 said:

 Good Sam does not operate their own roadside service, they contract it out.

Sure glad someone posted the meaning of 'GS'....all I could think of was old Suzuki motorcycles....

[bigjim]

7 hours ago, Kirk W said:

I made the change due to a huge increase in cost for Coach Net.

Was this increase on motorhomes mainly.  I just renewed in May for my travel trailer and I have the next level above basic.  It didn't seem that much higher to me. I have had 2 tows and 1 flat  and 1 lockout call in about 20 years with Coach Net.

The question is for anyone.  I do like to point out to new people that their calls don't always go quite as smoothly as advertised but my outcome has always been satisfactory and that is what I want.

I wonder if all the folks jumping in to RVs during the pandimic may be somewhat overwhelming the system. I have wondered if a lot of the new folks even know how important  it is to have a tow service for RVs.

[noteven]

On 8/16/2020 at 8:19 AM, fpmtngal said:

Since they contract the whole thing out, services vary by location also, and might be very limited.  I think all of us have heard horror tales about their services, especially if your rig is out of their “norm.”

Including one that happened to a friend of mine near Phoenix, which had a happy ending in spite of GS Roadside Assistance.  He was less than a mile from his freeway exit and about 6 miles from his ultimate destination when his truck with a brand new, big truck camper mounted on it, towing a Wrangler died.  He coasted to the shoulder and called in, explaining the height of his rig and that it would probably take a low-boy trailer.

A couple of hours later a regular tow truck shows up.  Driver agrees that the rig was too tall for his rig and my friend calls back, again asking for a low-boy.  Eventually the service calls him back and says they can’t find a low-boy and sorry about that., leaving him stranded on the side of a freeway for 5 hours.

It just happened that he was on his way to a Lance owners rally.  It was his first, and he had never met any of the people in person before.  One of them spotted him by the side of the road and talked to him for a few minutes, then disappeared.  They returned later with someone driving a slick truck who owned the same camper - they offloaded the camper from the dead truck, using my friend’s Jeep to pull the dead truck out of the way.  The stranger loaded the camper and drove off with it - at which point my friend realized that he just watched his brand new, expensive truck camper leave on a stranger’s truck (what was he thinking?).  He called back to GS once again, who sent out the same driver who was able to load the bare truck and take it to a Ford dealer.

My friend drove the Jeep to the campground and drove around a couple of times, not able to spot his brand new camper mixed in with other similar TCs and trailers.  Someone finally flagged him down and directed him to where it was set up, perfectly safe - he had driven past it twice without realizing it was his.

That's truck camper people for ya. 

[Ray,IN]

On 8/15/2020 at 7:23 PM, fly2low said:

Currently sitting off an exit of I-82, south of Yakima, with a tire issue.  I called GS RS assist, and listened to their Musak for 15 minutes when I hung up.  My wife called and listened to the Musak for 1 hr and 29 min.  Meanwhile I called Les Schwab, and got help through them directly.

I will be sending the bill to GS

I need recommendations for a replacement service

Update:

Today I called that phone #, a young man named Marcus(strange coincidence) answered. He was very polite and knowledgeable. I explained all the facts as I know them to be, he said he is mailing me a claim form for total reimbursement, and to include a copy of the billing statement and my receipt  for payment.

He said he had pulled up the recorded conversations and written notes, and what I explained was exactly what was in their records. He remarked it was odd my calls went to an off-shore call center on a normal work day.

Edited August 18, 2020 by Ray,IN

[Pappy Yokum]

On 8/18/2020 at 3:30 PM, Ray,IN said:

Update. 

He remarked it was odd my calls went to an off-shore call center on a normal work day.

 

 

Why would / should your call/s go to an off-shore call center on  *ANY*  day or night ??

You may be happy or satisfied with your reimbursement - - but

I would be looking for a different ERS....☹️

[fly2low]

I will be

already contacted Coach-Net

[Ray,IN]

On 8/19/2020 at 8:39 PM, Pappy Yokum said:

 

Why would / should your call/s go to an off-shore call center on  *ANY*  day or night ??

You may be happy or satisfied with your reimbursement - - but

I would be looking for a different ERS....☹️

You, just as I, are free to do as we choose.  isn't a free society great!

I'm way ahead of  the game. GS ERS towed my MH 2X in 3 weeks to Cummins Great Plains.The first tow was -I forget the exact figure- around $2,000, the second tow was $750 because I was only 31 miles from Cummins GP.

GS ERS has not mentioned cancelling me.

Edited August 21, 2020 by Ray,IN

[fly2low]

To close the loop, they did pay

[Kirk W]

3 hours ago, fly2low said:

To close the loop, they did pay

Thank you for the update!

[whj469]

I have both CoachNet and Good Sam, don't know why/ I have only used Good Sam with a tire issue on a Sunday and the service war good.

 

[Seeria]

Hate to say it but I've been with them for decades. Only had to use them 3 times so far and never waited more than 3 hours for them to arrive.  *shrug*