Roadside Assistance left me stranded!

[Leanne]

Hello friends,

I just survived my first RVing nightmare!  I was not able to get assistance from the Roadside Assistance coverage on my insurance plan.  I was alone and out in the middle of nowhere and found myself in a very bad situation.  Needless to say, I need to get myself some reliable help while on the road by myself.  I was thinking about the RA offered here as an Escapees member and also Good Sam or FMCA.  Does anyone have any suggestions/good experiences to share to help me to decide on RA coverage and get the peace of mind I need.  I never want to go through what I did over the past couple of days ever again! Thanks.

Happy Trails!

[lenp]

Very happy with Escapees RA program.  Used it twice in two days las year with no issues.  

Lenp

[Chad Heiser]

I used to have Good Sam and I had decent service from them.  They will no longer cover my rig (and GDT towing a 5th wheel), so I switched to Coach-net.  I have not used Coachnet since I made the switch, but Coach-net has a good reputation and they are very popular in the RV world.

[trailertraveler]

I have had both Good Sam and Allstate Road Help over the years. Allstate recently changed their coverage and will no longer dispatch a mobile mechanic. They will only change tires, jump start, or tow. Most of the issues I have had over the past 20 years have been with the trailer running gear and were repairable on the roadside without towing and waiting for service at a service center. Check the coverage of each plan carefully to ensure that the type of services you want and/or think you will need are covered. Response in very remote areas can be an issue. Also be aware that policies on vehicle extraction vary with provider and policy options.

[jbh]

I've had Coach Net 14 years now and have used it a couple of times. It's been fine. One tow more than broke even the cost of Coach Net for all those years.

[ms60ocb]

Welcome to the Forum.

You didn't say what size RV you have as bigger RV's have few choices. Coach-net is a good company, Years ago, with a small C, my vehicle insurance covered my needs. As I up-sized i used Good Sam's but never used. Coach-Net came through several years ago at Thanksgiving when no body was working but Santa Claus. 

Clay with Diesel Pusher

[TexasPSDX]

We used to have Good Sam and tried to use twice.  Once for a lock out in Houston.  Said they sent a locksmith, but never showed.  2nd time, broke down in Whitney TX near Waco.  Took all day to get a wrecker to us to tow our coach to a Waco dealer.   Now have coverage through FMCA, which has great reviews.  Glad we have not had to use their coverage so far.

[sandsys]

We had Coach Net but never had to use them for the RV itself. They did send someone out to jump our toad when we killed its battery.

Linda Sand

[crstrm]

Ditto on recommending Coachnet - that is coach-net.com

We've had their service for years. Years ago we used them to haul our truck out when it was seriously stuck in the mud. Also changed a flat on our fifth wheel.

[JimK]

I have had good service from AAA premium coverage for both my rv and cars.

[Larry Burkett]

We have Coach Net, and have used it. Extremely happy with their roadside service, follow up, and made sure our needs were taken care of.👍👍👍👍

[JGWALES]

Assistance on what type of  rv ? HDT MDT CLASS A VAN CAR ? They mostly all cover cars.

[Leanne]

Hello to all.  Thank you for the feedback.  I have a 21 ft. Class C motorhome.  I hadn't heard of Coachnet.  I will have to check them out since they seem to be the consensus so far.  Looking into the different services so far I have come to think that I need to look for RA service that has unlimited towing miles so that if I'm far away from everything I can still get towed to a station.  Also wheel and tire service seems to be something seperate.  Should I go with a plan that has that?  I  like that some of the plans cover expenses like hotels, campgrounds, rental, food etc. should the vehicle be out of commission at a service station for more than a day.  I think that would be a good thing to have.  What do most of you carry on your RA plans?

[Leanne]

Wow! Just looked at Coachnet and, while a little pricier, they offer a lot of services for the money.  My RV is a little bit of a fixer upper (needs awning replaced and roof sealed) and if I can get discounts on RV parts and services the price of the plan may be worth it.

[Payroll Person]

1 hour ago, Leanne said:

Wow! Just looked at Coachnet and, while a little pricier, they offer a lot of services for the money.  My RV is a little bit of a fixer upper (needs awning replaced and roof sealed) and if I can get discounts on RV parts and services the price of the plan may be worth it.

Most of the tow you can buy are call centers. Meaning they outsource the actual tow to whatever company accepts the offered price. When you hear of long waits, it is because no truck accepted the offered price, and the provider is trying g to wait them out before offering more. Some will just arrange their own, and try to get reimbursed. 

So there are no fmca, Sam, escapes, or coach net trucks. You can call the same heavy tow services they can.

Coach net is said to have better lists of two services and understanding of what you will need and will usually send the right equipment the first time (not a one ton!) and is said to have better relationships (meaning more fair pay outs) with heavy haulers.

One thing to remember, if you are not in a safe place, call the proper police and get an immediate rotation tow. If you have tow coverage, you can likely get reimbursed. Don’t be on the side of the road, with others whizzing by, while waiting for a pre paid tow. 
 

And be ready to step in and make your own arrangements. An emergency charge card and some emergency cash rides with us in our firearm safe. 
 

—-

If in a state or national park, they may have basic services available. Then you can arrange more if needed. Yosemite, for example, has a tow service to their garage. I saw a heavy hauler parked at their garage last week. They will also know what private service will come and get you if needed.

Family member had a plastic radiator (auto) break in Yosemite. He limped it to a ranger lot. Rangers let him leave it there for the week of hiking. He could not find (AAA) anyone to tow him home (196 miles, up to 200 covered) so he cobbled a tow out of the park to a tow service which was as willing to bring him home. AAA did not suggest the split tow, the ranger did, since they had dealt with the issue before. 

Edited August 10, 2023 by Payroll Person

[sandsys]

5 hours ago, Payroll Person said:

Coach net is said to have better lists of two services and understanding of what you will need and will usually send the right equipment the first time (not a one ton!) and is said to have better relationships (meaning more fair pay outs) with heavy haulers.

Coach Net also has a reputation for prompt payment which tow services prefer.

[bigjim]

Most  are not going to be as quick or as seamless as their advetising but I would unequivially recommend Coach net.   I had 2 major tows, 1 tire change and 1 lock out of my new to me pick up over about 20 or so years and the end result was what I wanted    But not totally seamless.

[Larry Burkett]

The roadside service guy that we found to repair our trailer wasn't in the Coach Net system, but before he was done, he had been contacted by them to sign on as a repair service contact in the Chicago area. He was good.

[Leanne]

Thank you all again for your input.  I will take everything you've said into consideration.  It sounds like what I am hearing is pick a good plan but be ready to go it alone too if necessary.  What are some of your suggestions for being prepared for the worst?  Emergency credit card and cash is a good suggestion Payroll.  I'm brand new to RVing so I truly value you all!  Thanks for your help.

Happy Trails!

[sandsys]

4 minutes ago, Leanne said:

What are some of your suggestions for being prepared for the worst?

Always keep your phone charged and your GPS up to date.

[Darryl&Rita]

23 minutes ago, sandsys said:

Always keep your phone charged and your GPS up to date.

And your credit card balance as low as possible.

[Kirk W]

In general, you can expect to pay anywhere between $135 to $150 an hour to tow your RV. However, this is just an estimate and is subject to change depending on the specifics of your situation. For example, the size of your motorhome will affect the size of tow truck needed, impacting the hourly rate. The cost will be significantly more if you are not accessible from a maintained road or highway. Many companies will not take the trucks very far from a public road and when they do that price goes up dramatically. Most road service policies also have limitations on how far off road they will cover.

Edited August 12, 2023 by Kirk W

[MizzMarzBar]

Had CoachNet, they saved us multiple times, always awesome.  Until they weren't and then it was very bad.  Our truck broke down and we asked to have it towed to our shop 35 miles away so hubby could work on it.  The same place they'd towed our motorhome to on more than one occasion, from similar mileage.  Operator said they were only obligated to take it to the nearest qualified service center, which was a dealer 7 miles away, early on a Sunday morning.  Pointed out that a dealer was NOT qualified to work on a '65 Chevy pickup with a T5 transmission (which was the problem) and that husband, who IS a mechanic, was.  The operator couldn't be bothered.  Even told us that getting transportation home was our problem.  Luckily, Geico took care of everything, including negotiating a lower rate for the mileage part of the tow that they couldn't cover.  Realized exactly why Escapees had dropped their endorsement of CoachNet.  They may be better now, but it's not a chance worth taking.

[bigjim]

I have been in 2 situations where i could not get service to call my tow company. So be prepared to deal with emergencies  the best you can just in case.  Also I would not hesitate to call my service but would not ride a good horse to death as they say since I volunteered with someone once that used theirs so much that the company refused to renew them.  I don't know the details but I do know they had a pretty good size motorhome.

[Payroll Person]

Motorola recently released a satellite sms device. I added one to my tools since one of our back country hiking kids took our spot device. 

iphone 14 and later have satellite 911 capability, which is likely acceptable to use if in a dangerous spot.