AAA towing toll payment gotcha

Had an unfortunate situation this week, and needed a tow home for my trusty Prius.  The driver reminded me that any tolls due would be my responsibility to pay.  But since I know the roads I told him there would be no tolls required to deliver my car.  Once there he told me I would have to pay $25 for tolls he would incur to get him back.  Since the car was still on the truck I was sort of stuck so I paid it.  I know the area, and google maps shows 3 routes from me to his office and only 1 has tolls, for a 10 mile stretch of the PA turnpike.  The mileage and time for these 3 are very close, time depends on traffic at that moment.  I looked up toll charge for that run, even an 18 wheeler would be less.  So feeling sort of screwed here.

Thinking AAA would help me I called and had a long email chat with their rep.  They informed me that unless I have the most expensive plan I am responsible for tolls incurred for the whole process, not just while my car is on the truck.  And if I have an issue it is my problem, they will not work with the tow company to resolve the issue.  

Anyone else out there have issues with AAA?  I have had waits up to 90 minutes, but mostly less than 30 so overall they have done well for the last 10 years.  

I'd just pay it and move on. Next time, if there is one, slip the driver a $10 and ask him to go the toll free route. 

I get the principle of it, but for the service I've had with AAA I personally would not be willing to die on this particular $25 hill. 

 I've been a member for about 50 years and I've had uniformly good service over the years.  However there aren't any toll roads in my area so I can't comment on that particular part of the coverage.

I paid $120 to move a 911 from my garage to a shop <3 miles away.  The driver (local tow guy) was a bit later because he had to go to Connecticut to pick up a car.  If it cost me $120, what's it cost that guy to move his from CT to NY 200 miles away?

Just pay up and smile.

In reply to porschenut :

I think you feel that the driver held you hostage for a $25 tip.  Having only read your side of the story, I feel that way too.  

Think of it as a forced tip.  You state that the charge was for tolls when your car is NOT on the hook.  I have difficulty understanding why that would be your responsibility.  

Next question, what's wrong with the Prius?

John Welsh said:

Next question, what's wrong with the Prius?

I love this place. 

wae said:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/wk7fYBw6PfQ?rel=0

 

"You've been here before haven't you?"

In reply to John Welsh :

08 with upgraded stereo and rear camera, new tires.  Needs cat, ABS pump and inverter pump.  204K miles.

Yes for 25 bucks I should not be a whiny bitch, but I hate the dismissive attitude of AAA.  But for all the times I got a free tow I guess it is just karma

Inverter pump is a super simple job.  I have done it and working slow it was less than 2 hrs total.   Figure as much time to remove the headlamp as to remove the pump. 

In this video advance to the 4:45 mark where he discovers that he should remove the headlamp.  

The part looks like something from an aquarium more than it looks like a car part.  Prices range from $30 amazon to $200 OEM

$25 sample

Buy these clamps too if you don't already have similar.

The ABS pump not as easy and I have never done one

porschenut said:

In reply to John Welsh :

08 with upgraded stereo and rear camera, new tires.  Needs cat, ABS pump and inverter pump.  204K miles.

 

Yes for 25 bucks I should not be a whiny bitch, but I hate the dismissive attitude of AAA.  But for all the times I got a free tow I guess it is just karma

They backed over my mailbox once when delivering a car home; the guy denied it even though the duals track in the snow was the same one that eventually came up my driveway and the dent in the box was at the same height as the deck. AAA was uninterested in hearing anything about it. I just figure that the service they do provide is worth my $1xx dollars a year and hope I don't need it.

The driver has a company transponder, he pocketed the $25.  

Tolls are a cost of doing business and factored into the overhead.

You got took, bro.

I had the top level membership for about four years, and ended up dropping it when I waited six hours for a quarter mile tow. I'd call back and they would have no history of my service order. That happened three times.
 

I had to wait for my wife to get off work, go home and get the truck, pick me up and take me to Harbor freight so I could buy a tow strap, and then tow the car myself. By that point, it was seven hours, and I doubt they ever showed up.

berkeley AAA.

In reply to Floating Doc (Forum Supporter) :

That sounds  a lot like my previous experiences with AAA. Yep berkeley AAA.

In reply to John Welsh :

I have done 3 inverter pumps, yes taking the headlight out is the easy button.  So is leaving the mounting bracket and just pulling the pump.  ABS pump should be fun but I think the car is worth fixing.

Hagerty roadside assistance and triple A member here(British, French, and Swedish cars, so towing is not a great surprise).  I have called AAA before, been given an insane wait time, then called Hagerty and been quoted less than half the time for the truck to arrive, and then had both trucks turn up at the same time.

We had a heater hose blow in rush hour traffic in mid-Atlanta.  I pulled off the interstate to the closest business that stood a chance of having car parts, an oil and tire place just behind a Starbucks.  When I called AAA and gave them my location, they told me they couldn't pick me up there.  I assume they thought I was trying to have a repaired vehicle towed away from a repair center without paying, maybe?  Either way, I turned on the car and drove forty feet into the Starbucks next door.  Then they told me it was about 3 hours before they could have a tow truck out to me.  Set up the truck, and called for an Uber to get a ride to the nearest car parts store.  Uber driver was absolutely awesome and took me to three different parts stores to find one that had cut to length heater hose in metric size. 

Got the hose, and in the meantime my wife had been on the phone with the driver scheduled to pick us up.  He said that he was the only driver AAA had on call who was allowed to tow across the state line back to Tennessee, and he was going to need like 200 bucks extra to tow us since he had to drive all the way back with an empty truck.  She called AAA and the only alternative they would offer us was to pay for a hotel for the night and arrange a tow "sometime the next day..."  (approx cost of a weeknight hotel in downtown ATL: $350)

We had to be back for work at 5:30 a.m. the next day, so we called Hagerty.  Now, instead of rush hour, it's 9:45 at night.  They say they could have a truck out in 3 hours.  Must not be many tow trucks in Atlanta...   We canceled both calls after I manage to get the hose to fit, refill coolant and limp out onto the road.  Just after we go through Chattanooga at 1 in the morning, I get a phone call.  

It's the original tow truck driver, calling to say he is in the oil and tire place looking for a silver SAAB to pick up.

I had a nine hour wait once, in mid December, 5 miles from home. I finally left and went home after an hour then just got a ride back when they were finally on their way. 

I'll cut them slack because it was the first big snow of the season and I was stuck in a parking lot with a crown Vic that thought it was in drive so refused to start. So not really a priority when people are in ditches or blocking the only road through an area. 

Every other time they've been great. And after paying $190 for a 9 mile tow NOT through AAA, the $125 or whatever I pay a year is so worth it.

They're even nice and take my stuff to my preferred mech 20 minutes away rather than the mech at the end of my street I wouldn't even get air at. Probably helps now I'm 10 minutes from a AAA tow garage.

In reply to 93gsxturbo :

Tolls were always additional when I did AAA. Their rates are pretty low, and could be pretty much eaten up with a couple tolls. 

I've got Hagerty tow coverage.  I've had a few problems with them, they literally never showed up once to give my daughters SUV a jump and they told me 5+ hours to pull me out of a mud hole another time. 

I called them after the incident with my daughters SUV and they refunded me the entire years payment, so at least they were responsive.  I still have them but haven't needed to call them lately.  Seems like they just don't have enough tow companies working for them

Wally (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to 93gsxturbo :

Tolls were always additional when I did AAA. Their rates are pretty low, and could be pretty much eaten up with a couple tolls. 

Around here they all have IPass and I have never been charged for a tow.  I always tip good tho.  

I need to get a AAA or Hagerty type service.  

I called six flat bed tow companies to tow my 240Z 31 miles from one Chicago suburb to another.  I gave them a week in advance. 

I was quoted $260 - $500 for the tow.   I hadn't realized how much this went up.  The owner had a tow bar so I slowly flat towed it home.  I do guess the vehicle was nonrunning so that might be an issue. 

AAA is love or hate , but still good to have , 

Last week we had a VW bug towed after waiting 3 hours in the middle of the afternoon , it needed to go 30 miles,  

We figured they would send a flatbed  but an old style tow Truck shows up ! .......ummmm this bug is not towable on the wheels , it sat in the garage for 20 years.......

Well he had a wheel dolly on the truck so thats what he ended up using.....which was more than scary....

It got done , no drama but next time we will make sure to ask for a flatbed :)

93gsxturbo said:

Wally (Forum Supporter) said:

In reply to 93gsxturbo :

Tolls were always additional when I did AAA. Their rates are pretty low, and could be pretty much eaten up with a couple tolls. 

Around here they all have IPass and I have never been charged for a tow.  I always tip good tho.  

We all had ezpass but the bill still has to get paid. At the time we were getting $35 for a tow and any bridge off Long Island was $14 each way. That would leave us $7 if we didn't collect tolls separate. 

docwyte said:

I've got Hagerty tow coverage.  I've had a few problems with them, they literally never showed up once to give my daughters SUV a jump and they told me 5+ hours to pull me out of a mud hole another time. 

I called them after the incident with my daughters SUV and they refunded me the entire years payment, so at least they were responsive.  I still have them but haven't needed to call them lately.  Seems like they just don't have enough tow companies working for them

Well, that's another difference between Hagerty and AAA. When I called to complain about my experience, the response from AAA was sorry, but we don't care enough to do anything about it or or make any attempt to keep your business.