TheSamba.com :: View topic - Scam Alert AAA Norther California offers no Plus RV coverage

Wed Nov 28, 2012 12:07 pm

PDXWesty wrote: The conditions of membership state that you need to live in the service area of the AAA club that you join.

oh!
I did not know that. I though AAA was a national company.

can you please quote and link to the conditions you are referencing, I cant find them.

Wed Nov 28, 2012 1:27 pm

Not to add another layer of complexity, but the one up-side to having your Westy declared an RV is that you can legally have open-containers in RV's :) .

Wed Nov 28, 2012 11:09 pm

Thanks for the further explanations everyone!

AAA Premier PLUS RV, it is, better out the few dollars than hundreds. Especially since I didn't process the fact that I'd have to go through Northern CA to get to Anaheim from BC! LOL

I meant I get my ICBC insurance at BCAA b/c it gets me a further discount on my house insurance (which I also get there). Though, BCAA used to have private insurance (Comprehensive only?) that you could buy in place of your ICBC, it was way cheaper.

Glad someone clarified and agreed that you wouldn't be able to hid a Vanagon Camper Van from a tow truck driver. I mean you may get away with it w/ a weekender, but even with full tinted windows and curtains closed, you can't hide the gas hook-ups. Though, I certainly won't *volunteer* anything if I ever need a tow in CA.

As for an alternate address, there is a place called Hagen's of Blaine that many Canadians (some Americans) use for a shipping address.
http://www.hagensofblaine.com/
Since shipping in the US is free, but very costly to Canada. We just make our American online purchase and have the item(s) shipped there. You then pay a few dollars to pick each package up. If you get a lot of packages, you're better of to pay for a membership. Interesting, as I'd never thought of using an alternate address as unethical. It's a legal business, though the fact that you're allowed to leave your empty box(es) there, so you don't have to bring them *home* with you, is obviously unethical. They go through 3-4 HUGE cardboard recycling boxes per week. Thought I'd mention, since some of you might prefer shipping there instead of here...

tam

Thu Nov 29, 2012 1:06 am

I can't remember if I have weighed in on this thread yet, but I'm kind of wondering if this whole experience is similar to going to the DMV. You know...depending on which person you get at the counter, you could be ready to go out the door in five mins OR you could need to jump through a series of hoops with multiples copies of whatever the DMV employee likes to make up. Personally, I've had both experiences at the DMV.

When it comes to AAA, I used to live full time in Texas and had AAA Plus RV. I didn't purchase the RV option because I was told I had to, I got it at the time, because in the literature I read it offered the furthest free towing of any plan (which I want to say was 200 miles but can't totally remember).

I moved to NorCal last year and still had my AAA based in Texas for the first few months I lived here. One time I needed a tow about 100 miles from home and it was fully covered by my (Texas based) AAA Plus RV. The thing I remember the most about this particular tow is that when the guy took my card he looked at it and said, "Why do you have RV coverage?" I told him that I thought since my van has a living quarters it would be considered an RV and that I also wanted the best towing plan I could have. He told me that my van is not considered an RV. I can't remember the name of this particular AAA affiliate, but they were based somewhere near Salinas, CA.

A few months after I moved that I switched to AAA Premier (NorCal based) and since them have used them one time for a tow which was roughly 50 miles. I wasn't charged anything for it, so I'm not sure if that happens to be because it was under the $300 limit (or 200 mile limit?).

But what I can definitely say, without a doubt, is that a AAA NorCal service provider in Salinas told me point blank that my van "is not an RV." Of course, since AAA farms their service out to various local operators, perhaps not every operator has the same "not an RV" view when it comes to our vans.

That's why I originally compared the situation to different employees at the DMV and how each individual employee's interpretation of the rules may change based on weather, mood, or their general distaste for your personal appearance. Maybe you just happened to have gotten a driver that was having his most miserable towing day ever?

One thing I can say, is that if you stay in hotels at least a handful of times per year, the AAA discounts most hotels offer more than pay for the card on their own. I've had AAA for many years, and so far I haven't had a year where the membership cost me more than I saved that year (through discounts and towing).

Thu Nov 29, 2012 8:54 am

not all tow drivers in NorCal work the Westy is an RV scam

but it IS their right to do so, and the AAA dispatch will back them up on it. Ive posted over and over that when the tow driver told me I had an RV, I called the AAA office and they backed him up

look at this link
http://calstate.aaa.com/membership/compare-our-membership-levels/compare-our-membership-levels
it is for NorCal.
"RV towing reimbursement $300"
Notice the $300 RV benefit, it is not miles, it is dollars.

now compare to this Texas AAA
http://www.texas.aaa.com/en-tx/become-member/Pages...S_TextLink
"RV/Motorcycle Roadside Assistance Up to 100 miles"
notice the RV benefit is 100 miles, not $300

$300 in NorCal, gets you a 50 mile tow. So nothing about that service triggered the RV rule anyway.

and fwiw, Yes Premier gives a 200 mile tow, but for RV's, Premier gives a 100 mile tow..

see the links I give in this post, showing the tow distance of 100 for the texas policy, and tow cost of $300 for the NorCal policy.

It is not about me, or the tow driver having a bad hair day.

Anyway, when I submitted the $112 I had to pay the tow driver, to carry my van a total of 68 miles, to AAA NorCal for reimbursement, they refused, and relied on the $300 rule (the fact towing 50 miles costs $300 is immoral, but legal).

So I canceled AAA NorCal, reinstated AAA New Mexico, where I own a home, morally and legally, and Then submitted the $112 refund to AAA New Mexico. They paid it.

btw, I gave full disclosure to the AAA employee in New Mexico, that I live in California, but own a home in New Mexico, and he said that would be no problem, that I should use the New Mexico address for membership, and that there is the option to use a different MAILING address for the AAA card to be sent to me in California. I though that was very moral of him, to let me know I could use a different mailing address.

Thu Nov 29, 2012 10:10 am

I have nor cal AAA but I have not needed a tow yet despite owning two vans for a few years. But if I need a tow and the AAA assigned tow truck driver tell me my Westy is a RV, I will tell him thank you very much and I will call my own tow truck and get reimbursement later from AAA. Sorry that he has to make the trip to where my van is.

Thu Nov 29, 2012 10:20 am

stevey88 wrote: I will tell him thank you very much and I will call my own tow truck and get reimbursement later from AAA.

AAA NorCal refused to reimburse me. I had to change clubs to get reimbursed.

Maybe Im not being very clear about this. People keep coming up with ideas I have already explained.

I will stop posting to this thread now.

Thu Nov 29, 2012 10:34 am

Jon_slider wrote: stevey88 wrote: I will tell him thank you very much and I will call my own tow truck and get reimbursement later from AAA.

AAA NorCal refused to reimburse me. I had to change clubs to get reimbursed.

Maybe Im not being very clear about this. People keep coming up with ideas I have already explained.

I will stop posting to this thread now.

I think my plan is different from what Jon did.
Jon use the AAA towing company and has to pay out of his pocket $112 to that tow driver while the driver get $300 directly from AAA.

My plan is to punish the AAA tow driver for insisting my Westy is a RV so he gets nothing from AAA. I will get a towing company that do not consider a Westy is an RV and try to get the whole cost of towing back. The worse case is getting $300 max. Unless of cause, if AAA say you must use their assigned tow trucks.

Thu Nov 29, 2012 11:07 am

You guys need to stop guessing about what AAA will or won't do. Take a look at the online membership handbook for you chapter. It outlines what is covered. Then you need to go to the local office and ask for a copy of the Full Terms and Conditions of membership. This is the fine print contract that they don't publish on the website. It states that they can cancell your membership at any time if they feel you are abusing your privileges.

"Excessive use of any membership benefit, as determined by Club management, may result in non-renewal or membership cancellation. Membership benefits are non transferable."

All this conjecture is driving me crazy.

Thu Nov 29, 2012 11:24 am

PDXWesty wrote: You guys need to stop guessing about what AAA will or won't do. Take a look at the online membership handbook for you chapter. It outlines what is covered. Then you need to go to the local office and ask for a copy of the Full Terms and Conditions of membership. This is the fine print contract that they don't publish on the website. It states that they can cancell your membership at any time if they feel you are abusing your privileges.

"Excessive use of any membership benefit, as determined by Club management, may result in non-renewal or membership cancellation. Membership benefits are non transferable."

All this conjecture is driving me crazy.

X2!

Thu Nov 29, 2012 2:24 pm

My Northern California AAA Premier membership is expiring at the end of this month so I called AAA for some clarification as to whether my Westfalia Camper is or is not an RV.

The customer service representative did not know the answer to the question. Her supervisor did not know the answer to the question. She called a road service dispatcher who did not know the answer to the question. Finally she spoke to the roadservice dispatch supervisor who said that if it was called a "camper" then it is an RV and is not eligible for the 200 mile tow.

My owner's manual calls it a "camper." Bentley calls it a "camper." VW advertised it as a "camper."

So, as the customer service representative pointed out to me, "If the top is down the tow truck driver may not notice it's a camper."

I guess you could roll your dice and take your chances.
Brent

Thu Nov 29, 2012 2:34 pm

It doesn't matter what YOU call it, it matters what's in the terms and conditions for AAA.

"AAA Plus RV coverage can be added as an option to AAA Plus. When you need roadside assistance service for personal use of state licensed recreational vehicles including a motor home, travel trailer, pickup with camper, or a small trailer, horse trailer, boat trailer no longer than 26 feet in length used when transporting personal watercraft, snowmobiles, or motorcycles, or other state licensed recreational vehicle."

If you get a copy of the Full Terms and Conditions from AAA it will elaborate on this. It appears it needs to be a state liscensed RV to be an RV.

Thu Nov 29, 2012 2:48 pm

PDXWesty wrote: It doesn't matter what YOU call it, it matters what's in the terms and conditions for AAA.

If you get a copy of the Full Terms and Conditions from AAA it will elaborate on this. It appears it needs to be a state liscensed RV to be an RV.

I would guess that you are looking at the terms and conditions for some area other than Northern California. Here is a link to the NorCal terms and conditions:

http://calstate.aaa.com/membership/compare-our-membership-levels/membership-terms-and-conditions

And they do not offer PlusRV in Northern California.
Brent

Thu Nov 29, 2012 3:08 pm

My fuel lines are about 20 years old. Should I change them? :roll:

Thu Nov 29, 2012 3:12 pm

Yossarian would be proud.

Tue Feb 19, 2013 12:31 pm

old but true
http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=5576612#5576612
westyventures wrote:
AAA told me they "couldn't tow me because I was in an RV". :evil: WTF?
...
I'm not too sure I will renew this time around.

or you could buy AAA RV coverage,

if its not offered in your area, give them the address of your "second home" where it IS offered. You can still keep your mailing address the same as before. Hint, Souther California AAA does offer AAA RV coverage, its called Premier PLUS RV

Tue Feb 19, 2013 8:27 pm

Timely topic. I purchased AAA today as I am off on a 1000 mile journey tomorrow in my newly rebuilt 82 AC Westy. The rep asked me how it was registered with the Oregon DMV. When I registered it at Oregon DMV (Grants Pass) he told me it as an RV due to the propane and stove. As it has HC (House Coach) plates just like "big" RVs in Oregon it was in fact considered an RV for AAA Or/Id purposes. As I also motorcycle travel I purchased the premier rv plan and with the auto renewal and online discount code it was like $139.00.
I hope I don't need to find out but even a 50 mile tow would probably cost that much...
Not to mention trip interuption coverage and all that other stuff. The rep was very knowledgeable and helpful, and knew exactly what a VW Westfalia Camper was in the context of Oregon DMV registration and AAA coverage.
If I break down in Norcal ( the trip includes Norcal coast) I'll just call her and let her sort it out!

Tue Feb 19, 2013 8:32 pm

Well done. NorCal towers must respect out of area Premier Plus RV
It must say RV on the card.

Tue Feb 19, 2013 9:27 pm

Yes RV is the key word.

Mon Oct 06, 2014 12:33 pm

Jon_slider wrote: look at this link
http://calstate.aaa.com/membership/compare-our-membership-levels/compare-our-membership-levels
it is for NorCal.
"RV towing reimbursement $300"
Notice the $300 RV benefit, it is not miles, it is dollars.

Old thread, but I wanted to update as I've been exploring AAA coverage for my new Westy in Northern California. The link above to the NorCal AAA coverage no longer says anything about $300 dollars. Now it simply says 200 miles. My understanding is 200 miles on one event per year, and 4 100 miles events.