AAA - Lack of Service - Warning

[steelslaver]

If you have a smartphone, you can go to "Street View" on the map App, and the Mile Markers are clear to read.

Lot off the country around here a cell phone or 2 won't help. No cell service. You might need to go somewhere or have someone who passes by make the call.

 

[LVSteve]

If you have a smartphone, you can go to "Street View" on the map App, and the Mile Markers are clear to read.

Not enough cell service on that stretch of I-40 to use any kind of map app. Had I been on my own, I would have had to hike to get cell service, because my ATT phone was deader than a hammer, and my wife's Verizon phone was only just making it on voice. Data was flakey.

 

[bigwheelzip]

Not enough cell service on that stretch of I-40 to use any kind of map app. Had I been on my own, I would have had to hike to get cell service, because my ATT phone was deader than a hammer, and my wife's Verizon phone was only just making it on voice. Data was flakey.

Perhaps it's dependant on the brand of phone these days, but my old Moto phone's GPS functionality is independent of cell service. Works even without a SIM card. Navigated all over Europe without a SIM installed.

Sent from my Moto G (5) Plus using Tapatalk

 

[bigwheelzip]

Lot off the country around here a cell phone or 2 won't help. No cell service. You might need to go somewhere or have someone who passes by make the call.

Can't speak for all smartphones, but my old Moto5 has independent A-GPS, and GLONASS GPS antenna with functionality independent of cellular service. I think this has been a common smartphone trait for many years. I mentioned this for people needing mile marker reading after contacting roadside help, like LVSteve stuck in the median.

 

[arjay]

I dropped triple A long,long ago and my insurance reimburses most if not all of the cost of whoever I call.

 

[Tom Kent]

Back in the 80's while working road patrol I had numerous encounters with motorists that were stranded and had called AAA "a few hours ago" and were still waiting for AAA to show up and assist. I had occasion to speak to a AAA driver once and I asked him why the long delays and often ignored calls. He told me that AAA was VERY slow to pay for tows and other service calls so most tow trucks avoided AAA calls.

 

[Farmer17]

I wonder how many people nowadays can even change a flat tire. Once I had a small Nissan rent car from Enterprise for one day while my truck was being serviced. It got a flat tire that evening while taking my wife to dinner and I called Enterprise and they said someone would be right over to fix it. After 15 minutes I called again and they said the driver was still 45 minutes away and I said "I'm hungry, cancel him" and changed the tire myself in about 5 minutes. The wheel was so small and light I could pick it up with one hand! I wonder how many people would have sat there for an hour helplessly waiting to get their flat tire changed.

 

[TX-Dennis]

Can't speak for all smartphones, but my old Moto5 has independent A-GPS, and GLONASS GPS antenna with functionality independent of cellular service. I think this has been a common smartphone trait for many years. I mentioned this for people needing mile marker reading after contacting roadside help, like LVSteve stuck in the median.

Yes, but you need to download the maps of where you are going ahead of time when you do have service - either cell or wifi. The thing about Google Maps is that the phone only downloads segments of map as you get near them. Without cell service you lose the ability to see where you are on a map even though the GPS antenna is still connected to satellites unless you have downloaded the map ahead of time.

I used to use an app called MapFactor Navigator which allows you to download an entire state's map or several states if you are crossing borders on your trip. That way you don't have to worry about cell service or no service for maps to work. Google maps offers the ability to download your route ahead of time. Most people don't do so, though. I imagine Waze and other popular mapping apps do as well.

The last few years my vehicle has onboard maps. The map data may be a couple of years old, but most of the roads are still the same.

 

[mattallamerican]

its a scam i have several friends that have no shows by aaa

 

[iouri]

I've dropped AAA after being a member for a few years and then when I needed them response was "few hours". Had to tow my bike called some companies directly and one was at my location in about 20 mins.

 

[Walter Rego]

My new car has a feature like the GM OnStar system where if I need roadside assistance I just press a button on the overhead console. It must be tied in to the navigation system and my cell phone which is connected to the car via Bluetooth. So I'm assuming that it knows exactly where I am. The car also has a built in anti-theft system like Lojack, further indicating that the car can be tracked quite accurately.

All that is comforting but I'm still hoping that I never need to use it. The darn car doesn't even come with a spare tire, just some kind of sealant kit and a 12V inflator that plugs into one of the 12V outlets.

 

[LoboGunLeather]

My new car has a feature like the GM OnStar system where if I need roadside assistance I just press a button on the overhead console. It must be tied in to the navigation system and my cell phone which is connected to the car via Bluetooth. So I'm assuming that it knows exactly where I am. The car also has a built in anti-theft system like Lojack, further indicating that the car can be tracked quite accurately.

All that is comforting but I'm still hoping that I never need to use it. The darn car doesn't even come with a spare tire, just some kind of sealant kit and a 12V inflator that plugs into one of the 12V outlets.

Thank God you don't have to plug your inflator into a cigarette lighter! No telling what havoc that might result in for future generations.

 

[len917]

new car warranties are great for road service. my experience has been when you need them during regular dealership hours, they will send out their own employees-if your in another region, they will get you another local dealer to handle the situation including a flatbed. after hours the central answering service will get you help.

 

[GypsmJim]

I can name 3 family members that had AAA and dropped them because of non-service.

Its always been a poor investment. Do they even give trip tics any more?

 

[Kanewpadle]

As a former vendor for AAA and others I can tell you first hand that none of them are perfect. I’ve heard complaints about all of them. All road side service companies use third party vendors. So depending on your area, there may not be much to choose from.

The one and only time I called AAA, they responded immediately. I was in rush hour traffic. Several pieces of steel fell off a work truck and one of them shredded my right front tire. Fortunately a highway patrol officer was close by. But he wouldn’t let me change my tire in the traffic. Said I had to be towed off the highway for my safety. And if AAA didn’t get there soon, he would call a tow truck at my expense.

 

[Steve912]

Back in the 80's while working road patrol I had numerous encounters with motorists that were stranded and had called AAA "a few hours ago" and were still waiting for AAA to show up and assist. I had occasion to speak to a AAA driver once and I asked him why the long delays and often ignored calls. He told me that AAA was VERY slow to pay for tows and other service calls so most tow trucks avoided AAA calls.

I bet AAA "negotiates" reduced payments for services, too...
kinda like Medicaid/Medicare. If tow operator is flush that
week, or anticipates a slew of local work (say, when a concert
or big game is about to let out), he may just tell AAA he's
not available, or response will be extended.

AAA used to be helpful in the days of paper maps & the road
atlas (who remembers those?!). The "trip tik" booklets were
handy. I used a bunch in the Eighties, moving around the
States in the Army. Nowadays, the Waze app is light years
better.

 

[bearman49709]

June 29th 2019 I hit a deer, pushed my radiator into my fan bending the blades. I called my insurance companies 1-888 number and they just pinged my cell phone and found me no problem.

 

[BigBoy99]

My wife left the parking lights on all night and battery wouldn't turn over the engine. Her car was in our driveway so it shouldn't have be hard to find. I dropped them last year because they never showed to start wife's car with a dead battery. Lucky the neighbor was home and brought his pick-up truck over and were were able to jump it and get it started.

 

[eveled]

Funny timing on this thread. My wife needed AAA on Friday and had service within 30 minutes.

Keep in mind you can call your own tow truck and they can bill AAA.

 

[GaryS]

On my phone I have an app called "Where am I?". It shows the lat/long, elevation, street address, city, county, state and sunrise/sunset times.

I've used it a couple of times to call 9-1-1 when I was on the highway and saw an accident.

If you have a smartphone, you can go to "Street View" on the map App, and the Mile Markers are clear to read.