Good Sam story that is not so good

[JPKendall]

I think you are correct about all of them having bad stories. I will try AAA plus RV for a year. I just hope I never need their services like I did GSRSS. I change my own tires so I don't have to worry about that.
I did read some of the reviews on FMCA and there were some pretty bad reviews there too. I just hope for no more trouble.

[Marine71-76]

Originally Posted by JFlightRisk

We had them a few years ago, but changed when I read the fine print. They didn't send out two trucks like GS does, if your truck needs towing. If your TT/5th was disabled, they would come for it, and you drive away with your truck. If your truck was disabled, they would take it, and leave the TT/5th on the side of the road, because it wasn't disabled.

I don't know if they've changed their policy in recent years, but that's the reason we switched ours.

Actually, in 2009 our F450 broke down & AAA sent a tow truck capable of towing both the truck & trailer - 80 miles to the Ford dealership of our choice. Ford (which also covered the truck) was going to tow us back 60 miles which was totally unacceptable (& told them so too). Ford did send out a tow truck to get us off the freeway & they wanted to tow us to a closed campground! We settled on a local hotel.

[Mskiby]

I have had a wonderful experience with Good Sam in the past and I will keep them. I pulled into a freshly worked dirt parking lot for an event in my class A. It was 9pm and already dark, but I was about the only one to arrive that day. On circling the lot to pull into the front to camp, I ran into a mud hole that was covered with fresh dirt so invisible. I sunk up to the frame instantly. Good Sam had a big wrecker there in less than 2 hrs even at that time of night. He did not want to pull me out and wanted to call a crane to pick up the rig. This was to prevent pulling the front off if he pulled us out. We negotiated and decided to do it slow and carefully. He spent over an hour pulling us out 1 inch at a time while my son and I used shovels to clear the front. All that and no charge at all!!! I slipped the driver 100.00 for his trouble anyway. Thanks Good Sam for calling this company. They were awesome. That is my story and why I continue to use Good Sam Roadside.

[BuddyRay]

There are two parts to all of these services:
a) the call center and the software and systems they use to track calls.
b) the contractors they use for tow services.

Most of them use the exact same tow services, especially in rural areas where a small town may only have ONE tow truck/service.
I've had AAA, Allstate, American Express, Good Sam and Citi Visa road side services. I'll bet a lot of you never really looked at your credit card benefits to discover that you get free roadside assistance with most credit cards today (which don't cover RV's of course).
I've had problems with both call centers and service contractors with ALL of these services. It's a very poorly run industry. I don't care who you use - it's a crap shoot depending on where you are, what time of day, and who's on duty.
I've been known to call more than one service for a flat tire just to see who gets there first. Once in Atlanta I did that, and a beat up old station wagon showed up. The guy had ID or I wouldn't have opened my door. Turns out he had gotten a message from BOTH the companies I called and was responding to both. He gleefully thanked me, as he pulled an old pump jack out of his station wagon, because he planned to bill both of them for the same call :-). He was actually very quick and efficient.

[Extreme]

Heard on the news a while back that Good Sam is part of Camping World and they have money problems. The CEO apparently was forcing employees to sell as many policies as possible and many people working there quit because of the management constant push for sales.
I never researched it but I think now would be a good time to look into it given all the complaints.
I cancelled my Good Sam membership a while back but they still send sales requests for insurance, tires, roadside assistance . They were charging my credit card several times for the subscription. Glad I dumped them.
Went with FMC for a year and they just kept calling and sending emails for more services, dumped them too. All a sales gimmick.

[W Kearney]

same thing happened with us with Good Sams...5pm on a busy 4 lane highway...truck stopped towing 5th wheel. Couldn't even move it to turn lane or off road. Police there behind us to keep from having wrecks...asking us to get off the road. Good Sams finally told us after an hour they couldn't find anyone to tow us...we were 30 minutes from Charlotte, NC so no excuse. Police finally called the people they have tow when they need it. The gentleman towed us to a truck dealer with a standard tow truck ..towing both truck and RV together. Was very pleasant. Dropped off at dealer after they were closed. He waited for us to get some gear and dropped us off at a hotel nearby as it was Summer and RV was 95 degrees inside. Only think we have ever been able to get Good Sams to do is change a flat tire. Also, AAA, will not tow a F350 unless you purchase "extra" coverage from them. Things happen...does anyone know a good, reliable company for roadside assistance? Notice near us some of the Camping World's have been changed to Gander RV ... don't know if they changed their name just because of the reputation Camping World has.

[tinlizzie23]

We used to have Good Sam Roadside, but had a very bad experience with them. We were on I-64 about 20 miles from Charlottesville, VA, and they claimed they couldn't find a trailer tire within 90 miles. And then they just forgot about us. Finally, after giving up and limping down the road to the next exit and staying from Saturday night until Monday morning in a parking lot, we called around and found two tires in our size within 2 miles. When confronted with the fact that they never got back to us, they just shrugged it off to "sorry about that". So we will NEVER have Good Sam Roadside again.

[JesseS]

AAA left us stranded with a blowout on I5 at the Grapevine on Xmas eve, ever try to get any help on Xmas eve?. AAA told us our AAA+ did not cover our Class C (Chevy 350 Van) and this was before AAA RV+. I told them it was a Chevy Van tire on the front but that didn't matter, even though I had been a member for 10+ years. I tried to change it but the lug nuts were put on with an impact wrench and I didn't have a cheater bar. Called my insurance company and explained and they sent out a guy to change it, done in 45 minutes. I still have the same insurance company, but my next phone call was to drop AAA, and they had the nerve to ask why. Have had GS since, have used them 3 times, twice for flats, and once for a blown coolant hose, all three time they were reasonably fast and got us back on the road within 2 hours.

[GCSuper]

Originally Posted by JPKendall

I take it, neither does Good Sam. They did not send a 2nd truck for my 5th wheel.

Who does the best job of handling a truck and 5th wheel or trailer, besides Good Sam. I will never go back to them.

I think the best person to handle this issue is yourself. I'd rather self insure myself and not have to wait for others and to wait for approvals, etc. Same way with EXT warranty. Just put that money in the bank instead of giving it to someone else

[snerdwack]

We had GS roadside assist. We had a flat in NM and used the spare. Then 17 miles south of Flagstaff AZ we had another flat. We could hear the air hissing from the valve.
GS called a tow/tire company to help us. The "help" was going to cost us $685 dollars. They would bring two new tires and charge us to mount them. We told them the "flat" tires were good and it was just a valve issue. Nope they said you have to pay for new tires and mounting. We said thanks for hitting us with a shovel while we're down.
We took the two tires into Discount tire in Flagstaff they repaired them for free and we haven't had any problems with the tires since.
No longer have GS RS "Assistance". Even wrote them to tell them of the issue. No response.

[chaznsc]

We have AAA and have always had good results. We had one tow, and numerous lockouts. We even locked keys in the car camping at the state park and they got us taken care of. Wife, daughter and son are experts with locking keys in the car.

As with anything like this, it’s dependent on the people answering the calls.... and who they dispatch.

Good Sam is part of the Camping World network, so there is zero chance I’d use them. CW will be bankrupt soon enough.

[thenne1713]

Originally Posted by Grumpy

And they couldn't find anybody to change a tire less than 10 miles outside of Indianapolis on an E-450...

Basically, EACH call is dependent on 1) the knowledge/ training (and resources available) of/to the individual phone operator; 2) the location/ services within 50-100-miles of your breakdown =(limit of many service providers); 3) day/ time of breakdown; 4) whether a holiday? I spent 6-hrs waiting on a roadside tire service in a small town where sidewalks rolled up, 1/2-mile from Walmart w/ no auto center, 5-miles from WM with, but HOLIDAY, everyone closed/ closed early; service finally came from provider 50-miles away whose previous call had been a tow 100-miles away; then he had airline trouble that he had to repair roadside before dropping tow, return to office, swap vehicles, and then still travel additional 50-miles. Yell/ scream, or get nasty w/ the roadside provider and you may put yourself in a real pile of... Luck to all... (this is WHY/ WHERE Preventive Maintenance and Inspections pay off... Oh, and found my spare on (new to me rig) was 12yo, so son found a WM open 200-mi away w/ a tire, but I had to provide MY labor in parking lot and buy tools to do same, to swap that one out, as rig too tall to go into their bays.

[Betsy]

Last night we were stranded on US 95 16 miles north of Beatty, NV with a flat tire. We talked to 7, yes 7, different GS reps and were finally told "you are on your own". Finally a Nevada State Trooper came and called a tire guy and we were on our way in 30 minutes. The tire guy (Revert's 24 Hr. Tire) also answers GS calls. Why wasn't he called 6 hours earlier????? Looking for new RS service.

[eagle55]

I've never had a roadside service plan before but through my State Farm auto insurance policy I always get towing added for a few bucks a month. How that works is I make my own tow truck arrangements and then save the receipts and send it to state farm and they reimburse me. I need to see if they can cover towing for my travel trailer too. If not I think I'll just put money in a kitty to pay for the tow at some point if I ever need it. To me, these services are a bit like extended warranties and the like in that once they take your money they never want to hear from you again.

[Springhook]

After reading this thread, I called State Farm and asked about my roadside coverage. I have roadside on my TV and a maximum of $100 for "whatever" on the TT.

[DonaandDon]

Originally Posted by JPKendall

I went back with AAA plus RV. I went with Good Sam RS because I thought they could handle a 5th Wheel better than AAA. I think I did not choose wisely with Good Sam.

Not sure why you never mentioned your Truck insurance? I have GIECO and they state they will tow mu fiver to a near by campground and they will tow my F-250 to a near by dealer.

[WeRJuliian]

Originally Posted by JPKendall

(diabetes) but chose not to, I felt that wasn't their problem. Lucky I was only about 40 miles from home and I had my son pick up some food and medicine.

Sorry to read of the ordeal, but you raise an interesting point.

As a diabetic, why would you travel without backup snacks and meds? As we know, holdups happen and plans change.
I'm an insulin- dependent diabetic, and I never leave the house without a small shoulder bag ( my " man-purse") which holds my blood test kit, a couple of snack bars and "works" for injecting insulin.

Not to hijack your thread too badly, but I'd be happy to share on the subject if anyone wants to go to PM or email.

[JPKendall]

Originally Posted by DonaandDon

Not sure why you never mentioned your Truck insurance? I have GIECO and they state they will tow mu fiver to a near by campground and they will tow my F-250 to a near by dealer.

I do not have collision on my truck, so they only cover $25 of any towing. So why not get another company's insurance? I really like my insurance company. I had a problem with the roof on the Jayco 5th wheel and they replaced it, no questions asked and the premium did not go up.

[JPKendall]

Originally Posted by WeRJuliian

Sorry to read of the ordeal, but you raise an interesting point.

As a diabetic, why would you travel without backup snacks and meds? As we know, holdups happen and plans change.
I'm an insulin- dependent diabetic, and I never leave the house without a small shoulder bag ( my " man-purse") which holds my blood test kit, a couple of snack bars and "works" for injecting insulin.

Not to hijack your thread too badly, but I'd be happy to share on the subject if anyone wants to go to PM or email.

Yes you are correct, I just did not expect any problems and if I ran into problems I could always call my son. I have type 2 and I can go sometime without taking anything. That said, YES! I should have been better prepared for a long delay. The biggest problem was Good Sam taking over 7 hours to get someone there. In the future several things will not ever happen again. If it does, it's on me.

[groy1999]

Originally Posted by JPKendall

On 10/08/19 I took my Jayco 5th wheel to the dealer for the yearly warranty inspection. It is about 120 miles one way, a good little drive on nice sunny day. The trip over was great with no problems. They finished the inspection, found a problem with the furnace and they fixed that. So, I was good to go home.
On the way back the truck’s diesel engine quit. This was about 4:00 PM. There was plenty of sunlight left in the day. After doing some checking, I called Good Sam Roadside Assistance at 4:23PM. The lady was very pleasant on the phone and asked what my problem was. I told her the engine quit and wouldn’t start. Plenty of fuel and the engine turns over but won’t start. Then she asked me what kind of truck and was I towing a trailer. I told her all this information and included that it was a 5th wheel. They would probably need to send two tow vehicles, one for the truck and one for the 5th wheel. Okay was the answer. She said she would find someone in the area. I was on I10 about 20 miles from Pensacola, FL and 50 miles from Mobile, AL. I figured at the most a couple of hours to get someone there. Was I ever wrong! After many conversations with Good Sam, Allstate, and a couple of other companies I had never heard of, it was 7:30PM. I was getting a little tired of getting the run around. I called Good Sam back. The call was picked up during a conversation between two answering center employees. They didn’t know I was hearing their conversation. One says to the other about their boss “He could go f**k himself.” Then the phone hung up. I called back and mentioned the background conversation. No explanation. I told the guy how long I had been waiting for someone to arrive. He just basically said “That is a shame.” He said he would work on getting someone there. By 9:30PM I was beside myself and called again. This time I got a hold of a different guy named Sal. He said he would get someone there. Please hold on. After holding for 30 minutes (and phone battery running down), I hung up. He did call back and told me Hook’em wrecker service was on their way and would take about 90 min. So now we are talking about 11:00 PM. Then I get a message at 10:00PM. “If I received help, Press 1 for YES and PRESS 2 for NO.” I press 2. Sal comes back on the phone and says, “Well, it’s only been 30 minutes.” That’s when I couldn’t take it anymore. I told him “It’s been since 4:23 PM. I want somebody out here now!” At 11:30PM a tow truck shows up. The truck looks like Cooter’s on the “Dukes of Hazzard”. It was an old Chevy 2500, looked like early 90’s. That’s all that showed up! The guy was nice but when I asked if someone else was coming, he said “nope”. It took an hour to hook the 5th wheel back to my dead truck. With the truck and 5th wheel hooked to this wrecker, he towed this combination down I 10 at 20mph for about two miles to the rest area. I told the security guard that I need to leave the 5th wheel there overnight because that wrecker was not going to pull my 5th wheel any further. With the 5th wheel parked at the rest area, we headed to a Ford dealer in Foley, AL. We dropped off the truck, my wife picked me up at the Ford dealer and we left at 12:10AM. The next day the truck got fixed and I picked up the 5th Wheel.
Today I called Good Sam. I talked to a supervisor. After getting nowhere with him, I told him thanks for the no help. I called another road assistance company and signed up with them.
Long as this is, it is not the complete story of what went on with Good Sam and the other companies I dealt with for over 7 hours. To say I was not pleased with Good Sam is an understatement. No comment from Good Sam except a canned reply.

We had to use them once, the slide out on our 5th would not go back it, it was cold that year 2017 12-31 called it was about the same amount of time, they sent someone out, the owner was wanting to watch a football game, so he sent his cousin and his cousin brought his girlfriend along, they wanted to tear open the bottom of our flooring out, humm not, they tried pushing it in, it was a slide with the fridge and stove in in, it was heavy, needless to say after 2 + hours it did't work, charged up 200 + dollars and off they went, we finally managed to get most of the slide it, there was a big storm coming and we were trying to beat it home, had the slide strapped down and off we went every car we pass told us the slide was out, Thanked them and drove on, had to spend the night in a hotel with our fur baby that night, next morning slide went right in, got home it was the motor on the slide but yes it was crazy with the guy who knew really nothing about a 5th wheel or any camper for that matter his girlfriend and the guy watching the football game. He didn't have a cooter truck it was a cooter car LOL It happens not sure where they find these people at.