RVers rightly depend on emergency road service providers, and there are a number to choose from. But how do you know which one to sign up with? If you do an internet search for “best RV road service” you’ll get back a long list of folks with opinions. Many of them tell you who the “best” is—and then you’ll find a disclaimer that tells you if you sign up through a conveniently provided link, the poster will get a commission. Hardly the kind of recommendation that inspires confidence.
The good…
Your fellow RVers may have an opinion. Here’s an excerpt from an email we received from one of our readers: “Both [our] truck and trailer were in the ditch but still upright. First I called 911 and then [our road service provider] and was told they were going to get things started after she asked me if I was all right.
“It was not long before they had contacted a tow company and when they came to pull it out it took two tow trucks. They finally got me out without tipping it over. Very minor damages to the vehicles and then we got a confirmation call to see if everything went all right. The lady was very helpful and sympathetic towards what I was going through. Thank you for making my day a little bit brighter.”
A great experience, and it seems likely if you asked that reader for a recommendation, they’d give you one for their road service. But here’s the other email we mentioned, from a different reader. This reader references a very different outcome.
… And the not so good
“After speaking with four different people over the course of four hours, we were told we would have to make our own arrangements and then submit a claim. Why? Supposedly because they could not verify that we had coverage. We have been buying coverage for over 10 years [from the same road service provider].”
Different outcome, and we can tell you from the balance of this reader’s email, they won’t be doing business again with this road service provider. But as you may have already guessed, both of our readers used the same road service. One had a great experience; the other, terrible.
Help us make the pool deeper!
And that’s the problem with asking a small circle of RVers for their recommendations. The pool just isn’t deep enough to flush out the truth of the matter. That’s why we’re asking you, if you’ve signed up for an emergency road service program, to take a survey of your experiences and tell us your recommendations. We hope to have a very large pool of responses—enough to know which way the wind blows.
Below, you’ll find links to surveys of several major road service providers. If you’ve had experience with a different one, i.e., not on our list, the last link will take you to a survey where you can tell us about any “other” provider.
If you’ve had experience with more than one provider, please take the time to fill out the survey for EACH ONE of those you’ve worked with. This will give RVtravel.com readers an opportunity to really have the information they need to intelligently pick the service that will be best for them.
We’ll publish the results in a future newsletter, and share some experiences from readers. Our efforts will allow you to personally rank who you think is truly the best road service for your needs. We have “no skin in this game”—other than to provide you with unbiased results. We take no commissions, no kickbacks, no nothing, from any road service providers.
Survey links – Please complete as many as apply. Thank you!
.Had an experience you’d like to share? Please use the form below and give us the details. If you have photos, we’d love to see them. Please enter “ERS” in the subject line. Thanks!
Please note that the results of these surveys will not show up after you’ve participated like for one of our usual polls. We will report the results in an upcoming newsletter. Thanks, again!
##RVT1064
A long time ago we had State Farm. After we paid off the house they cancelled us. Reasons unknown. So we went without it. But kept the auto insurance until we were offered a better deal thru Liberty Mutual. Then they doubled our insurance policy and we went back to State Farm which was a lot more then we could afford. I found Progressive after Liberty Mutual left us stranded on the side of the road in Maine. Not sure where but I know it was north of Acadia. A kind motorist helped us change the tire and on we went. When we got home I called Progressive and they offered us a fab deal on auto and RV. Their RV policy leaves me speechless. 6 almost 7 years running and still with them. But they do check your credit rating and after a year with home owners they doubled it. Nationwide is the only one we have for homeowners because Progressive won’t come down to what they offered us in the beginning. So I highly recommend Progressive for RV and auto but not homeowners.
What about the escapees plan?
Had a flat tire and Good Sam wanted to send a tow truck from 1500 miles away. Changed it myself. Another flat tire a few years later Good Sam couldn’t find anyone to change it. Hired a local guy who provided a receipt with his name, address and phone number and when I submitted that to Good Sam they refused to reimburse me as they said they called this guy to verify the charge and the phone was now disconnected. Reading the comments on this thread I think I will check into Coach-Net.
I had a flat tire on my PU camper passenger side on a narrow mountain road. In order to get to the tire I had to unhook my camper and raise it to get to the spare. A Les Schwab truck passed by, stopped, backed up and asked to help. Luckily he had a compressor, blew up the tire and got us to a wide spot to change the tire. We got the tire changed and followed him to the store and got the tire fixed and replaced. The charge was $0.00. The store manager said the next time I was looking for tires think of Les Schwab.
Have NEVER had a bad experience at LS. Friendliest bunch of people ever. I stop in once in a while when I am having a bad day just for the kind treatment. Maybe LS should provide roadside service….I’d sign up for it.
Dropped Good Sam last year. First instance they left me stranded for a whole day with a flat tire. Kept promising someone was on the way but never happened. When someone finally did show up 9 hrs after the first call (admittingly it was on a Sunday) the person installing the spare overtightened the lugs and the next time the wheel had to come off 4 of the studs snapped off.
Second time was for a slow leak (bad valve stem) and on a weekday in a major metro area they could not find someone to change a tire. Was in a WalMart parking lot so I asked the auto service shop if they could change the tire even though they usually don’t work on trailers. They said OK and I was soon on my way.
Switched to Coach Net based on reviews but have not had to use them yet.
16 yrs FT – We’ve only been left on the side of the road twice. First time I didn’t even call our roadside company, Progressive. I found the entities I needed and made arrangements myself, all within an hour. Years ago without an iPhone I couldn’t have done this. I later got reimbursed for the tow.
Second time was 2 miles from my son’s house, headed for winter climes. Was able to diagnose the issue, contacted a mobile diesel mechanic, back on the road in 5 hrs.
Been pretty lucky.
I’ve been very fortunate that in my seven years of RVing, I’ve never had to call AAA for any roadside assistance for my 40+ year old class C.
Only used Coach-Net once. Class B, in my driveway, would not start – computer went bad. It took no time at all to contact Coach-Net and have a flat bed truck there to load and take it to the dealer. Coach-net covers all of my vehicles. Dropped AAA when we got the RV.
I did your survey but it didn’t ask how long ago I used the GS roadside assistance, I used it about 15 years ago for a flat tire on my Harley before Marcus bought it and the ratings went downhill. I have now switched to Coach Net.
After having AAA for five decades for my autos and two consecutive RVs I switched to Good Sam after a horrible experience. My new RV is 10’ tall and weighs over 9000 lbs. I had a flat tire on the I10 near Palm Springs and called for help. The first truck came fairly quickly and was able to tell me I had no spare. Never heard of such a thing! But, his truck was unable to handle my rig, even though I clearly told the dispatcher what I had. Didn’t realize they wouldn’t know the specs. Then after several increasingly agitated (on my part) calls as freeway traffic zoomed past feet from my vehicle they finally (four hours later) sent a truck that could handle my RV. What I found out later is that AAA is not one big organization but many regional ones. Just because you get great service in Oregon doesn’t mean that you will in California.
True about regional. Had a flat on my Class C several years ago in Yosemite. AAA couldn’t decide if I was in NorCal region or Socal region. Took an hour for them to decide to send a truck from Mono Lake area to change my tire. Then I had to pay the service on site because of the snafu with the regional problem. Supposed to get reimbursed from NorCal, which took a really long time. I dropped AAA and have Coach-Net and have been very pleased with them the two times I’ve used them.
Our only experience was with our toad – I goofed & left the key off instead of accessory position and we completely lost the left front tire on the freeway. We were able to get the “donut” on & limp to the rest area. We called a tow service and tire shop directly, then called State Farm. We didn’t know we were supposed to call State Farm first, but they confirmed we were OK & had help on the way. (Now we know call them first). We were towed 50 miles to the tire shop, put 4 new tires on and were on the road, making our intended destination only a few hours late. Once we had an itemized bill/invoice, they processed the claim and expedited it. We got a full reimbursement for the $500+ tow bill.
In the photo with the caption “California launches no out of pocket cost solar programs’ you have the wrong picture. That photo is the governor of Florida pictured.
you are looking at an ad. It is random and not under control of RV travel.
Thanks, Jewel. You are correct. Have a great day. 😀 -Diane
Just wanted to say that I appreciate your comments (Diane), you are like the teacher in the classroom keeping things in control. Lately, the tone and tenor of comments has been very pleasant. Thank you Ms. Diane.
Awww, thank you very much, Larry. I really appreciate your kind words. That’s the first time in my almost-76 years I’ve been referred to as a “teacher”. 😉 Have a great day! 😀 –Diane
Russ, I’ll be VERY interested to see the results of all this.
I have never used ERS, but I’ve never had a major breakdown either. I’m with AAA right now, even though it doesn’t get good reviews for RV support… I like the DMV services. Looking forward to the summary of the survey results… thanks for the good work.
We have Coach-Net now after a debacle with AAA…however, my wife has AAA (basic) for the services mentioned above.
Roadside Service companies can vary greatly but the actual service providers they use are generally all the same. In rural areas where most RV’ers are traveling, there is only 1 service provider in the whole county or area. And that service provider does work for any and all of the Roadside Assistance companies. So the actual service performed will be identical. The difference comes when it’s time to pay and what services are covered under your contract. That can be the most frustrating part of the whole service experience. This also applies to manufacturers Roadside Assistance programs as well as independent providers.
I don’t buy roadside emergency service insurance. I use the money to buy tools and parts to do the work myself. I don’t have heavy 22.5” tires to deal with. I get a little annoyed with articles that advise taking problems to a “certified RV technichian” rather than describing how to do a repair. I like Dave Solberg’s articles that describe how to make repairs. RV use is much less stressful if the owner knows how to keep the systems working rather than waiting hours, days, or forever for help to arrive. In case of an accident, use the money saved on insurance to pay local help.
I have ERS as part of my auto policy. I’ve used it 3 times and have had a positive experience each time.
I don’t get all the bells and whistles that you get with the other services. But, for basic jump starts, tire plugging and spare tire installs it’s fine. The cost of $36 seems like a good value.
Oh, most of the repair/towing companies are supporting most of the ERS companies; seems like the big difference is who is doing the initial in take call.
Good idea for an article. Like all insurance, you never really know until you need it. Fortunately I haven’t ever had to use it – yet ….
I have been a Coach-Net Member since May 2010. Won’t ever leave them unless I give up RVing completely. They have been GREAT!
Nope. Not going to go to the trouble of filling in a survey. You have to just pay your money and take your chances. My experience with roadside assistance is a lot like extended warranties. If you want or need service quick its best to save the membership fees to pay for the tow or RV tech that will get you back on the road fastest. My last experience was being left on the side of a busy freeway on Hwy 59 in a Houston suburb because GS couldn’t find an in-program tow truck. That’s not the only excuse, but that’s the most outragious one I’ve been given.