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963 online
Server Time:
2024-05-03 19:08:29
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 lil-trouble
    
Location: Ohio
Gender: Female
Just a little trouble
 |  |  | AAA
< on 4/22/2009 2:17 PM >
|  | | | I have recently come to the conclusion that every active Urban Explorer should have a membership with AAA. I say this not as an advertisement but with two very convenient reasons in mind.
1. Members are provided a map service. It does not matter if you plan to make a trip across the country or just across your own town. You can have maps and other related material sent to your front door.
AND....
2. The card that every member receives is worth up to $1,000 in bail!!
Anything you can do, I can do better!! |
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pinchy
  
Location: Minneapolis
Gender: Male
| | Re: AAA
<Reply # 1 on 5/1/2009 4:44 AM >
| | | | Some friends and I were exploring a drain one late night.
Exploration went well -- however, the driver locked his keys in the car.
AAA arranged for a tow truck to drive out to the remote park (we barely knew the street names) in the wee hours of the morning to get it unlocked for us. We had time to get a beer.
So yes, get AAA!
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junkyard
Location: LaCrosse, WI
Gender: Male
Strategic Beer Command where the metal hits the meat.
| |  | Re: AAA
<Reply # 2 on 5/1/2009 1:23 PM >
| | | | It is a good deal for you. As a guy who used to own a tow truck and dealt with their BS for several years before dropping them like a rock for not paying shit or at all, I have to say it's not such a good deal for a guy with a tow truck and a family. It would be great if I just LOVED to help assholes I don't know for less than enough to cover my end. But I don't and they never offered to fix my truck when it broke, because there wasn't enough left with what they pay. ANd then when they screw you out of a few miles on each call, it costs you more time than it's worth to get some of them back. Truth is it used to be better years ago when they didn't check miles and companies would put the screws to them to get paid the cost of doing business. But they wrecked it for everyone by getting too greedy Although I do have to say bigger companies do get better rates than small ones. But the biggest and ONLY way to make money is when you get the broke down car to YOUR shop and get the repair. They always try to send it to the FIRST shop on their list, in alphabetical order of course. Since my shop started with an S, I didn't see the point in paying them $500 per year to get on that list. The shop I was told by AAA to haul the vehicle to was never notified so the customer might wait a few days to get in, not a bad deal for someone from out of town. And the biggest kick in the nuts came to the vehicle owner, they were never told by AAA what shop THEY requested. I always thought it was funny how someone from Georgia would know exactly what Ford dealership, in my town, they wanted to take their Dodge to for service. I asked AAA that once and they weren't too happy and told me 'Yes they asked for it to be towed to ********** Ford' So I told my wrecker guy I'd take this call. I met the customer and hooked up and when they got in I asked ' So you want me to tow it to my shop?' They said yeah, I just want to get it fixed and get going, never did mention the Ford dealer. They are good at business. You even get docked if you don't get there in under 30 min no matter what. Even if the call is 40 miles away and your guy doesn't eat, sleep, and shit in the truck. Or if the first few guys can't take the call and 20 min goes by before they get ahold of you, the clock is running when the customer hangs up with AAA. Now you have 50 some miles to cover in under 10 min. Even the Night Train couldn't make it. That happened alot when rates didn't go up and gas was hitting $3.50/gal. They were 'working' on it. But in their defence, they are quite a bit better than Cross Country ot USAC. The latter of which doesn't own a globe.
I drink gasoline for breakfeast and beer for dinner!
Any problem can be licked with a case of beer and a few sticks of dynamite.
Strategic Beer Command ruling the desert since 1995 http://www.strategic-beer-command.com |
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PAexplorations
Location: Pennsylvania
Gender: Female
Medication Time...
| | Re: AAA
<Reply # 3 on 5/1/2009 8:11 PM >
| | | | Has AAA and i dont even have a car anymore and also signed my kid up for it too...
Your hand is staining my window. |
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Agent Skelly
 
Web Sheriff
Location: Oregon Territory
Gender: Male
Prenez De L'Avance Avec Chrysler!
| |  | | | Re: AAA
<Reply # 4 on 5/1/2009 9:03 PM >
| | | | I get Roadside assistance service from my insurance company for actually WAY cheaper.
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junkyard
Location: LaCrosse, WI
Gender: Male
Strategic Beer Command where the metal hits the meat.
| | | Re: AAA
<Reply # 5 on 5/2/2009 6:13 PM >
| | | | I know, lots of CC and USAC, same with cell phone roadside assistance too. And Onstar, they rarely pay their bills, so I made sure I got right on those. After I dropped CC they would still call sometimes when none of their current providers would feel like rolling a truck either. I've kept people waiting for up to 4 hours I finally told the CC guy that if they gave me a credit card # and paid their old bills (about $2500) I'd go help this poor soul. I felt bad for the guy, but that's what happens when people don't pay their bills, I got like no gas or give a shit for them. Sucks the guy had to be punished for using such a shady company, but I bet he went with a better one after that. Guess you can't promise prompt service to customers and not pay the grunts. As stupid as we are, even we don't like being shit on.
I drink gasoline for breakfeast and beer for dinner!
Any problem can be licked with a case of beer and a few sticks of dynamite.
Strategic Beer Command ruling the desert since 1995 http://www.strategic-beer-command.com |
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Agent Skelly
Web Sheriff
Location: Oregon Territory
Gender: Male
Prenez De L'Avance Avec Chrysler!
| | | | | Re: AAA
<Reply # 6 on 5/2/2009 6:33 PM >
| | | | Posted by junkyard
I know, lots of CC and USAC, same with cell phone roadside assistance too. And Onstar, they rarely pay their bills, so I made sure I got right on those. After I dropped CC they would still call sometimes when none of their current providers would feel like rolling a truck either. I've kept people waiting for up to 4 hours I finally told the CC guy that if they gave me a credit card # and paid their old bills (about $2500) I'd go help this poor soul. I felt bad for the guy, but that's what happens when people don't pay their bills, I got like no gas or give a shit for them. Sucks the guy had to be punished for using such a shady company, but I bet he went with a better one after that. Guess you can't promise prompt service to customers and not pay the grunts. As stupid as we are, even we don't like being shit on.
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I find that interesting; the few tow truck drivers I know around here said OnStar and everyone else had no billing issues.
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junkyard
Location: LaCrosse, WI
Gender: Male
Strategic Beer Command where the metal hits the meat.
| | | Re: AAA
<Reply # 7 on 5/2/2009 7:43 PM >
| | | | It's the customers that don't pay the overage mostly, but if your driver dyslexia's 2 #'s in the VIN, they don't pay unless you call a dozen times and finally get someone nice or new enough to slide it by. The trouble is the driver already got paid, I don't. If that happens I get stuck paying for the privelage of towing a car. It should be the other way around. One time I had to keep a nice car after I towed it about 200 miles and had to tow it back because I wasn't going to get paid. They finally paid when the owner got pissed at them and I charged them a night's storage, there, back, and there again, plus 4 hours trying to find one of their providers in the area to drop it that would cut me a check. But like any other business, the bigger you are and /or the more they need you, the more pull you have. Bigger companies in bigger towns get better rates. Some bozo in BFE like me, not so much. I was a repair shop, the towing was just to get stuff in the door. The shop always carried the trucks.
I drink gasoline for breakfeast and beer for dinner!
Any problem can be licked with a case of beer and a few sticks of dynamite.
Strategic Beer Command ruling the desert since 1995 http://www.strategic-beer-command.com |
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pinchy
Location: Minneapolis
Gender: Male
| | Re: AAA
<Reply # 8 on 5/3/2009 5:48 AM >
| | | | Posted by junkyard
It is a good deal for you. As a guy who used to own a tow truck and dealt with their BS for several years before dropping them like a rock for not paying shit or at all, I have to say it's not such a good deal for a guy with a tow truck and a family.
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Thanks for inside look at the "other" side that few people see. Can you recommend a roadside assistance company that is good?
Incidentally, for their listing fee, do they offer any level of assurance or guarantee as to how many referrals/calls you'll get?
When you dropped them, did they try to retain you?
Business processes/models are always interesting to me, which is why I ask.
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junkyard
Location: LaCrosse, WI
Gender: Male
Strategic Beer Command where the metal hits the meat.
| | | Re: AAA
<Reply # 9 on 5/3/2009 4:29 PM >
| | | | AAA was hands down the best. But high fuel prices put an end to that. At 6-8 MPG on a good day, that's a huge dent. At the beginning we'd get $18.95 for hookup and $40 was what was going rate at the time. It did finally go up to around $22, but much after gas had been up for some time. The wrecker guy got 40%. So that leaves the other 60 for truck payment, insurance, repairs, registration, fuel, and then profit. That gives $7.58 to the driver to get up at 2 am and change a tire in the rain. The easier money is in the long hauls. Taking stolen cars back to Chicago or MSP at full rate was much nicer when the bill can be more than $1000. Storage at $25/day was great when insurance companies forgot the car was there for a few weeks. But in the end the services would run the wheels off the trucks, saying you had such volume. But there was nothing left after you got paid. Yeah I'd get some big checks at the end of the month, but I paid all that out and then some. And I made my point to them. SO they did not try to keep me. They picked another guy in town. The same one that bought one of my old trucks and has many old trucks and does roadside service. I have ended up with quite a few of those people, so it was good for business, to some extent. I had to actually fix the real problem, or the new ones created by his wrecker guys that lived in the roach motel. There is a differnece between a some goof ball and a master tech. And man did he charge. He also owes a butload in back taxes. Something I opted not to do and got out while I still could. Had it not been for the gas prices, and if werckers got 20/gal, or this shittastic economy, I'd still be doing what I love and had been doing for the last 16 years. The wrecker business in a Barney Fife town always pissed me off, but I loved the repair and maintenence end. I miss some of my customers the most, as evil as mechanics are, I made some friends and hell even a few actually enjoyed having their veichles serviced there. As far as the fee you talked about, there was an unwritten guarantee on how many I'd get. None. My shop started with an S and there are alot of letters before that. I had to take it upon myself to invite them in. After all it is the customer's car and THEIR say, not AAA's. I was big on that. It is amazing how many people think you can just go change stuff on their car and charge them. Without permission, you either have to put their old stuff back on or eat it if you can't con them into paying for it. BAD business practice. By law in WI you are entitled to an estimate first and it can only be exceeded by 10% to cover unforseen things without securing customer permission first. Any more and you have to call. Now if they don't want to I am not required to finish the job, I don't work for free either. But that is rarely a problem. You are entitled to have your own parts back, but cores, like master cylinders and such you would have to pay the core charge for in order to keep it, not that anyone really wants to. I always liked showing people what's wrong, so they can see it and explaining how a system works so they can make an informed decision about what repair is best for them. There are always options. Not everyone has the same paycheck or circumstances. They pick what will work best for them, as long as it isn't a cobble job, because my name is on every job thatleaves my shop. For that they were VERY free to go someplace else. There's a few little tidbits for anyone stranded somewhere. There are crooks in the business, as with all businesses. And there are more that are not. At least that's what I have seen and like to believe. But knowing the law can help in these situations.
I drink gasoline for breakfeast and beer for dinner!
Any problem can be licked with a case of beer and a few sticks of dynamite.
Strategic Beer Command ruling the desert since 1995 http://www.strategic-beer-command.com |
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Agent Skelly
Web Sheriff
Location: Oregon Territory
Gender: Male
Prenez De L'Avance Avec Chrysler!
| | | | | Re: AAA
<Reply # 10 on 5/4/2009 5:23 AM >
| | | | Posted by junkyard
AAA was hands down the best.
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I take it you were not centrally dispatched by AAA; it sounds like you just got a call from AAA says "Hey, can you pickup Joe Fuckup and his Volvo?".
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AnAppleSnail
Location: Charlotte, NC
Gender: Male
ALL the flashlights!
| | | | Re: AAA
<Reply # 11 on 5/4/2009 5:33 AM >
| | | | 100 mile towing radius add-on.
Achievement Unlocked
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junkyard
Location: LaCrosse, WI
Gender: Male
Strategic Beer Command where the metal hits the meat.
| | | Re: AAA
<Reply # 12 on 5/5/2009 2:57 AM >
| | | | Yup, came down from wherever the call center was located, last was Omaha, NE But the rep was from Madison, She was hot. Later she became a he and then 2 more he's. Every call from them comes down from the chain O command. Point is in the beginning it wasn't all bad, but got progressively worse, until it wasn't even in the league of profitable anymore. They used to be good about working with you, but as the economy tightened, so did their grip. And I said fuck it. I did what was best for my family.......and not for them. Don't look back either. I'm upset, but don't look back.
I drink gasoline for breakfeast and beer for dinner!
Any problem can be licked with a case of beer and a few sticks of dynamite.
Strategic Beer Command ruling the desert since 1995 http://www.strategic-beer-command.com |
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secretdestroyers
Location: Baltimore
Gender: Male
| | | Re: AAA
<Reply # 13 on 5/26/2009 6:57 AM >
| | | | no one has even touched the bail part. i was all excited and then i looked and it's only for " motor vehicle violations with exceptions as detailed in the guide to member services" so unless i start only trespassing in building in my car it'd not really going to help.
SD
F this I"m going exploring! |
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LauraL42
Location: Knoxville, TN
Gender: Female
| | Re: AAA
<Reply # 14 on 9/27/2009 6:16 AM >
| | | | Every time I call AAA (have to admit its more than your average joe ;) ) they have told me my bill was unpaid but all the other bills were. I also got stuck without gas. They wanted me to pay ten bucks on site for them to bring me a gallon. I only had ten. They would not just bill it to me.
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junkyard
Location: LaCrosse, WI
Gender: Male
Strategic Beer Command where the metal hits the meat.
| | | Re: AAA
<Reply # 15 on 9/28/2009 3:37 AM >
| | | | I had a guy like that too. Cost Him about $75 for 3 gal. He wrote me a check and it bounced. That happens once in awhile or by the numbers about 30% of the time. He could have filled up at the last town, but didn't. He was a mile from my town on the Interstate. I had to drive to the other town to turn around and back again, taking an hour out of my day at $65 an hour if I was wrenching. You can;t use the turn arounds in District 5 ( luckily my disrtict with the State Patrol) without running the chance of a $200 fine. I didn't know the guy from Adam and wasn't going to risk it. We used to be able to bend the rules if we had our ambers on. But as they say, Boys there's a new Sheriff in town. I didn't agree with it, but was not in the position to go against the system. That poor bastard ended up in court and paid more than the $75. I got lucky that time. Life's a bitch is all I can say. But when it comes to giving some fool a break or feeding my daughter, guess what. He can fuckin sit, I'll keep working on what I was doing, and I get home a bit earlier. Less work for more money, yeah I'm all about that. Had I been more of a dick, I'd probably still be in business.
I drink gasoline for breakfeast and beer for dinner!
Any problem can be licked with a case of beer and a few sticks of dynamite.
Strategic Beer Command ruling the desert since 1995 http://www.strategic-beer-command.com |
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pmoradi2002
Location: Irvine, CA
Gender: Male
| | | Re: AAA
<Reply # 16 on 10/1/2009 6:14 PM >
| | | | Posted by lil-trouble
2. The card that every member receives is worth up to $1,000 in bail!!
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Elaborate.
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AnAppleSnail
Location: Charlotte, NC
Gender: Male
ALL the flashlights!
| | | | Re: AAA
<Reply # 17 on 10/1/2009 8:12 PM >
| | | | Posted by pmoradi2002
Elaborate.
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From ww1.aaa.com
The $1,000 Guaranteed Arrest Bond is for use if you are arrested for a covered minor traffic violation. It's just like having $1,000 in your wallet. For more serious covered traffic violations, you are protected with a $5,000 Bail Bond Certificate, which is secured by calling the nearest AAA office. Bail Bonds are insured by General Insurance Company of America. The AAA Bail Bond Certificate is provided on your statement. For your convenience, please detach the certificate and keep with your membership card. If lost or misplaced, you can call 1-800-222-1134 or visit your local AAA branch office.
Just for car stuff, like the rest of the card.
Achievement Unlocked
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Azubi.UK
Location: UK / KSA
Gender: Male
| | | Re: AAA
<Reply # 18 on 10/15/2009 2:01 PM >
| | | | I've had to use breakdown cover on my last two big exploring trips. I recommends it! Nothing worse than setting off on a few hundred mile drive at silly o'clock in the morning when no garages are open only to break down.
Rather amusingly, I last broke down when I was trying to make my dastardly getaway from an asylum we had just hit. Ended up slamming it outside security (just driving by and it died, honest) and waiting there for the recovery van to come and sort us out. Spent the time chatting to security about all you evil little sick bastards who break into asylums to make security companies look bad. I'm fairly sure he knew we had been in but we both played the game.
The 11th Commandment: Don't get caught! |
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N1Hawk
Location: Ajax, Ontario, Canada
Gender: Male
| | Re: AAA
<Reply # 19 on 11/1/2009 9:55 PM >
| | | | I've got CAA in Canada here basically the same as AAA in the states and it's awesome. It has helped me when I have left my lights on and locked my keys in the car. I get 4 calls a year to help with any type of emergency!
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