Good Sam Roadside Assistance versus Coach Net

[bebop]

I just tried to sign up with coach net but they aren't taking any apps from California.

They seem to have all the other states and Canada in their applications but not California.

I sent them an email but no reply-- dunno. May just go with Good Sam some more.

[MariaP]

Does anyone have any information or insight as to the other road side assistance providers. I am the owner of a 35' pusher and I have some mechanical knowledge. I guess you can't be prepared for everything but I would like to get some feedback on other providers as well. Thanks.

[luckydog1949]

We've had both at different times since we started in RVs in 1992. You will have problems with them both and, at times, will become very frustrated at being stranded, abandoned, and having to argue with the company's representative to get what you're paying for. Recently left Coach Net and went back with Good Sam Emergency Service.... Got tired of arguing with Coach Net reps who obviously knew absolutely nothing about RVs whenever I actually had to call them. We'll see how it goes this year. If it goes as expected, I'll check into FMCA coverage for the following year...

[rossw01]

Couldn't get my coach to turnover this morning at a campground about 15 miles west of Pueblo, CO. I called Good Sam roadside assistance. All started out good. They told me they would send me out a mobile repair tech in an hour and that I was responsible for the 125.00/hour shop charge. The tech arrived on time and began trouble shooting. He couldn't figure out the problem. Said it needed to be towed to the shop so it could be hooked up to the computer. I said Ok. I called Good Sam to tell them I needed to have it towed to the shop. They said OK but it's on your dime because we already sent a tech out. Hmmm....something didn't sound right. They sent the tech out to fix, the tech couldn't fix. So they were off the hook for the towing bill. OOOOOK.

I started reading some forums regarding my issue and found out that a fuse located on the battery cable might have blown. I looked and there was a fuse blown. Changed the fuse and my coach started. I called the repair shop and cancelled the tow.

Here is where it gets interesting. I just got a call from the repair shop. They said the Allstate (Good Sam) would only cover 75 bucks of the bill. Thats the service charge. They will not cover the time it takes to get from the shop to the RV location and return trip to the shop. Maybe I didn't read the fine print on the Good Sam RS assistance website but something smells like a skunk here. I ended up paying the shop 235.00 for the service that didn't happen. So, what if I got a tow. Do they just pay for the tow and not the hourly labor charge for the shop?

[Buckeye707]

For years we had travel trailers and a 5th wheel prior to getting a motor home. We had always had Good Sam but when we purchased our motor home (8-2010) we went with Coach Net Premimum. While we had Good Sam I can only remember of 2 times we needed their service and it was provided. Since we have had Coach Net we have tried to use them twice. Once for a flat tire in 2011. At that time they couldn't understand where we were on a major US route in Florida, even after giving them our GPS coordinates. We were on the roadside for over 3 hours, they said they couldn't find anyone with a matching tire, new or used. Finally a wrecker driver that was going by stopped and after looking at the tire called his office and they had a good used spare at the right size. He went and got the tire and returned mounting and installing it at a very reasonable price. Coach Net was still looking for a tire at this point. It should be noted that we had to call them back several times for updates while we waited, next to impossible to get back the the original rep we were talking with, and they don't call you.

Now (5/2014) we were actually on the same road when our tow dolly lost the left wheel, tire, hub and all,just the spindle left. Never did find it either. Anyway, again we got the same treatment from the Coach Net rep. They don't call you back. I had told them the tow dolly had to be towed as it could not be fixed along side the road. The rep said we were not covered to have the tow dolly towed and would not check our membership at our request because I was sure we were covered. We were on the side of the road for 3 hours again and finally we just were about to abandon the tow dolly when a good Samaritan stopped with a flat bed truck. He only lived a few miles from where we do and offered to take the tow dolly on his truck back to the town we live in. I should add that he refused any compensation for his trouble. After we got the tow dolly onto his flat bed truck we left to continue onto our destination. We had went about 50 miles or so when the Coach Net rep calls and said she made a mistake and could send a wrecker to get the tow dolly as we were covered. That was a bit late. I asked for a supervisor to call me and was assured one would. The next day I called Coach Net again (twice) and asked for a supervisor to call me. To date no one has called. It appears they hire people that have no clue as to what is going on out on the road. They don't really want you to call in and they don't call back with updates. There is no excuse letting someone sit along side the road for 3 hours or more. I consider myself to be pretty easy going and not excitable, but this company needs to work on their customer service.

Will we stay with Coach Net is still debatable at this time. Good Sam seems to have about the same problems from what I have read. Maybe it is the sign of the times, reps working for minimum wage and just want to get their day over with, I don't know. But when one pays for a service, that service should be prompt and courteous.

Like the poster above, are there any other options other than Good Sam or Coach Net that provide a good dependable service?

[dickandlois]

Road Service is one item that we purchase and hope we never need.

Have used Coach Net, Good Sams and AAA+RV over the years.

At times they provide excellent response times and then there have been times when they have been very slow, in regards to getting to our location.

Our solution has been to have 2 road service contracts and hope one of them has a good contractor in the area.

I keep reminding myself that using the service just once by any of them pays me back quickly. The cost of towing a Diesel Coach per mile is expensive and adds up real fast.

As mentioned, sometimes its locating a tire and at other times getting a wrecker the proper size.

Regarding follow up to our need(s). Coach Net was poor at the time I used there service.

Good Sam's has been very good at keeping us in the loop, regarding the expected time of arrival and issues like finding a tire has accrued.

AAA road Service has been very good regarding calling us back and keeping us informed.

Having said that, There are times when areas they cover have fallen short of ones expectations.

They all contract out the service to local / area towing and service companies and they are not all created equal.

Rich.

[geep59]

My Good Sam Experience:

1. About 20 years ago I called for a flat battery. Truck arrived at time I was told (45 minutes, from other side of city), and on my way . No charge

2. About 12 years ago - Broke down HARD - steam coming from under the hood and engine frozen; no cell phone. After 3 hours Good Sam said "we can't find anyone to help you there, find your own help and send us the bill" (never did-see Allstate below). Called my former next door neighbor who drove a tow truck. No problem.....

My Allstate experience:

About 12 years ago - before good Sam incident - Broke down HARD as above. Called Allstate "we can't find anyone to help you there, find your own help and send us the bill". When I did, I got a letter back saying "we are prohibited BY LAW in YOUR STATE from reimbursing you." Ate the cost. (This breakdown required rebuilt engine and computer. Drove it less than a year when the second Good Sam incident happened; rebuilt engine had failed. Dealer towed unit 150 mi to his shop, repaired, and delivered it back to me. Sometimes you DO win!)

My Coach Net experience in the last 2 years:

1. Flat tire in my own driveway. Coach Net sent 18 wheeler qualified truck and mech to change, 1 hr wait and most of that was his travel time. No charge.

2. Locked my keys in my car (oh, no - not my motorhome....I had a hideout key on it). Coach Net sent unlocker in 45 minutes, opened it in 3 minutes and handed me my keys, no charge.

I think I'll stay with Coach Net.

[ultraglide]

I have never had coach net. Always had good sam. Never had a problem either with my coach or private car.

[manholt]

I have Good Sam, been with them since they started! Have on occasion had some problems, but they where all resolved. Have had Coach Net

and found them to be good also. They too have problems. It's not a perfect world and human error happens. I dropped Coach Net because

they charge more.

If you have a bad experience, like Donald L did, then send a mail to Mr. Lemonis, CEO....he does respond!

[JLastar]

Over the years I have had both GS and CN

In 07 when I bought my coach it came with Coachnet. For that I was grateful as Monaco, I think, built mine during the marijuana harvest. But that's another story.

Coachnet was great and, because of my Monaco coach problems, I used them regularly. My problem was in Alaska. If you have driven the Alaska Highway you will probably understand. About 30 miles toward Alaska from Whitehorse my radiator sprung a leak. I had protected it but perhaps the rock went up and over my protection or perhaps a seam split. So I parked along side the road and my wife drove back to WH to call Coachnet. When she reached them they insisted on knowing the cross streets.after about 10 minutes of talk she convinced them there were no cross streets but had mile markers.

Then they told her that the tow would not be covered if it was a rock that caused the leak. She told them she didn't know what caused the leak and the shop would have to figure it out.

Whether it CN or GS they only have one tow truck that can haul a 40 foot MH. So it was sent.. I can't complain about the time, probably 4 to 6 hours. The driver was polite. He didn't see a need to disconnect the drive-shaft but I insisted and he did it. He also destroyed the front air bag regulator wen he hooked it up. He towed us back to WH and to a shop he felt was the best for us. I think he was correct. I told them what we were told about the rock and radiator by coachnet.

When we got the radiator back the next day I was quite a surprise to find that a seam had split causing the leak. So the tow was covered.

I had to pay everything up front because the shop wouldn't deal with coach-net because of unreliable payments. I was told that if I had GS there wouldn't have been any problem. They paid their bills on time and I wouldn't have had to pay of the tow.

I don't fault CN for the driver as GS would probably have sent the same guy.

My problem was with their Dispatcher and Coach-net's policy about radiators. When my contract was up I switched GS and haven't had a problem with their service or contractors.

Coach-net did finally reimburse me for the tow but it never should have happened in the first place.

I'm happy to see the competition between the two companies and wish there were more companies available.

If you are driving to AK I wouldn't leave home without some type of ERS. Sometimes the distances are great between where you break down and the nearest shop so be sure you have unlimited mileage. And check you policy to see if a rock caused leak is covered.

[jana0623]

Interesting story. I've had Good Sam ERS for several years and used them a few times with no issues. This last time, we picked up something on the road on I-15 about 12 miles south of Nephi, Utah that did significant damage in the engine compartment of our 40 ft. Country Coach DP.

Called Good Sam, and a mechanic/driver came out, figured out that he couldn't fix it on the side of the road, and went back and got his flat bed trailer to haul it what amounted to about 20 miles back to Nephi. They dropped us off at an RV park next door to the shop where we stayed for the five weeks it took to do the repairs (yes, it's a long story).

In talking with the proprietor of the towing/Truck repair business, he stated that they have always had trouble getting paid by Good Sam ERS (handled by Allstate). Since it was a road hazard, our collision insurance (National Interstate) covered the repairs, including picking up the majority of the towing that Good Sam wouldn't cover.

Worked out for us, but I'm thinking about whether we should switch. Maybe I need to read my policy to see if I can just drop both and use National Interstate.

[desertdeals69]

In listening to what everybody seems to be saying there is a lot of problems with any of the roadside services available. I have never had any of them. I do carry some spare parts and at least one spare tire and wheel and on long trip I usually carry an extra tire. My insurance company includes towing to the nearest repair facility so I don't see the need for anything else. I have had to be towed once in over 400k miles and 38 years due to mechanical break down, injector pump. When getting towed I would not let it be hung on a hook with the driveshaft disconnected. Use only a rollback truck. I have a 32 ft diesel pusher and I had a tow dolly on it. It would have held a 42-45 footer with no problems.

[oberent]

I am a relative newbie with RVs, and have never deal with Coach Net. I did break down outside of Santa Fe, NM on I 25 and called Good Sam. They could not find a tow vehicle to remove me from the highway until the next day. State Police said I was not in a safe position. A mobile mechanic called a tow company to get me the 3 miles to the repair shop which GS recommended and I was moved. I attempted to get some reimbursment from GS for the tow. They went out of their way to find reasons why they could not give me any money. I will never deal with them again and will use CoachNet or the new FMCA program.

PC Ober

2005 Country Coach Allure

Tucson , AZ

[bikeryder]

I am a newbie, I drive an 03' Monaco Cayman 36BPD, live in California and am wondering how good Coach-Net would be for me as most of my traveling is within California? I read the following disclaimer on Coach-Net's website;

"Benefits and services provided by Coach-Net RV, Inc. except in California where benefits and services are provided by National Motor Club of California, Inc. and in Massachusetts where benefits and services are provided by National Motor Club-Group Services, Inc. This is a brief summary of program benefits. Limitations, restrictions & exclusions apply. If there are any conflicts between this document and the Benefit Guide, the Benefit Guide shall govern. A Benefit Guide will be sent upon issue of membership."

Why is California not serviced by Coach-Net RV? Could this become problematic?

[thestoloffs]

"Benefits and services provided by Coach-Net RV, Inc. except in California where benefits and services are provided by National Motor Club of California, Inc. and in Massachusetts where benefits and services are provided by National Motor Club-Group Services, Inc. This is a brief summary of program benefits. Limitations, restrictions & exclusions apply. If there are any conflicts between this document and the Benefit Guide, the Benefit Guide shall govern. A Benefit Guide will be sent upon issue of membership."

Why is California not serviced by Coach-Net RV? Could this become problematic?

Probably not.

California & Massachusetts likely have insurance restrictions that would make it simpler for CoachNet & its parent (National Motor Club) to set up separate subsidiaries to serve those states.

It's the same reason why many insurance companies have different subs (---- Property & Casualty of XX, etc.).