American Automobile Association [AAA]
Reviews and Complaints

I have been a member of AAA for 33 years, and currently a PLUS member. On sunday November 28th 2021, my family and I were driving back from Chicago to ohio and got stranded on the side of Ohio turnpike (80/90), at mile marker 10, around 1:30pm. (4 hours from home) Called AAA and was told they'd get someone to us asap, but to call 911 in the meantime, even though it wasn't an emergency. There were 4 of us and the rep told us they couldn't transport all of us and could we have someone pick us up. We could not as we were 4 hours from home. Rep said she'll alert her supervisor. Gave them our location coordinates, and member ID [protected], and my name Lehna Quereau. My boyfriend Andrew Bowers ended up giving his ID # of [protected] during the 2nd call so they could communicate with him, and confirmed she saw where we were as she said "yes, I see you are on Ohio turnpike 90 heading east at mile marker 10" We call 911 they tell us since it's not an emergency they will transfer us to local sheriff's dept. Local sherriff's dept says AAA won't pick us up on the Ohio turnpike, they'll dispatch a local tow truck driver. AAA NEVER told us they couldn't tow us off ohio turnpike. Once the local driver tows us to their garage, we call for status from AAA. They pull up my boyfriends and my information and tell us they had us in Michigan! NEVER did we tell them we were in Michigan! Between 4p & 7pm Andrew Bowers spoke with a AAA rep close to 10 times and each time was told "we we will get someone to you asap and driver will call 15-20 mins out". Each time we called for a status, we got the run around-several times telling us again they had us in Michigan, even after giving them a new location of a hotel, which is where the local tow truck driver told us we could hunker in while waiting. This was at 4pm. When both the sheriff dept and local tow truck driver tells us AAA won't pick anyone up on Ohio turnpike, and they are useless "our here", is sad, don't you think. And AAA says nothing and i'm PAYING FOR 100 MILES, is ridiculous! At one point in time Andrew Bowers was ON HOLD WITH AAA for 50 mins. During that time, a tow truck driver dispatched from AAA called US HIMSELF to alert he is on his way - about 45 mins out. First time in 6 hours we got that call. When the AAA rep got back on the phone after 50 mins she apologized saying she couldn't find the phone #. Not sure why she didn't keep coming back periodically, to talk to us to let us know what was going on, like a good customer service rep. Every representative was very unprofessional from minute 1. Had we known from the first phone call that they can't pick us up from the Ohio turnpike, we would have felt like we were treated respectfully with the truth, instead of having incorrect info provided throughout, including which is clearly a blanket statement. A friend finally got 3 out of the 4 of us. She drove 4 hours and managed to get to our location BEFORE AAA! This is uncalled for. Better communication should be needed. We were aware that anything outside of 100 miles, we would have to pay for, but nowhere does it say towing depends on location. I'm sure AAA records calls and you'll be able to listen to each and every call we made to AAA in those 6 hours. Based on the customer service we were provided, I am very close to cancelling my membership.

January 3rd, 2022, I called AAA for roadside assistance as my vehicle was stuck in mud off the side of a road in New Kensington, PA. After waiting for 2 hours, a towing company sends a large flat bed. The driver said that he couldn't guarantee that he wouldn't damage the car by pulling off the bumper. He didn't attempt to even hook up to try. He just said, wait for the ground to freeze and try driving out and then he left. First off, the hook and chain should be hooked to the under frame, not the bumper, but it appeared he didn't want to go under the car and just left.

My second issue is, I attempted to call AAA back to complain and not have the driver paid as he did absolutely nothing, but I could not get through as I was on hold listening to music for 50 minutes before giving up. I have been a member for 25 years and now intend to discontinue my membership.

12-27-21, I called customer service to ask if my enclosed trailer was covered under my Premier RV roadside assistance. Told the agent it was in my driveway on my property. The customer service agent told me yes it was and I went ahead and put in a service call. This process took me about 40 minutes on the phone, speaking with a total of 4 people on the first call. I received a text message request# 103168 and later was called by a local tow company. The tow company said they we told this service was NOT covered by AAA and I once again called AAA and was put on hold. Once I was connected to a customer service agent I was told that someone would look over my complaint and get back to me within 48 hours, all the while my trailer is stuck in my driveway.
This is the last straw for me as this is the 3rd time I have called AAA for roadside assistance and AAA has failed me. I dropped them after several years of being a member after I was on hold at 11 pm for 30 minutes on the side of the road. I was close to a local garage and they came and towed me home. Then in 2019 in Daytona Florida I called the help line 4 times and each time was disconnected when I made any selection on my phone keypad.
I promise to NEVER again pay any money to this company for the lack of service and false representation that they have given me over the years.

Membership # ending in 1768 aaa plus!
On 12/15/2021 I requested service for a flat tire... I was told I would receive service within 1 hour... 1.5 hours goes by, I call...22 min on hold and they hang up I call back... 17 min on hold hang up! I call again... 29 min on hold and promised 30 minutes... Again 1 hour goes by and nothing finally I had a someone offfer to help and put my spare on.. Aaa calls 5 hours later! Job was already done and I was 2 hours late for picking up my son!

Now again! 12/18 @ 930am I call to get a tow to the dealership to get my new tire... Promised 1 hour... 1.5 hours I call waited on hold for 33minutes and 51 seconds for a supervisor who promises 42 min... Now it is 1:13 pm and they call to leave me an automated message that it now will be another hour but I have to call them and again on hold for now over 20 minutes and holding for a supervisor again which is a 21 min wait time! I am going to miss the shop therefore without a vehicle till monday! I am so furious!

15/15/2021
I called AAA 844-222-8999at 11am, and was told 90 minutes to pick up my car. They then send me a text, saying 437pm is the new time, it is 558pm, and they have not picked up my car.
They do not answer the phones, and they do not care
I was told this is normal, so I spoke with a supervisor, and he assured me my car would be picked up at 437pm. I changed all my plans, and I was finally contacted by a tow truck driver, and he could not give me a realistic time when he would be there. He was not helpful, and was thinking it was funny
they make the customer so angry that they just hang up or snap
I have read all the negative reviews today, and they are all true
I am shocked as to how bad AAA really is, I am glad to learn this before I had a real emergency
I have many witnesses, all could not believe the lies

-Today I was auto-charged for 2021 policy price (a larger amount),
-Logged in online,
no information in my payment history this auto-charge is listed at all!
The only "payment due" listed is for 2022 policy in the amount of $10 due today.

So basically I was auto-charged the old policy price yet the online info perhaps should at least list 2022 policy due in with January due date rather than todays December date.

Call center was very vague as to whether my auto-payment "auto adjusts" to reflect new policy price (discounted). They said it it should but without firm assurance. More like oh wait until January... :/ lame.

I am a premiere member in Washington state, but am in Ohio due to a medical issue. Called AAA twice today for roadside service. The first call, I waited over an hour for service and no on called or came even though I was told the technician would be here within the hour. Because they did not come. I cancelled and said I would have to call back because of a preexisting appointment. I called again at 3:00pm and was told again within the hour. Four hours later no one called or showed up. I was in the bathroom and someone called, i called back within 2 minutes and the guy said he reported it as a "no service needed". I will never pay $171 to AAA ever again.

AAA Complaint
Aurel E. Stuart, Jr.
620 111 [protected] 4 -- Member Since 2001

On November 20, 2021, my car broke down in Bluffton, SC. I called AAA for a tow and when I finally got through was told it would occur in 90 minutes. After waiting the 90 minutes we tried repeatedly to establish contact but for 40 minutes it was all to no avail. When we finally made contact, we were told that the order was cancelled, that the Hilton Head tow service had no one available. No one notified us, and if we hadn't called, we'd still be waiting. Additionally, we were told there were no service companies available in or around the Bluffton area, and that the closest tow service was in North Charleston, SC. That company would take 1.5 hours to come to our aid. We declined.
We contacted Progressive Insurance and they had a tow truck available at our location in 15 minutes. Plus, the police had another tow company come and they arrived shortly after the first. We took advantage of the Progressive-ordered Tow truck and then had Uber drive us to our Hilton Head Home ($28).
What we find interesting is that both tow truck companies are authorized for AAA service, but no one contacted them.
This is the first time we have had a problem with AAA and we are now strongly considering cancelling the plan we have had in effect for more than 20 years.

Hello. My name is Brian Racki. I have been a "plus" member since 2002. My membership number is [protected].Tonight, my wife and I hit a pothole and got a flat tire in Swampscott, Massachusetts. I placed a call for roadside assistance at 10:15 p.m. I was told that we would receive help by 11:00 p.m. At 11:19 p.m. I received a call from your Rhode Island office telling me that there was no longer an estimated time of arrival and that I would receive an update within 25-30 minutes. That did not happen. At 12:13 a.m. I called 1-800-AAA-HELP for a status update. Your call center representative was apologetic but told me that he could not help us in any way and that whomever was supposed to service us had to finish their previous call. Luckily for us, and no thanks to AAA, a Swampscott police patrol unit found us and helped us change the tire. I have a bad back and a heart condition, part of the reason that I pay for a plus membership, but here I was sitting on the ground in the pouring rain after 1:00 a.m. My wife and I got safely home at 1:45 a.m. What is worse is that as I write this email, I have not cancelled the call. I want to see how long it is before I get a call saying that help is en route. It is now close to four hours since I placed a call for roadside assistance. I understand that some locations have staffing challenges, but this is totally unacceptable. I feel that I should be refunded the cost of my annual membership because your company did not keep its end of the contract. I would like to hear from a member of your corporate team. My email is [protected]@yahoo.com . If I am still awake when I get a call that "help is on the way" I will cancel the call, but I do not feel I owe your driver any advance notice. If it were up to your service, we would still be sitting there waiting. It is sad that after 20 years, I now question whether your organization has any value. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

RE: ​AAA Travel Confirmation# [protected]

On 10/22/21 and 9/19/21 I sent a fax, email and letter to AAA Headquarters, CalState AAA and AAA Travel Support but have not received a reply from either confirming receipt of my correspondence.

No response or updates for 3 hours after initial call at 5:30am (EST) on Friday, Nov 12. 2021. Atlanta, GA.

My daughter Marla Miler ([protected]) was told after 3 hrs that the driver (AAA) got off at 6:00am and the call was not passed on. There were no calls or updates because of that? However, my daughter kept calling for three hours and was not told this until 8:30am on that morning!

I have trusted AAA for more than 40 years. No longer! This is not the first time... My other daughter in Atlanta called for help and was told it would be 6 hrs before they could respond.

11/08/2021

429 014 [protected] 3
We purchased a RV and upgraded our AAA membership to include it. We had to upgrade our membership to Premier before including the RV. Total cost was 228.00 for the year. The day came that we needed a 6-mile tow and AAA failed us. We had one associate tell us that they do not tow RV's even though it's an RV policy. We are talking about a double rear wheel Sprinter van at 24.5 feet. A class B+ RV. We tried to get a refund for the two years that we were not covered to no avail. We did not get a tow or a full two year refund for the RV portion of our membership.

I called for a jump on a truck. A guy came out in a private vehicle. He tried jumping the battery but could not. I asked if could replace my battery he said he would call his boss. He said per his boss I would need to call back AAA and request this service. I said ok can you at least put air in the tires? He said he doesn't carry equipment like that. That I would need to call AAA and request that as well. So, called AAA and explained and they said ok we will make another service call. 2 hours later not hearing back from them I called and was told that someone will call me back. AAA called back in 10 mins and informed me they do not offer new batteries if one is needed because I'm in Alabama. WTH! She said all they can do is tow me somewhere?! I paid for a Premier Membership and have been with AAA for many years. What good is a membership if they can't even perform basic functions! AAA use to be good alas, they no longer are a roadside assistance I would use!

Membership # [protected] 1 Service Request #110489
Tonight I had a nightmare experience with AAA. My vehicle broke down on a busy road in a high crime area of my city. I was told by the AAA agent that a tow truck would be there within two hours. After one hour, I called to get a status update and was told the tow truck had been assigned and the driver would text me when he was on his way. It was getting dark but I waited another hour and called again for an update. The agent then told me that they hadn't been able to secure a tow truck service. She offered apologies and wished me luck before hanging up. At that point I felt desperate and frantically tried to get help somewhere else. I was able to get a friend's help and I finally made it home after four hours. If I had known no one was coming, I would have been able to find help on my own much earlier. This was a dangerous situation and I also lost 5 hours of pay from my work because AAA did not provide the services I paid for and depended on.

My plastic AAA membership card indicates I've been a "LOYAL MEMBER SINCE 2017" and "VALID THRU SEP 15 2022". Today, OCT 14 2021, a AAA Renewal Offer arrived in the mail. That offer prompted a phone call to AAA. The customer service rep indicated that my membership expired SEP 15 2021! How can my membership expire SEP 15 2021 when my membership card indicates otherwise? This appears to be a "bait and switch" tactic or at the very least is misleading and a unfortunate deceptive practice.

Nonexistent communication is the key factor here. I had a guy run a stop sign, and mess my truck up. After he was found at fault, I initiated the claim with my assigned agent, Christina Cortez; and "manager" Melanie Olson. It's been over a week now and after countless calls, and voicemails I have yet to reach anyone. I count on my vehicle to run my business, and provide for my family. This may be a game to them but this is my life! They haven't even asked for photos of my vehicle. I provided them with a key witness account from the scene, the constables report and case number and a detailed description. My Claim number is [protected]

Hello, my name is Thomas Vose abd ny membership number is 429 005 [protected] 8. I am very dissapointed because I filed for a reimbursement of funds but was only reimbursed 100 dollars instead of the total of 135 dollars. I was told by the agent that I would get the whole amount of 135 dollars. I called AAA when I locked my keys and wallet and phone in my car and had to use someone else's cell phone. I got a hold of the dispatcher and she told me they would send someone within one hour. Well, an hour had passed and they called me back and said they could't send anyone out that serviced the area I was in. They told me I had to call a company not affiliated with AAA. I ended up being there for many hours. The reason I am contacting you is because during that time I was supposed to take my medication for my mental health. This medication is vital in keeping me from having outbreks and ensures that i fall asleep at night. I had a terrible time that night and did not fall asleep until 7 o'clock the next morning. I also had to borrow money to put into my checking account which was already low, in order to keep my account from overdrafting. I would just be content to receive the other 30 dollars in which I feel I am owed so I can repay the debt and contimue my membership with AAA. I do not want to take legal action on this matter so I am asking that I be reimbursed the other 35 dollars. Thank you for your cooperation.

Sincerely,

Thomas Vose

AAA left me stranded in a dark parking lot last Thursday night. First call was at 6:36pm, told ETA was 7:40. Called back at 8:00pm, told a delay. Called 3 more times until the last call at 10:13pm when they said they couldn't help me and told me to call a private company. Each time I called AAA I was on the phone waiting for between 10 to 33 minutes. I called a private company and it was a company that does handle AAA calls, but evidently companies have a right to refuse calls. The private company was there within 20 minutes, paid cash (although they did accept CCs) AAA told me to apply for reimbursement. I'm furious I've paid for a gold or premier membership for decades and the first time I call they leave me stranded by myself in a dark parking lot late at night.

My Husband I called AAA to assist in a tow of my 2012 Mini Cooper. During the tow the driver could not get his tow truck to load car properly. He caused much damage to the vehicle and said sometimes you gotta be rough, then had my husband assist him working the tow truck to unload my car. We called his supervisor immediately. They came over and looked for a minute and left. The Auto repair shop says there is definite damage from the tow. He has costs and paperwork showing this. This incident took place on the corner of Refugee Rd. and Brice Rd. Canal Winchester Ohio I have been carless since the accident. It has been sitting as we pray AAA wile fix the damage they have done. I beg that you look into this and help solve this issue. We have contacted local news programs to see how we may get help. Stacy Souders [protected] This accident happened in June and we are still waiting for help.
STACY

Estimate #131093 is the wrecker damage.

Estimate # 131094 is to make drivable after the wrecker damage is done. This will not include any body or paint work.

We need a good phone number for you.

Thanks

Dan

I have been a customer of AAA forever, under my parents and now on my own. My Mom was rushed to the emergency room in Charleston, SC on Thursday September 2. I live in Atlanta, GA. My car needed to be towed to the shop so I had my nephew call AAA and set up the tow. Once told I would have to be there, I called and spoke to a horrible manager to see if there was a way to over ride this. The manager was rude, unresponsive and downright ignorant. I understand rules, however there are times when common sense should come into play. I asked the manager to speak with someone above him, and was told he was the boss!

I have never been so disappointed with a company that I do business with. This experience was a disgrace. I am adding my acct number ([protected]) so you can pull the call and offer the person training and coaching .

Linda