I don't remember if this has been discussed at length before, but my club and road svc are up for renewal. Do y'all have both, one, or none? I've never used the good sam discount since aaa and aarp seem to work everywhwere, but I did use the tow once and I figure that pays for a year or more of the road svc. But I've not investigated other options. Anyone wanna weigh in? tnx,

Never had Good Sam, but I think I'm going to sign up for Coach Net coverage soon - www.coach-net.com

I've heard nothing but good things about their service. The people you call are not just dispatchers, but RV technical experts that can often troubleshoot and solve problems over the phone (or so I've read). The service people they send (if needed) bring parts to repair your rig on the spot if possible, instead of just towing you wherever and letting you figure it out later. I don't know what Good Sam costs you, the basic Coach Net plan is $110 annually which covers every vehicle you drive, own, or rent.

I have a Classic car and 1 (soon to be 2) daily drivers, so Coach Net will be multifunctional coverage for me.

I have AAA RV Plus and have always been happy with it. The last trip to Dega I had a starter go bad and they came out to the campground [25 min.] and spent about half an hour getting me going. AAA has changed their policy from "tow it" to try to get it going first, and it shows. After he got me started with the old hammer trick, I drove to his shop and he put in a new starter in 20 minutes for 150 bucks, which I thought was pretty reasonable. My main concern, probably not warrented, is having help available everywhere.

This is a complicated subject because everyone will have a different level of risk tolerance, amount of travel, ability to fix their own issues, insurance plans, desire for discounts, and care for the publications (if offered).

We found that our Progressive insurance and AAA cover almost everything that is offered by CoachNet or other "limited insurance" plans and we are already paying for them. We do belong to both Good Sams and FMCA (simple membership), but more for the monthly publications that have excellent articles. We're looking into joining the KOA club, but it doesn't do much beyond a discount on stays and some points.

I've not yet found myself permanently stranded on the side of the road, thankfully, but I have a personal need to avoid feeling screwed at that moment. Therefore, I'd rather just know that "I" need to deal with the issue as I coast to the shoulder. If I need expert help, I'll just hope a Bill NY is in the area and not some grease monkey, that's life.

Progressive roadside coverage is good on paper (that's what I have) and I've had 2 claims with them that turned out ok but not great. However there were major delays with service arriving both times.

(1) In upstate NY (near Niagara Falls) they could not find a truck big enough to tow my RV until the next day, which I still find hard to believe since we were in the middle of a fairly busy metropolitan area with big interstates nearby. A smaller tow truck just pulled us around the corner and we were forced to spend the night on an unfamiliar city street. Luckily it was just my wife and I (kids weren't with us that time) or I never would have agreed to that. The problem was that my rig wouldn't start, and the next morning I called a bunch of tech support lines in my various manuals and got my rig started myself (had to bypass the aftermarket ignition) and drove it to a nearby shop without waiting for Progressive.

(2) This past summer we had a full-speed rear tire blowout on the interstate in central IL. It was roasting hot and the whole family was on board. I got off the road and called for a tire change, and was within 10 miles of 3 reputable tow companies. However, Progressive sent someone from Chicago that took over 2 hours to arrive. Meanwhile, I had someone else come to the scene (we were about an hour from home) to come pick up the rest of my family so they didn't have to suffer and sweat with me. Pretty frustrating.

Basically I would say don't rely on JUST your insurance company's roadside protection unless you are fine with waiting as long as it takes. They only contract out with certain tow companies to provide service (compared to getting a service company that's close by) and you will most likely be on the low end of the priority list. I like Progressive Insurance in general and their roadside coverage is cheap, but I've learned that there's a reason for the price.

As always, those are just my experiences and YMMV. If I get Coach Net that will cover road service on all my vehicles, I'll cancel the roadside coverage with my two auto insurance companies that will help pay for a portion of the annual Coach Net payment. I've never heard/read a single negative thing about Coach Net service, and many folks have written about their experiences at RVforum.net (I am one of the admins there).

quote:

I've never heard/read a single negative thing about Coach Net service, and many folks have written about their experiences at RVforum.net (I am one of the admins there).

I just randomly Googled Coachnet and went to this RV forum where there were complaints http://www.irv2.com/forums/f11...trictions-35425.html

I'm pretty sure we could find on-line complaints on every company in existence, so I'll take your word and experience to heart and think highly of CoachNet. In any case, I'm going to still leave my money in the bank and have 0 expectations. That way all my energy goes towards fixing the problem versus trying to deal with someone over the phone. As I tell every saleperson that tries to sell me an extended warranty on TVs, irons, toasters, coffee makers; "What? pay you good money to take away a good reason to throw it away and get a new one?"

quote:

Originally posted by Moonbeam-Express:
I just randomly Googled Coachnet and went to this RV forum where there were complaints http://www.irv2.com/forums/f11...trictions-35425.html
I'm pretty sure we could find on-line complaints on every company in existence,

Definitely true there, but many times ALL you see are complaints. Many folks never take the time to report when things go well.

EDIT: Actually when I read that thread you linked above, I was pleased to see the majority of the comments were positive. The OP there was just sending out advice to read the fine print and realize that Coach Net wouldn't send a roadside repair tech AND a tow truck simultaneously, just one or the other.

Like I said, YMMV. I've been convinced to go Coach Net just based on the many unsolicited positive testimonials posted by others, but if you have a program/system that works then there's no reason to move away from that.

At different times I have used two insurance companies' & Good Sam's road service. USAA insurance got there quickly in Tucson, & towed me to the nearest RV service center. Years later, I called Progressive for a locksmith, & instead of using one within a few blocks of me, they called one from my hometown, about 35 miles away.

I blew a transmission in a FWD GMC at the top of Pacheco Pass in central, CA. I was able to coast down the hill several miles to find a phone. I can't complain about the wait for Good Sam, we were still a long ways out of Gilroy. They towed us in to the local Cadillac dealer but he couldn't get to the job until the following week. I paid for a tow to an independent tranny shop, & was back on the road in two days.

Every company & every circumstance is different. You win some, you lose some. I cannot complain about USAA & Good Sam. If I had to insure an RV with someone other than USAA, I'd get Good Sam or some other road service.

We have Coach-Net GOLD and REALLY like the tow service.

They do a great job of finding the right rig to tow you once they know what you need.

We have had Good Sam & others and they always fell short.

Carl Feren

Ditto, for great CoachNet service and performance. I have tested them by requesting the tow company of my preference and by naming the repair destination of my preference. They cooperated fully, quickly and exceeded my expectations even in difficult circumstances. All my experience with them has been in Canada. I recommend Coach Net highly.

Another CoachNet kudo....Only one roadside breakdown so far, but on a Sunday in the middle of nowhere, one call had me back on the road within a couple hours.

I've used Good Sam's 4 times. The first was in my SOB on the Natchez Trace, with a blown tire (I'd used the spare 40 miles before). The service they originally contacted couldn't find me, even though I was 20 miles from his shop. The 2nd shop couldn't figure what "8x19.5" tires were. Finally, 12 hours later, the 3rd one showed up.

The 2nd time was when the master cylinder failed again; I was close enough to the place that replaced it the first time (near Baltimore). The tow truck was summoned to a serious Interstate accident (being the closest wrecker) and it was only about 4 hrs.

The 3rd time for the 1st failed P/S pump. That was handled promptly, and Good Sam's picked the closest place, but it was to be 2 days before they could fix. They were cooperative when I explained I was on my way to a seminar, which had been prepaid, and had me towed to a place a few mles farther.

The last time was for the 2nd failed P/S pump. The tow truck arrived promptly, and the shop Good Sam's selected was also excellent.

quote:

Originally posted by Bill & Sonja:
Ditto, for great CoachNet service and performance. I have tested them by requesting the tow company of my preference and by naming the repair destination of my preference. They cooperated fully, quickly and exceeded my expectations even in difficult circumstances. All my experience with them has been in Canada. I recommend Coach Net highly.

I agree 100% with Bill & Sonja. As you can see in the collage below, the town where we broke down in the NV dessert had a population of 10 and was officially listed as a ghost town. We gave Coach-Net what we needed for a tow vehicle ... specifically that (1) that we had a low slung generator in the front and (2) that our axle was 10 feet back from the front of the vehicle. They understood the problem and sent a rig with "wheel lift capability" that was big enough to reach back 10' without flexing and hence NOT taking out our generator. They sent the rig pictured from 75 miles away and gave us the choice of being towed over the mountains toa Cummins dealer in Bishop, CA (approx. 100 mi) or back to an RV park in Hawthorne (30 mi). We chose the RV Park and hired a mobile mechanic to help fix the fuel injection pump.

We have been towed twice and HIGHLY recommend a rig with wheel lift capability.
Carl Feren

It's not often I change my mind on something important and expensive, but these real life endorsements of CoachNet have done just that. I can see where their expertise in finding the right tow company can really save a horrible situation from escalating. I especially found the stories of being in no-man's-land encouraging as visions of violins playing in the background colored my thoughts.

Thanks to all for your input.

Just my 2 cents worth....
Though one might find it unnecessary to have "extra" insurance, for the basically inexpensive fee of less than $150 for Good Sams Emergency Road Service policy I believe it is money well spent.
I, like Carl, went thru an event (water pump blew on a Friday night) where I needed to be towed. The expense of a tow truck for our coaches on a one time basis will pay for the service for 4-5 years. I asked the tow truck driver how much it would cost to tow me at midnight and he said $500-600. And that was just back to his yard. The next day when his shop realized they could not repair the water pump until the following week, Good Sam paid to have it towed to another repair shop. So, that would have cost me at least $1000 in towing, let alone the repair. And I am not sure anyone was going to fix a water pump at midnight on the side of the road.
The bad thing about this whole ordeal was it took a while for the tow truck to show up and when they did, the Good Sams rep did not advise the tow truck operator of the coach I had so he had to go back and get another tow truck. It was 4-5 hours before I was towed away. That being said, it was still better than the alternative of trying to find who in the area would come out at midnight and tow me in. By the way, though I called Good Sams, the driver was contacted by Coach Net to make the arrangements....