Good Sam - Any good??

[Chaz]

Well, it didn't take long!! Good Sam sent me an application.    I have seen this organization for years and always wondered if it was any good or worth it??
  Are many of you folks members? If so, what are the good/bad points??
  I have to say though, after reading the posts about our fellow Bus Nuts having problems the last couple weeks, and all the help and support our fellow nuts have given, I just can't imagine there being any better organization than this right here!!!!
  So what do you all think of "Good Sam"

    Always tryin to be a Good Sam,
        Chaz

[TomC]

Personally like it-get discounts at Good Sam approved campgrounds.  And just recently had to get my bus towed because of a fuel leak.  I had it loaded on a Landoll trailer and towed from Baker, Ca to Las Vegas.  Good Sam Tow paid for the bus to be towed to the nearest repair facility that would have been in Barstow, Ca.  Well-obviously I wanted to go to Las Vegas instead, so paid the extra $165.00 for the extra 28 miles of difference.  The tow without Good Sam Tow would have been over $700.00.  Needless to say, I liked that difference-and there was no bull involved with it.  The tow company gladly took Good Sams PO for the job.  That just proves how good it is.  When you join (I am a lifetime member) make sure you get the Tow insurance too!  Good Luck, TomC

[H3Jim]

Very good program, I had to use teh towing insurance once and it worked well.  Haiving said that, you can heat your house with the junk mail they send.  I still was inundated with junk for almost 2 years after I dropped them. I am with the FMCA group now, and have not had to use them.  so far so good.

[Christyhicks]

Well, our experience with FMCA is that they were worthless.  The bolts came out of our hitch, which came loose from our bus and  punctured our oil pan, leaving us stranded along I-75 in Tampa on New Years Day.  I called the FMCA number immediately, but they immediately labeled that as an "accident" and refused to cover the towing.  Then, they said they would "assist" me, by having us towed to a nearby campground that day, and then wherever we wanted the next day, since the day we broke down was New Years Day and they couldn't find a shop that was open. 

Of course, we were to pay for both towing jobs, so I don't see where they were doing me a lot of favors.  Then, I insisted that they give me the phone number to the towing service they called, becuase I just didn't think she was "getting" my repeated comments that we couldn't be towed.  Sure enough, I held on with the towing company until after they got off with CoachNet, FMCA's towing insurance provider, and sure enough, Coachnet told them it was a Class A motorhome and therefore they had planned on coming out with a tow truck.  When I explained that we needed to be landall'ed, they had to send me to a whole different division of their company.

I asked the girl at FMCA/Coachnet how she thought causing me to pay for TWO tow jobs was "helping" me, and she said, "Well, we have to get you to a safe place tonight, and then you can have us have you towed to a shop tomorrow when you pick where you want to go."  I was pretty disgusted, since we specifically purchased the towing insurance for anything that might come up.

To label what happened as an "accident" was clearly an attempt to get out of paying for our towing.  Basically I was told to turn it over to our auto insurance, and if they rejected the claim, we could re-submit to Coach-net a second time.  Well, since we have $500 deductible, it's not worth my trouble to fight my insurance company over a $625 towing bill, and anyway, THAT IS WHY I BOUGHT A SEPARATE TOWING POLICY.  

I was told by other busnuts that I shoudl have just said the bus quit, basically LIED to them to get them to tow us, but it shouldn't be that way.  If a bolt falling out is an accident, well, then what about a belt braking or a flat tire caused by running over something in the road?

Anyway, I'm not done.  .. I'll be writing to FMCA, CoachNet, and to all the forums to which we belong before this is done.  People need to know whether they can rely on the service for which they've paid, and it was clear that the first time we tried to use ours, it was worthless.  Christy Hicks

[Barn Owl]

I resurrected this from one of my old post but I still stand by it:

Entire thread from "Any Recommendations on Road Assistance Plans?": http://www.busconversions.com/bbs/index.php?topic=1527.msg12929#msg12929

Aug '06

This is my story:

I was in the same situation as you are. I needed to get my bus from Santa Paula, CA to Roanoke, VA April of this year. The bus had not been out of the owner's driveway for ten years. At the time, I wasn't concerned about it, but then I discovered all of the bus websites. One scary story after another and most involved large sums of money. Now I'm worried about a breakdown in the middle of nowhere. I asked a local contractor that tows for the company I work for about towing a bus and found out that he charges $4 a mile   .  I realized that I would be in big trouble if my repair money was used up in towing if I needed it. Well, I researched the best I could, and decided at that time to use Good Sam's Club.

Here are my reasons:

1. They were one of the least expensive, ~ $79 year (Most others were more)
2. They offered a thirty day money back guarantee, regardless of how many times I had used the service. (Most others did not)
3. They offered a prorated refund after thirty days, regardless of how many times I had used the service. (Most others did not)
4. The coverage included all of my other personal vehicles. (Coverage like AAA) (Most others did not)
5. Lots of tow providers.
6. Age, size, and type of R.V. not a problem.
7. Seemed to have good feedback from what I was reading.

I liked the idea of dropping the coverage and getting a refund if I was not satisfied. I also figured if my bus became inoperable for any length of time, I could get my money back because I could not use the service.

Well it was worth every penny. The second day after I took possession, the bus had a flat. One phone call is all it took and they sent a service truck to change over to the spare. Instead they fixed the flat roadside, and the bus was on its way. I had a good experience with them, no problems. I am keeping the coverage.

If there was any advice I could give it is to shop around! I was surprised at how much each service differed from one to another, in cost, and sometimes in services. My oldest daughter will be driving in a year, so I like the idea of having the services carry over to my other vehicles. That was a big selling point for me.

This page is not as easy to find as it should be, but try this link:

http://www.goodsamers.com/index.cfm?promocode=DRCJUN135&AID=10294059&PID=655397

Good luck! And let's hope you will never need it!

[Tim Bookmiller]

I will try to state the facts of "my towing" and let the chips fall . First of all we are insured with Progressive Drive . Returning from Fl. 5/8/06 we lost engine in Ky called ins. company about tow info . they ok`d tow -I called tow co. had bus towed HOME -total bill $ 860.00
I am thinking now when this thing "goes through" they will pay for the cost of tow to NEAREST repair center --wrong I recieved a check for $860.00. Very happy camper over that !!

[buswarrior]

Hello.

All I have heard is good about Good Sam.

For Canadians....Good Sam seems to forget about north of the 49th parallel....

Try the Explorer RV Club for coverage at home and in the US.

Used the tow service for the family jalopy when the wheel studs all broke. (Darn mechanics and their air guns)
40 minutes and away we go to where I wanted.
Haven't had to use it for the bus, reports from others are as favourable as Good Sam.

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[pete81eaglefanasty]

We've had Good Sam Club for many years and always had good luck,  we've only been towed 3 times, once when our engine blew they asked us where we wanted it towed, we had it towed over one hundred miles.  One year we tried FMC and we broke down in our car, they couldn't even find the highway we were on, we sat there for over  four hours, after several calls we couldn't even get a person that spoke english, a stranger gave us a ride to town.  Good Sam is the best, they are friendly and helpful.



         Pete and Jean
           Fantasy

[Chaz]

Thanx folks,
  This is all good info! I will look into them further, but I would like more personal testimonials if any of you have them.
  I have a story about AAA:  My first real road trip over 10 miles was to go to Florence KY to do a little shopping for the inside of the bus and on the way back I ran out of fuel. I called AAA and she said I didn't have the appropriate coverage although it was a Gold Membership. But she said my membership was due that month and that I could renew right then and upgrade and it would cover the tow. DUHHHHHH, SIGN ME UP!!!!!  She did and they took care of the tow!!!
  So, I had good luck with them so far and the lady was very nice and helpful.
  I was just curious if the "others", Good Sam, etc. had other perks worthwhile.
 
   Hoping to never need it,
        Chaz

[bobsw]

We have used good sam twice and had good  service. They haulled the bus in to las vegas and I didn't even see the bill. However we did get ripped off by Master mobil Mechanics That good sam sent out. I made a complaint  to good sam about the company but I wasn't left with the felling that the wouldn't send them out to someone else.  Just Beware.  I would recomend that when they tell you that they will send out a mechanic just request a tow and arrange your own mechanic.

[RJ]

Chaz (and others) -

In addition to Good Sam (or FMCA, or your own auto insurance carrier) for handling your towing needs, might I also suggest that you get a copy of the Bus Garage Index, printed annually by the publishers of Bus Ride magazine, an industry trade mag.  It lists bus garages all over the USA & Canada, indexed by state and city.  Should be part of every busnut's on-board library, for those times when you're away from home and may need repairs.  Well worth the $$, and you don't need to buy one every year, unless you want to.

Here's their website, simply click on the link in the stack of tires to order your copy.  (Standard disclaimer: I have no financial interest in this - just sharing info.)

www.busride.com

FWIW & HTH. . .

[Casper4104]

I paid $85 last March for Sammy's ERS (Emergency Roadside Service) when I bout our 4104.  I've never needed them for the bus <knock wood>, but here's what I've gotten.

1 - daughter locked the only set of keys to the Explorer IN the explorer.  Opened in 15 minutes flat, follow up call "do you need anything else?".

2 - Daughter had brakes fail and rearended a friend, car towed to the house.  Towtruck beat me to the accident site.  Follow up call "do you need anything else?".

3 - Son tore clutch out of his pickup.  Truck towed to the house.  Towtruck arrived in 20 minutes.  Follow up call "do you need anything else?".

4 - while I worked on the pickup he used my old diesel benz.  He gave me the car back with maybe 1 gallon of fuel in the tank.  I ran out on the side of I-77.  3 gallons of diesel on site 15 minutes later.  Follow up call "do you need anything else?".

Yeah, I need something else.  I need these kids out of my house, LOL.  I'm thriled with good sams and will definitely renew.

Casper4104

[ol713]

Hi;
    I too have Good Sam.    Have used them for the past6 yrs or so.  I seem to use
    them mostly for my cars though.  I recently used them approx 3 weeks ago when
    I locked the keys in my car.   Yes - - I am happy with Good Sam.     Also, Tom C,
    you can save another $10 if you renew at the Quartzite R V  show.
                                 Good luck,   Merle

[buswarrior]

Yes, what Russ says:

Get a Bus Garage Index.

Telephone numbers, addresses, driving directions, services offered, makes serviced

Closest "qualified" repair centre is the bus company that lists your make, and confirms on telephone they still have someone there that can work on the old girl.

happy coaching!
buswarrior