Good Sam Platinum roadside assistance

[Iceni John]

I just a letter from Good Sam saying I have a "complimentary upgrade" to their Platinum roadside assistance for the remainder of my current term.   At first I thought "Yippee, they like me", but on further reading I see that maybe they don't like me so much:  "Due to the high costs associated with providing roadside assistance to motorhomes, however we can no longer provide coverage for motorhomes under our standard Good Sam roadside assistance program.   You are receiving this complimentary upgrade because our records show that you are a motorhome owner.   In order to receive benefits for your motorhome, you must have Platinum membership.   When it's time to renew your membership, you will receive a renewal notice for your new Platinum membership and fees."

And then to add insult to injury, they sent me a "free" $10 coupon for Camping World SuperCenters.   (Even with $10 off, there's nothing there that I cannot get elsewhere for less money.)

So, has anyone else here with Good Sam's roadside assistance got one of these letters?   Why I'm asking is that I needed a tow earlier this year when my bus's radiator fan motor burst, and even though the tow was for only a few miles it probably cost Good Sam a lot.   Are they sending out these "complimentary upgrade" letters only to members who actually used their services, or to everyone, or what?   Evidently they want to preserve their profits, so is it like insurance companies that raise your rates if you have the temerity to actually make a claim, heaven forbid?

I treat everything from Good Sam and their compatriots with a healthy level of scepticism and caution, and this latest attempt to make me a Plutonium member seems very cynical on their part.   Maybe it's time to look into CoachNet instead?

John    

[Iceni John]

Reading through their Plutonium coverage limitations, it says that you are SOL if your vehicle is "specifically designed for commercial or business purposes".   Wouldn't that pretty much knock all our buses out of contention?   It also says that "vehicles licensed commercially or in a business name" are excluded  -  that may affect those folk whose RVs are registered to their business, like several in the storage yard where I keep my bus.   The more I read, the less I like about them.   Mind you, they do cover in Mexico:  maybe I should drive my bus to Chiapas and then call them for a tow back to USA?   No, I would never dream of doing that . . .

John

[Utahclaimjumper]

They will only tow you to a "qualified repair service"....Lots of luck with that.>>>Dan

[oldmansax]

I have not had to use the service but I got one of the letters also.

TOM

[pabusnut]

Considering it is Christmas, this makes this use of the term 'Good Samaritan' appear even more of the perversion of the original story.  Well maybe not completely

The original Good Samaritan charged his "customer" nothing and asked for nothing in return. The original was looked down upon by most of the "established" society of the time----maybe we should keep that part.

Just saying

[muldoonman]

Coach Net is your friend.

[chessie4905]

If companies lose money on this service, they are either going to charge more or discontinue it. Fact of life. Check another provider's service and benefits.

[DoubleEagle]

When Good Sam was on it's own, it provided a service for the benefit of members. Now that it has been swallowed by Camping World, all activities are for profit, and any "discounts" still don't bring prices down to reasonable levels. Coach Net is our best resource for road assistance nowadays (people actually answer the phone).

[edvanland]

Got one like that last year. Took them up on the free offer, then when I tried to use it note the MH is not covered. TRASH CAN

[bigred]

If there has ever been a company that has totally lost it's focus ,it would be Camping World .High Prices ,shoddy workmanship ,costs exceeding their estimates all seem to be the norm for them anymore .Have a friend who opened up a small RV repair facility .Used to get him to do a lot of small things for me THEN Tom Johnson camping center sold out to CW .Since that happened ,he has hired three people and still stays so slammed that he has no where to Park the units.He is so busy that I don't even try to get him to do anything for me any more.Non the less ,I have used Good Sam road side assistance and have been quiet pleased with their service ,so unless thy really screw me over I guess I will stick with them.By the way,one time I used them  was for a flat repair and the other time was for HD wrecker when the Prevost wouldn't go in gear!!   

[oltrunt]

I think Chessie hit the nail on the head.  I just renewed my Good Sam's tow after having declined the new program and received an email thanking me for renewing.  Of course my bus is only 22.5' long and can be hauled on a medium duty flat bed (more or less) so their exposure is only slightly more than it would be for towing mom's soccer van.  Jack

[Iceni John]

I think Chessie hit the nail on the head.  I just renewed my Good Sam's tow after having declined the new program and received an email thanking me for renewing.  Of course my bus is only 22.5' long and can be hauled on a medium duty flat bed (more or less) so their exposure is only slightly more than it would be for towing mom's soccer van.  Jack

Aha, there's the difference!   You could (and did) opt out of the new program, but I have no such choice.   The extra dollars is not the point  -  I just don't like their whole approach to customer service.   Even if I have to pay more at CoachNet, I may just do so out of principal.   Hrumph.

John   

[David Anderson]

got my letter.

Good Sam claims that CoachNet is $249 annually.  That is $100 more than Good Sam.  Is that true?

David

[luvrbus]

$249 is for the Premier RV plan but it covers a lot of stuff that Good Sam doesn't I can tell you CoachNet has a far superior network than Good Sams.
The FMCA deal is not bad for $69.00 but it just covers 1 vehicle and you don't get ripped for a tire buying it through FMCA lol Good Sam wanted me to pay Camping World $425.00 for a $200.00  8x19.5 tire that didn't happen   

[lostagain]

I just renewed my Premier Coach CoachNet coverage a couple of weeks ago for $149, minus $10 on their renew early deal= $139 for a year.

JC